Exed Exes, known as Savage Bees in North America, is a classic arcade shooter from 1985. The game was developed by Capcom, a household name in arcade games. It is a game where players dive into a sci-fi-inspired world, battling against insectoids in a vertically scrolling shooter format. In a classic two-player format, friends can team up and tackle the alien threat together. Originally an arcade game, it was ported to Sega Saturn and NES. It was also later released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox as part of the Capcom Classics Collection. Let’s take a closer look at the game known as Exed Exes and the cheats available for this classic.
Exed Exes Premise
Exed Exes pits players in an alien environment located in an alien hive, with a mission to navigate through numerous stages filled with insectoid enemies. This game has a couple of tricks up its sleeve compared to many of its contemporaries. While it is mostly a typical vertical shooter like many others, it has fairly high-quality graphics for the time. In addition, the use of parallax scrolling to create a sense of depth is something that wasn’t yet commonly used in games.
Exed Exes also allows two players to play simultaneously, making it one of the pioneers in cooperative gameplay when it comes to vertical shooters. Even many of the more modern shoot ’em-ups only focus on the single-player experience. Players must pilot their spacecraft, avoiding colliding with enemies or projectiles and shooting down enemies, as they progress through increasingly challenging levels.
In addition to the main gameplay mechanics, Exed Exes features a variety of power-ups and bonuses that players can collect to enhance their firepower and survivability. In a classic shooter fashion, each level ends in a boss fight, which truly challenges the player, requiring quick reflexes and boss-specific strategies. The game has a high score system for challenging players to complete the game more efficiently.
In Exed Exes, the story takes place on the planet NEG-NIN, under attack by aggressive insect creatures called Exes. Players step into the roles of Colonel Issue and Sergeant Issue, embarking on a mission to push back the Exes’ forces and liberate the planet from these alien invaders.
Exed Exes Characters
The game introduces players to a two-member cast of protagonists. At the heart of the game’s narrative are Colonel Issue and Sergeant Issue, two pilots with the mission of liberating the planet NEG-NIN from the clutches of the insectoid invaders known as Exes. In addition to the two brave fighters, the opposition forces feature various bosses in the form of fearsome alien spaceships.
Player Characters
- Colonel Issue: The leader in the battle against the Exes, piloting one of the advanced spacecraft designed to destroy the alien threat.
- Sergeant Issue: The ally to the Colonel in the fight against the Exes. Sergeant Issue provides equally destructive power with his spacecraft in the two-player mode.
Bosses
- Hepcon: This is the first Exes boss players meet. It looks like the letter H and has a skull at each corner. In the center, there’s a gun, and it has two radars for detecting players.
- Twin Cross: Made up of two cross shapes joined together, this enemy carries six skulls, three guns, and two radars.
- Triple Cross: This enemy is formed by three crosses attached to each other. It’s equipped with two radars, five skulls, and seven guns that players need to destroy.
- Octagon: This Exed is shaped like an octagon. It features a central radar, six skulls, and a pair of guns also at the back.
- Hexagon: A hexagon-shaped enemy with two central radars. It’s armed with guns on its outer edges and a skull at the top and bottom.
- Hexagon 2: Similar to the previous one but with a top-bottom radar layout. It has two guns on its sides, with additional skulls and guns at both the top and bottom.
- Super Exes: A more challenging boss. It features a gun on each wing, skulls at the corners, a central black gun, and four surrounding radars.
- Prototype Exes: Unlike others, this one has no skulls but instead has twelve guns arranged in an X shape and four radars in a cross pattern.
- Exed Exes: The most formidable enemy in the game. It is equipped with a unique setup of guns and four radars.
Games in the Series
Exed Exes is a standalone title within Capcom’s portfolio of arcade classics. However, it shares similarities with other shooters like Vulgus and 1942 from Capcom.
- Exed Exes (1985)
Exed Exes Cheats
Originally an arcade game, Exed Exes doesn’t offer players traditional cheats, such as invincibility, unlimited ammunition, or access to special weapons. However, while the game doesn’t allow cheats, players can still use some tips to make clearing levels easier. We’ve gathered some tips and tricks to make advancing in the game a little bit easier.
Maximize Screen Clearance
Focus on clearing the screen quickly to reduce the number of enemies firing at you. Pay attention to ground threats like cannons and prioritize eliminating them early in the encounter as they are easier to target. Lastly take down enemies that do not shoot at you, unless they are posing danger directly.
Manage Positioning
Avoid staying at the bottom of the screen for too long at a time to prevent surprise attacks from dragonflies. For large insects, if only one appears, focus your attack on it but maintain a safe distance from other obstacles. When dealing with multiple large insects, target one at a time and avoid getting trapped by their movements.
Strategic Upgrade Collection
When collecting upgrades, remember that higher-level upgrades can be collected at any time, and collecting a downgrade can be beneficial in some cases. If you are looking for the highest scores, even the downgrades collected add to the bonus points. These points also contribute towards earning the Sakachi Mega-Crush resupply, which can be super valuable.
Bonus Points in Hi-Point Areas
In stages with a Hi-Point Area, aim to collect the flashing Pow symbol to transform enemies and ground objects into fruits for bonus points. Large insects will turn into a giant strawberry worth 10,000 points, offering a massive score boost.
Boss Battles Tactics
Save your Mega-Crush bombs for boss battles, as these encounters often involve dealing with multiple threats at the same time. Destroy all components of a boss to prevent it from escaping and to secure a bonus. Sometimes radars are easy to overlook, so better to shoot everything just in case. Deal with adds quickly during these fights to focus on the boss.
Endgame Strategy
The game cycles indefinitely but the ultimate goal is to score 10,000,000 points. As players defeat the last boss in level 16, Exed Exes, the game continues from the beginning. However, if the player achieves the magical 10 million points, the game will present with a game over screen. However, attaining this is made much harder by the fact that it needs to be done on one credit, as continues reset the score.
Exed Exes Cheats FAQ
Can Exed Exes be played in multiplayer mode?
Yes, Exed Exes supports two-player gameplay, allowing friends to team up against the Exes forces and play simultaneously. In fact, the game is one of the first vertical shooters that allow two-player
Is Exed Exes available on modern gaming consoles?
Originally, the game was released on arcade machines, followed by releases on Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Saturn. However, Exed Exes is also included in the Capcom Classics Collection for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.
What are some of the similar vertical shooter games to Exed Exes?
Several vertical shooters offer gameplay similar to Exed Exes, including Capcom’s own 1942. Other titles include Xevious, TwinBee, and the Raiden series. All of these are known for fast-paced gameplay and even cooperative action similar to Exed Exes.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Screenshot for Exed Exes.