The solar system is in peril, oh no, how terrible, etc. Whatever shall we do, who can possibly save us? If only there was a lone pilot fighting against impossible odds to stand up against the overwhelming power of Zodiac. Only then would we know peace, but what are the chances of that happening? If just about every game that's ever existed in the entire history of the medium plus a fair percentage of entertainingly terrible Star Wars knock-offs are to be believed, that's about a one-in-one probability. Sure enough, the starfighter pilot Kyuu is ready to take on the varied ships and bosses of Zodiac, flying ever forward over planets and through space to eliminate every last mech the terrorist organization can throw at her in a shooter that's a loving tribute not just to Star Fox, but also a few other classics.
Ex-Zodiac knows exactly what it wants to be and gets right to it. It's a rail shooter where enemies pop up as you fly forward, and the object is to clear out as many as possible while avoiding their exceptionally-accurate return fire. Kyuu's ship comes equipped with a single-shot laser that fires by rapidly pressing the button, but converts into lock-on missiles when it's held down. Shooting down enemy patterns and flying through sequences of obstacles can uncover powerups to increase the laser from a single to a double, plus add to the number of missiles Kyuu can fire in a single lock-on volley. She can also speed up or slow down to evade enemy firepower, and double-tapping one of the buttons used to bank into a steeper turn activates a quick barrel roll that also deflects weaker enemy shots. There's no denying it's a familiar setup, but a comfortable kind of familiar for a style of game that's nowhere near close to wearing out its welcome.
What makes this kind of shooter work isn't so much the mechanics, but rather the stages that put them to the test, and Ex-Zodiac's Early Access release comes with six levels across unique terrain filled with enemies that aren't shy about fighting back. While easy to get lost in the flow of shoot-dodge-shoot, repeated play shows that there's been a lot of design work applied to each area, with the level flowing so that no section feels quite like the previous one even if the enemy mix is similar. This ends up being important for replayability, due to the way the scoring system rewards perfection.
The level select screen is a string of six planets, and while it's probably possible to chain all of them together in a single run, that's something best saved for high-level play. It's easy for an area to end in a Game Over screen the first time around, but once you've beaten a planet it remains unlocked and you can pick back up from there. At the end of the level the ranking is based on damage taken, percentage of enemies shot down, and the speed with which you took out the boss. It's not really possible to speed-run a rail shooter, but there are other ways to show off skill, and Ex-Zodiac's ranking system rewards perfection while being willing to award an F for surviving by the the skin of your teeth.
Ex-Zodiac has launched into Early Access and the current version includes roughly half of the planned game. The six levels so far take place in a good variety of locations, from the Corneria-like starting level to desert, asteroid belt and even a motorcycle chase through a city highway. On top of that each level has a hidden circuit board that opens up a Space Harrier-style bonus stage complete with its own ending boss, although the reward for beating them all will have to remain a mystery for now. The full game plans to double the level-count to twelve plus add different routes and other secrets to chase after, and with as solid and polished as the game feels already, that's something to look forward to. In its Early Access release state, though, Ex-Zodiac is a slightly simpler Star Fox tribute that does an excellent job of filling in the void left by Nintendo's abandoned series.