eXceed 3rd may not be as impressive as its predecessor was, but that dosen't stop it from being thoroughly enjoyable.

User Rating: 7.5 | eXceed 3rd - Jade Penetrate Black Package PC
From Tennen-Sozai comes eXceed 3rd Jade Penetrate Black Package, an updated version of what was originally the third and final game in Japanese doujin studio FLAT's three-game long series. Although Jade Penetrate doesn't quite live up to the standards set by the last game, it still does an excellent job of providing a satisfying bullet-hell experience, complete with a cast of characters that look like they've walked straight out of a NIS game.

Despite the implication in the game's title that eXceed 3rd is a direct sequel to eXceed 2nd, one doesn't in fact need any prior experience with either of the previous eXceed games in order to understand the happenings of the game's plot. eXceed 3rd follows the young half-dragon, half-demon wizard Rayne Lindwurm as she enters the tournament to determine the ruler of the demon world. As with most Shumps, Lindwurm's deeper motivations and reasons for joining the tournament take a backseat role to make room for the action. The most exposure the plot gets comes primarily from the short conversations that manifest just before each boss encounter in which Lindwurm and her opponent exchange a few words before going at it. All of these scenes are fully-voiced in Japanese with English subtitles and do a nice job of breaking up the action without dragging on for too long. The story itself isn't particularly interesting, and almost all of the characters; including Lindwurm herself; are anime/JRPG archetypes, but this isn't a major issue given that eXceed has always been about gunning down waves of demons.

Across each of the game's five stages, the player guides Lindwurm as she tears through scores of lesser demons summoned by the other contestants. At the player's disposal is the bog-standard, forward-firing attack with a wide spread, a variation of the said attack that can be directed toward a single enemy while remaining mobile and a powerful homing attack that needs to be charged up by collecting the items left behind by fallen foes. Knowing when and where to use each of these is crucial to mastering each stage and conserving one's supply of lives. When the going gets tough, you can rely on the ever-helpful bombs to bail you out of trouble with their screen-clearing explosions that wipe the field clean of bullets and enemies alike.

While the game is indeed very short, eXceed's main appeal comes from attempting to clear the entire game on a single credit, and eventually a single life. Replaying stages over in the Training mode allows one to become familiar with what awaits them in each level, before choosing to tackle every stage in sequence to watch your time spent practice pay off yields a sense of great accomplishment and satisfaction. There's nothing quite like playing a stage a few times over while memorizing bullet patterns and the positions of enemies before heading into the main game and clearing the same stage without losing so much as a single life.

The game is easily the most graphically advanced entry in the series to date and boasts a visceral soundtrack that accompanies the on-screen action. eXceed 3rd Jade Penetrate Black Package may fall short of reaching the standards set by its predecessor, but it's still a game well worth playing. At the price tag of £3, there aren't many reasons not to take eXceed for a spin.