A lone soldier in a mighty exoskeleton, a barren planet full of turrets and mines, and you with a rifle in one hand and a rocket launcher in the other - Exolon is pure eight-bit action, where progress forward is counted in every screen-worth of ground dearly bought with blood and reflexes.
The game belongs to the run & gun genre, but with its own more deliberate rhythm. Instead of ceaselessly zipping forward, you advance screen by screen, each of them essentially a small puzzle: where the enemy turret stands, where a shot will come from, when to leap over a barricade and when it is better to reach for a rocket that can destroy obstacles and defenses an ordinary weapon cannot handle.
Your equipment gives you two options of attack - rapid fire for ordinary opponents and stronger rockets for fortified targets - and correct switching between them decides your survival. Added to this are jumps, teleports and, in one phase, even a giant battle suit that Exolon climbs into and temporarily gains mightier firepower. This transformation adds a pleasant spice to an otherwise merciless advance.
Visually, Exolon impressed on the Spectrum with its detailed backgrounds and striking explosions that gave the action its zing. The game prided itself on the atmosphere of a lone expedition through a hostile world, where every screen is a new threat and death lurks literally around the corner. This combination of clear design and uncompromising difficulty made it a favorite challenge for players who relished gritted teeth and route memorization.
Exolon still counts as a solid representative of the eight-bit action school - a title that bets not on story or superfluous mechanics but on the pure interplay of reflexes, timing and cold-blooded decision-making under fire.
Why play it: For hard, clearly built run & gun action where every screen is a small puzzle of survival with a rifle and a rocket launcher in hand.
Game 17 of 100 for ZX Spectrum
