Exa-Arcade Updates: Lightning Knights, Shikhondo, Chaos Code, and Sales Numbers
No matter what, it seems like the folks at Exa-Arcadia are always cooking up something. This has been especially clear from the month of April up to the present, throughout which the company has been firing off news at every turn. Let’s run through some of the major developments, shall we?
Lightning Knights is available to purchase.
Lightning Knights, known as Iron Crypticle on home consoles and PC, is now available for purchase either as a cartridge or in a hardware/software bundle on the Exa-Arcadia website.
Bringing back the “good ol’ adventure days with your friends,” this four-player, “dungeon-sacking” quest boasts voice acting, balancing adjustments, and other minor gameplay alterations to differentiate the arcade release from its forebears.
The only location that I’m aware of that has the game at present is Arcade Galactic in West Vally City, Utah, adding to title alongside Aka & Blue: Type-R and The Kung Fu Vs. Karate Champ.
Arcade Galactic/Arcade Heroes owner Adam Pratt uploaded a YouTube video documenting the changes between the home and arcade versions, which you can watch under the heading above.
I really dig Iron Crypticle on Nintendo Switch, so I’m hoping the Exa-Arcadia release grips me just as much if not more. I guess I won’t know until I try it.
Shikhondo preorders are open.
Shikhondo: Red Purgatory is one of many—and I mean many—vertical shoot-em-ups coming to Exa-Arcadia. As of June, it’s also available for preorder (and has started location testing in Japan).
The Red Purgatory release will differentiate from the home version by implementing full voice acting in both English and Japanese, as well “as a different viewpoint to the story” depending on which character is used.
I have the home version of Shikhondo on Nintendo Switch, and while I really like the gameplay, I still can’t even fathom how the content will fly in American arcades. Can you seriously think of an arcade that wants to put naked demon ladies on full display in a cabinet? I certainly can’t.
That being said, I don’t want the count the game out before it’s even released. There’s a possibility that some bar/arcades or retrocades somewhere will want to add Shikhondo to their Exa-Arcadia lineup.
Chaos Code preorders are, well, also open.
Exa-Arcadia announced in April that preorders had opened for Chaos Code: Exact Xeno Attack and that cartridges would ship that month, though the coronavirus situation may have slowed shipping in some ways.
Chaos Code is a fast-paced 2D fighter previously only available for arcades in Japan, with an initial release on Sega RingWide in 2011. Further updates have seen release on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
Exact Xeno Attack is poised to be the “ultimate version” of Chaos Code, “incorporating all content, superior controls, and 16 different costumes for all 16 characters,” according to the listing on the Exa-Arcadia website.
At $1,529.00 USD, this is probably one of the most cost-effective fighting games the U.S. market has been privy to in a long time. Heck, it’s one of the only fighters we’ve seen in ages. For that reason, I’m pretty excited to try the title fro myself.
Side note: I’m extremely disappointed in Exa-Arcadia for hiding likes and dislikes and disabling comments on this trailers. What a lame move.
The initial batch of Exa-Arcadia units has sold out.
The news that the initial batch of Exa-Arcadia systems had sold out also came in April, signaling that players can now experience Exa-Arcadia games at 200 locations worldwide.
“After less than 3 months on the marketplace, exA-Arcadia’s first lot of systems have sold out and achieved a top-three income ranking nationwide in Japan since release, proving that arcade operators want a location first profitable business model and games outside of the fighter genre,” the press release reads.
“Launch title, Aka & Blue: Type-R (Tanoshimasu Co., Ltd.), has brought the shooting game genre back to the forefront with an unprecedented level of return on investment for many operators and continues to exceed expectations,” Exa added.
As a fan of Exa-Arcadia and indie coin-ops in general, I have to admit that I’m very tickled by this news. For whatever reason, most arcade game developers don’t publish sales numbers these days—which sucks hard—but Exa is clearly willing to show off the goods.
I’m holding out hope that I can one day purchase my own Exa-Arcadia board and offer it at one of my locations. Before then, though, I’d at least like to play some of the games in an arcade near me. If these sales numbers are any indicator, maybe I will soon.
All in all, I’d say Exa-Arcadia is doing a solid job of providing the arcade market with a continued supply of content in the midst of COVID-19. While I’m hoping the rest of the industry will soon land on its proverbial feet, I’m glad we have Exa to look forward to in the meantime. Also, join my Discord server now.