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Exerion

NES

NES

This is a shoot-em-up game with parallax effects in the background. It does have a simulation of inertia in the control of the ship. There are dozens of enemies and two types of shooting: slow and fast. Two weapon systems: one slow double-shot cannon and one fast single-shot cannon. With each ene...

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Developer
TOSE

Released on
1985

Size
1–2 Players

Version
NES

Requirements
Nintendo Entertainment System

Downloads
Shooter

Publisher
Jaleco

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

This is a shoot-em-up game with parallax effects in the background. It does have a simulation of inertia in the control of the ship. There are dozens of enemies and two types of shooting: slow and fast. Two weapon systems: one slow double-shot cannon and one fast single-shot cannon. With each enemy hit by the slow cannon you get one shot added to the fast cannon ammunition supply. A challenge stage follows each stage in which you can build up your fast-shot bullet supply.

Exerion

Overview & History

Developed by Jaleco and originally released as an arcade cabinet in 1983, *Exerion* made its way to the Famicom and later the NES in 1985. It stands out from standard vertical shooters of its era through its innovative pseudo-3D perspective, which simulates depth as players venture deep into alien-controlled space. While other shooters relied on a flat, top-down plane, *Exerion* utilized background scaling to create a dynamic sense of moving forward and backward while dogfighting enemy armadas.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Players pilot the Fighter Exerion, tasked with neutralizing rogue alien forces across escalating planetary stages. The standout gameplay mechanic is its unique weapon management and inertia system. Instead of firing infinitely, players must monitor ammunition; holding down the fire button depletes your dual-shot capacity, forcing a brief cooldown reload if you completely empty your reserves. This creates a strategic rhythm of burst-firing and dodging. Enemy formations swoop down in mesmerizing, insectoid swarms using a swinging pendulum momentum that requires precise depth perception to counter. Between standard stages, players navigate challenging bonus rounds where navigating through narrow debris fields tests precision steering.

Keyboard Controls

Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Move Fighter Exerion horizontally and vertically across the screen
Action Keys: Attack (Fire missiles)
Enter: Start / Pause