| Title | Triggerheart Exelica (トリガーハート エグゼリカ) |
| Developer | Warashi |
| Publisher | Warashi |
| Release Date | 2007-02-22 |
| Supported Peripherals | Controller, Arcade Stick, VGA Box, VMU |
"Triggerheart Exelica" (トリガーハート エグゼリカ) is a vertically scrolling shoot-'em-up developed and published by Warashi. Originally released on Sega NAOMI arcade hardware in May 2006, the game was subsequently ported to the Sega Dreamcast and released on February 22nd, 2007. The Dreamcast release holds the distinction of being the console's penultimate officially licensed title, arriving just two weeks before "Karous".
The game takes place across five stages set in futuristic environments such as sky cities and space stations. Players select one of two Triggerheart units, humanoid weapons locked in battle against an alien race known as the Ver'mith. Exelica fires a wide spread of shots, making her ideal for beginners, while Crueltear fires a narrowly concentrated barrage of projectiles, suited for more advanced players.
Central to the gameplay is the Anchor Shot, a unique mechanic that allows players to capture enemy ships and swing them around using the joystick. Captured enemies can be used as a shield against incoming fire or thrown back at other enemies for massive damage. Another notable feature is the Variable Boss Attack System, which dynamically adjusts boss difficulty based on player performance.
In addition to the original Arcade mode, the Dreamcast version includes a fully voiced Story mode with additional cutscenes, endings, and bosses, as well as an Arranged mode featuring increased difficulty, no continues, and only two lives. The game also supports two-player cooperative play.
A port was later released on Xbox Live Arcade in February 2008, followed by an enhanced PlayStation 2 version in March 2009 that introduced a third playable character, Faintear. In 2023, Cosmo Machia Inc. brought the game to the Nintendo Switch, with a worldwide PC release on Steam following in April 2024.
