In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been beating the Z-Exemplar drum pretty loudly the last few months. What can I say, I’m excited for its release! As you probably know Z-Exemplar is a side-scrolling shoot ’em up that developer Suminell Studios is currently working on. You can mash away at this link for all our previous coverage.
Anyway, Z-Exemplar was specifically crafted as if it were for the ZX Spectrum, a home computer from the early ’80s. As such, the game has an intentional lo-fi look, and even the movement of the ship is somewhat choppy just as it would have had to be on the hardware of the time. (For an incredibly interesting and detailed overview of why that was the case, check out this video from The iBookGuy on YouTube on how “old school" graphics work. It’s totally worth your time!) However, just because it’s authentic doesn’t mean everyone digs it. After hearing feedback regarding the “jerky" and “jittery" movement of the ship in Z-Exemplar, Suminell set out to give the detractors an option that would make them happy. Enter the new Smooth Movement Mode, as displayed in this new trailer.
The video shown above is still very much work in progress and rough around the edges, but it looks pretty cool, right? While I like the choppier version just for authenticity’s sake, I imagine I’d prefer to actually play with this Smooth mode as it’s easier to tell when you’re dodging enemy fire and avoiding hazards. Anyway, it’s neat that the developers took the feedback to heart and put together an option to address that feedback. Z-Exemplar‘s development continues on, with regular updates in the forum thread, so be sure to check that out. Also, if you’re a PC gamer Z-Exemplar is currently looking for approval through Steam Greenlight, so give that page a click if you’d like to see the game on Steam when it’s finished.
