Overview – developed by Panda Indie Studio and published by Eastasiasoft, Excessive Trim is an arcade style action title with a simple premise, cause chaos and collect weed. As an alien with a buzzsaw spaceship, mow down farmers, cows and crops to collect as much grass as possible on your rampage while under the influence. This title is available on all console platforms, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Eastasiasoft for providing the copy of Excessive Trim that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review. There is little in terms of story with this release, so I will be going straight into covering the gameplay. Please be aware, this is a mature title due to references to drug use, violence and blood, so if you find any of this content offensive, please proceed at your own discretion.
Gameplay – described as a scrolling slice ‘em up, Excessive Trim puts players in the position of an alien that has invaded earth, all in pursuit of the green, green grass. While piloting a circular bladed UFO, the player automatically scrolls up the screen, cutting through crops, livestock and farmers by dashing forward. The goal is to survive for as long as possible, collecting leaves, racking up points and collecting upgrades from a shady shop.
The stages are randomised, with procedurally generated obstacles. The livestock will charge across the screen, farmers will charge for the ship and there are even tractors that will drive towards the player. But these are not the only hazards that players must deal with. In the levels, there will be barns to fly through, trees to avoid and environmental objects to dodge. If the player makes contact with hazards when not dashing, they will take damage.
When the player cuts through the entities in the stage, leaves will be dropped which will add to the total for the player. There are also pick-ups that will increase the point total further, making for a challenging high score style of gameplay. At the end of each level, the player will find the weird store, which is run by a mysterious figure. This shop will offer the player upgrades that will provide effects like extra health, faster dash and additional blade damage.
The further the player gets into a run of this game, the more challenging and complex the levels will get. This is where the health system comes into play, with the player starting off with a total of 3 health points and a last ditch back up life. If the player loses all of these points, the game will be over and the player will need to start again. To compensate for this, there are health ups that can be found in boxes or by killing humans.
Due to the random nature of the game, all of the upgrades will be different each time the player enters the store. This makes for a very interesting strategic gameplay system, as the items that appear in a stage will often be taken out of rotation if they are not selected. The inclusion of a mechanic like this can make or break a run, due to the random element of this shops system. This gives the game a chaotic experience and feel.
This is a high score focused game, where the only objective is to get the highest possible score in a run. But there are two types of score that are recorded, with the highest leaf score collected in a run and the highest level that has been reached. These systems push the player to do the best they can, making for a fast paced experience that will have players returning for more. Sadly the scores are only stored locally, but that doesn’t harm the game.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to cover the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – this is an extremely simple title to control, with the only inputs needed being movement and the dash for the buzzsaw ship. This makes for a very close arcade style game, with fun and frantic gameplay that is complimented by the simplified control systems. It is comfortable to play with all controller types, as there is only the A or ZR button that is used on the switch controller, along with the use of the D-pad and thumbstick for movement.
Difficulty – there is little in terms of an established difficulty curve, as the game follows a random/procedural generation system for the stages that appear. Progress will be easier to make as the player gets used to the game, but it can take several attempts to get super far. This may be a frustration to some players, but the overall challenge of this title makes it difficult to put down afte just one try.
Presentation – visually this game is quite distinct, as the standard look is black, white and red, with pseudo 3D pixel art sprite work. This gives the game a graphic novel feel, with the stark red blood on screen each time a death occurs. There are additional color palettes that can be used, but for the best experience the default is recommended. The audio is ambient, with the sounds of the saw, the residents and death being heard instead of music.
Final Thoughts – I was interested in this title for a few reasons. The first was that it is by the people behind the excellent shooter Feeble Light, which I very much enjoyed and have reviewed (HERE). Then we have the concept of a slash ‘em up where the ship is a weapon, which was a first for me and was executed well. Finally there is the overall look of the game, which reminds me very much of the game Mad World, which is a favourite of mine from the Wii.
This is an easy recommendation for me to make, as the overall experience is quirky and surreal, using art that is absurd in the psychedelic way that it is portrayed. There is an addictive quality to the core gameplay loop, making players want to give it one more go to get further. This is a simple enough budget title, offering a real bang for your buck as there is near infinite replay value, but it may be tough for some to get into with the procedural generation.
In the end, I give Excessive Trim a final score of 4.5/5. This is a simple yet addictive title with a rather unique concept, a distinct visual style and almost infinite replay value for a very modest price. This is an amazing title that is lots of fun, with a surreal charm that is complimented by the bizarre visuals. If you want to check this title out for yourself, a link to each version of the game is below.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Xbox version (HERE)
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