Japanese developer Cosmo Machia has announced they’re finally re-releasing classic shoot ’em up game TriggerHeart EXELICA this month.

Not long after the game was delisted from stores as Cosmo Machia obtained its license, TriggerHeart EXELICA is getting re-released for PC (via Steam) on April 26th. A Nintendo Switch port is coming west later on May 2nd.

As we covered in our previous report, Red Art Games is offering a physical edition for Switch in both Europe (via Red Art Games) and North America (via Video Games Plus). Preorders are available now and the release is in limited quantities. A release is set for Q3 2024.

Here’s a rundown on the game, plus a new trailer:

Triggerheart EXELICA is a vertical scrolling bullet-hell shooting game that first appeared in Japanese arcades in 2006. It was the penultimate officially licensed SEGA Dreamcast game to come out and was later ported to other consoles such as the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360. Eighteen years after its arrival in Japanese arcades, Triggerheart EXELICA is finally getting an official physical release in the West!

The story: Far away… In a system so distant that the light from its stars will never reach Earth… A war was drawing to a close. Exelica and Crueltear—humanoid weapons system called Triggerhearts developed by C.H.I.L.D.A., an interplanetary defense organization—were sent to join the fight against the autonomous combat unit known as the Ver’mith.

In the midst of the battle, just as they had taken the upper hand over the Ver’mith, Exelica and Crueltear were accidentally sent to Earth using an emergency teleportation gate activated by the Ver’mith. Finding themselves on an unknown planet and without the strength to return home, the injured Triggerhearts were despondent as they did not even have the means to learn the outcome of the battle.

They had just about recovered from their wounds and had finally begun to consider Earth as a haven… when it happened. A nightmarish vision filled the sky. The remains of the Ver’mith forces had arrived. The gate had re-opened… Although the Ver’mith forces had departed at the same time as Exelica and Crueltear, the gate’s instability had caused a lag in their arrival.

The Ver’mith had chosen Earth as their new base of operations. The invasion had begun. Exelica and Crueltear knew they had no choice but to fight to protect their new home.

Features

• Story, Arcade, Arrange and Training Modes
• Three playable characters (Exelica, Cruelty, Faintear)
• Play while listening to either Original or Arrange versions of the soundtrack
• Internet Rankings
• Tate mode
• Japanese dub
• Languages supported: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish