Every Extend

Video game series

Every Extend is series of puzzle shoot 'em up video games primarily developed by Q Entertainment. The series began with a 2004 freeware game of the same name (also known as E2) for Windows, which was a personal project by Kanta Matsuhisa under the "Omega" pseudonym. Q Entertainment discovered the game online and approached Matshisa to develop a remix version. The remix version was developed for the PlayStation Portable and was released in 2006, titled Every Extend Extra (or E3). In 2007, Q Entertainment developed and released a sequel on the Xbox 360 titled Every Extend Extra Extreme (or E4).

In Every Extend, players control a ship with the only ability to detonate itself. Stages begin with a set time limit and enemies appearing on screen in randomized patterns. When the player detonates their ship and an enemy is caught in its blast radius, the enemy will explode and have its own blast radius that other enemies can get caught in, causing a chain reaction. The goal is to destroy the maximum number of ships on screen by positioning and detonating at the right moment, setting off a chain reaction of explosions and earning combo bonus. The first enemy in a chain is worth 10 points and each successive blast doubles in value up to a maximum of 2560 points. Blowing oneself up takes away from one's overall 'stock' of lives. Additional lives are gained after a certain number of points have been obtained. The requirement to obtain lives increases after each new life gained. Green enemies drop point bonus items that begin at 800 points, and if collected continuously without detonating or losing a life, they increase by an additional 800 points. Pink enemies drop quickens which raises the speed of enemies and spawn rate. Mini bosses drop yellow items that grants 10 second time extensions. If the ship is destroyed without detonating, the player receives a 5 second penalty. Pulse bombs don't drop items or bonus but instead charge and detonate a wider range than normal once defeated. If the player runs out of lives or time, they lose the game

A remix version of the game titled Every Extend Extra was announced in Tokyo Game Show 2005. Q Entertainment's Chief Creative Officer Reo Yonaga approached Matsuhisa via email on future plans for the game after the staff of Q Entertainment played the original version on PC. Decision to port the game into PSP was made in 2004 during the time that Lumines was being developed and Matsuhisa joined the development team as a game designer. The game was released as Every Extend Extra was due to adding new graphics, sound effects, gameplay elements, and a new soundtracks from various artists such as USCUS and O Zone, creating an original game. Every Extend Extra also features the original PC version as well. The PSP version was localized by Buena Vista Games for North American and includes an exclusive soundtrack for one of the bonus levels. Buena Vista Games noted one of the difficulties of localizing the game was translating the names of the levels, bosses, and rankings from the names chosen from Q Entertainment. Namco Bandai released a trial version on PC as part of a contest to promote the game's release. The contest lasted from July 14, 2006, to August 17, 2006. A sequel to the game was released as Every Extend Extra Extreme for Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. Tetsuya Mizuguchi described it as a fever version of the game and a sequel to Every Extend Extra. Mizuguchi noted the most difficult thing during development was expanding on the scope of game while trying to confine to a download size that users will deem acceptable. Mizuguchi found it rewarding being able to create new modes and breathe some new life into the game for those who have already played the first game.

The Original Every Extend was released for the PC on March 29, 2004, in Japan. The remix version, Every Extend Extra, was released for the PSP in Japan on August 13, 2006, in North America November 7, 2006, in Australia on February 5, 2007, and in Europe on February 9, 2007. The sequel, Every Extend Extra Extreme, was released for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade on February 9, 2007, for North America and Japan. The game was re released into physical form as a compilation by Atari alongside Rez HD and Lumines Live! titled Qubed. The compilation was released on September 19, 2009.

Every Extend Extra was positively received among critics. The game earned an aggregated score of 74 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 45 reviews. IGN complimented the game for doing fine job of mixing arcade action with the depth of a serious puzzle game, however noted that it could use more stages and a greater range of difficulty modes." Eurogamer gave similar complaints including their own complaints on the difficulty curve, but gave still gave the game praise, rating it an 8 out of 10 and stating "Every Extend Extra is another triumph of fast paced puzzle gameplay" GameSpot gave the game a lesser score of 7 out of 10, stating, "concept is kind of interesting, but the novelty wears out after a couple of rounds." However also complimented the game for the ability to grabbing their attention with its outstanding presentation. Every Extend Extra Extreme was also well received among critics and earned an aggregated score of 78 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 28 reviews. GameSpot gave the game a 7.5 out of 10 complimenting the visuals, stating "It's as much an interactive lightshow as it is a game, and the flashing, spacey visuals in combination with the pulsing, electronic soundtrack make it a hypnotic and singular experience." Eurogamer was more negative towards the game and gave it a 4 out of 10, criticizing how easy it was to get on the top leaderboard and unable to do anything during chains.