XOP

...And then you realize that you're only playing on Normal. That's not even a boss.

The Intro: "OMG HOW DID ALL THESE BULLETS GET HERE THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE"

XOP is a series of Bullet Hell shooters by Christopher "Udderdude" Emirzian. The games, unlike most ShootEmUps are relatively plotless, with the plot basically being, "There's stuff to shoot. Now go shoot it. Also, bullets. Lots of them." Each game has an arcade mode with various courses, score attack for each level, boss rushes and the option of recording demos of gameplay.

Updated Rereleases of the first game and its sequel, XOP Ultra and XOP Black Ultra were released summer 2011, along with a challenge mix called XOP Black Ultra Special, a gauntlet featuring shortened versions of all 10 of the sequel's stages. The three games were formerly freeware but are now only available in a bundle for a small fee on the publisher's website. A third game (entitled XOP G) is currently in the works, as well.

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These games have examples of:

• All Just a Simulation
• Attack Drone: The default subweapon in the first game.
• Breather Level: Level 6 in the original and EX stage 4 in Black are notably easier than levels before and after them.
• Buffy-Speak: The intro features a ship schematic including vital parts "LAZORS PEW PEW" and "FLAP THINGS".
• Boss Rush: Each game has one. Extra Stage 2 in the original is a rare example of a Miniboss Rush.
  • The minibosses in EX stage 2 have also been upgraded, so you'd better expect some new tricks.
• Bullet Hell: Of course.
• Butterfly of Death and Rebirth: Butterfly and butterfly-themed enemies appear all over the place, in both games, especially stage 4 in the original and stage EX 5 in Black.
• Cognizant Limbs: Many bosses and sub-bosses have additional turrets or limbs that fire extra barrages. Destroying them reduces the bullet sources and gives DAL coins.
• Continuing Is Painful: Losing a life or using your bullet-cancelling reflect bomb also quarters and halves your score bonus respectively.
  • Using continues is no longer possible as of the Ultra editions.
• Collision Damage: Thankfully averted with enemies, making higher-scoring close range shots less dangerous, but getting too close to the things spitting bullets at you is often still not the best idea.
• Darker and Edgier: Black, when compared to the original.
• Dual Boss: The boss of extra stage 1 in the first game.
• Easier Than Easy: Beginner mode. Not that this means much.
• Excuse Plot: Added in an intro scene in XOP Ultra. XOP is bad so destroy it!
• Giant Space Flea From Nowhere: Due to the lack of a storyline, most, if not all of the bosses fall into this, but especially the phoenix at the end of the original.
  • Especially applies in level 2 in Black, "Sky", where screens full of bug enemies give way to a huge white mecha.
• Harder Than Hard: Expert difficulty and Master difficulty.
• Hitbox Dissonance: Your hitbox is a 2x2 pixel square in your center.
• Ludicrous Gibs: Whenever any organic enemies die.
• Made of Explodium: Everything.
  • Expecially if you select maximum explosiveness in the options.
• Nintendo Hard: Very much so, especially on the harder difficulties.
• No Ontological Inertia: Some larger enemies or mid-bosses will erase all bullets on screen when dying, (turning them into DAL coins, which give you points and increase your multiplier) even those not their own.
• No Plot, No Problem
• Oh Crap: You may have one when you read that the author said the fact that unlike the first it was not for profit meant he could make the sequel as hard as he wanted.
• Sequel Difficulty Spike, as stated above.
  • The Ultra rereleases both add new enemies and remove the ability to use continues...
    • As example, the bullet wall spitting thing in the page image used to erase all its shots on dying. Not any more.
  • And the "Special" version of XOP Black features a gauntlet of shortened forms of all 10 levels without continues. On hardest difficulty. Without continues. Good luck.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Sub-bosses and bosses will self-destruct or disappear if you take too long fighting them.
• Super Title 64 Advance
• True Final Boss: Black has two for completing normal and EX without continuing, and a third as part of the True Final Boss Rush.
• Updated Rerelease: The Ultra versions, which apply the sequel's gameplay refinements and various other tweaks to both games, as well as adding new content and features.