Axelay

Axelay[lower-alpha 1] is a 1992 scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Konami of Japan for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Taro Kudo primarily composed the game's soundtrack.

Axelay
North American cover art by Tom Dubois[1]
Developer(s)Konami
Publisher(s)Konami
Producer(s)Kazumi Kitaue
Designer(s)Noritoshi Kodama
Programmer(s)Hideo Ueda
Artist(s)Kazuhiro Namba
Composer(s)Taro Kudo
Platform(s)Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Release
  • JP: 11 September 1992
  • NA: 14 September 1992[2]
  • EU: 30 September 1993[3]
Genre(s)Scrolling shooter
Mode(s)Single-player

Axelay is a sci-fi scrolling-shooter in the same vein as other Konami titles such as Life Force (Salamander) and Gradius. The game features both horizontal and vertically scrolling levels and allows the player to choose three different weapon-types, which increase in number as they progress through the game.

Gameplay
One of the side-scrolling stages, showing a boss battle.

Axelay's gameplay varies quite a bit from that of traditional 2D scrolling shooters.[4][5][6] Instead of the player collecting weapon power-ups from defeated enemies in order to acquire more advanced weapons, the player earns weapons as they advance in the game.[5] There are three weapon types with which the fighter is outfitted at the start of the level: a standard weapon, a special weapon, and a bomb or missile. The player may freely switch between each of these weapon types during a level. At the end of each level, a new choice of one of these types of weapons is added to the player's armory, and the player is given the ability to modify their fighter to suit the needs of the next level. Examples of weapons include multiple-way shot, vulkan cannon, and spread bombs.[5] Similar to Konami's own Life Force, levels transition between vertical and horizontal scrolling layouts, forcing the player to select weapons that will be most effective for each level.

These weapons also operate like shields.[5] The game eschews the standard one-hit-kill model prevalent in space shooters, instead simply disabling the currently selected weapon and reducing the player to a weak default version of that weapon type. Sustaining a second hit while using a weakened weapon will destroy the player's ship. However, directly colliding into an enemy will still destroy the ship instantly.

The game uses various visual effects in both the top-down and side-scrolling stages. In the top-down stages, enemies and objects are warped as they come into view to produce a pseudo-3D effect.[5] The game also uses parallax scrolling effects.

Plot

Axelay takes place in the fictional planetary system known as Illis. Once a peaceful system, it was invaded by an alien empire known as the Armada of Annihilation, taking over the planets of the Illis system, including the Earthlike Corliss (known in the Japanese version as "Mother"). As a last resort against the alien forces, the D117B Axelay fighter is sent out to recover its lost weaponry and put a stop to the invasion.

Having traversed the cloud covered Cumuluses, the space colony Tralieb, the largely populated Urbanite, the watery Cavern, and Sector 3 Lava Planet, Axelay makes its way to the Armada of Annihilation's Fortress and completes its mission.

Development and release

The game was programmed by Hideo Ueda. Kazuhiko Ishida, credited with "support program" on Axelay, later left Konami to help found Treasure Co. Ltd.[7]

Axelay was composed by Taro Kudo, credited as "Taro." The music for the second stage ("Colony") was remixed by Masanori Adachi, credited as "M.C. Ada".[8]

After beating the game three times consecutively, a message appears promising Axelay 2. However, Axelay 2 never materialized.[5][9]

The game was released on September 11, 1992 in Japan for the Super Famicom home console.[10][11][12] Axelay was originally intended to be a Japanese exclusive, but was given a U.S. release in response to numerous letters from consumers and critics.[13] Later in that month it was released in North America, and the following year in Europe.[2][3]

The game was re-released on the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console service in Australia and North America in 2007 and in Japan in 2008.

The soundtrack was released on a single 22-song disc on October 21, 1992, published by King Records. The track "Unkai" was included on the Konami All Stars 1993 compilation and the track "Colony" was included on the Perfect Selection Konami Shooting Battle II disc.[14][15]

Reception
Contemporary reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings81.14%[16]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame[17]
EGM35 / 40[18]
Famitsu23 / 40[10]
Jeuxvideo.com17 / 20[19]
Nintendo Power3.75 / 5[20]
Aktueller Software Markt10 / 12[21]
Bad Influence!93%[22]
Consoles +96%[23]
Famimaga22.79 / 30[24]
GamesMaster80%[25]
Hobby Consolas95 / 100[26]
Joypad96%[27]
94%[28]
Joystick97%[29]
Megablast80%[30]
Mega Fun82%[31]
N-Force93%[32]
91%[32]
Play Time90%[33]
Player One93%[34]
Power Play86%[35]
Superjuegos88 / 100[36]
Super Play85%[37]
Super Pro91%[38]
Total!81%[39]
Total! (DE)2- (B-)[40]
Video Games80%[41]
Awards
PublicationAward
Super Play (1996)#36 Top 100 SNES Games[42]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (1997)#91 Top 100 Best Games of All Time[9]
ScrewAttack (2007)#6 Top 10 2-D Shooters[43]
Nintendo Power (2008)#18 Top 20 SNES Games[44]

The game's visual effects combined with what was then seen as an advanced selection of weapons available, as well as the music score, made Axelay into a popular shooter for the SNES console.[45]

GamePro praised the game's inventive weapons, range of challenge for players of differing abilities, and the fact that the player starts the game already with three fully charged weapons. They gave it a 4.5 out of 5 for control and fun factor and a perfect 5.0 for graphics and sound.[46] Nintendo Power scored Axelay 3.75 out of 5, praising its graphics but noting that its head-on perspective takes some getting used to.[20] Super Play gave the game an 85%.[37]

Axelay is considered by some publications as a classic of its genre. Super Play listed it number 36 on its list of the top 100 SNES games of all time in 1996.[42] The following year, it was listed as number 91 on Electronic Gaming Monthly's 100 best games of all time in their 100th issue, which cited its Mode 7 effects, the boss visuals, and the strategy involved in choosing the weapons loadout before each level.[9] The website ScrewAttack called it the #6 best 2D shooter.[43] Nintendo Power magazine later called it the #18 best game on the SNES.[44] Axelay was included as one of the titles in the 2010 book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die.[47]

Retrospective reviews
Retrospective assessments
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame(Wii) [48]
GameSpot(Wii) 7.5 / 10[49]
IGN(Wii) 7.5 / 10[50]
Nintendo Life(Wii) [51]
USgamer(Wii U) 4 / 5[52]

Retrospective reviewers praised the game as well. Both IGN and GameSpot gave the Virtual Console re-release of Axelay a 7.5 out of 10.[50][49] Nintendo Life gave the game a score of 80 out of 100.[51]

Legacy

The Axelay fighter makes an appearance in the Konami title Airforce Delta Strike as an unlockable aircraft.[53]

Notes
  1. Japanese: アクスレイ Hepburn: Akusurei

References
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