is a 1992 scrolling shooter developed and published by Konami for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Set in the fictional solar system Illis where an alien empire known as "Armada of Annihilation" invades its planets including the Earth-like Corliss (Mother), players take control of the titular D117B space fighter craft as a last resort to stop the alien invasion by recovering its lost weaponry. The gameplay mainly consist of both vertical-scrolling and horizontal-scrolling stages in the same vein as Konami's own Life Force, with players choosing three different weapon-types that increase in number as they progress through the game.

Headed by Super Castlevania IV producer Kazumi Kitaue, Axelay was developed by most of the same team that would later go on to form Treasure, the creators of Gunstar Heroes. It is regarded by publications as a classic of the shoot 'em up genre, garnering praise for its visuals, music and an advanced selection of weapons available at the time.

The game has since been re-released through download services for Nintendo consoles. A sequel, Axelay 2, was planned but never materialized.

Gameplay

Axelay is a scrolling shooter similar to Konami's own Life Force where players take control of the D117B space fighter craft as a last resort to stop the Armada of Annihilation by recovering its lost weaponry through six stages, each with a boss at the end that must be fought before progressing any further. The gameplay varies quite a bit from that of traditional 2D scrolling shooters. Rather than collecting weapon power-up items from defeated enemies in order to obtain more advanced weapons, players earns new weapons as they advance in the game instead. Kazumi "Mr." Kitaue served as producer with Hideo "Dreamer" Ueda, S. Tamate and Kazuhiko "König" Ishida serving as programmers. Other people also collaborated in its development.

Axelay was first released in Japan by Konami on 11 September 1992. The game was originally intended to be a Japanese exclusive but was given an international release in response to numerous letters from consumers and critics. Later in that month it was released in North America and the following year in Europe. The North American cover art was illustrated by Tom Dubois. The soundtrack was released on a single 22-song disc published by King Records on 21 October 1992, while the tracks "Unkai" and "Colony" were included on the Konami All Stars 1993 and the Perfect Selection Konami Shooting Battle II compilation discs respectively. The title was re-released on the Wii's Virtual Console service in Australia and North America in 2007 and later in Japan in 2008.

| Allgame = 4.5/5

| EGM = 9/10, 9/10, 9/10, 8/10

| Fam = 7/10, 4/10, 6/10, 6/10

| GMaster = 80%

| NP = 3.775/5

| ONM = 92%

| SP = 85%

| TOT = (UK) 81%, (DE) 2-

| rev1 = Bad Influence!

| rev1Score = 93%

| rev2 = Control

| rev2Score = 77%, 84%

| rev3 = Electronic Games

| rev3Score = 81%

| rev4 = N-Force

| rev4Score = 93%

| rev5 = Nintendo Game Zone

| rev5Score = 91/100

| rev6 = SNES Force

| rev6Score = 90%

| rev7 = Super Action

| rev7Score = 91%

| rev8 = Super Gamer

| rev8Score = 91%

| rev9 = Super Pro

| rev9Score = 91/100

According to Famitsu, Axelay sold 2,482 copies in its first week on the market and 4,625 copies during its lifetime in Japan. The Japanese publication Micom BASIC Magazine ranked the game fourteenth in popularity in its December 1992 issue, and it received a 22.79/30 score in a 1993 readers' poll conducted by Super Famicom Magazine, ranking among Super Famicom titles at the number 50 spot. Its 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. The game received generally favorable reception from critics, holding a rating of 81.14% based on seven reviews according to review aggregator GameRankings. GamePros Dr. Dave 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. Nintendo Power praised the game's graphics but noted that its head-on perspective takes time getting used to. 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. The website ScrewAttack called it the #6 best 2D shooter. Nintendo Power magazine later called it the #18 best game on the SNES. Axelay was included as one of the titles in the 2010 book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die. In 1995, Total! ranked Axelay 88th on their "Top 100 SNES Games." IGN rated Axelay 55th in its Top 100 SNES Games. They praised the game calling it "A visual stunner on the SNES" and felt that the unique application of the Mode 7 made Axelay feel like two games in one.

Retrospective reviews

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.

Notes

References

  • Axelay at GameFAQs
  • Axelay at Giant Bomb
  • Axelay at MobyGames