Skip to main content

Axelay saw Konami at its 90s peak

Axelay rose.

Sega's boot-up logos of the 16-bit era might be the most fondly remembered, but for me it's Konami's that will always be the best. That scan line bringing the black screen to life, climaxing with a twinkling chime reminiscent of an arcade cabinet fed with a new 20 pence piece; it promised so much, and more often than not it would deliver. The early 90s were a golden era for Konami. Viewed through the filter of my own personal tastes, I'd go as far to say it saw the developer at its very best.

On the home front there were boisterous, polished and effortlessly cool games such as Contra 3, Sunset Riders and Super Castlevania 4 - classics that, well over 20 years later, retain their ability to excite. Axelay, which has just been granted a new lease of life on the Wii U's Virtual Console, stands proud amongst that company, but to understand its appeal you've got to go back to the lineage of arcade games to which it owes so much.

Konami's shooters of the 80s and 90s are the stuff of legend, and deservedly so. Amidst the post-Space Invaders gold rush in the arcades, it's the likes of Gradius and Salamander that acquired enduring iconic status, born of their character and their poise. It's something you see, to varying degrees, in the developer's other shooters of the era - in the colour and bounce of Detana!! TwinBee, the drunken exuberance of Parodius Da or the psychedelic excess of Xexex.

There's something of Radiant Silvergun in the way weapons are used to solve puzzles.

They're games that made their way to home consoles via ports of varying quality - with the sad exception of Xexex, which took over 15 years to make it out of arcades in 2007's Salamander Portable compilation - but it's the SNES exclusive Axelay that bundled that strange brand of Konami cool and transposed it away from the din of the arcades with the greatest success.

It's Salamander - itself a curious offshoot of the Gradius series - that Axelay owes most to, with levels that alternate between horizontal and vertical scrolling. There's an interesting divide between the two that can be as frustrating as it is fascinating: Axelay is two very different games sewn together by some brilliant shared systems.

The vertical levels are the ones Axelay's often remembered for, and understandably so. It's where Konami plays to the host hardware, the levels wrapping under the player like a rolodex. It makes for a unique spectacle, shots warping out across the horizon while waves of enemies warp towards you, though it also makes for a slightly unwieldy brand of shooting. Your ship, the titular Axelay, feels somewhat disobedient, having to be tugged this way and that as it roams the vibrant futurescapes. The squat thrusters and bulbous rear end in the ship design play to this peculiar lethargy in control.

Side-scrolling levels restore some of the crispness of control seen in Konami's other shooters, and it's not all they inherit. There are hints of Thunder Cross and Gradius in the ship design that go beyond the oblique to the explicit when the sand dragons of Gradius 3 start slithering across later levels. There was a port of Gradius 3 on SNES, of course, though Nintendo's console never really played home to that many shooters, many of which found a home on the PC Engine or Mega Drive. Axelay works so well because it's one of the few games in the genre built with a particular home console in mind.

That much is evident in the weapon system, a step removed from the coin-op standard where firepower can be gained as quickly as it's stolen away - inviting you to plunder your pockets for small change when your last life is lost. Axelay plays a longer game, its weapons slowly unlocked upon completing each stage, the three slots at your disposal customisable in inter-level screens.

Axelay's more forgiving than most shooters, and its damage system is unique - take a hit and you'll lose access to the weapon you've got equipped at the time.

Progression comes at a steadier pace, but it also impacts the fundamentals. Having three weapons at your disposal lends an element of strategy, one that would be picked up the following year by Treasure's Gunstar Heroes, a game developed by a number of Konami alumni. There's something else of Treasure in the way certain weapons act like solutions to the puzzles that enemies present; witness the way the Round Vulcan fires in a smooth arc around you, sifting through the ships that circle you in Axelay's opening moments.

The spectacle and cool is pure early 90s Konami, though, the swagger and strength triumphantly soundtracked by a Taro Kudo score that makes you feel like an absolute hero. That's what shooters do better than any genre, where you're one tiny ship pitted against armadas of evil aliens and impossibly large bosses, where you pick through the flak to deliver that one winning laser shot right into the glowing weak spot. Axelay delivers on that fantasy just as well as any other game of the 16-bit era, and it does so with its own unique sense of style.

There's only one slight disappointment about returning to Axelay after all these years. Complete the game on hard mode - something that, thanks to the save restore system on the Wii U, is much less daunting now - and you're given a cheery farewell. "See you again in Axelay 2", the posts-credit message says - and after two decades we're still waiting for that reunion. Seeing how a limp shooter market has meant even headline names such as Gradius have been left dormant for years, it's unlikely we'll ever see Axelay return, though maybe that's for the best. The 1992 original stands alone, untainted, as the perfect reminder of what once made Konami so very special.

Read this next

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com