Shoot-'em-up taken to the next level. Sort of.
The graphics are pretty nice, although the Axelay itself is a pretty unconventionial design. Everything looks great though. The backgrounds to the levels are highly detailed and look lovely, and in some levels there are 3D elements present too, giving the feeling you're flying round a spherical object. Enemy craft design is quite inspired too, instead of the same old familiar enemies you see in other games.
The sound in this game is also quite good. The music has that courageous action-adventure movie feel and suits the game quite well. The sound FX are also fairly good, with the usual explosions, lasers, missiles and some understandable speech too.
The gameplay is what makes this game so special. Each mission starts with a weapon selection screen. The Axelay can carry 3 different types of weapon: One for the bay, the side and the pod. Each weapon has a different use, and can fire in different directions eg. one weapon is homing, and another may fire backwards etc. Although at the start of the game there is only one weapon to choose from in each category, as the game proceeds more weapons become available. Choosing the correct type of weapon can make the difference between life and death. Other than this the game is quite straightforward, and contains 6 levels of fast-paced arcade action. One feature however is that the game contains 2D horizontal scrolling levels, in the vein of older shooters, but some are in a 3rd person perspective and have a semi-3D look to them (previously mentioned giving the feel of travelling round a sphere).
Lastability-wise, this game is quite hard, but with only 6 levels it shouldn't be too long until you complete it, providing you keep practicing at it!
Overview
Graphics - Nice mix of 2D and 3D in backgrounds. Detailed spaceship design.
Sound - Nice sounding quality music, nice selection of sound FX as well.
Gameplay - Alternating 2D and 3D levels varies play. Tactical elements in choosing what weapons to take on a mission.
Lastability - Only 6 levels but quite difficult. Will keep you entertained a while.