Classic shooter which tries to give you both horizontal and vertical shooting in one.

User Rating: 7.8 | Axelay SNES
By rossdh1982 | Review Date:
This game is sort of a mishmash of many different shooter ideas. It uses both vertical and horizontal scrolling. The horizontal mode is just what you would expect from any other horizontal shooter, but the vertical mode attempts to add 3D perspective using the SNES's mode 7 technology. The horizontal mode is both interesting and frustrating at the same time, and probably would have been better if they would have not used mode 7. The reason for this is that the controls will seem odd and while I got used to them, I never stopped being bothered by it to some small degree.

The player's ship is able to use three different guns in any given level. When a level is cleared, new types of guns are awarded. These new guns can be selected before going into battle. Sometimes there is a best choice of guns in a particular level and after playing the game a while it becomes obvious when to use a certain gun. If the players ship sustains damage while using a gun it is disabled until the next life.

The game play is not dull and can be quite challenging. The inspiration for Axlay's levels comes from many sources, some of them obvious, others not. Their difficulty keeps increasing gradually untill the really tough last level. Initially some of the levels will be frusterating, but that keeps a player from blowing right through the game and throwing it to the side to gather dust.

In summary, Axlay is an interesting shooter. It's not the best one ever made, but it is definitely worth a try. If you see it in the bargain bin or on eBay give it a go.

Other Helpful Reviews for Axelay

  • Rating:9

    A classic that snuck under the table...

    By Nozberlin76 | Review Date: Jan 10, 2008 | SNES

    Shooters come and go. Something about a single ship against an entire armada and relentless odds seem to get me all misty-eyed and think about that hokey but likable 80's movie "The Last Starfighter." But Axelay had grea... Read Full Review

    2 of 2 users found the following review helpful
  • Rating:9

    One of the best shooters on the SNES.

    By cheetahman91 | Review Date: May 29, 2011 | SNES

    The SNES isn't generally considered the best console for 16-bit shooters, especially in it's first couple of years. Most developers weren't used to the processor, so the games either ended up like Gradius III (lots of sl... Read Full Review

    1 of 1 users found the following review helpful
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