Axelay - 1992
Axelay
SNES - 1992 - Shoot 'em Up
While arcades have been the predominant home for shmups, the 16-bit era brought in more successful attempts on bringing those games to homes. A rare sight at that time were shmups developed exclusively for consoles, and Konami's Axelay was one of the first to make its home solely on the SNES. There's a fair bit of inspiration from Konami's previous shmups included; like Life Force/Salamander, the stages alternate between vertical and horizontal scrolling, and your ship gets access to a versatile range of weaponry. That's where the similarities end though and Axelay starts to take on its own.
From the start, you're given a decent set of weaponry and the game expects you to experiment with and use them to your heart's content. No powerups required, you simply switch your armament according to the task at hand. Every boss taken down means a new weapon to play around with and new strategies to figure out, though you're only allowed to carry one of each at any time. The weapon choices are what make me come back to this game time and again. You can shoot lasers at enemies, use side shots if you want something safer or to cover your flank, or unleash missile barrages into a boss' soon to be nonexistent face.
Like most SNES titles worth their weight, it makes good use of Mode 7 effects, particularly in the vertical stages. The first stage with your ship flying through a cloud-covered sky while shooting at turret platforms made of asteroids is a hell of a way to start off the game. One of the biggest and most striking uses of it is in the boss fight depicted above, if you can make it that far. I have to give special mention to the music as well, it is one of the best I've heard in a SNES game. Taro Kudo made some very memorable and fitting songs for each stage, and would later go on to serve as co-composer for Super Castlevania IV, another SNES title well remembered for its soundtrack.
