Axelay

Distinctive weapons and presentation reward repeated practice across a concentrated six-stage campaign.

Axelay puts emphasis on choosing useful firepower rather than chasing upgrades dropped along the route. Each stage begins with selected weapons ready to use; losing one to damage forces a different response to incoming enemies. Alternating horizontal and vertical stages, large bosses, rotating scenery and varied music give the six-stage journey a clear identity. A relatively slow ship makes anticipation important, so spectacular scenes do not mean an easy clear. The campaign itself is short, with lasting appeal coming mainly from refining routes and reducing mistakes. Players willing to practice a concentrated shooter have a stronger reason to return than those seeking a long sequence of new stages. Wii U restore points make difficult sections easier to practice separately, although repeated rewinding changes the pressure of a continuous run. Players can choose how much of that original challenge to preserve.

Who it is for: Shooter players willing to study enemy routes and weapon choices.

Play notes: Independent judgment from official material and the identified 2015-01-19 wii-u test, not our own playtest. Model, patch and full hours are undisclosed. Historical qualitative findings establish no current frame-rate guarantee or other platform's features.