Xexex

Xexex (ゼクセクス, Zekusekusu), known as Orius in the USA[2] is a 1991 side-scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game by Konami. It draws on Irem's R-Type and Konami's other shoot 'em up Gradius, while adding the tentacle mechanics of Irem's other shoot 'em up XMultiply. It did not see a home port until 2007, when it was included in the compilation Salamander Portable, released only in Japan for the PlayStation Portable.

Xexex
Arcade flyer
Developer(s)Konami
Publisher(s)Konami 
Composer(s)Motoaki Furukawa
Satoko Miyawaki
Akiko Hashimoto
Platform(s)Arcade
Release
Genre(s)Scrolling shooter
Mode(s)Single player, Multiplayer

Gameplay

The gameplay is similar to R-Type and X-Multiply. The player's ship, the Flintlock, has a detachable orb attachment called the Flint, which behaves similar to R-Type's Force Device. Power-ups can be obtained in the Japanese version to increase the Flint's power, movement speed, change the main weapon, or even give the player an extra life.

There are different gameplay mechanics between the original Japanese release and the overseas releases. The overseas versions introduce a variety of changes, with the most notable being the removal of all but one upgradable weapon. The enemy patterns are also changed slightly.

  • In the Japanese version, the player starts with the Proton Laser, a thin stream of weak bullets. Defeating certain enemies will drop other weapons. The name of the current weapon is displayed at the bottom of the screen.
  • In the overseas versions, the only available weapon is the Proton Laser; picking up power-ups increases the spread of the weapon. Missiles are a secondary weapon.

Plot

In the game, players pilot a ship called the Flintlock in order to save a blue-haired princess named Irene of the planet E-Square from an evil lord named Klaus. Each stage is punctuated with a cutscene of the princess crying for help.

Reception and legacy

As the 1992 Gamest Awards, Xexex was awarded Best Graphics (beating Virtua Racing) and Best VGM (beating Metal Black). Xexex was also nominated for Game of the Year (ranked 4th), Best Shooter (ranked 2nd), and Best Direction (ranked 6th), but lost to Street Fighter II′: Champion Edition, Sonic Wings, and Art of Fighting, respectively.[3]

Konami released four Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game cards, Flint, Flint Lock, Flint Attack (Flint Missile) and King of Destruction - Xexex, as a reference to this game.

References
  1. "AC Release Date". Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  2. "Xexex - The Cutting Room Floor". Retrieved 2020-04-13.
  3. Gamest, The Best Game 2: Gamest Mook, Vol. 112, pages 6-26
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