» PLATFORM: SNES RELEASED: 1992 DEVELOPER: KONAMI
You knew level five of Axelay was going to be incredible. After all, you’d pored over all the images that had been shown of the stage in various previews across the many magazines you bought, and you had eagerly devoured all the gushing reviews that praised the technical excellence of Konami’s newest shoot-’em-up. You had even barrelled through the first four stages of the game yourself, so you knew that Axelay was a game of remarkable graphical quality, with a soundtrack to match. And yet, despite knowing all this, the fiery environment of level five, with its gargantuan lava worms, fire dragons that looked like they had escaped from Salamander, and gouts of flame that threatened to turn your craft into a fiery conflagration, still managed to blow you away. It was quite simply exceptional. And then, of course, there was the pant-wetting encounter with Wayler, the utterly imposing fiery boss that awaited you at the stage’s end. As tough to defeat as it was formidable to look at, this magnificent boss was the perfect way to end its jaw-dropping stage.