Sentences written about this title, gathered by type from the Japanese and English Wikipedia articles (as of 2026-8-30).
GamePros Dr. Dave praised the game's inventive weapons, range of challenge for players of differing abilities, and the fact that the player starts the game already with three fully charged weapons.
Nintendo Power praised the game's graphics but noted that its head-on perspective takes time getting used to.
They praised the game calling it "A visual stunner on the SNES" and felt that the unique application of the Mode 7 made Axelay feel like two games in one.
Retrospective reviewers praised the game as well.
Former Konami Kukeiha Club composer Taro Kudo scored the soundtrack, however the music for the second stage boss ("Cosmic Dance!") was remixed by Masanori "M.C.
Ueda stated that one of the enemies in the last stage previously appeared in other shoot 'em up games by Konami such as Life Force and MX5000, as his then-president at Konami liked the enemy's attack.
They praised the game calling it "A visual stunner on the SNES" and felt that the unique application of the Mode 7 made Axelay feel like two games in one.
It is also the last work that the members who would later found Treasure were involved in during their time at Konami.
Ueda stated that one of the enemies in the last stage previously appeared in other shoot 'em up games by Konami such as Life Force and MX5000, as his then-president at Konami liked the enemy's attack.
In the "Game Report Card" reader poll run by the magazine Family Computer Magazine,it scored 22.79 out of 30, as shown below.
This score placed it 50th among all Super Famicom titles (323 titles in total, as of 1993).
The Japanese publication Micom BASIC Magazine ranked the game fourteenth in popularity in its December 1992 issue, and it received a 22.79/30 score in a 1993 readers' poll conducted by Super Famicom Magazine, ranking among Super Famicom titles at the number 50 spot.
The following year, it was listed as number 91 on Electronic Gaming Monthly's 100 best games of all time in their 100th issue, which cited its Mode 7 effects, the boss visuals, and the strategy involved in choosing the weapons loadout before each level.
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