the end of which are two doors; choosing the wrong door loops the player back. Finally, at the very end of each mechanical castle, there is a door leading to a boss fight. The boss fights are set against a solid black background and Apollo must fight while standing on a controllable floating platform. Side-scrolling shooter gameplay For the even-numbered stages (2, 4, 6, etc.) the character is prompted to jump into a vehicle (a different one each time) and take part in an auto-scrolling Gradius-like level ending with a boss fight. Boss fights In the transition area after the platform-style levels, prior to the boss fight, Apollo is prompted to jump on a platform that lets him float. After moving into a previously out-of-reach door, the fight begins. In side-scrolling shooter areas, the player simply appears in a boss area in the ship they played the level in. The fights consist of a black area where the player fights a giant robot/ship. Their attack pattern, resembling that of a Manic shooter, is repetitive and avoidable; the player shoots the boss with either their conventional weapon or the in-ship weapon. Tube Shooter gameplay The final level is a "fixed" shooter. More specifically, it is a "tube shooter" where the player approaches the last boss's fortress and attempts to destroy it. Apollo, in a more enhanced ship than any seen before, rotates from the sides of the screen to the bottom, shooting at the center while avoiding enemy fire. Weapons and items Apollo receives weapons and items from a goddess character to help him on his way. All weapons can be powered up by visiting a shop that specializes in powering up weapons, or by talking to the goddess character a second time. Reception Xexyz was met with generally positive reception from critics. However, public reception in Japan was mixed; in a poll taken by Family Computer Magazine, it received a score of 18.38 out of 30. References External links Xexyz at MobyGames 1988 video games Atlus games Hudson Soft games Nintendo Entertainment System games Nintendo Entertainment System-only games Platform games Post-apocalyptic video games Video games developed in Japan Video games scored by Hirohiko Takayama Video games set in the 28th century Single-player video games