is a 1991 side-scrolling shoot 'em uparcade 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.
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-Types 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 thinstream 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.
In Japan, Game Machine listed Xexex on their November 15, 1991 issue as being the fifth most-successful table arcade game of the year. In the January 1992 issue of Japanese publication Micom BASIC Magazine, the game was ranked on the number ten spot in popularity. At the 1992 :ja:ゲーメスト大賞|Gamest Awards, Xexex was awarded Best Graphics and Best VGM. Xexex was also nominated for Game of the Year, Best Shooter, and Best Direction, but lost to , Sonic Wings, and Art of Fighting, respectively. The game has been met with positive reception from critics since its initial launch. Konami released four Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game'' cards, Flint, Flint Lock, Flint Attack and King of Destruction - Xexex, as a reference to this game.
