X Multiply

The Good
Irem has been capitalizing on the success of its 1987 shoot-em-up, R-Type, releasing title after title that retain the core gameplay, but added some features. Its latest game is X Multiply, quite an unusual game that doesn’t take place in space like its predecessor.

Aliens have invaded a colony planet in the twenty-third century. These microscopic parasites have the ability to invade a human body, attack its systems, and kill the host. You take control of the X-002 spacecraft which has been shrunk down to microscopic size and propelled into a woman’s body. Its purpose: battle the infestation that has occurred and defeat the alien queen. This type of plot reminds me of the Futurama episode “Parasites Lost”, where the crew is sent fighting inside Fry’s body to get rid of the parasites that has invaded his body.

Rather than a beam that you need to charge up, in its place are tentacles that can act like a shield against enemies that come from in front of or behind you. You won’t get the tentacles until you collect your first power-up, but I find it quite strange that they suddenly appear out of nowhere, rather than grow out the X-002. In good old R-Type fashion, your weaponry will get stronger if you keep getting the power-ups of the same color.

After the necessary system checks, the title screen appears, and it is fantastic. I like there is a close-up view of someone’s face that serves as the background, rather than just plain black. During the game, you are reminded that you are fighting inside a human body. In stage five, for instance, there is liquid dropping down into a pool of acid, and this is animated nicely. The alien queen looks scary enough; its appearance is enough to give kids nightmares. The heads-up display also looks rather nice, with its metallic gray background and robotic font.

The background music is different for each stage, with the exception of the final two stages. End-of-stage bosses have their own piece of music, and it is the same one. The sound effects are not bad, especially when you collect a power-up.

The Bad
There is nothing bad about this game.

The Bottom Line
X Multiply is an excellent shooter from Irem that retains the core gameplay from R-Type, but instead of the beam we know and love, your ship emits tentacles that acts like a shield against all the nasties. And instead of fighting in space, you are inside a human body. The graphics and sound is excellent. R-Type fanatics should love this one.