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X (Game Boy game)

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X

Developer(s)	Argonaut Software Nintendo
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Dylan Cuthbert Yoshio Sakamoto
Released	^JPN May 29, 1992
Genre	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single player
Platform(s)	Game Boy
Media	cartridge

X (エックス, X^?), is an early three-dimensional first-person shooter-type video game software released for the Game Boy only in Japan on May 29, 1992. The game was published by Nintendo and was developed by Argonaut Software (who are best known for being the developers of the original Star Fox title for the Super NES).

1 History
2 Plot
3 Gameplay
4 Music
5 References
6 External links

History

The game was originally slated to be published by Mindscape as Eclipse or Lunar Chase, but Nintendo took over the project after becoming interested in the concept of having three-dimensional graphics on the Game Boy. Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi renamed the game X shortly before it's release. The Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu listed X as one of the four most influential Game Boy games ever created, as it was the first 3D game released for a portable system in Japan. The chief programmer and designer, Dylan Cuthbert, now runs Q-Games, a small games developer in Kyoto, Japan.^[1] The director of the project on the Nintendo side was Yoshio Sakamoto, who also started the Metroid series.

Plot

In the space age year XXXX, overpopulation on the Earth is forcing humans to search for a new home in outer space. Planet Tetamus 2 is discovered to have an environment similar to earth, and mining of the planet's high-energy "Power Crystal" mineral leads to the construction of the "Nuclear Silo" designed to convert this mineral into energy. The future seemed bright for the human race, until an emergency message from Tetamus 2 reported that a cargo ship loaded with power crystals had been shot down by an army of alien starships. The aliens intend to use the planet as a base for conquering the rest of the universe, and the space tank "VIXIV" is sent out to destroy the alien forces.

Gameplay

In this screenshot of X, the text reads "Move the + [cross] button [control pad] up and down to control your speed!"

The game takes place in a wire frame 3D view. The player controls the VIXIV to complete various missions assigned by the mission commander. Objectives can range from destroying enemy targets, escorting cargo, or defending bases. A short break is provided after the completion of each mission, and the player is awarded a number of stars based on their skill in each level. 10 small stars equal one regular star, and a certain number of stars are needed to continue the game after failing a mission. The game is completed by finishing all ten missions.

Controls

The entire game is viewed and controlled from the cockpit of the VIXIV. Pressing up on the directional pad moves the tank forward, and it's speed rises from STOP, LOW, MED, HIGH to TURBO. TURBO is the fastest speed, and requires fuel (see Items). Pressing down on the directional pad slows the speed, or puts the tank in reverse, and pressing left and right changes the tank's direction. A compass located directly below the front cockpit shows the four cardinal directions. The two black diagonal lines located on either side of the compass are sonar radars. These lines turn white when enemies are detected, and begin to flash when enemies are very close by. The radar screen, located at bottom center, shows the location of the tank at center in relation to enemies and objects. The black area indicated is the area viewable from the cockpit, and the white dots represent objects and buildings. The flashing dots are enemies. Pressing the A button shoots a laser beam, which is the most basic form of attack in the game. The beam is shot towards the crosshairs at the center of the screen when no targets are present. When a target is within a reasonable distance, an aiming cursor appears, and the beam will always hit the target indicated by this cursor. Most objects can be destroyed with a few lazer shots, but objects that emit a metallic sound when hit cannot be destroyed with the lazer. Pressing the B button uses the more powerful weapon equipped at the radar base. See the Weapons section for a full description of weapons that can be equipped. Enemies and objects will sometimes leave behind a powerup or item when destroyed. These are automatically picked up by the tank's tractor beam when the player moves nearby. The specific target needed to complete the mission can be located with the finder. This is a white arrow that appears at the bottom of the screen, and moving forward with this arrow at the center will always lead the player to the specific target. The grid on the lower right hand corner is a simplified map of the entire level. The map shows the player's current grid location, previously visited areas, and radar base locations. In certain missions, some parts of the grid will flash to indicate the location of nuclear silos or radar bases that are under attack. The planet Tetamus 2 consists of a rectangular map, divided into 8 areas, which are useful for tracking down specific enemies or buildings. If a player moves across an edge of the map, the tank will emerge from the opposite side of the rectangle. Pressing the START button will pause the game, and show a more detailed map of the planet. The map contains four entrances to underground tunnels which can be used to move between areas without having to encounter enemies. If the mission has a time limit, the clock stops while the player is moving through any of these tunnels. However, hitting a tunnel wall will damage the tank's shield. The player can still move forward will hitting tunnel walls, but running into a chain link fence will cause damage and force the tank backwards, so a certain amount of caution is needed while proceeding through. Speed cannot be increased or decreased in the regular control scheme while traveling underground, but grinding the tank against the ceiling will cause a slight decrease in velocity, while grinding it against the floor will cause a slight increase in velocity. The VIXIV also has flight capabilities. Lifting off of one of the pyramid-shaped objects at TURBO speed will send the tank into the air. Speed cannot be adjusted while the tank is in the air, and flying requires fuel (see Items). Some of the field objects located at ground level will fade away from view while the tank is in flight. The controls for the game are highly sophisticated and difficult to master, so a training mode is provided to familiarize the player with the controls. The training mode devotes a mission to each basic skill, and is so extensive that the player will have naturally learned the controls upon completion of all of the training missions. This allows the player to learn the basic controls quickly and efficiently without having to use the instruction manual. The actual game cannot be played without completing this training mode first. If the player has previously completed every training mission, an option is given to proceed directly into the actual game or review the basics in the training mode.

Items

Four types of items can be picked up to aid the player in completing missions.

Shield mushrooms: These items are shaped like mushrooms, and recover one block of shield health. The VIXIV has 8 blocks of shield health which decrease as the tank is hit with enemy attacks. The game is lost when the tank is hit when there is no shield protection. The player can also change a shield mushroom into another item by hitting it with the lazer. The new item is chosen at random, but the probability of the coin item appearing is extremely low.
Missiles: These are needed to use the additional weapon equipped at the radar base (see Weapons). A total of 8 missiles can be held at one time.
Fuel: Fuel is needed to accelerate into TURBO speed and put the VIXIV in flight. The fuel gauge slowly decreases while the VIXIV is in TURBO speed. Picking up a fuel tank regains one block of the fuel gauge.
Coin: This item is extremely rare and valuable, as it fully restores shield health, missiles, and fuel.

Buildings

Several facilities are placed around the map to restore health and weaponry or provide easy access to different areas. If the mission has a time limit, the clock stops while the player is inside one of these facilities.

Radar bases: There are a total of 8 radar bases placed around the map, and the player can enter each base once per mission to restore one block of shield health, missiles, and fuel, along with a choice to equip one additional weapon. Each radar base can be entered from any direction, and the center screen will display the mission objectives once the player is inside. Warnings are given by the radar bases when there is very little time remaining on the clock in missions with time limits.
Tunnel entrances: These are the entrances to the four underground tunnels described in the Controls section. Tunnel entrances rotate slowly, so the player must maneuver the tank inside with good timing in order to enter. The back part of each entrance is a slope, which can also be used to lift off into the air.
Junction: All four underground tunnels lead to the Junction. The player can choose which tunnel to enter, and completely restore one of the three gauges (shield health, missiles, or fuel) once per mission.
Nuclear Silo: This building plays an important role in certain missions. It can be entered the same way as the radar bases.

Objects

These objects leave behind useful items after being destroyed.

Powercubes: Located in four places in the map, Powercubes restore one block of shield health when hit with a lazer. They disintegrate after five lazer shots, leaving behind one shield mushroom. Powercubes seem to recover when left alone for a certain period of time, allowing the player to shoot them more than five times to recover shield health.
Beacons: These are located in many places, and will randomly drop one of the four types of items when destroyed. However, the probability of the coin item appearing is extremely low.
Floaters: These floating objects leave behind fuel when destroyed, and are used to recover fuel while the VIXIV is flying in TURBO mode.
Giant trees: These trees exist in large quantities in the training missions, but are rarely found in the actual game. They can be destroyed by lazers, but are extremely resilient, and can even withstand one blast from the HIGH-EX missile. Hitting a giant tree with the HIGH-EX will sometimes make a coin item appear nearby.

Weapons

These additional weapons can be selected at the radar bases. Only one type of weapon can be equipped at any time.

LOCK ON: This choice enables the tank to launch missiles. When a target approaches, the B button can be pressed to lock onto the target. Once the tank is locked onto a target, the tank's movement changes to encircle the target instead of the normal control scheme, allowing the player to easily attack the target from behind. This lock-on also applies to the lazer beam weapon, so it also becomes easier to hit the target with lazers. The display will read "OBJECT LOCKED" when a target is within aiming distance, and pressing the B button during this display will fire a missile. However, missiles will not switch directions to pursue a moving target. Firing a missile, pressing the SELECT button, allowing the target to move out of sight, or moving very far away will release the target lock.
BOMB: Bombs are needed to destroy the underground tunnels constructed by the enemy. Pressing the B button while the VIXIV is in the air will drop a bomb, but this can only be done upon orders issued by the mission commander. It can also be used while the tank is on the ground, where the bomb is fired into the air and makes a cylindric explosion (which also affects enemies in the air) upon hitting the ground. The player loses two blocks of shield health if the tank is caught in the bomb's explosion, so the bomb should be fired while running the tank in the reverse direction to avoid unwanted damage. Only one bomb can be carried at a time, so the tank must return to the radar base after each use to re-equip a bomb.
JETPAC: This choice is not a weapon, but makes getting up in the air much easier. When equipped, the player can lift off into the air just by pressing the B button at TURBO speed instead of looking for slopes to lift off of. Fuel is still required to put the tank in TURBO speed. Pressing the B button at lower speeds will cause a slight "jump" in the tank's movement.
HIGH-EX: This is the final weapon designed for use in the last mission of the game. The weapon does not need to lock onto any target, and pressing the B button launches a gigantic missile which causes a huge cylindric explosion. However, 8 missiles are needed to fire the weapon, and the VIXIV will always get caught up in the resulting explosion, losing 8 blocks of shield health. This requires the player to have full shield health and a full arsenal of missiles when using the weapon.

Missions

Each mission has different requirements for completion, and the player will not be able to move on until these goals are met. Some missions also have time limits and other "game over" requirements, which will force the game to end even if the VIXIV is still intact. Items gathered in the previous mission are always carried over to the next (Items gathered in the training mission can be carried over to Mission 1), and the shield will always be restored to full health when the player begins a mission. Though every mission takes place on the same map, the conditions of all buildings, objects, and enemies are reset to default values whenever the player begins a new mission. In general, players will be awarded a star for each completed part of the mission objectives, and a small star for every generic enemy killed.

Mission 1 (The number of stars is reset to 0 when this mission is selected): The game begins with the VIXIV passing through a warp tunnel to arrive in Tetamus 2. The objective is to recover the Power Crystal stolen by the alien army, and deliver it to the Nuclear Silo within 60 minutes. Radar bases will display the location of the Power Crystal or Nuclear Silo, and the finder will point towards these as well.
Mission 2 (At least 1 star is needed to continue): The objective is to destroy the five time bombs set up by the enemy forces within 70 minutes. The radar bases display the location and quantity of the bombs, and the finder will point towards one of the remaining bombs.
Mission 3 (At least 2 stars are needed to continue): The objective is to destroy the two humanoid tanks, which were sent in by the enemy forces to destroy the radar bases. Radar bases will display the remaining number of bases and the areas where radar bases have already been destroyed. The finder will point towards one of the remaining Humanoid Tanks. Though this mission has no time limit, the game is lost when all of the radar bases are destroyed.
Mission 4 (At least 3 stars are needed to continue): The objective is to rescue Doctor Yamano, a scientist being held hostage in one of the alien bases, and deliver him to the Nuclear Silo within 60 minutes. The aliens have sent in several decoys, so a photo is provided to identify the real scientist. Radar bases will only display the location of the alien bases, but will order the player to head over to the Nuclear Silo once the real scientist has been rescued. Similarly, the finder will point towards one of the alien bases, and towards the Nuclear Silo once the real scientist has been rescued.
Mission 5 (At least 4 stars are needed to continue): The objective is to destroy the two underground tunnels constructed by the enemy forces. Enemy tunnels can be entered the same way as radar bases, and the player must use the BOMB weapon in the proper location and exit the tunnel within 3 minutes. Both the radar bases and the finder display the location of enemy tunnel entrances. The game is lost if the BOMB weapon is used in the wrong location, or if the player is unable to exit the tunnel within the time limit.
Mission 6 (At least 5 stars are needed to continue): The objective is to guard four trucks carrying reactor rods needed to repair the Nuclear Silo from the giant space insects, and escort them to the Silo within 50 minutes. The trucks will steer in the direction of the Silo on their own, but will not move unless the VIXIV is nearby. The finder will always point towards the trucks, and radar bases will display orders to protect the trucks at all costs. The game is lost if any of the trucks are destroyed, or if the player runs out of time. One star is awarded for each space insect killed, and small stars are rewarded for the number of other kills and reactor rods delivered.
Mission 7 (At least 6 stars are needed to continue): The objective is to recover the reactor rods from the four super gliders and deliver them to the Nuclear Silo within 50 minutes. Radar bases will display hints in locating the super gliders, and will display the message "Head to the North!" after all of the rods have been recovered. The finder points towards one of the super gliders, and towards the Nuclear Silo when all of the rods have been recovered.
Mission 8 (At least 7 stars are needed to continue): The objective is to destroy the five alien cocoons within 15 minutes. Destroying all of the cocoons within the time limit is not impossible, but any cocoons remaining after the time limit will turn into alien butterflies which will begin to attack the radar bases. Radar bases will display the area of the cocoons, and give hints for finding the butterflies once the time limit has passed. The finder will point towards one of the cocoons during the time limit, but butterflies cannot be detected with the finder. The game is lost when all of the radar bases are destroyed by the butterflies. In this mission, a star is awarded for each butterfly killed and radar base remaining at the end of the game.
Mission 9 (At least 8 stars are needed to continue): The objective is to destroy the three cruise missiles within 16 minutes and 55 seconds. The missiles are easy to locate, but are very difficult to destroy. Radar bases give hints for finding the missiles, and the finder points in the direction of the next missile.
Mission 10 (At least 9 stars are needed to continue): The objective of the final mission is to destroy the alien mothership within 30 minutes. Surrounded by an invisible shield, the mothership is impossible to damage with anything other than the HIGH-EX missile. However, the enemy has mobilized all of their forces to destroy the radar bases, and tunnel entrances and junctions will be destroyed when the player attempts to enter them. The player must equip the HIGH-EX from one of the few remaining bases, and collect the necessary amount of missiles and shield health needed to fire the weapon. Radar bases display a warning against using the HIGH-EX without the proper amount of shield health, and the finder will point towards the mothership at all times.

Enemies

Light tanks: These enemies fire slow-moving bullets and drop fuel when destroyed.
Small tanks: These enemies also fire slow-moving bullets, but drop a shield mushroom when destroyed.
Skimmers: These triangular objects hover gently in the air, and will attempt to ram into the VIXIV whenever it approaches. They will also attack while the VIXIV is in the air. Skimmers are the weakest enemies at the beginning of the game, but begin to fire fast-moving bullets starting from Mission 4. They drop a missile when destroyed.
Power tanks: These enemies are extremely resilient. They hardly ever attack in the early missions, but starting from Mission 3, they slowly approach the VIXIV and fire slow-moving bullets. A skimmer emerges from inside when the tank is destroyed.
Spiders: These are fast tanks that look like spiders. They do not attack at all, and will quickly run off when attacked by the player. However, they will drop a bomb when destroyed, which can cause a considerable amount of damage to shield health. Though easily dispatched with missiles, they are extremely difficult to kill using lazers.
Bombs: These are identical to the BOMB weapon used by the VIXIV. Some enemies will drop these instead of an item when destroyed. Bombs are detected as enemies by the VIXIV's radars, and will count towards the player's kill count when they detonate.
Fighter planes: These behave exactly the same as the Skimmers at the beginning of the game. Starting from Mission 7, they will fly around high up in the sky, and attempt to ram the VIXIV while shooting fast-moving bullets. Though extremely fast in the later missions, they will never attack as long as the VIXIV is on the ground. They drop a missile item when destroyed.
Humanoid tanks: These bi-pedal tanks are the targets for Mission 3. They walk very quickly, and will ram into anything standing in their path, including other enemies. They cannot be killed with lazers, and take 4 missile shots to destroy. Though they all follow a pre-set route, they ignore areas where the radar base has already been destroyed, so it becomes difficult to pursue them later on in the mission. Their walking speed is doubled in Mission 10, and they will attack any bases that the player tries to enter. Players must use the LOCK ON weapon efficiently to encircle and destroy these tanks.
Mines: These explosives float in midair, and will explode when the VIXIV approaches. A skimmer emerges from inside if the mine is destroyed with lazers. A warning is displayed on screen if the VIXIV's radar detects a mine.
Missile launchers: These are fixed artillery units that are highly resilient to attacks. They randomly drop a missile, fuel, or shield item when destroyed. A warning is issued whenever a missile launcher is detected by the radar. However, these warnings are issued only when a missile is actually launched at the VIXIV.
Missiles: These are launched by the missile launchers, and differ from the missiles launched by the VIXIV using the LOCK ON weapon. They are shown as a "＊" shape on screen, and will chase the VIXIV for a long distance and cause large damage when they explode. They can be destroyed with lazer shots, and are detected as enemies by the radar. Missiles destroyed by lazer shots will count towards the player's kill count.
Alien bases: These were constructed to conceal the location of Doctor Yamano in Mission 4. They appear frequently around the map, and some may house items or enemies. 11 lazer shots are needed to destroy these bases.
Metal creatures: These spider-like tanks are hidden within some of the alien bases. They move very quickly, and fire medium-speed bullets. They cannot be harmed by lazers, and drop a missile when destroyed.
Decoy scientists: These are impostors of Doctor Yamano pretending to await rescue inside the alien bases. They are easy to distinguish from the real doctor because they are wearing square-shaped glasses (the real doctor wears round ones) and have noticeably different facial features. Rescuing one of these impostors and facing them for a while will change the background music to a song also used in Mario Paint. They will transform into metal creatures and attack the player if the real Doctor Yamano has already been rescued.
Alien tunnels: These tunnels were constructed in Mission 5 to allow the aliens to attack from underneath the ground. Though they can be entered the same way as radar bases, the entrance opens and closes at certain intervals, and the VIXIV will receive damage if it attempts to enter while the entrance is closed. Destroying these tunnels requires the player to enter within, use the BOMB weapon in the vicinity indicated by the arrow, and escape from the tunnel within the set time limit.
Teleporter tanks: These tanks emerge from alien tunnels, and rapid-fire bullets while moving around very quickly. They teleport when targeted by the lazer, and will re-appear to attack the VIXIV from another direction. They appear on the map regardless of alien tunnels in Mission 10. They look completely different in Missions 6 and 8, and also have very high resistance to attacks. They do not attack in Mission 6, but will fire high-speed bullets in Mission 8. They drop a shield mushroom when destroyed in any of the missions.
Giant larvae: These larvae mutated into gigantic creatures due to radiation from the Nuclear Silo. Their only attack is to ram the VIXIV, and they will drop a missile item when destroyed. They are abundant when they first appear in Mission 6, and destroying them to collect additional missiles is the key to completing that mission. In Mission 8, they have matured to become much faster and much more resilient to attacks. The larvae in Mission 8 drop a fuel item when destroyed.
Insects: These aggressive creatures attack the trucks carrying the reactor rods in Mission 6. They hop around while moving, so the player must stun them with the lazer, and quickly kill them off with a missile shot.
Fighter bases: These bases spew out mass-produced fighters, and cannot be harmed with the lazer. They drop a shield when destroyed.
Mass-produced fighters: These begin to appear in the later missions along with the fighter planes. They emerge from fighter bases in large groups, and will attempt to ram the VIXIV in pairs. Unlike fighter planes, they do not shoot bullets, and their resistance is the weakest of any of the enemies since they can be killed off with a single lazer shot. They drop fuel when destroyed.
Gliders: These enemies randomly fly around a set area of the sky. They do not attack with bullets, and are harmless unless they happen to collide with the VIXIV, but cannot be harmed by lazers and require 2 missile shots to be destroyed. Targeting them with anything other than the HIGH-EX is very difficult, but they drop a coin item when destroyed.
Super gliders: These appear in Mission 7 to carry off the stolen reactor rods. They have a bird-like shape, and will fly high up in the air. They do not attack, and are easy to kill off in the air using lazers, or from the ground using the BOMB weapon.
Cocoons: These are mutant larvae preparing to metamorphose into butterflies, and must be destroyed in Mission 8. They do not attack or move until the time limit has passed, but attacking them with the lazer will cause them to become butterflies even before the time limit. They must be destroyed with missiles.
Butterflies: These gigantic butterflies will appear in Mission 8 if the player is unable to destroy all of the cocoons within the time limit, or from the very beginning of Mission 10. They fly around slowly, and will circle around radar bases and attack them using lazers. Their irregular movements make them difficult to hit, though having the JETPAC makes it much easier to hit them with lazers. They can also be destroyed from the ground using the BOMB weapon.
Cruise missiles: These missiles were launched to destroy the Nuclear Silo in Mission 9, and must be destroyed before they reach their target. They fly around slowly in the air, and cannot be destroyed with lazers. They are difficult to hit with the LOCK ON weapon, and require two shots to destroy from the ground with the BOMB weapon. They drop a coin when destroyed.
Mothership: The mothership of the alien army is the final boss of the game, and is the main target in Mission 10. The ship cannot be approached because it is surrounded by some sort of invisible barrier. The only way to destroy it is to hit it repeatedly with the HIGH-EX missile.
Mission commanders: These allied characters will contact the player each level with the mission objectives, but will appear on the game field as enemies if the player purposely attacks a friendly base or facility. Mission commanders will float around the VIXIV, attacking by ramming or firing fast-speed bullets. Lazers cause no effect on these enemies, and they cannot be locked onto as a target. They also drop bombs at the VIXIV when destroyed.

Music

Totaka's Song can be found in the game code. This makes it the earliest known appearance of it in a Nintendo game, as X was the first game music Kazumi Totaka composed for Nintendo.
The background music played in the underground tunnels was added to Club Nintendo Japan's Luigi - B-Side Music album.
On December 5th, 2007, it was announced that an arranged version of the very first tunnel music heard in X will be featured in the upcoming Wii title, Super Smash Bros. Brawl.^[2]