Aquales

Aquales is one of those titles Sharp X68000 owners loved to show off, because at first glance it looked like something that had no business running on a home computer. Studio Exact built a side-scrolling action game here around a combat suit that walks, jumps, slides, and shoots in every direction while multi-layered scenery of a future war zone scrolls past around it. Combat combines ranged fire with close attacks, and the player must watch not only their health but also their position relative to flying opposition attacking from both sides of the screen. The pace is brisk, the levels short, and the difficulty tuned so the game can be learned by heart.

What stands out most is the technical execution. The main mech's animation runs through an unusually high number of frames, so its movement feels heavy and mechanically convincing; the parallax background layers scroll smoothly, and the color palette holds a cold, metallic tone. This was exactly the X68000's home turf: it could display large moving objects without flicker or slowdown, something consoles of the era only managed with compromises. The FM music is fast and rhythmic, with prominent basslines that push the game forward, and the sound effects give the gunfire the volume it needs. The environments also aren't afraid of verticality, so some sections involve climbing and descending, which breaks up the monotony of running right and forces the player to think about where the next attack will come from.

At the time, it was one of the demonstrations that the Japanese computer scene could produce its own arcade-quality action games, and Exact built a reputation with this title as a studio that pushed the platform's technical limits. Not long after, the same team moved on to 3D experiments that eventually carried it all the way to PlayStation. Today, Aquales feels like a compact, honestly crafted piece of action without unnecessary flourishes: it isn't long, doesn't have a complex story, and doesn't try to impress with anything other than movement and style. As an introduction to what home-grown X68000 action production looked like, it's a great place to start.