<s>
is	O
an	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
run	O
and	O
gun	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Exact	O
exclusively	O
for	O
the	O
X68000	B-Device
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
September	O
12	O
,	O
1991	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
second	O
title	O
to	O
be	O
created	O
and	O
released	O
by	O
Exact	O
for	O
the	O
X68000	B-Device
platform	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
takes	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
dystopian	O
future	O
of	O
2069	O
where	O
the	O
British	O
Elias-Rits	O
Investigative	O
Unit	O
ship	O
went	O
missing	O
during	O
a	O
reconnaissance	O
operation	O
at	O
the	O
Kermadec	O
Islands	O
,	O
as	O
players	O
assume	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
American	O
pilot	O
Fredric	O
von	O
Nyuya	O
from	O
the	O
elite	O
World-Ocean	O
Development	O
League	O
squad	O
taking	O
control	O
of	O
a	O
mecha	O
in	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
unveil	O
the	O
truth	O
behind	O
the	O
mysterious	O
disappearance	O
of	O
the	O
Elias-Rits	O
embarkation	O
during	O
their	O
operation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Created	O
by	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
staff	O
who	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
Naious	B-Application
,	O
Aquales	B-Application
and	O
its	O
plotline	O
were	O
initially	O
envisioned	O
as	O
a	O
manga	O
series	O
of	O
600	O
pages	O
spanning	O
over	O
13	O
volumes	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
the	O
storyline	O
for	O
the	O
seventh	O
volume	O
was	O
condensed	O
into	O
the	O
game	O
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
it	O
was	O
initially	O
launched	O
by	O
Exact	O
on	O
retail	O
stores	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
later	O
be	O
distributed	O
through	O
the	O
Takeru	O
software	O
vending	O
machines	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
write	O
games	O
on	O
blank	O
floppy	B-Device
disks	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aquales	B-Application
became	O
another	O
popular	O
title	O
among	O
the	O
X68000	B-Device
userbase	O
from	O
Exact	O
and	O
received	O
praise	O
for	O
the	O
graphics	O
,	O
music	O
and	O
gameplay	O
that	O
would	O
eventually	O
lead	O
it	O
to	O
being	O
nominated	O
for	O
a	O
"	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
award	O
by	O
Japanese	O
magazine	O
Oh	O
!	O
X	O
under	O
its	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
its	O
initial	O
release	O
,	O
Exact	O
would	O
go	O
on	O
to	O
develop	O
their	O
third	O
title	O
for	O
the	O
X68000	B-Device
;	O
Étoile	B-Application
Princesse	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
two	O
years	O
later	O
to	O
a	O
similarly	O
positive	O
critical	O
and	O
audience	O
response	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aquales	B-Application
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
platform	O
game	O
with	O
run	O
and	O
gun	O
elements	O
similar	O
to	O
Bionic	B-Application
Commando	I-Application
,	O
Front	B-Application
Mission	I-Application
:	I-Application
Gun	I-Application
Hazard	I-Application
and	O
Target	B-Application
Earth	I-Application
,	O
where	O
players	O
assume	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
pilot	O
Fredric	O
von	O
Nyuya	O
from	O
the	O
elite	O
W-ODL	O
squad	O
taking	O
control	O
of	O
a	O
mecha	O
through	O
eight	O
stages	O
of	O
varying	O
thematic	O
set	O
on	O
a	O
dystopian	O
Earth	O
,	O
fighting	O
enemies	O
and	O
bosses	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
each	O
stage	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
unveil	O
the	O
truth	O
behind	O
the	O
disappearance	O
of	O
the	O
Elias-Rits	O
embarkation	O
during	O
their	O
assignation	O
as	O
the	O
main	O
objective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Controlling	O
the	O
mech	O
is	O
done	O
with	O
a	O
directional	B-Device
pad	I-Device
,	O
which	O
moves	O
the	O
player	O
character	O
left	O
and	O
right	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
both	O
an	O
attack	O
and	O
a	O
jump	O
button	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pushing	O
the	O
jump	O
button	O
while	O
in	O
mid-air	O
activates	O
a	O
grappling	B-Application
hook	I-Application
that	O
can	O
allow	O
the	O
mech	O
to	O
pull	O
forward	O
,	O
swing	O
from	O
the	O
ceiling	O
of	O
any	O
platform	O
or	O
jump	O
into	O
the	O
latched	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
mech	O
sustains	O
too	O
much	O
enemy	O
damage	O
,	O
the	O
players	O
lose	O
a	O
live	O
and	O
once	O
all	O
lives	O
are	O
lost	O
,	O
the	O
game	B-Application
is	I-Application
over	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
plot	O
of	O
Aquales	B-Application
begins	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
2042	O
,	O
where	O
70%	O
of	O
the	O
land	O
on	O
Earth	O
is	O
now	O
covered	O
by	O
bodies	O
of	O
water	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
depletion	O
of	O
ozone	O
and	O
greenhouse	O
effects	O
caused	O
by	O
humankind	B-Application
,	O
which	O
resulted	O
in	O
the	O
polar	O
ice	O
caps	O
melting	O
that	O
raised	O
the	O
sea	O
level	O
at	O
an	O
alarmingly	O
quick	O
pace	O
,	O
leaving	O
almost	O
no	O
terrain	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aquales	B-Application
served	O
as	O
the	O
second	O
title	O
to	O
be	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Exact	O
for	O
the	O
Sharp	B-Device
X68000	I-Device
and	O
it	O
was	O
originally	O
planned	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
manga	O
series	O
of	O
600	O
pages	O
with	O
over	O
13	O
volumes	O
worth	O
of	O
storyline	O
,	O
however	O
the	O
plot	O
for	O
the	O
seventh	O
volume	O
was	O
instead	O
condensed	O
into	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
project	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
created	O
by	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
staff	O
who	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
Naious	B-Application
,	O
their	O
first	O
game	O
project	O
for	O
the	O
X68000	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
distributed	O
through	O
the	O
Takeru	O
software	O
vending	O
machines	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
users	O
of	O
the	O
machine	O
to	O
download	O
games	O
by	O
inserting	O
a	O
blank	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aquales	B-Application
was	O
positively	O
received	O
by	O
the	O
audience	O
and	O
critics	O
alike	O
since	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
eventually	O
proving	O
to	O
be	O
another	O
popular	O
title	O
from	O
Exact	O
among	O
the	O
X68000	B-Device
userbase	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
