Complex X

About

Complex X is a 1984 arcade platformer from Taito where you play a scientist fleeing a submerged nuclear reactor. Using two joysticks, one for movement and one for shooting, you navigate a maze of shifting platforms while avoiding rising water and hostile creatures. Collecting blue-and-magenta squares refills your ammo, which you need to blast obstacles. Air levels and precise timing keep tension high as you race to reach each level’s exit. The game’s split-second platforming and dual-stick mechanics feel surprisingly modern, though its influence never fully took root. It reuses hardware from Taito’s earlier titles but adds its own twist with screen-wrap mechanics and a scoring system tied to leftover ammo. Despite being credited to another publisher due to Taito’s production shutdown, Complex X remains a footnote in arcade history, rare, technically curious, and frustratingly unfinished.