#Gradius 2 boss words series

Most stages feature at least one great set-piece moment and, as a Konami shooter, there’s no shortage of clever references to past glories. The colourful pre-rendered sprites and dreamy hand-painted backgrounds make the game feel suitably otherworldly and evoke the organic, “inner space” theme even better than the original game’s “ Life Force” incarnation did. Right from the off, it makes a great impression. Want a shmup of a certain quality with a guarantee that you can blast through it in a few minutes then get on with your life? This is definitely the one.Īs a parade of great moments to blast through in a lunch break, Salamander 2 does not disappoint. The relative simplicity feels refreshing to return to amid the modern dominance of bullet hell shooters and their opaque score mechanics, while the forgiving gameplay concessions fit into a busy lifestyle rather nicely. But on a personal level, it ticks a lot of boxes. There is something about Salamander 2 that feels like Konami on autopilot. Objectively, it’s hard to disagree with the critical consensus. Years later, Hardcore Gaming 101, whose staff love Konami shooters so much they even published a book on the subject, also have little praise left for Salamander 2, ultimately writing it off as “insignificant.” Harsh, but quite possibly true.

With an extra point thrown on top of Salamander 2’s 5/10 for the inclusion of the original Salamander and Life Force, they deemed Konami’s sequel an average shooter, bemoaned the infinite continues and criticized the lack of innovation. In its 1997 review, EDGE magazine gave the Salamander Deluxe Pack release a 6/10. On that question we can only speculate, but history clearly shows that the critical reception has not been all that favourable to Salamander 2.

#Gradius 2 boss words series

24 years later, it has still never received a standalone home conversion of any kind – not even one of Hamster’s no-frills Arcade Archives jobs – and has only ever been included in just two compilations, the last of which released 13 years ago! Given how much the other games in the series have been re-issued over the decades, you have to wonder if Konami has a problem with Salamander 2… With this distinct lack of challenge or innovation, Salamander 2 seems to have become the black sheep of Konami’s Gradius family. There are six levels in total – four horizontal and two vertical – and the whole thing can be rushed through in a little under 20 minutes, especially since the game allows for infinite continues and, like the original, allows players to pick up exactly where they left off upon death and scoop up all their Options to boot! There’s a small handful of collectible weapons, which increase in power if you collect the same one consecutively, and there’s a nice addition that allows you to charge up and fire off your Options in a special homing attack. Yet in Salamander 2 you get one ship, with no customisation. Years before, Gradius III allowed players to customise almost every element of the ship’s arsenal, while a year later Gradius Gaiden offered similar options with a choice of four different ships. It’s a curiously old-fashioned shooter, even by the standards of the day. Released in arcades around a decade after the original, it took advantage of Konami’s fancy new GX Type 2 arcade board with futuristic looking pre-rendered graphics but otherwise failed to innovate. Salamander 2, though, heaps on even more concessions to the player and delivers the Salamander I’ve always wanted.įrom what I can tell, Salamander 2 has never been all that popular with either critics or most shmup fans. Since the core personal appeal lies in progress and spectacle, anything that gets in the way of a relentless flight can rather spoil the experience.įor a man of my average skill, and above average desire to… just… keep… going, Salamander is an experience that has both attracted and repelled me for years. Difficulty balance plays an important role here. I’ve only cleared one shmup in a single credit in my entire life, but really it’s the exciting journey and sense of progression that comes from beating a few scrolling levels that most appeals to me. I have nothing against score attack play or ultra challenging 1CC runs.

To me, the best entries in the genre are those that offer the opportunity to feel good while blasting a path to the right (or up! But the best ones are usually right) as increasingly cool moments of spectacle happen around you, often because of you.

The better you play the more you get to see. Their pure arcade action is what classic gaming is all about… Dodge, shoot, keep moving forward. This might get my hardcore gamer card confiscated, but I have to say I have a complicated relationship with shoot-‘em-ups. Original format: Arcade | Version played: Saturn Year: 1996 | Publisher: Konami | Developer: Konami