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Salamander

TurboGrafx-16

TurboGrafx-16

You've saved the innocent people of Gradius from the vile Bacterions. But now an even deadlier plague has slimed into the neighborhood. It's Zelos, an all-engulfing, planet-eating alien who's hungering to take a bite out of you! Only this time you don't have to rescue the millions of Gradians alo...

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Developer
Konami

Released on
1991

Size
1–2 Players

Version
TurboGrafx-16

Requirements
NEC TurboGrafx-16

Downloads
Shooter

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

Cooperative
Yes

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Description

You’ve saved the innocent people of Gradius from the vile Bacterions. But now an even deadlier plague has slimed into the neighborhood. It’s Zelos, an all-engulfing, planet-eating alien who’s hungering to take a bite out of you! Only this time you don’t have to rescue the millions of Gradians alone. You can call on a starfighter friend from the planet Latis, who’ll fight beside you in his RoadBritish space destroyer. You’ll both be gunning for max power-ups, with ripple lasers, plutonic missiles and impregnable force fields. But you better be on target. For this isn’t your ordinary space scum. And to crush him you’ve gotta soar through his guts, blast past his death traps and ultimately blow out his heart. Good luck, Commander. The galaxy’s counting on you!

Salamander

Overview & History

Released in 1989 by Hudson Soft for the PC Engine and later localized for the TurboGrafx-16, Salamander (known in North America as Life Force on the NES) stands as Konami’s legendary, fast-paced spin-off to the seminal Gradius series. Unlike its predecessor's cold, mechanical space setting, Salamander immerses players into a bizarre, bio-mechanical alien dimension where your ship, the Vic Viper (joined by the Lord British in two-player mode), navigates through the pulsing veins and organic viscera of a colossal space beast. The TurboGrafx-16 conversion brilliantly captures the arcade's intense atmosphere, pushing the 16-bit hardware to deliver vibrant, grotesque sprite work, pseudo-3D scaling effects, and a mesmerizing synth-rock soundtrack that heightened the frenetic pace of survival.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Salamander radically streamlines the traditional Gradius power-up system by discarding the complex gauge-selection bar. Instead, players collect glowing power pods dropped by specific enemy formations to instantly upgrade firepower, add speed bursts, deploy homing missiles, activate a protective barrier, or spawn multiple trailing options that mimic your every shot. Stages alternate dynamically between traditional horizontal scrolling and vertical scrolling layouts, forcing players to master shifting spatial awareness. You must deftly dodge organic hazards, narrow cavern walls, and relentless waves of alien armadas while rescuing trapped space capsules for bonus points. The inclusion of simultaneous two-player cooperative play transforms the chaotic bullet-hell action into a thrilling shared ordeal, though checkpoint revivals will test the patience of even veteran shoot-'em-up fans.