With the exception of that last example, possession of a fully powered up arsenal is extremely helpful in surviving every level. An earlier section fires bouncing blue balls that are challenging by virtue of their visual similarity to your blue ball-like options, if you have any. Initially, certain sections felt needlessly cheap and punishing, with flame/acid rushing from the bottom of the screen to annihilate me in stage three. How about the game/games themselves? Well, it’s a fairly addictive ride, if rather rough. In short, as well as being more plentiful, power-ups go further thanks to Gradius’s unique “currency” system. Life Force also differs by adopting Gradius’s signature power-up system – see that bar in the bottom corner of the right screenshot? – so that you control what upgrades to give your ship. For starters, Life Force increases the number and frequency of power-ups available from enemies. The few tweaks made in Life Force improve the game dramatically. In practice, your first life is your best chance for beating the game since Salamander’s first batch of enemies shower the player with options and power-ups. Early on, the game provides ample firepower, but a single death – while it mercifully doesn’t take you back to a checkpoint – takes you back to square one in terms of power and handicaps you for a significant period. The problem is that Salamander is extremely stingy with doling these out past the opening level. Salamander has a typical shoot ’em up system, with defeated enemies leaving behind Gradius-esque power-ups: options, speed-ups, missiles, etc. ![]() Indecisive aesthetics aside, what distinguishes the two games from one another is the weapon system. The theme breaks down somewhat in the final, space base level, with the commentator’s description of penetrating “a liver” failing to convince. On the positive side, it is impressive how a simple colour change of magma red to cold blue transforms flames into stomach acid. Aesthetically, the only differences are some colour/background changes and added voice commentary which give Life Force more of a biological theme. Most striking about this pair is how much better Life Force is, despite being virtually identical to Salamander. Let’s get into the history pieces, Salamander and Life Force. For instance, every game alternates between horizontal and vertical scrolling stages, and contains a mix of biological and sci-fi themed stages. These games all riff on similar level themes, bosses and structure, many of these themselves nabbed from the Gradius series. Salamander 2, by comparison, released almost ten years later in 1996, and is a more modern iteration on the series formula. The former two, which I’ll cover first, are variations on the same basic game released within a year of one another in 1986-7. Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus is a collection of three arcade games, namely Salamander, Life Force, and Salamander 2. I’d always been curious, so why not try these spin-offs of a beloved series? ![]() After listening to a recent Retronauts episode about the Gradius series, I decided to dust off my copy of the expansively named Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus for the trusty Sega Saturn. ![]() Still, my enjoyment of life in general has increased dramatically now, and that extends to games too. Submitted and awaiting viva! Throughout these past few months, I haven’t stopped playing games entirely.
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