Salamander 2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Salamander 2 | |
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| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Release date(s) | JPN January, 1996 |
| Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Cooperative |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Sega Saturn, PlayStation |
| Input | 8-way joystick, 3 buttons |
| Arcade cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade system(s) | Konami GX |
| Arcade display | Raster, standard resolution, horizontal orientation |
Salamander 2 (沙羅曼蛇2 Saramanda 2?) is a scrolling shooter arcade game developed by Konami in 1996. The game is a direct sequel to 1986's Salamander and is part of the long-running Gradius series. The game is notable as it is the first in the Gradius series to incorporate three-dimensional graphic elements into its base of 2D graphics. It retains all the characteristic elements of its predecessor; two-player simultaneous gameplay, the same enemy bosses, and inclusion of vertically-scrolling levels.
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[edit] Gameplay
Like the original Salamander, and as opposed to the Life Force releases, Salamander 2 abandons the selection-bar based power-up system, in favor for a simplified system that focuses on powering weapons up based on specific icons. For example, the player cannot increase his ship speed until a speed icon is picked up; additional speed icons further increase the ship velocity.
Several weapons, when additionally upgraded, turn into a 'super' weapon for approximately ten seconds. If the player has the ripple laser, and then gets another icon for it, the player will receive the high-powered Buster ripple for a short period of time. Options have been slightly changed with the arrival of 'option seeds', which are small options that orbit the ship firing only the basic initial shot. Two option seeds can combine into one full option. Moreover, options can also be sacrificed to utilize a short-term homing beam weapon.
Several enemy bosses typical to Gradius games return, including the Golem (the first level boss) and the Intruder (the second level boss). There are a total of six levels. Since the game is similar to its prequel, Salamander 2 does not use the Revival Start feature from Gradius (which pushes the player back to a pre-determined checkpoint if a life is lost), many people consider this title to be easier than other titles in the Gradius series due to this. Once the game has been completed, it starts its second-loop at a much higher difficulty. The music then changes to remixed versions of Salamander's music in some stages.
[edit] Ports
Salamander 2 was not made available as an individual port, but was released to the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation as a part of the Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus compilation, alongside the original Japanese arcade releases of Salamander and Life Force.
[edit] References
- (2006) Gradius Portable Official Guide. Konami. ISBN 4-86155-111-0.
[edit] External links
- Salamander 2 at the Gradius Base
- Digitpress review of Salamander Deluxe Pack
- KLOV's entry on Salamander 2
- Extensive Japanese page on Salamander 2
