| Parodius | |
|---|---|
European NES box art |
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| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Series | Parodius |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, NES/Family Computer, Game Boy, PC Engine, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, SNES/Super Famicom, Sharp X68000 |
| Release date(s) |
04-25-1990
NES/Family Computer
Game Boy
Sharp X68000
PC Engine
SNES/Super Famicom
Playstation
Sega Saturn
Mobile Phones
PlayStation Portable
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| Genre(s) | Horizontal scrolling shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player multiplayer (alternating) |
| Cabinet | Upright |
| Display | Raster, 288 x 244, horizontal orientation |
Parodius, released in Japan as Parodius Da! －Shinwa kara Owarai e－ (パロディウスだ! －神話からお笑いへ－, "It's Parodius!: From Myth to Laughter"), is a shoot'em up arcade game and is the second title in the Parodius series produced by Konami. The European SNES version is also known as Parodius: Non-Sense Fantasy. The gameplay is stylistically very similar to the Gradius series, but the graphics and music are intentionally absurd.
This game is often mistaken as the original game of the series. The lesser known original game, Parodius, was released for the MSX2 computer in Japan.
Contents |
As stated above, gameplay is very similar to the Gradius series, with a few differences. Parodius retains the selectability of different weapons configurations but implements via four different characters: Vic Viper (from Gradius), Octopus, Twin Bee, and Pentarou. The second main difference is the addition of bell power-ups, from the Twinbee series. These bells act as one-time power-ups, allowing you to destroy every enemy on screen, fire huge beams of energy, etc. Enemies and environments from the Gradius games and Twinbee are mixed in along, with a host of anime-style opponents, which include scantily-clad women. All of the Gradius elements are integrated in a very light-hearted fashion. The Big Core, a regular boss within the Gradius series, is given a neon-look and is called "Viva Core". Moreover, there is a moai (Easter Island head statues) level, but all of the statues are given a much more animated look. The boss of that level, the Moai Head, fires other moai at the player by spitting them out of her mouth. The final boss, in typical Gradius fashion, is an unarmed enemy that once defeated, results in a destruction/escape sequence.
Vic Viper – Traditional Gradius configuration
The missile will fall to the ground, and then move along until it encounters an enemy. The Double mode will fire two blasts, one forward, and one incline forty-five degrees above. The Laser mode is a thin blue laser, identical from Gradius.
Octopus – Salamander configuration
This configuration is identical to the weapons presented in the Salamander arcade game. The missile is '2-way' that yields two bomb-like explosives that fall both up and down. The Double is the tail gun present in the second configuration. And the laser is the ripple laser, which fires expanding concentric circles at the front of the craft/person.
Twinbee (Colored as Winbee) – Twinbee configuration
This set is the weapons from the vertically-scrolling Twinbee, applied to horizontal gameplay. The missile is now the rocket punch, which has a larger impact area than the standard missile. The double is the same tail gun from the Octopus/Salamander configuration. The laser is a 3-way gun which fires shots the same size as the Double and standard weapons.
Pentarou – Gradius III configuration
This set mostly the weapons available in one of the configurations in Gradius III. The missile is the photon torpedo (spelled here Poton) that fires one missile that travels along the bottom ground and penetrates multiple enemies. The Double mode will fire two blasts, one forward, and one incline forty-five degrees above. The laser mode is a spread gun, which fires a small circle that gradually spreads concentrically outward.
Parodius has been ported to a number of platforms, most notably the SNES/Super Famicom (which was also released in Europe) and the PC Engine. The game was also ported on the NES/Family Computer (also released in Europe) with several stages omitted but with a new amusement park stage as well as several hidden bonus stages. Most recently the game, along with several other Gradius titles, has been ported to Java-based cell phones in Japan.
The Game Boy version (which was also released in Europe) shows the ages of the playable characters, and only has 8 stages, which include stages 1–6, and 10 from the arcade game. Stage 3 was replaced with a different one. Game Boy version of stage 3 also has a hidden stage. This version was also re-released in color as part of the Konami GB Collection Vol. 2.
The PC Engine version does not have the arcade Stages 5 and 8, but features a stage titled SPECIAL and a new introduction that features several strange-looking Japanese characters. This is in contrast to the arcade intro, which chronicles the Gradius legacy up until the time of release.
The SFC/SNES version added the bath house and "Omake" stages over the arcade version. In the "Omake" stage, the player immediately continues after dying, instead of at a checkpoint. The PAL version of the SNES port was titled Parodius: Non-Sense Fantasy.
Parodius was also ported along with its sequel Fantastic Journey on the compilation also simply titled Parodius in Europe (Gokujō Parodius Da! Deluxe Pack in Japan) for PlayStation in 1994 and Sega Saturn in 1995.
However, Gokujō Parodius Da! Deluxe Pack in Japan, With PlayStation continues and re-issue of the excellent a PlayStation the Best in 1997.
Konami's Parodius Deluxe Pack gets itself a 3rd outing, courtesy of the PSone Books label and is alive and well in 2003.
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