Life Force (ライフフォース Raifu Fōsu) is a ported version of Salamander, originally released for arcades, which had many updates in both design and plot. It also saw a release on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1988.
Life Force was in many ways an updated Salamander; some elements, such as levels and bosses, were removed to make space for new content. Interestingly, most of the level graphics and enemy sprites from Salamander were used in favor of the ones used in Life Force, and it uses the Gradius power-up bar. The game was practically identical to the NES port of Life Force, other than being titled Salamander and featuring an expanded Gradius-like power-up bar. These ports make use of the Konami Code, which in this instance increases the number of lives from 3 to 30.
Plot
Two years have passed since the battle against the Bacterian star system...
To the planet Gradius which regained peace, an unprecedented crisis has arrived. The unknown super-organism "Life Force" suddenly appeared in space!! It's a gigantic creature which absorbs all substances and continues to grow without stopping. In the meantime, Latis and Gradius will be absorbed too! Both Gradius and Latis deploys Vic Viper and Lord British to take off and destroy the beast inside before they are too late!
Differences from Salamander
Life Force changes the plot from Salamander by adding an opening text which establishes the game to be set inside a giant alien life-form infected by a strain of bacteria. Stages which featured star field backgrounds had them changed with the web background from Stage 1 to maintain consistency with the organic setting of the plot. The power-ups are also given different names too:
- "Speed-Up" to "Hyper Speed"
- "Missile" to "Destruct Missile"
- "Ripple Laser" to "Pulse Laser"
- "Force Field" to "Shield"
NES version
Konami later released an enhanced version of Salamander in Japan bearing the American title of Life Force, which further fleshes out the organic motif. All of the backgrounds and mechanical enemies are completely redrawn and given organic appearances. The power-up system was also modified, with the Japanese Life Force using the same power-up gauge as the original Gradius. Some music tracks have also been completely changed for this release. The power-up gauge is arranged differently for both players as well.
Both the original Japanese version and the enhanced Life Force release are included in the compilation Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus for the PlayStation and Saturn, as well as in Salamander Portable for the PlayStation Portable.
Stages
Arcade
| Stage | Name | Boss | Music |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stomach Muscle Zone | Golem | Power of Anger |
| 2 | Kidney Zone | Zylom | Thunderbolt |
| 3 | Stomach Inner Chamber | Chromatic Dragon | Planet Ratis |
| 4 | Liver Zone | Mother Mutant | Slash Fighter |
| 5 | Lung Zone | Gaw | Combat |
| 6 | Brain Area | Zone | Destroy Them All |
NES
| Stage | Name | Boss | Music |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bionic Germ | Golem | Power of Anger |
| 2 | Volcano | Fortress Valis Cruiser Tetran |
Starfield |
| 3 | Burning Chaos | Intruder | Planet Ratis |
| 4 | Organic Speed Zone | Giga | Burn the Wind |
| 5 | Temple Zone | Crash Bam Tutankhamon |
Thunderbolt |
| 6 | Fortress Zone | Salamander Zelos Force |
Destroy Them All |
New enemies
Gallery
Trivia
- Interestingly, Life Force takes place in Gradius year 6842, two years after Gradius III.
- The game also had Vic Viper and Lord British to be included in the Title Screen of Life Force, this went unused but you can see it here!
External links
| Gradius video games | ||
| Gradius series | Gradius · Gradius II · Gradius III · Gradius Gaiden · Gradius IV: Fukkatsu · Gradius Galaxies · Gradius V · Gradius ReBirth · Gradius: The Interstellar Assault · Gradius NEO · Gradius NEO Imperial | |
| Spin-offs | Salamander (Life Force) (MSX ver.) · Salamander 2 · Salamander III · Nemesis 2 (Nemesis '90 Kai) · Nemesis 3 · Nemesis (Game Boy) · Cosmic Wars · Solar Assault | |
| Parody games | Parodius · Parodius Da! · Gokujō Parodius! · Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius · Sexy Parodius · Paro Wars · Otomedius (Otomedius Gorgeous) · Otomedius Excellent | |
| Other games | Scramble · Thunder Cross · Thunder Cross II · Space Manbow · Force Gear | |
| Pachislot | Gradius: The Slot · CR Parodius Da! EX · Gokuraku Parodius! | |
| Canceled | Vic Viper: Battle Racing · Gradius Arc · Salamander HD Remaster | |