These ports make use of the Konami Code, which in this instance increases the number of lives from three to 30. Kunio-kun. One-Man Army - Except of a few games like Salamander and Gradius V, even with multiplayer, each player storms the army of spaceships separately. Hamster's Arcade Archives series on the Nintendo Switch continues to grow in size. Stages that feature starfield backgrounds were changed to the web background from Stage 1 to maintain consistency with the organic setting of the plot. 2 The NES version is practically identical to its Famicom equivalent, other than not having the multiple endings, having two option power ups instead of three, and being titled Life Force. Shop unique Gradius Posters on Redbubble. Hang your posters in dorms, bedrooms, offices, or anywhere blank walls aren't welcome. This article is a stub. Instead of the Vic Viper and the Lord British Space Destroyer, the ships are known as the Sabel Tiger and the Thrasher; piloted by human characters named Iggy Rock and Zowie Scott. Many of the power-ups can be combined. Please note that these files are old (the games were made in 2009), not made by me and may not work correctly on modern systems, you're on your own with these old games. Some music tracks have been completely changed for this release. The power-up system was also modified, with the Japanese Life Force using the same power-up gauge as the original Gradius. As such, Salamander now includes a few additions, such as the possibility to unlock the Force Gear and TwinBee Returns minigames, which were originally only available through Tokimeki Memorial. Salamander was followed with a sequel in 1996 titled Salamander 2. The US arcade version of Life Force was part of Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus. Salamander. Its about time Konami gave us Gradius gaiden, Gradius V, Gradius rebirth, Gradius 3, Axelay, Parodius. Developer Konami Publisher Nintendo Genre Horizontal Shoot 'em up Release … Salamander (沙羅曼蛇 (サラマンダ), Saramanda), retitled Life Force (ライフフォース, Raifu Fōsu) in North America and in the Japanese arcade re-release, in Europe known as Life Force: Salamander, is a scrolling shooter arcade game by Konami. Changes include starting from a pre-defined checkpoint upon death in single-player mode, faster enemy animations, and music being somewhat improved from the arcade version. 0:59. In Japan, the PC Engine version was re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console on September 11, 2007, for PlayStation Network on July 21, 2010 and for the Wii U's Virtual Console on October 22, 2014, and also for the Project EGG con Windows Store on March 3, 2014. All of the backgrounds and mechanical enemies are completely redrawn and given organic appearances. For example, an option fires a second (or third) salvo of missiles or ripple/plutonic lasers if these power-ups have been attained. The player gains power-ups by picking up capsules left behind by certain enemies, as opposed to the selection bar used in other Gradius games. is a scrolling shooter arcade game developed by Konami in 1996. Category Archives: Salamander / Life Force Lord British Sprite Sheet from Salamander (PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16) So I spent some more time on this great game to rip the Lord British sprite sheet from Salamander, which was also missing from the entire Internet (in this day and age… go figure! ArcadeTurboGrafx 16TurboGrafx-16 Mini [25][26] In June 2019, Konami added for free the Japanese versions of the respective games on the western Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection. Though not technically a Gradius game, Life Force (also known as Salamander in Japan) eventually mutated into one by the time it made its way to NES. Kunio-kun. Gradius The Dark Armada and Unofficial Salamander 3, see the Downloads Games section for the files. Released in 1986 as a spin-off to Gradius, Salamander introduced a simplified power-up system, two-player cooperative gameplay and both horizontally and vertically scrolling stages. Browse more videos. The number of continues can be changed through DIP switches. The levels are notably longer than the arcade original, and the player is forced to start from a pre-defined checkpoint upon death of either pilot, instead of starting where he left off. In addition, the player can collect "E" capsules by destroying certain enemies. Another compilation of the Salamander series, titled Salamander Portable, was released for the PlayStation Portable on January 24, 2007 in Japan. Salamander Here in planet Latis, the Bacterion cluster continues to spread, beginning its invasion with the Salamander Army. In 6709 (event of Salamander), the Bacterians decided to put Gradius conquest on hold and sent a special force named Salamander to invade Latis. Despite missing two of the six stages, the simultaneous two player mode and gameplay being much easier than its arcade counterpart, the Commodore port is generally considered to be one of the best arcade conversions on this system. Life Force drops you into a vertical version of Gradius's first stage, with rocks all over and volcanos shooting flaming rocks at the Vic Viper (and Road British, if there's two players). [22] It was published by Hamster Corporation.[22]. Some music tracks have been completely changed for this release and the power-up gauge is arranged differently for both players. Released in 1986 as a spin-off of Gradius, Salamander introduced a simplified power-up system, two-player cooperative gameplay and both horizontally and vertically scrolling stages. Though missing two of the six stages, the simultaneous two player mode and gameplay being much easier than its arcade counterpart, the Commodore port is generally considered to be one of the best arcade conversions on this system. A version for the PC Engine was released on December 12, 1991. Salamander drops you into a visually dull, but challenging asteroid field. Some of these would later become the norm for future Gradius games. is a scrolling shooter arcade game by Konami. Ocean Software on their Imagine label, released licensed versions of Salamander for computer systems by Spectrum, Commodore and Amstrad in 1988. The PSP compilation features all three games previously included in the Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus, as well as Xexex and the MSX version of Gradius 2 (a.k.a. The game features six stages which alter between horizontal and vertical scrolling. Several issues later the entire game was re-profiled. The TurboGrafx-16 version was included in the list of games available for the PC Engine CoreGrafx Mini on May 22, 2020, but only in North America and Europe. On December 20, 2010, an application called PC Engine Game Box was published in the App Store which served as a portal to download classic PC Engine video games. It is notable that the playing window of the game is also tiny - the rest of what little screen space the Spectrum and Amstrad had being taken up by the game designer credits. Salamander was followed with an official sequel in 1996 entitled Salamander 2. Narration is added to the beginning of each stage, detailing the area of the alien's body which the player is currently inhabiting such as "Enter stomach muscle zone" or "Bio-mechanical brain attack". The MSX version was re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console in Japan on January 12, 2010. In this mini-series, it is revealed that the Bacterians capture sentient life to create leaders for their space armada. This article is a stub. Play directly in your browser or download vgm, vgz or ogg files. Hiroyasu Machiguchi The power-ups are also given different names, with the "Speed-Up" becoming "Hyper Speed", the "Missile" becoming the "Destruct Missile", the "Ripple Laser" becoming the "Pulse Laser" and "Force Field" becoming the "Shield". The North America version was later re-released for the Virtual Console on February 16, 2009 for the Wii,[9] on January 23, 2014 for the Nintendo 3DS[10] and August 21, 2014 for the Wii U. Salamander Portable(サラマンダ ポータブル?) Horizontal/Vertical scrolling shoot'em up. In Japan, Tokimeki Memorial is included instead. The Japanese arcade version of Life Force is part of the Salamander Portable compilation that was released on January 24, 2007 in Japan. Gradius is first game of the Gradius series and was released in 1985. The buy-in feature is available in single-player mode, and the continuation feature is only available in dual-player mode; but they will both cease to be available once the final stage is reached. Some weapons allow the player ships to merge, one player controlling movements and the second player controlling weapons. The Latis Army, however, didn't had any way of fighting against Salamander. Battleship Raid: Stage 4 of Salamander 2 and the second stage of Gradius V; you actually run through a mirror version of said battleship in the final stage of the game, minus the boss rush after destroying Venom's eyes, since the game ends immediately on that. Gradius é o nome do planeta tema do jogo, que é habitado por uma raça alienígena chamada Gradianos (Gradians, no original).Apesar de a Terra também aparecer no enredo do jogo, é o planeta Gradius que se destaca. The player gains power-ups by picking up weapon-shaped capsules left behind by certain enemies, as opposed to the selection bar used in other Gradius titles. It also included the original Salamander, Salamander 2 and the Japanese version of Life Force (with the Gradius power-up bar) with a CGI intro. Set the Crush Blow System - Planet Eioneus, Set the Crush Blow System - Planet Lavinia, Set the Crush Blow System - Planet Kierke, https://gradius.fandom.com/wiki/Salamander?oldid=32044, The Dragon Salamander as seen in the box art of the game, makes a cameo appearance in. [11] The European version is titled Life Force: Salamander on its cover and was released on November 22, 1989. The first player controls Vic Viper and the second player takes the reins of debuting spacecraft Lord British. It also includes Salamander, Salamander 2, Xexex and as a special bonus the MSX game Nemesis 2, which is different than the regular Gradius II most people are used to. Publisher Series European title Follow. There were three episodes released on VHS and Laserdisc between February 25, 1988 and February 21, 1989. The Spectrum and Amstrad versions, on the other hand, were unfairly hard, even by Gradius standards, and all for the wrong reasons. Super Space-Time Fighter Vic Viper, launch!! Playing next. The game is a direct sequel to 1986's Salamander and is part of the long-running Gradius series. [23][24] Initially, the compilation in Japan only had the Salamander version of the game, while everywhere else featured the American Life Force instead. Salamander (.mw-parser-output ruby>rt,.mw-parser-output ruby>rtc{font-feature-settings:"ruby"1;font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output ruby.large{font-size:250%}.mw-parser-output ruby.large>rt,.mw-parser-output ruby.large>rtc{font-size:50%}沙羅曼蛇 (サラマンダ), Saramanda), retitled Life Force (ライフフォース, Raifu Fōsu) in North America and in the Japanese arcade re-release, in Europe known as Life Force: Salamander, is a scrolling shooter arcade game by Konami. Horizontal/Vertical scrolling shoot'em up. Most of the background graphics and enemy sprites from Salamander are used in favor of those used in Life Force, though the Gradius-style power bar is used in place of the original instant pick-up system. The Big Bad of Nemesis 2, 3, Gradius Rebirth and V. He constantly tries to destroy Gradius for using his people, who became an endangered species thanks to a future version of Venom and Gofer, only for their ESP powers. Unlike Gradius, Salamander uses a more conventional weapons systems, with enemies leaving a wide-variety of distinct power-ups. ). The Gradius Army receives British's distress call. Latis was a planet covered by water with a beautiful sparkle. Gradius Ultimate Collection 1-Gradius II GOFER no Yabou (AC)- 29 The Final Enemy. Some ads that came with Salamander OVA2. The ripple and laser, however, are mutually exclusive. as power-ups are collected. The arcade version of the game was released under its original title, Salamander, in Japan (version J) and Europe (version D), and as Life Force in North America. The series was licensed by a British company Western Connection. 11 years ago | 194 views. From here, the story of Salamander gets a little confusing. The game features six stages which alter between horizontal and vertical scrolling. July 4, 1986 1986 Collecting fifteen will permanently upgrade one of the available weapons on the power-up bar. The hitbox of the Vic Viper has been reduced, but Treasure sticks a lot more projectiles on the screen at once, especially in the aforementioned asteroid stage. Platform(s) The game was practically identical to the Famicom port of Salamander, other than featuring an abbreviated version of the Gradius powerup bar (blocks would appear blank but when highlighted, a box would read what they were), not having the multiple endings and being titled Life Force. If you press on in Salamander, you too will see this stage, but not until stage four. The power-up gauge is arranged differently for both players as well. Developer Salamander Some of these later became the norm for future Gradius games. The Spectrum and Amstrad versions were generally criticized, but the Commodore 64 version was highly praised by the critics of the day, particularly Zzap!64. In the anime, the Lord British Space Destroyer was named after one of the protagonists, Ike Lord British of planet Latis; thus making it Lord British's Space Destroyer. All of the backgrounds and mechanical enemies are completely redrawn and given organic appearances. This compilation includes the two main Salamander titles, the Japanese arcade version of Life Force, as well as a enhanced port of Nemesis 2 and a port of Xexex, notably the only time this game ever received a port. Latiswas a planet covered by water with a beautiful sparkle. Based on the arcade version of Salamander, changes on this port include starting from a pre-defined checkpoint upon death in 1 Player mode, faster enemy animations, and improved music. [12] It was later released for the Wii U's Virtual Console on July 20, 2016. Gradius Collection - Gradius II. Gradius had a ton of spin-offs over the years, the best of which is 1986's Life Force (AKA Salamander) and its 1996 sequel, Salamander 2. The arcade version is included on Konami's Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection released in April 2019 in digital-only format for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. Release date All three arcade versions (Salamander, and the American and Japanese adaptations of Life Force) were ported to the Arcade Archives on November 27, 2015 in Japan exclusively for PlayStation 4. Unlike Gradius, Salamander uses a more conventional weapons system, with enemies leaving a wide variety of distinct power-ups. The first player controls Vic Viper and the second player takes the reins of debuting spacecraft Lord British, which is sometimes referred to as "Road British" due to the ambiguity of Japanese-to-English romanization. You can help Video Game Wiki by expanding it. The prince of Latis threw himself at battle with the Space-Time Fighter Lord British, named after himself, and requested help from the planet Gradius, which was said to have faced and defeated the cluster's forces before. The Commodore 64 version was highly praised by the critics of the day, particularly Zzap!64. Gradius II ads. Had several interesting features, such as the … The same year, North America received a port as well for the Nintendo Entertainment System. [21] It was later released worldwide in Spring 2016. Here in planet Latis, the Bacterion cluster continues to spread, beginning its invasion with the Salamander Army. I'd roughly say (in descending order of difficulty): Salamander 2 (2 loops) > Gradius III (arcade) > Gradius IV = Gradius V > Gradius Gaiden > Gradius II (arcade) = Gradius II (PCE) > Salamander 2 (1 loop) = Salamander (arcade) > Life Force (arcade) > Gradius (arcade) > Gradius (PCE) = Gradius III (SFC) > Gradius (Famicom) = Life Force (Famicom) = Salamander (Famicom) = Gradius II (Famicom) Salamander (沙羅曼蛇, Saramanda) is a 1988 OVA mini-series by Studio Pierrot, directed by Hisayuki Toriumi. Players can immediately restart back into the action instead of being pushed back to a predefined checkpoint per Gradius tradition. There, a prophecy of fire has been passed down since a long time ago: Thousands of light years away, when a giant dragon born and living in a sea of flames wakes up, a crazy force will approach, swallowing heaven and earth in the darkness and eventually breaking the light. Salamander was released for mobile phones in 2003. [13] They were also made available for the Project EGG on Windows Store on May 19, 2015. Their blend of horizontal and vertical stages as well as co-op multiplayer is just awesome and, dare I say, more fun than Gradius itself. Upon the ship's destruction, the options float in space for a brief time before disappearing; the new ship can grab and retain them. These include poor stage design, the fact you do not get a speed up power up until halfway through the first level, with a default speed that is nearly unplayable, and you can only have one, very slow moving bullets on screen at once. The NES version of Salamander, called Life Force in North America (and marketed in that region as the "sequel" to the first Gradius), and the MSX version used the power meter from the Gradius series. Released in 1986 as a spin-off of Gradius, Salamander introduced a simplified power-up system, two-player cooperative gameplay and both horizontally and vertically scrolling stages. [17], A compilation titled Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus was released in Japan for the Sega Saturn on June 19, 1997, and for the PlayStation on July 6 of the same year. Salamander Extending their support, they fly to the Salamander Army's mother star. One of the hallmarks of this series is the power meter. Nemesis (NA/EU) Gradius (JP) Console Arcade Developer Konami Publisher Konami Genre Horizontal Shoot 'em up Release Dates 1985 Ratings N/A Media Arcade Cabinet Requirements N/A Input 8-Way Joystick 3 Buttons Vs. Gradius Console Nintendo Vs. is a compilation released in 2007 for the PlayStation Portable in Japan only. Then again, the first Gradius … Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. In many games in the series the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper. The story takes place in the year 6709 A.D and has 2 different endings. Gamekult. Some of these later became the norm for future Gradius games. Salamander 2 [edit | edit source] Salamander 2 (1996) is the follow-up for Salamander. Shmups: Sega Saturn vs. Sony Playstation. Konami later released an enhanced version of Salamander in Japan bearing the American title of Life Force which further fleshes out the organic motif. [27] Only the Salamander version can be played in this addition, as the Japanese Life Force is not part of the compilation. The Japanese and European versions are nearly identical, but the American version changes the game's plot by adding an opening text that establishes the game to be set inside a giant alien life-form which is infected by a strain of bacteria. Designer(s) Gradius III (1989) Nemesis (1990) Gradius: The Interstellar Assault (1991) Nemesis '90 Kai (Nemesis 2 uusintaversio, 1993) Salamander 2 (1996) Gradius Gaiden (1997) Solar Assault (1997) Gradius IV: Fukkatsu (1999) Gradius Galaxies (2001) Gradius V (2004) Salamander Portable (2007) Gradius ReBirth (2009) Uusintajulkaisut ja kokoelmat. New to this port is a graphical introduction that introduces human pilots for each ship, as well as names for each stage. Sobre o nome do jogo. Retro game music, chiptunes ripped from hundreds of games. This week, the slightly enhanced retro game is Konami's horizontal scrolling shoot 'em up, VS.Gradius. The series is not canon, however; as the MSX Gradius series states that the events with Gofer take place over a two-hundred year period following the crisis with Zelos and his Salamander Armada. The MSX port of Salamander (沙羅曼蛇, Saramanda) is significantly different from the original and any other ports. Konami later released an enhanced version of Salamander in Japan in 1987 bearing the American title of Life Force which further fleshes out the organic motif. Stages that featured star field backgrounds had them changed with the web background from Stage 1 to maintain consistency with the organic setting of the plot. Salamander (サラマンダ, Saramanda?) Salamander Life Force Salamander 2 Gradius 2 Xexex The first stage has a biological theme similar to the film The Incredible Voyage. The Gradius Series, first introduced in 1985, is a series of horizontally scrolling shooting video games published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. Report. Salamander 2 (沙羅曼蛇2, Saramanda Tsū?) Gradius III would be up there if not for the unfortunate slowdown. The game was later re-titled Life Force in North America and the story and levels were changed. 1:14. サラマンダSaramanda Konami Conversely, the American version of Life Force was added to the collection in Japan in that same update. Em um futuro distante, humanos e perigosas raças alienígenas se enfrentam pelos recursos dos planetas do universo. Players are allowed to continue from where they leave upon death instead of being returned to a predefined checkpoint as per Gradius tradition. 1:20. The arcade version of the game was released under its original title in Japan and Europe, and as Life Force in North America. Gradius series Group Description Gradius is a series of futuristic scrolling shoot-'em-ups which take place in outer space. The first two levels of Life Force were profiled in the second issue of Nintendo Power, issued in 1988. However, the Japanese version of Life Force keeps the selection bar. Inspired designs on t-shirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more by independent artists and designers from around the world. Noriko Hidaka provided the voice of the protagonist Stephanie. The NES version makes use of the Konami Code, which increases the number of lives from three to 30. Japanese title The power-up system was also modified, with the Japanese Life Force using the same power-up gauge as the original Gradius. There are no continues in single player mode, and two in the two-player mode. They particularly noted that the graphics in the fire stage were "mind-blowing back in the day".[36]. Konami [35], In 1997 Electronic Gaming Monthly rated the NES version the 76th best console video game of all time, calling it "one of the coolest shooters ever, and ... one of the first big two-player simultaneous shooters on the NES." Among the downloadable titles is the PC Engine version of Salamander for a fee. A version for the PC Engine was released on December 6, 1991. [18] Konami announced that the PlayStation version would be released in the U.S. as part of a bundle with Gradius Gaiden,[19] but this release was later cancelled.[20]. Sinopse. U.N. Squadron isn't among that tier on SNES, and then you add in the stuff from the other consoles of the gen and it's clearly middle rung at best. Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum, Family Computer/Nintendo Entertainment System, "One WiiWare Game and One Virtual Console Game Added (and One Surprise Coming) to Wii Shop Channel", https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/life-force-3ds/, https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/life-force-wii-u/, https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/vc/software/12.html, https://www.nintendo.co.jp/titles/20010000023067, "Konami Releases TurboGrafx-16 Games For The Wii U, Even Though It's Already 2018", "Salamander for Wii U - Nintendo Game Details", https://www.ibtimes.com/konami-releases-game-lineup-trailers-turbografx-16-mini-console-2811606, "『沙羅曼蛇』がPS4"アーケードアーカイブス"で11月27日に配信決定！ - ファミ通.com", "Konami's New Arcade Collection Could Have Been A Lot Better", "Konami 50th Anniversary Arcade Classics, Castlevania, and Contra collections announced for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC", "Konami's Castlevania, Contra And Arcade Collections Now Include Japanese Game Versions", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Salamander_(video_game)&oldid=991441368, Articles using Infobox video game using locally defined parameters, Articles using Wikidata infoboxes with locally defined images, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Articles using Video game reviews template in single platform mode, Articles with Japanese-language sources (ja), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 30 November 2020, at 02:11. The findings of “superior ports” are not a result of a great amount of testing on my part, but rather the general consensus that I found among the shmup community. Still, it stands apart from the rest thanks to its alternating perspectives — every other stage uses a top-down point-of-view — and best of all, its simultaneous cooperative gameplay. Salamander was ported to the Nintendo Famicom in Japan in 1987. Finally, most of the game has been cut, with only the first stage having any layout at all, and the others simply being single screens of enemies. There are also only two boss fights in the game, one of which is a semi-original final boss, the other being a unfair incarnation of the Golem, mostly because it gained the ability to shoot invisible bullets. I don’t claim to be a shmup expert, but I did a lot of research on this subject about a year ago. Venom and his Bacterian fleet occupied Gradius' seven neo space plants but then lost control over them after being defeated by James Burton and his new ship, named as Metalion. In Japan, Game Machine listed Salamander on their August 15, 1986 issue as being the second most-successful table arcade unit of the year. 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. The Latis Army, however, didn't had any way of fighting against Sal… The same year, North America received a port as well for the Nintendo Entertainment System. High quality Gradius gifts and merchandise. Genre Most of the level graphics and enemy sprites from Salamander, however, are used in favor of those used in Life Force In addition, this version (and most subsequent ones) made use of the Traditional Gradius power-up bar and capsules. After level two, the player can choose the order of the next three stages. You can help Video Game Wiki by expanding it. Salamander OVA/Gradius II ads. Ocean Software on their Imagine label, released licensed versions of Salamander for the Spectrum, Commodore and Amstrad in 1988. One-Hit-Point Wonder - Partially mitigatable by the Shield, but only if it hits the shield instead of you. The compilation includes Salamander, the Japanese version of Life Force, and Salamander 2. The power meter is typically a bar that highlights selectable options (weapons, shields, etc.) The only power-up that can survive the ship's destruction is the options. There, a prophecy of fire has been passed down since a long time ago: Thousands of light years away, when a giant dragon born and living in a sea of flames wakes up, a crazy force will approach, swallowing heaven and earth in the darkness and eventually breaking the light. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. The Japanese and European versions are nearly identical, but the American version changes the game's plot by adding an opening text that establishes the game to be set inside a giant alien life-form which is infected by a strain of bacteria. [14][15][16] The PC version is on the TurboGrafx-16 Mini released in 2020 and is the sole title from the compilation that is excluded from the Japanese model while being included in the North American and European ones. Gradius Wiki is a FANDOM Games Community. Nemesis II, which is unrelated to the arcade game Gradius II: Gofer's Ambition). The power-ups are also given different names, with the "Speed-Up" becoming "Hyper Speed", the "Missile" becoming the "Destruct Missile", the "Ripple Laser" becoming the "Pulse Laser", and the "Force Field" becoming the "Shield". Despite this power, Gradius V is still far from easy. I have all these games but would be nice to have on switch. The arcade version was released on 2015 on the PlayStation 4 and later on Nintendo Switch as part of the Arcade Archives. Marth Debuted in "Smash Bros.": Venom made his North American debut in V in 2005, 18 years after he debuted in the Japan- and Europe-exclusive Nemesis 2 in 1987. Instead of being a direct port of Salamander, elements were taken from both that and Life Force, and some elements, such as levels and bosses, were removed to make way for new content. It was released in North America on November 16, 2017 for the Wii U Virtual Console. Instead of being a direct port of Salamander, elements were taken from the original Salamander and the Japanese Life Force re-release, and some elements, such as levels and bosses, were removed to make way for new content. Salamander was ported to the Family Computer in Japan in 1987. The NES version of Salamander(called Life Force in North America) used the more traditional power-up bar used in the Gradius series. 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. Gradius Gaiden was released in 1998 in Japan, and took eight years to be released elsewhere. They capture sentient life via a dark fog going through space that changes inorganic matter into organic matter (the large brain-like final bosses in the games); and that they are a crystal-like life-form in origin. Like Gradius II, its export took form of being one of the games on Collection.