Salamander 2

Just like the original “Salamander” and unlike the “Life Force” releases, “Salamander 2” does away with the selection bar-based power-up system in favor of a simplified system that focuses on upgrading weapons using specific symbols. For example, the player can only increase their ship’s speed after collecting a speed symbol; collecting additional speed symbols further boosts the ship’s speed. Some weapons transform into a “super weapon” for about ten seconds when they are further upgraded. If the player has the Ripple Laser and then collects another symbol for it, they briefly gain the powerful Buster Ripple. The Options have been slightly modified with the introduction of “Option Seeds”—these are small Options that orbit the ship and fire only the basic initial shot. Two Option Seeds can combine to form a full Option. In addition, options can also be sacrificed to use a homing beam weapon for a short time. Several bosses typical of Gradius games return, including the Brain Golem (the boss of the first level) and the Tetran (the boss of the second level). There are six levels in total. Since the game is similar to its predecessor, “Salamander 2” does not use the “Revival Start” feature from “Gradius” (which resets the player to a predetermined checkpoint when a life is lost); many therefore consider this title easier than other titles in the “Gradius” series. Once the game is completed, the second round begins with a significantly higher difficulty level. The music is also replaced in some levels with remixed versions of the Salamander soundtrack. The first player’s ship is called “Vic Viper,” while the second player’s is called “Super Cobra.”