How does Salamander series compare to the Gradius series?

[MrOldSchoolCool]

I'm specifically curious how they compare in difficulty.

[Perikles]

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)

Some of the lower positions may vary a little bit depending on your predilections, but they're all about the same. Most people also find V quite a bit easier than IV due to it being a moreso modern game, I had a few more problems with it myself for the very same reason.

Multi-looping does change a few things up, however. Arcade Salamander and Life Force become insufferable from loop 3 onwards (and outright horrendous by loop 4) and are much more difficult than arcade Gradius I's & II's equivalent loops. There are some weird bugs on high loops of the Famicom ports of Salamander/Life Force that can easily devour your credit, as well. Gradius III SFC has nigh-impossible checkpoints in the first two stages starting with loop 3, yet is otherwise fairly manageable after a death. Gradius II FC is by far the easiest game from a marathon perspective, it's essentially the same game on every loop.

[MathU]

That Gradius Gaiden ranking really needs some qualifiers. Gaiden is one of the easiest games in the series on default difficulty.

Also it should be noted that there are two different variants of arcade Life Force. The original is just an English-localized reskin of Salamander, while a Japanese re-release went further and fixed some significant exploits in the original Salamander. I think Life Force (JP) is easier than Salamander only in the sense that the stage 4 boss no longer spews projectiles indefinitely. It is harder in other ways because the game has less safe-spot solutions for various things that work in the original Salamander.

Do keep in mind that Salamander only became a "series" with Salamander II. The first was the original sequel to Gradius and has always been a part of the progression of Gradius games.

[Perikles]

That Gradius Gaiden ranking really needs some qualifiers. Gaiden is one of the easiest games in the series on default difficulty.

I would say that Gaiden is the hardest of the easy to moderately difficult games in the series. It's quite a bit longer than the other titles in this category (about 45 minutes compared to (less than) 15 minutes for Gradius, Life Force and Salamander and less than 30 minutes for Gradius II) and also has by far the most demanding boss fights of these, including a boss rush worthy of the name. Checkpoint recovery is certainly much easier in Gaiden than it is in Gradius II (whereas dying in Salamander or Life Force in the wrong spots can lead to a quick game over), but the chances of it actually happening are likewise much higher. It's not a colossal difference in any case, Gradius III-V are considerably tougher than the rest of the Gradius series while the games below that are fairly close to each other in terms of difficulty.

I think Life Force (JP) is easier than Salamander only in the sense that the stage 4 boss no longer spews projectiles indefinitely. It is harder in other ways because the game has less safe-spot solutions for various things that work in the original Salamander.

You also get extends in Life Force (might save you if you happen to die on the escape sequence) and you can actually use more than one shield at a time which is not feasible in Salamander. Additionally, I believe there's supposed to be an advantage in using the P2 ship in Life Force, but I haven't tested that myself.

[MathU]

Mmm, forgot about that extra-life bit. I guess you're right. It's been a while since I last beat them, think I was conflating "better game" with "more difficult game".

I guess what I'd like to say is don't waste your time on Salamander unless it's one of the particularly revamped console versions; gameplay-wise, arcade Life Force (JP) is the game that arcade Salamander should have been.


Also hey don't forget Gradius Rebirth, one of my favorite Gradius games to loop. It's possibly the easiest game of them all to merely clear. Shame we never got that Salamander Rebirth that they had planned.

[Marc]

One sucks balls and the other doesn't (most of the time).