Arcade Archives: Life Force (PS4|5 - Switch)

[Sturmvogel Prime]

DANGER ZONE (PART LXI)
THE (LIFE) FORCE AWAKENS

The "Danger Zone" series of reviews so far.
DANGER ZONE VOL. I

Spoiler

I: REVVIN' UP YOUR ENGINE, LISTENIN' TO HER HOWLIN' ROARING - (E.D.F.: Earth Defense Force)
II: IS THIS YOUR IDEA OF FUN, MAV? - (Binarystar Infinity)
III: PLAYING WITH THE (ARCADE ARCHIVES) BOYS - (Arcade Archives: Thunder Dragon 2)
IV: THAT'S RIGHT! ICE...MAN. I AM DANGEROUS (SEED) - (Arcade Archives: Dangerous Seed)
V: THE ELITE. BEST OF THE BEST. WE'LL MAKE YOU BETTER. - (Super E.D.F.: Earth Defense Force)
VI: GONNA TAKE YOU RIGHT INTO THE DANGER ZONE - (Star Hunter DX)
VII: IT TAKES MORE THAN JUST FANCY FLYING - (Earth Defense Force 4.1: Wing Diver The Shooter)
VIII: INSTRUMENTS OF DESTRUCTION - (Devastator by Radiangames)
IX: ¿WHO'S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD TUBES? - (Arcade Archives: Tube Panic)
X: SWIMMIN' IN THE FLOODS, DANCIN' ON THE CLOUDS BELOW. I AIN'T WORRIED 'BOUT IT - (Arcade Archives: Fighting Hawk)
XI: PULLING A RABBIT OUT OF THE HAT - (Arcade Archives: Rabio Lepus)
XII: WINGS OF SILVER, NERVES OF STEEL - (Arcade Archives: Darius)
XIII: FULL SCALE ASSAULT - (Arcade Archives: Assault)
XIV: WE'RE GONNA NEED A DIFFERENT KIND OF BUGSPRAY - (Arcade Archives: Gaplus)
XV: DOWN THE ALIEN SECTOR - (Arcade Archives: Baraduke)
XVI: WHEN YOU'RE DRAWN TO THE GROUND BY THE DRAGONS - (Arcade Archives: Dragon Spirit)
XVII: SOME RETICENT GODDESS PUT THE CHILDREN TO SLEEP - (Arcade Archives: Metal Black)
XVIII: I SHOT THE WILD LIZARDS - (Arcade Archives: Gun Frontier)
XIX: HOW WE GONNA GET THIS MUSEUM PIECE IN THE AIR? - (Arcade Archives: Galaxian)
XX: SHATTERED KAWAII SKIES - (Arcade Archives: Ordyne)
XXI: ENTER THE DRAGON (SABER) - (Arcade Archives: Dragon Saber)
XXII: SEEMS LIKE WE'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES HOLDING ON TO OLD RELICS - (Arcade Archives: Galaga)
XXIII: OLD WARBIRDS, RETRO ARCADE ACTION - (Arcade Archives: USAAF Mustang)
XXIV: ARCADE STYLED HELICOPTER BATTLEFIELD - (Arcade Archives: Metal Hawk)
XXV: CLASH OF THE GODS - (Arcade Archives: Phelios)
XXVI: BACK IN (METAL) BLACK - (Metal Black S-Tribute)
XXVII: NAMCO'S TAKE ON THE NBA - (Arcade Archives: Grobda)
XXVIII: DOUJIN SHMUPPING "GM" STYLE - (Graze Counter GM)
XXIX: MIXED AND REMIXED - (Raiden IV x Mikado Remix)
XXX: EXPLICIT DIFFICULTY - (Arcade Archives: Gradius III)

DANGER ZONE VOL. II

Spoiler

XXXI: HAVING THE EARTH IN MY SIGHTS - (Layer Section & Galactic Attack S-Tribute)
XXXII: FAST, FURIOUS AND DANGEROUS - (Arcade Archives: Turbo Force)
XXXIII: CHORUS AND CHORES - (Chorus)
XXXIV: SAVE THE SUN - (Sol Cresta)
XXXV: NAMCO WHISPERS IN OUR EARS AND SAYS THAT "YOU ARE IN NAVARONE" - (Arcade Archives: Navarone)
XXXVI: A SHORT (ASTEROID) BREAK TIME - (Space Scavengers by Xitilon)
XXXVII: GIVE ME A "REZON" TO HOLD ON TO WHAT WE'VE GOT - (Arcade Archives: Rezon)
XXXVIII: A COSMIC TROUBLESOME GANG - (Arcade Archives: Cosmo Gang The Video)
XXXIX: WHAT'S THE PLAN? SAVE THE MOON, SAVE EARTH - (Arcade Archives: Moon Cresta)
XL: A HERO FOR THE EARTH - (Arcade Archives: Terra Cresta)
XLI: BACK TO THE '88 - (Arcade Archives: Galaga '88)
XLII: SUPER ROBOT SMASH - (Arcade Archives: Mazinger Z)
XLIII: FREEDOM FIGHTERS OF THE FUTURE - (Arcade Archives: Thunder Dragon)
XLIV: HAMSTER SAID "IT'S SHARK WEEK ON ARCADE ARCHIVES" - (Arcade Archives: Mad Shark)
XLV: MESSED UP NETWORK - (RayCrisis)
XLVI: AN INC-RAY-DIBLE COLLECTION - (Ray'z Arcade Chronology)
XLVII: AN INC-RAY-DIBLE COLLECTION II - (RayStorm x RayCrisis HD Collection)
XLVIII: 99 NAMCO BALLOONS GO BY (Arcade Archives: King & Balloon)
XLIX: ATTACK ON BOSCONIAN - (Arcade Archives: Bosconian)
L: MIXED AND REMIXED II - (Raiden III x Mikado Maniax)
LI: ALLUMER'S TOON SQUADRON - (Arcade Archives: Zing Zing Zip)
LII: GO STRIKE! - (Arcade Archives: Strike Gunner S.T.G)
LIII: A THING CALLED TUNA SASIMI - (Arcade Archives: Darius II)
LIV: RAIDER ZONE: YOU KNOW, IT IS WHAT IT IS - (Arcade Archives: Raiders5)
LV: COMET OF DESTRUCTION - (Arcade Archives: Halley's Comet)
LVI: FORCE AND BURN: NO FLY ZONE - (Arcade Archives: Burning Force)
LVII: THE SHENANIGANS OF SHENANDOAH - (1993 Shenandoah)
LVIII: GREAT, JUST LIKE A KING - (Arcade Archives: Daioh)
LIX: THE TIMELESS CLASSIC - (Arcade Archives: Gradius)
LX: A NINTEN-SIVE ARCADE PORT - (Arcade Archives: VS. Gradius)

Visceral combat.
Do you have the guts to fight against the enemy?

Konami's Gradius series made its path through the Arcade Archives.
Before they released Gradius II and VS. Gradius as their next entries, they've brought the I-II in-betweener: Salamander, known here as Life Force.

The first thing we will notice is the removal of the weapon upgrade or "Power Meter" from the first game. So, how things work now? Each upgrade is now an individual item; Speed up, Missile, Laser and Force Field. This game introduces a new type of laser called Ripple Laser which fires ripples that expand as they move across the screen. Since we have a new laser and the regular Laser, it ditches the Double. Also, the Missile now fires upwards in simultaneous with the ground targeting projectile, acting as a "Twin Missile" addressing the lack of the Double Shot making the Missile effective in both Air-to-Air and Air-to-Ground combat. The Force Field remains the same as in Gradius as the frontal barrier, but unlike Gradius, its only one "Shield" rather than two, and there's a reason for this. Picking extra Shields will provide protection above, below and behind the ship. It was an unique feature since the Shield only required to be activated once rather than multiple times. I guess these changes in the power up mechanic was to make the pace more faster to react as fast as this game demands, which was a smart choice. Another point that favors the player was the removal of the startbacks from Gradius. Instead of being pushed back to a checkpoint when you died, you reappeared right where you left off being much more "Single Player Friendly". You will lose your power ups and speed if you die, but the Options/Multiples were scattered, giving you a greater chance to recover them and fight back with ease. Also, your ship is a bit faster even without a Speed Up, but still you might be requiring one or two Speed Ups, because in the first level, you'll be challenged with enemies that will increase their size as they take hits, and even the tentacles that require to get hit in an indicated part. That's right, enemies that were formerly for the last levels are now your first stage enemies. A signal that the difficulty of the game will be greater than Gradius, so this is gonna be a challenge for "Solo Players". Not just by enemies, but by the stages themselves as they will bring new traps to take you down like ceilings that will close trying to at least make their passage narrower, abrupt living terrain changes, large bloody fangs and even solar flares are among them. Even your first boss will be a challenge.




Drop the bomb. Yeah, drop the bomb.
Just drop the bomb. Let me see that bomb!

After defeating the first boss, the game will throw you another innovating feature: Switching from horizontal scroll to vertical in the next stage. Despite the scroll change, the gameplay remains the same as the horizontal levels. After defeating the boss, the pattern will return to horizontal. Overall, you'll be switching scrollings three times, and this isn't just "Oh!, you took down the boss. Screen goes black, then start vertical". Here you'll see how your ship changes its angle and you'll be playing the vertical stage without transition screens. This was unusual since most games were stucked on being horizontal or vertical while here we have both and switching in a very functional way.




This game wants you dead as soon as you press "Start".
Whiners and average pilots, better give this mission a miss.

Played by an expert in the game, Salamander/Life Force could be finished in 15 minutes or so. But the game is not gonna go down so easily, and this is when we will experience the climb on the difficulty which starts on the second half of the first level as we will have to navigate through large regenerating walls, navigating large asteroid segments where you'll be forced to change your play style from offensive to defensive, predicting the solar prominences that burst from above and below your ship, survive a triple core base that shoots fast cores that bounce on the walls and survive a relentless rain of bullets in the penultimate level. Like in the Japanese release of Gradius, if you die and lose all of your lives, there's no continue option. The only way possible to continue is to burn a spare credit in the second player before the Vic Viper takes the final hit, allowing you to "resume" the game as the Lord British. But keep this in mind: You can do this "trick" before finishing level 5, because once you're in the final level, the game will disable the "Buy-In and Start" for Player 2, making your solo play a one-shot do-or-die playthrough. Also, if you play the game in co-op, you're able to continue the game two more times. Kinda odd that an arcade game pulls a "Continue Restriction" when the idea is to keep you putting quarters and continuing as much as you want regardless if you die or win the game. Speaking of Player 2, when you and a friend play in co-op, the game will limit the number of Options/Multiples on-screen to 2 per ship. Well, here's a hint: In the vertical levels where you find "large" asteroids, don't shoot them. Let them pass as the large rock, because shooting them will make them scatter and block your path even more.




Don't be surprised if your playthrough ends here.

Thought Zelos Core's death means the end? Guess what? One final test awaits and that's escaping the base, and once again you're gonna need blazing fast speeds on your reacting time as the pillars close in their attempt to trap you as they don't close "even" like a normal gate. If you've lost one or two ships throughout your gameplay, this is gonna be as far as you can get.
By the way, if you manage to pass this insane obstacle course, you'll be sent back to level 1, starting the game all over again as the game loops until you're finally a goner.




Left: The (Real) Deadly Inner War. Sorry, Abadox. Konami was first.
Right: Looks like Sentinel XR1 was a heavy consumer of Coke and Pepsi. Look at those Kidney rocks.

Just like Gradius, there was other relases of Salamander outside of Japan. The American version, known as Life Force retains the original gameplay of the Japanese Salamander. Thus, it changes the graphical aspect of the game. This is noticed by the removal of the outer space starry background and replacing it with the membrane background of the first level with different colors, as if the game changes the space war to a more Fantastic Voyage-like premise where you battle inside a living organism. In fact, the American version has a prologue in Attract Mode where you're told that your mission takes place inside of the Half-human Bio-Mechanical warrior known as Sentinel XR1 who was infected by "2 Radiation" and you'll be making an inner journey from its stomach to its brain in order to destroy the tumor infecting it. Your enemies are Sentinel's Anti-Biotics since you're gonna be the intruder for them. And for a final twist in the Gradius lore, the Vic Viper was renamed again. Not as "Nemesis", "Proteus 911" or "Warp Rattler". This time you're piloting the "U.S.S. Light Speed". It is worth to mention that during the solar prominence level, the game has the decency of warning us about an incoming prominence saying "Flame Eruption!".




The Redesigned, yet deadly "Inner War".

Japan got a second version, this time called Life Force like the US counterpart, but unlike the original Salamander or its Life Force release, it makes a drastic change to the gameplay and that's adding the traditional Gradius "Power Meter", making weapon picking more tactical and classic. While the previous versions lacked the chance of obtaining extra lives, this version grants you a 1Up after reaching specific score numbers. While the American Life Force changed the graphics, the Japanese version once again changes them while retaining the inner-body concept of the localization to be more "accurate" with the anatomy concept. For instance, Tetran was redesigned to look more organic and the fire area is now blue and the solar prominences are now "Acid Flames". Along with the graphics, it changes the soundtrack for a new one.




Looks like the first places on Hi-Score Mode are God-Tier players.

Like Gradius, Salamander/Life Force had a good amount of ports. Starting off with the NES and Famicom which at first they look arcade like, the NES/Famicom version borrows the traditional Gradius power up mechanics of the updated Life Force. Curiously, the NES was released as "The Gradius II for the American Nintendo" since Gradius II/Vulcan Venture only had a Japan only Famicom release. While the gameplay was faithful like the original Arcade, it added new levels like the Egypt-themed stage. The MSX release makes its own story line and even ditches the Vic Viper and Lord British replacing them with the "Sabel Tiger" and "Thrasher" piloted by Iggy Rock and Zowie Scott. While it makes an effort, it goes a little bit off the arcade accuracy as the first level is more space-like and less organic and adds a descending tunnel in the organic regenerative wall prior to Brain Golem. Despite sounding like a tough challenge is in fact easier, since you only have to open through one "barrier" before escaping this maze. The ZX Spectrum is hell in videogame form. Being the sound the major offender of all with the goddamned scratching as your only sound effect throughout your gameplay, and the graphics...MY...GOD...they're awful. A clear testimony that Arcade Games were not meant for basic computers like the ZX Spectrum, this was waaaaay too much for it. The Amstrad CPC version is pretty much the same thing minus the scratching, but the sounds are still annoying and the graphics doesn't improve too much. The Commodore 64 tries its best despite its limitations as the soundtrack is recognizable and it manages to pull the expanding effect of the Ripple Laser. The Sharp X68000 version once again proves its "Arcade at Home" potential by recreating the gameplay, graphics of the original arcade and even the voice samples in a perfect grade, being the first Arcade-Perfect port of the game. It also adds the "PLEASE DEPOSIT COIN" in the title screen. The PC Engine/TurboGrafx version is a very close second place as it keeps the graphic aspect despite the darker tone of the palette used, but it has to be Semi-Multi-screen like in Gradius. In the graphic improvement part, the size scaling objects no longer look overpixelated like in the arcade, for example the "tumors" from Stage 1 have their respective "Size sprites". KCET (Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo) brought the more accessible arcade perfect ports of the game on both the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn as Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus, a compilation carrying both versions of the arcade game, along with Salamander 2. For a Sony console, this was one of the most important stepping stones in consolidating the PlayStation as an Arcade-at-Home machine. In 2007, Konami and M2 re-released both Salamander games for the PlayStation Portable as part of Salamander Portable, throwing Xexex as a bonus, becoming the first console and portable port of the game along with the MSX exclusive Gradius 2. In 2008, the J2ME had its port of Salamander, but it was only the MIDI music with a loop after 20 seconds. After all those ports, Life Force had to wait 8 years for another console port, this time as part of Arcade Archives for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. While Hamster's release carries the Original Mode for the three versions (Salamander, American Life Force and Japanese Life Force), the American version lacks of High Score and Caravan Modes, making this a rare anomaly in the library. One significant difference between Arcade Archives and the original arcade was that the flashing in the first vertical stage was toned down in a similar way to Contra Hard Corps in Contra Anniversary Collection, probably due to safety concerns about flashing lights and seizures.




You played it on the Arcade and Nintendo,
Now you can watch it in full Anime feature!

Salamander didn't had simple homeports of the game, it had a series of anime OVAs which are a loose adaptation of the game despite not being canonical due to the liberties taken with Gradius lore, but it showed that shooting games are more than just push the button like crazy and destroy things. Curiously enough, the third episode is actually a retelling of Gradius II/Vulcan Venture since OVA 3 is called "Gofer no Yabou" (Gofer's Ambition), the subtitle of Gradius II.




Looks like fans do a better job than Konami itself.

Like the NES Gradius game, there's a ROM Hack called Salamander Arrangement Chronicle Delta which improves Salamander's graphics in order to make them arcade accurate even for NES standards, the only problem is that the score and power meter bars shake constantly. That flaw is as annoying as the "Cordium jamming" during Project Wingman's final missions (That goes for you "Consequence of Power" and "Kings"). Also, it replaces the female pilot in the staff roll with a pic of a helmet with Earth/Gradius reflected on it. But aside of that, it proves once again that the NES had much more potential on recreating the arcade scene at home.




The beauty of the city lights?
No, that's actually Zelos' fortress preparing to fight you.

While Gradius graphics were based around natural landscapes and technological frontlines, Salamander does a more "biological" approach starting off with a living tissue themed level and less mechanical enemies like bacteria and of course Brain Golem while making a slow return to the mechanical themes of the game (Tetran, Big Core, Death, etc.). The way how the game plays with the sprite scaling was interesting, despite the rudimentary look of this technology back then. Another revolution of the game's graphics was how the game shifts from horizontal to vertical and back was also an innovation since most games were stucked on one scroll type while Salamander broke that limit. The music is a change of pace from Gradius mixed styled upbeats, as we start with a mysterious-adventurous fanfare on the first level that reminds me of the last level of Contra. The second level is more Gradius-like and it feels like a continuation of the space segments in-between levels. The third level is more upbeat and fast, yet keeping the Gradius reminiscence. That Gradius/Nemesis feeling is kept at level 4 which I swear it is a sequel of the first level tune from Gradius. However, one of the newest features in the sound department was the voice samples, from the "Pick it up for Speed Up", "Ripple Laser", and the boss anticipating warning "An intruder has penetrated our force field!" The American and Japanese version of Life Force have different voice samples like "Enter Stomach Muscle Zone", "Enter Stomach Inner Chamber", "Hyper Speed" instead of Speed Up, "Destroy violent Anti-Biotics", or "Destroy the eye of Mutant!" when you battle Brain Golem. The "Destroy Center Membrane" when it refers to the core of Tetran (refered as "Mutant Cylone") sounds quite engrish-y for Gradius trademark quote "Destroy The Core". Regardless of the version, the voice sounds just like the one from Jail Break, so I guess they're using the same soundcard. The "Enter Stomach" dialogues imply further the concept of a Fantastic Voyage-esque premise when its combined with the living tissue background that replaces the space levels. Back to the music, the Japanese Life Force's new soundtrack features new themes like the fast, drum-rhytmic stage 2 and 4 themes, which add more variety and keep the Gradius pace that will become a standard for the series. For a little Gradius nostalgia, the game will play the classic Gradius boss theme when you fight the Big Cores in the final level regardless of which version of the game you're playing.



TRIVIA FORCE: IT'S A FUN FACT!



¿Does this means Bacterion and Red Falcon are related?

- First Gradius game to feature voice samples.
- It is also the first entry in the series that ditches the Double shot.
- Salamander was among the first videogames to feature an Anime or OVA.
- Fifth Konami game in the Arcade Archives library.
- The fact that the American Life Force calls the Vic Viper as the "U.S.S. Light Speed", it implies that the fighter and probably the protagonist's faction are from the United States.
- In Contra III: The Alien Wars, one of the attack forms of Searle (the brain of Gava) is walking using blue balls. This is a reference to Brain Golem, along with the fact that its a brain with an eye.
- In the fighting game Monster Maulers, the Brain Golem is also an opponent.
- An inconsistency within the Life Force plot that clashes with its plot is the fact that there's volcanoes in the "Liver Area" (Salamander's Volcano Area) ¿How does an organism had geological features?
- Another clashing plot element within Life Force is the premise of destroying Planet Salamander, known there as the Brain Area. If the Brain explodes after destroying Zelos Force, the patient (Sentinel XR1) will be hopelessly dead. What a mission complete turned out to be.
- To make the plot of a planetoid acting as the brain, it will require the Vic Viper and Lord British to be around 0.030 Millimicrons.
- Natsume/Milton Bradley's shmup Abadox: The Deadly Inner War borrows influences from Life Force.
- Taito's shmup RayForce pulls a Lock-on Laser limitation similar to the Option restriction on simultaneous 2P Mode.
- The continue restriction from simultaneous 2 Players was reutilized on Super Contra where the player can continue three times before finally losing.
- Konami's SNES shmup Axelay retakes Life Force's concept of switching between horizontal and vertical.
- The ability of picking the Options when you die was reutilized on Gradius V and Otomedius Excellent.





Just another battle against Bacterion and its forces.

The Gradius line up was marching forward with no signs of stopping, and this game consolidates that. Life Force took not just the default Gradius gameplay and improved it for a fast, more arcade like action, it also went beyond any expectations, going where no other games went to with the concept of scroll switchings.

Now, we would see Salamander 2 on Arcade Archives? While I think its possible since Konami makes brief returns to Hamster's library, the Vic Viper has to face two major obstacles greater than Bacterion and Zelos: Namco and Taito. After their releases of Warp & Warp, Scramble Formation and the upcoming Pole Position II, it is very clear that Hamster's is very focused with those two and it seems there's no end in sight for their constant releases in the Arcade Archives.




Eda's expression sums up the whole thing.