Salamander III announced for Gradius Origins for Switch [by M2] - Coming August 7, 2025

[To Far Away Times]

Is there a reason M2 is disliked by pockets of this community? Not specifically here but just among arcade people. When they announce or release something and most people are excited, I see a handful annoyed with M2's involvement.

I never see a reason given though.

M2 is definitely a plus for me. They are the port masters.

As game devs, they’re alright. I don’t think they’ve made anything that I’d say is really great other than GG Aleste 3.

[Steven]

Senjin Aleste is pretty cool. It's not very Aleste-like, but I consider Aleste-like to mean "full of annoying slowdown and sprite flicker", so maybe that's a good thing.

M2's arrange modes are generally pretty good, too. Mahou Daisakusen Dual mode is not great, but that's the only one that I played that I didn't really like.

[To Far Away Times]

Senjin Aleste is cool. I really like the health system in it. It doesn’t punish single or early mistakes too bad, but will end the credit if you make too many mistakes in a short time period. It gets rid of the early stage restart-itis that we’ve all felt playing shmups.

The one thing with Senjin Aleste is that all the levels just kinda blur together. It’s 30 minutes of the same ideas and then it’s done. Compared to very distinct stages in games like DOJ, Mushihimesama Futari, and Cho Ren Sha 68K, where there’s a theme to stage design and you can feel what the developers intended.

[Steven]

Is the dev team staff of Senjin Aleste known? I don't think I've ever seen it, but for GG Aleste 3, M2 brought in a bunch of people instead of doing it with M2 staff. I think, anyway. Namiki specifically I know was brought in from outside to do the music, as he'd left M2 by that time, and then asked M2 to direct the game after he got the music job, but I don't remember about the rest of the staff.

Edit; found it: https://www.mobygames.com/game/167620/s ... tform=true

Aside from Horii, Toyama is the only person there I recognize, and he was only an advisor.

The one critical problem with Senjin is the same as Haunted Castle Revisited: it's universally regarded as being way too easy. Whenever I play an arcade game for the first few times, I typically intentionally waste a few credits just to try out all of the ships and see how the mechanics work and all of that and am not even concerned with making it halfway through stage 1. Even with that, and although I liked what I played for the most part, it does seem pretty easy. I'll go to Mikado tomorrow, so I'll try to check it out if I can get myself away from the Toaplan games.

[BIL]

A second pack makes a lot of sense, canonically. [I, Salamander, II, III & S2] + [Gaiden, Solar Assault, IV, V & Rebirth] with a new game apiece. Leaving the door open for a With Friends Twinbee+Paro set. (T1, Da!, Detana!!, Goku, Yahho & Sexy]



Yeah boyeee! Press "Credit" button THREE TIME pls

Lots of these games have good-to-great home ports, but ShotTriggers quality insists upon itself. Here's hoping this project has some of that Darius M2 staying power. Would love to see a Cozmic "CS" style pack with the various FC/GB/SFC/PCE games, too. I would include MSX+PCXX in that, but it's been a long time with no activity on the PC emulation front from M2.

Would be nice if this is the high-profile contract work that leads to a couple more Toaplan Arcade Garages.

How nice to see ShotTriggers approaching the decade mark, in any case. Feels like yesterday I was assuming Dangun would be their swan song.

[Despatche]

What would M2 miss here?

You can unlock a bunch of extra equipment for Edit mode. PS2 Gradius III gives you more options to play the game with than anything outside of the Parodius games with their massive rosters.

........................there's a Life Force 2? It feels like this damn series has about as many spinoffs as Megami Tensei does at this point.

In Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus, there is an unlockable "Life Force 2" mode for Salamander 2. I don't think even Salamander Portable has it. It isn't completely clear what this version is, but it seems to be a canceled American version at the least. It's a little harder than regular Salamander 2, which is helpful for what's normally a pretty easy game.

[Necronom]

A second pack makes a lot of sense, canonically. [I, Salamander, II, III & S2] + [Gaiden, Solar Assault, IV, V & Rebirth] with a new game apiece. Leaving the door open for a With Friends Twinbee+Paro set. (T1, Da!, Detana!!, Goku, Yahho & Sexy]

It would be absolutely awesome if M2 could give Gradius V a proper arcade treatment by adding some sort of Arcade arrange with shorter stages. I love V but it's a console shooter through and through that could really use a more compact form as an alternative.

[Steven]

........................there's a Life Force 2? It feels like this damn series has about as many spinoffs as Megami Tensei does at this point.

In Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus, there is an unlockable "Life Force 2" mode for Salamander 2. I don't think even Salamander Portable has it. It isn't completely clear what this version is, but it seems to be a canceled American version at the least. It's a little harder than regular Salamander 2, which is helpful for what's normally a pretty easy game.

Damn, now I may have to check out Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus. Not sure if the Saturn or PS1 version is better, but I'm always looking for excuses to buy Saturn games and I see the Saturn version quite regularly in stores.

[copy-paster]

The requirements to unlock Life Force 2 screen is to beat the 2nd loop, doesn't have to be 2-ALL you can just play the game in loop 2 start option.

Now I wonder if M2 would replicate the slowdown accurately in S2 because on the PCB, it slows down during stage 5 and when you milk the falling green orbs at the final boss for score. These slowdown don't exist in either DP, MAME or their own Salamander Portable.

[BIL]

Be for always YONE2008 (｀w´メ)

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Is the Konami Official Gradius Origins Book a hardcover one or softcover one instead? And how many pages is it?

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Klatrymadon]

A second pack makes a lot of sense, canonically. [I, Salamander, II, III & S2] + [Gaiden, Solar Assault, IV, V & Rebirth] with a new game apiece. Leaving the door open for a With Friends Twinbee+Paro set. (T1, Da!, Detana!!, Goku, Sexy & Yahho]

Yeah, deffo. Given the groupings and compartmentalisations of their Castlevania packs I think it's fairly likely this is the plan, assuming further work is on the cards. The dominant response to this collection all over seems to be "where's my fave, no Gaiden no buy, blah blah blah" and I think we collectively ought to hold our horses tbh. There's no cause or precedent for a collection of old games to be exhaustive/comprehensive on the first go, and if we expect all 99999 Gradius titles to be delivered to us on a forklift truck we devalue the individual games (and even big batches like this), while ignoring the labour required to port games in general (in this light it's fairly obvious why e.g. the PS2 and Konami Hornet are not represented here). Spend some quality time with Salamander 2 and 3(!!!!) and then see what happens next...

[BIL]

Ha, I completely forgot Galaxies, in my dream ETERNAL (vs ORIGIN) lineup... maybe leave Rebirth for a ~FUKKATSU AGAIN~ with Contra and Dracula.

Yeah, I would say look no further than SNK 40th Anniversary for an argument against wanging everything out in one go. Killer lineup, plenty of curios and scans, randomly freezing controls across the entire set. Good job you can just rewind that nomiss/WR attempt! Oof.

It's about respect. (■｀w´■) (*'ω' *)

A Cozmic-style duology with HD chaser would be beatific generosity as-is. (recalls the PS2 days when M2 cheerfully acknowledged the "AGES 2500" title was a slight misnomer, given the work crammed into those budget-line discs )

[bcass]

Gradius III AM version

Anyone have further details on what this prerelease version entails?

[Klatrymadon]

Check the auto-translate on these tweets. The differences are pretty substantial:

https://x.com/Shingi/status/1905353827462906357

[bcass]

Very interesting. Arcade Gradius III was the beginning of the end for the Gradius series IMO. It was a colossal misstep by Konami, which was unfortunate considering that the graphics and music were generally excellent. But gameplay wise, it was not remotely on par with the prior Gradius games. They knew this full well as they addressed the problems in the later SNES port, including the removal of the utterly redundant 3D stage. It's interesting that those notes mention that the AM ver. might be running on superior hardware compared to the eventual release version.

[To Far Away Times]

Check the auto-translate on these tweets. The differences are pretty substantial:

https://x.com/Shingi/status/1905353827462906357

This stood out to me. (Please forgive the auto-translation)

I also called it "Gradius III: The Great Resurrection," but the basic feel of the game is similar to Cave's "Dodonpachi: The Great Resurrection," in that you face a very strong enemy head-on and crush it with the strength of your ship.
That's how it's designed...

[CerealPT]

dont think ive ever played most games on this collection but happy to collect/support any M2 STG releases.
now to decide betweeen ps5/switch release.

[Steven]

Still haven't played Salamander 2, but it's a permanent fixture over at Mikado. I think. It was there last time I was there, but maybe it got cycled out. I stay away from the Gradius section over there because it's 200 yen for one credit, which is absolutely ridiculous. I'm going there on Sunday, so I'll try to remember to not forget to play it if it's in. After the announcement, I'd be surprised if it isn't in there.

Uhhhhhhhhhhhh

I got distracted by something else



I did play Gradius III for a bit, though. It's 300 fucking yen for one credit! Pay slightly more than double that and you can get it on ACA and then play it infinite times for free afterwards!

[BIL]

Excellent choice. Is the cardboard for glare? >w> Could get the impression you're bustin out some Pipi & Bibi's on the sly

[Steven]

lol

Nah, I've never seen that one anywhere. I'd play it if I did, though I do have the family-friendly remake that's on Steam. I've never actually played the original arcade version. It's one of only three officially released Toaplan games that I've never played.

Not sure about the cardboard, though. I didn't even think about glare, but that's a pretty good explanation.

This was in Mikado Natsuge, which I have never been to before. The place is tiny, but I regret not going there earlier, because right now the game layout looks like this



That's the entire thing, and not to scale because I suck at MS Paint-ing, but it's pretty accurate.

Anyway, yeah, I regret that I forgot to even check to see if Salamander 2 was there. They had 2 Gradius IIIs and Japanese Life Force in the regular Mikado on 1F and Gradius I and II on 2F. I'm probably going back in a few days, as I was exhausted by the time I got here and only played Get Star, Same!, and Dash Yarou. I'd like to play every Toaplan game in an arcade, and Knuckle Bash is one of like three Toaplan games that I haven't, so I plan to go back before they cycle it out, so I'll try to remember to check for Salamander 2 while I am there next time.

Before I turn this into another rant about how glorious Toaplan is like I always do, what are the recommended loadouts for Gradius II and III? I've been testing various things on ACA Gradius III since I got home and I'm really not sure what to go with. The only thing I know for certain is that I kinda don't like the Ripple Laser very much at all. It seems super wimpy compared to the normal laser, which you can't get if you use the edit thingy.

[BIL]

Before I turn this into another rant about how glorious Toaplan is like I always do, what are the recommended loadouts for Gradius II and III? I've been testing various things on ACA Gradius III since I got home and I'm really not sure what to go with. The only thing I know for certain is that I kinda don't like the Ripple Laser very much at all. It seems super wimpy compared to the normal laser, which you can't get if you use the edit thingy.

Absolute madman Fuyu-chan goes almost 12hrs with the Ripple. IIRC, Spread Bomb is the big swingin' dick of Gradius II, use it to teabag hard targets with AUTHORITEH.

Past the first game, where you can kinda wing it for the 1ALL, arcade Gradius really comes down to Option positioning techniques. That and not dying, bahaha. A nice formation will solve problems before they start. All four of Gradius II's Types seem pretty evenly-matched, although you can see where Type 2 (Spread Bomb) excels.

Keep in mind Gradius III AC, particularly Old Ver, is an infamous game. (as Despatche alluded to earlier ITT) If you're new to the pair, Gradius II is definitely the better entry point. It has its ruthless side, mostly on recovery, but is overall much better-tempered. Among horis, Gradius III is an almost uniquely brutal 1ALL that's probably best-approached in full Cap'n Ahab mode. The new rev promised by this set is huge news for this reason.

(GIII New Ver at least lets you keep a powerup on respawn, somewhat lessening the still harsh recoveries)

One of my favourite GIII people to watch lately is Lowter, funny guy with solid multi-looper skills and a particularly knack for recovery. (shoutout to his costar G-I, hardest-working zako in the business) His gimmick is screaming rather violently when he dies, so not a strict recommend, I guess it's just my sense of humour.

[Klatrymadon]

Yeah I always go with the spread bomb loadout in Gofer too, mainly because it chews through the ice blocks in stage 3.

[To Far Away Times]

I’ve been grinding away at Salamander 2 in anticipation of this collection. I have good strategies for everything up to the sixth stage with save state practice but the final boss is just wrecking me. Can’t figure him out with any sort of consistency.

[BIL]

The man DOOM came to scare 'em like they'd never been scared before and really wasn't lying

[To Far Away Times]

Yeah, I can pretty much play the game like a good old fashioned hori memorizer until the last part and then it turns into a CAVE game for some reason.

[BIL]

Ketsui even ripped off his mic name IKD always repped Salamander hard

[Ms. Tea]

I wonder who's going to be doing the Salamander 3 soundtrack, and what it'll sound like... Salamander 2 has one of Konami's truly iconic shooter soundtracks IMO, hopefully this lives up to it. M2 do have some really talented in-house sound people.

Friend said that chibi-tech was teasing a new M2 project last week (i.e., this) - so looks like she is involved at least in some capacity. I think that's fantastic news, she's great.

Well that's promising. Her work's fantastic. Thanks for passing that on!

Well, you called it - she confirmed on social media that she's the composer! Exciting, really looking forward to hearing more of it. https://bsky.app/profile/chibitech.bsky ... lzlicw2k2c

[MJR]

Before I turn this into another rant about how glorious Toaplan is like I always do, what are the recommended loadouts for Gradius II and III? I've been testing various things on ACA Gradius III since I got home and I'm really not sure what to go with. The only thing I know for certain is that I kinda don't like the Ripple Laser very much at all. It seems super wimpy compared to the normal laser, which you can't get if you use the edit thingy.

For Gradius 2, I have always used this loadout, which also has enabled me to 1cc it. 2-way is especially critical, because it will help you a ton with recovery, as you can get it pretty quick.


For Gradius 3, well I use the same loadout as in Snes version, which has always been my go-to version, but I took screenshot from arcade anyway. I go straight to the edit mode, pick twin laser and tail gun, and reduce for shield.

[OldSkoolShmuper]

Man, EDGE magazine didn't think much of Salamander 2

#31 April 1996


#49 September 1997