Salamander 2 (ARC, 1996)(1p)
Graphics-8.5 Sound-8 Control-7.5 Challenge-8/9* Story-5?
Level Design-7.5 Frustration-8/9.5* Fun-7.5 Originality-5.5
Overall Score-7.5
*Second loop
+
2-player co-op
Option/gun drone seed dynamic (two seeds=full option which besides working like a standard multiple can be shot as a very strong homing twin laser (the option then turns back into a seed which you can grab), seeds can also be used as a minor attack but will then disappear)
Good bosses overall
Very good variation (changes between side view/horizontal scrolling and top down/vertical scrolling levels)
A mini-boss that gets eaten by the main boss in the first level
Several large and detailed sprites
Some fun level hazards (fiery planets, colliding battleships)
Difficulty options (8 levels, coin worth (up to 7), lives per credit (up to 7), lives per credit (up to 9), score intervals for extra lives gained)
One new weapon (twin laser)
Temporary shield power up (covers the whole ship here)
Decent voice samples (muffled compared to LF though)
Partially destructible environments
Fairly easy to power up during most boss fights if you die (except at the level 5 boss)
Very little slowdown
Alternate paths in some levels (they tend to scroll manually either sideways or vertically (for the horizontal scrolling levels))
Plays different music in three levels of the second loop (remixed tracks from the prequel, one remixed boss track also features in both loops), three levels of weapon upgrades (last one is temporary though - no timer or bar shown), some nice unused music in the sound test
+/-
Same traditional upgrade system (works a bit better than in Gradius except you lose all speed after dying and speed power ups are kind of rare)
Respawn on the spot (the multiples/gun drones will bounce around slowly this time - they can end up inside walls though)
Somewhat forgiving hit detection
No mini-bosses apart from in two levels (first one can't be killed?)
More invincibiity time after dying
Main weapon and missiles mapped to the same button here
-
Slow auto-fire up until the last upgrade unless you're using the laser (why?, made more annoying by there being a short time limit on the final weapon upgrade here)
No credits allowed in the harder second loop (not even on easiest; you don't get a different ending from beating it though - not even on hardest)
No manual speed control (you still start out too slow after dying and end up too fast after fully upgrading)
Hidden timer on boss fights (it's there on Easiest too)
Sometimes uneven difficulty (easy first two bosses, spikes: battleship level, no speed power ups before the fast segment in the final level)
No weapon inventory
Trial & error (boss patterns, some very crowded segments, speed up segment, a bit short (six fairly short levels)
Weak explosion sfx overall
Uninteractive escape/speed up segment cutscene in FP/TP rail shooter view
Somewhat loose sideways scrolling in the top down levels
Notes:
Second loop's new tracks: Level 1=Power of Anger, Level 4=Last Exit, Level 5=Planet Ratis
Level Design-7.5 Frustration-8/9.5* Fun-7.5 Originality-5.5
Overall Score-7.5
*Second loop
+
2-player co-op
Option/gun drone seed dynamic (two seeds=full option which besides working like a standard multiple can be shot as a very strong homing twin laser (the option then turns back into a seed which you can grab), seeds can also be used as a minor attack but will then disappear)
Good bosses overall
Very good variation (changes between side view/horizontal scrolling and top down/vertical scrolling levels)
A mini-boss that gets eaten by the main boss in the first level
Several large and detailed sprites
Some fun level hazards (fiery planets, colliding battleships)
Difficulty options (8 levels, coin worth (up to 7), lives per credit (up to 7), lives per credit (up to 9), score intervals for extra lives gained)
One new weapon (twin laser)
Temporary shield power up (covers the whole ship here)
Decent voice samples (muffled compared to LF though)
Partially destructible environments
Fairly easy to power up during most boss fights if you die (except at the level 5 boss)
Very little slowdown
Alternate paths in some levels (they tend to scroll manually either sideways or vertically (for the horizontal scrolling levels))
Plays different music in three levels of the second loop (remixed tracks from the prequel, one remixed boss track also features in both loops), three levels of weapon upgrades (last one is temporary though - no timer or bar shown), some nice unused music in the sound test
+/-
Same traditional upgrade system (works a bit better than in Gradius except you lose all speed after dying and speed power ups are kind of rare)
Respawn on the spot (the multiples/gun drones will bounce around slowly this time - they can end up inside walls though)
Somewhat forgiving hit detection
No mini-bosses apart from in two levels (first one can't be killed?)
More invincibiity time after dying
Main weapon and missiles mapped to the same button here
-
Slow auto-fire up until the last upgrade unless you're using the laser (why?, made more annoying by there being a short time limit on the final weapon upgrade here)
No credits allowed in the harder second loop (not even on easiest; you don't get a different ending from beating it though - not even on hardest)
No manual speed control (you still start out too slow after dying and end up too fast after fully upgrading)
Hidden timer on boss fights (it's there on Easiest too)
Sometimes uneven difficulty (easy first two bosses, spikes: battleship level, no speed power ups before the fast segment in the final level)
No weapon inventory
Trial & error (boss patterns, some very crowded segments, speed up segment, a bit short (six fairly short levels)
Weak explosion sfx overall
Uninteractive escape/speed up segment cutscene in FP/TP rail shooter view
Somewhat loose sideways scrolling in the top down levels
Notes:
Second loop's new tracks: Level 1=Power of Anger, Level 4=Last Exit, Level 5=Planet Ratis