Parodius da! Shinwa Kara Owarai He [Model KM91003]

パロディウスだ! ~神話からお笑いへ~ © 1992 Konami Co., Ltd
(Parodius da! Shinwa Kara Owarai He)

Parodius Da! Shinwa kara o-warai he is an horizontal shooter by Konami and conversion of the arcade game of the same name. The game is at heart a parody of Gradius, another Konami classic hit - but it also features many characters from other Konami games such as Twin Bee or Antarctic Adventures and is peppered with humorous references to traditional Japanese folklore. The player is given a choice to control one of four fighter ships - a cute chibi version of Vic Viper (from Gradius), a pink flying octopus, Twin Bee and a penguin called Pentar? (from Antarctic Adventure). Each ship comes equipped with an unique, upgradable weapon system largely based on the one found in Gradius - the player must collect and accumulate power-pods and use them to acquire weapons and power-ups. They range from simple speed updates to missiles, lasers, options and shields. In addition to the primary weapons, special bells (directly borrowed from Twin Bee) are also dotted around each level and give the player temporary powers - loud speakers, barriers, smart bombs or the ability to grow to gargantuan size. This PC Engine port of Parodius Da! also features an extra special stage and a two-player option.