Play Salamander Online

Summary

Salamander, known in North America as Life Force, is a Konami scrolling shooter that blends the classic Gradius feel with a few fresh twists. The game swaps between horizontal and vertical scrolling stages and lets two players team up—one in the Vic Viper, the other in the Lord British ship—while collecting power‑up capsules that spawn “multiples” (options) which persist even after a death. The NES port mirrors the Famicom version closely, though it trims the multiple‑option count to two and drops the multiple endings, while still rewarding players who input the Konami Code with a massive boost from three to thirty lives. After its 1988 cartridge debut, Life Force resurfaced on the Wii, 3DS and Wii U Virtual Console services, and the European release even carried the subtitle “Salamander.” Critics praised the vivid graphics and cooperative play, earning the title a spot on Electronic Gaming Monthly’s list of the 76 best console games ever made.

Storyline

In the American release, titled Life Force, the action takes place inside a massive alien organism that has been overtaken by a bacterial infection. Each level corresponds to a different organ—players hear cues such as “Enter stomach muscle zone” or “Bio‑mechanical brain attack”—as their ships navigate the creature’s internal anatomy to purge the disease.

The MSX version tells a different tale set in 6709 A.D., following pilots Iggy Rock and Zowie Scott as they pilot the Sabel Tiger and the Thrasher. Their mission branches into two possible endings depending on how the final confrontation unfolds.

An accompanying 1988 OVA miniseries expands the mythos, describing the hostile Bacterians as crystal‑like beings that spread a dark fog which converts inorganic matter into organic life, then crowns new commanders for their fleet. One of their warships, the Lord British Space Destroyer, bears the name of Ike Lord British from the planet Latis.