Parodius

Developer:

• Konami

Publisher:

• Konami

Platform:

• Super Nes

Release:
PAL:

• 1992

Genre:

• Shoot em' up

Modes:

• Single-player
• Multi-player

Check Pricing here:

https://www.pricecharting.com/game/pal-super-nintendo/parodius

🎮🎮🎮

Box Synopsis

What a wonderful world! The year is 1993, and the changes in world history have been astonishing, with only seven years left before the beginning of the 21st century. Earth's people have lost everything, their hopes, their dreams, their works and their money. Revolutionary things are about to happen: Young boys hide amongst the fantasy world of their computers, ignoring the rest of families. There is only Sushi or Curry to eat, the computerized refrigerator is often on strike and rumor has it that the Great Octopus is soon to arrive to Earth. This can only mean trouble, a war!

🎮🎮🎮

Gameplay

Parodius is a horizontal side scrolling game set in a fantasy world that takes the form of cats, candy and so many colorful creatures. This shoot em' up is a parody game based around Gradius and is similar to other shooters such as Super R-Type and Darius Twin which can also be found on the Super Nintendo.

The player takes control of one of the creative ships that come with their own weapon loadouts and looks. Each has it's own strengths and weakness, which makes it a unique experience with each pick.

One you pick your vehicle, you head into the battlefield which is a endless scrolling level filled with small mobs of enemies, obstacles, bosses and other challenges. As you shoot your way through the level, some enemies will drop power ups items which allow you to boost your weaponry and make it easier to survive.

If you manage to blast all the way to the end of the level and defeat the Giant Octopus you win the game.

🎮🎮🎮

Controls

Default layout:

D-Pad: Move your craft

L: 
R: 

X:
Y: Powerup (manual)
B: Shoot/Missile
A: Bell Power Up
Select: N/A

Start: Pause 

🎮🎮🎮

Game Videos

Parodius Introduction Video

Parodius Gameplay Sample

🎮🎮🎮

Shanwow's Review

Story and Gameplay - 2 point

Parodius is a non-sense fantasy shooter game that set its aim on making fun of the genre and especially of Gradius. It's made up of humor, color, creativity but unfortunately no real story elements apart from the introduction. The introduction however only really tells the story of how it's making fun of Gradius.

The game is still one heck of a journey because it is a constant side scrolling laugh fest as you blast your way through the craziness and stop the Giant Octopus. It has no levels and uses a transition technique between areas after bosses. The background is the main element which switches between landscapes and outer space which creates the transition.

The game is really fun to play and is quite straight forward. Once you pick one of the crazy vehicles the aim is to get the power ups, upgrade your weapons and survive till the end. You can also earn extra lives by hitting certain score levels, very helpful. This wonderful but dangerous adventure lasts for about 1 hour from start to finish.

Controls and Features - 2 point

This game is simple to play and that's what makes it very fun and easy to play for all ages. The majority of the game is based on moving and shooting which is pretty simple once you get a feel for the speed of the game. The controls can be altered a little if you want to add some difficulty after choosing your vehicle. This allows you to manually use the upgrade system which I think is actually better because you choose what you want instead of the computer doing it and picking the wrong thing.

The game features both a single and two player mode which is cool however it's not side by side. The players instead take turns using a life for life system. This makes the 2 player mode really boring and slow and I actually didn't enjoy it.

The craft selection is a much better feature as you can try each power up and see what works for you and will get you to the end. I personally like the penguin for it's spread shot, missile and option. However the Octopus has a great ripple gun that is better in a later level. The uniqueness of each vehicle make the game a little more exciting than others of the genre.

Lollipop mode is also included in the main menu, this mode is a faster and shorter action adventure which is more of a challenge than adventure. In this mode everything comes at you faster and the level is a harder mishmash of the main mode sections. It's quite fun but difficult. 

Design and Difficulty - 2 points

Parodius has a great design, it's fun, colorful, cheerful, creative and very humorous. The game flows great between sections with smooth transitions, the music is amazing and it overall not bad, just a little short. Lollipop mode is included for that added challenge which is also nice but once again, once finished you don't really need to revisit it.

The game can be quite hard at first when you are getting used to it. I found that I died lots at first due to the speed upgrade. Since it is quite a speed boost I crashed into the walls tonnes. However never fear, as you can edit the difficulty in the options menu and also give yourself more starting lives. 😉

The bosses have great cartoon designs and offer a break from the scrolling when they challenge off against you. They are fun little battles that aren't very hard and often have a weak spot that is recognizable and must be shot to kill them. To be honest the bosses seem harder than they are and once beaten they are easier if you have to restart.

Fun and Summary - 👍+1

I would be a complete liar if I said this game wasn't fun. It may be short and boring once finished however it was a hilarious and challenging time on the way there. The game has so many funny little elements that prevented me from rage quitting when times got hard.

This game has plenty of laugh out loud moments that it's worth getting just for that, since this humor rarely exists in todays media. The game also offers a pretty fun and solid challenge for veteran shoot em' up gamers.

RetroRating: 7 out of 10