Classic Game: Parodius (PS1/SAT)
![Parodius [EUR]](http://www.drop-d.ie/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Parodius-EUR-134x134.jpg "Parodius [EUR]")
Posted on 17th Apr 11 by Mike McGrath Bryan | 
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Drop-d has had an inanimate-object crush on this game for nigh on a decade. And you’re about to see why. Possibly. 
In the mid-1990s, the transition between 2D and 3D gaming was far from without casualty to genres that didn’t adapt to all the flashy whizzbangs and techy voodoo that gamers were starting to demand for their buck. In that transition, a certain innocence was lost in gaming: pure playability for a while took second place to presentation, and few vestiges dared buck the trend toward the new spectacle. 2D shooters and fighters were among the last holdouts, but there remained, as does to this day, an obsessive fanhood that treasures new releases in the genre as a vinyl enthusiast would first-pressing LPs.
The hope was that new consoles’ processing technology would create a stronger, faster, more ridiculous 2D experience. While that certainly was possible, it was not the path chosen by publishers demanding to keep the masses happy with slapdash polygon-centric action titles. Konami, perhaps admirably, were initially unwilling to get sucked in to the hype, releasing a tide of quality 2D titles for 3D and CD consoles, among them the still-compulsive ISS Deluxe and rarity Policenauts. But if one title has to stand head and shoulders above the others, regards innovation, regards use of technology, and regards sheer and joyous playability, a more unlikely choice could not be found than Parodius.
Gradius was (and is) a raving success for Konami in the early ’90s, part of the hail of 2D shooters that sustained the arcades of the day in the face of home consoles’ impending affordability and rapidly advancing technology. R-Type, Axelay, Thunderforce, Darius, and later Metal Black, would stand out as examples of side-scrolling excellence, but Gradius easily ran home with the critical darling status and sequel after sequel followed. Eventually it, in grand Japanese fashion, would have to be parodied. And so it came to be. Parodius initially saw release on SNES, PC Engine, etc., but if anything those were incomplete ports – lacking in speed as the consoles were, many details were cut and trimmed down. The definitive edition, as it were, and the one under review here, is Ultimate Parodius, a two-game party pack of unadulterated lunacy so bat-shit insane you’ll need to scrape your eyes out and somehow unsee it.
Combining first game Parodius with sequel Fantastic Journey, the game does what it says on the tin. You’re flying through space, being any of several increasingly mental characters, shooting intergalactic chickens and other wildfowl, increasing your arsenal and laying a bigger smackdown on aforementioned, all the while avoiding getting hit by enemies, bullets or other foreign objects. Simple enough premise, but as you progress, the game puts more and more enemies, bullets and foreign objects in your path. This of course, encouraged repeated play and the rote learning of level patterns, an effective replay incentive if ever there was. In the case of Parodius though, what starts as the innocent bizarro-world adventures of Vic Viper and friends turns into something far more sinister.
Fantastic Journey drags you through a retina-searing opening level and lulling you into a false comfort with an innocuous first boss, before – WHAM! The submarine cats. Yes. Cats appear from the ocean with the bodies of submarines as a demented kawaii rendition of the Star Spangled Banner rings away, a happy reminder that you are indeed in fantasy land, as the sheer amounts of bullet hell you will endure are sure to bring about an all-too-real fit of rage. And then you realise you’ve signed on for a game patterned after the greats of its genre, only far more infuriating as you got suckered by that cutesy packaging, didn’t you? Parrots in red-white-and-blue top hats are frequent enemies, Easter Island tiki heads fly through the sky, and 40-foot-tall lapdancers crush all beneath them with a mighty stiletto. But as you get drawn into the game, the sheer absurdity of the game becomes secondary to the level design. The game is a joy to play, and though the initial weird factor subsides somewhat, you find yourself returning again and again, because deep down, no matter how uncool it is to admit to yourself or others, it simply eats you up that you didn’t take out that gigantic set of traffic lights.
The weirdness doesn’t just extend to enemies: it permeates everything. Power-ups range from score multipliers to level-ups to, and this couldn’t be made up, nonsense – bullshit reams from the mouths of the characters and kills all in its path. It’s touches like these that take Parodius from another shooter to a work of genius: the effort that was put into separating it from others, and the unmitigated smart-aleckry that ensues. It’s everywhere. The soundtrack grins from ear to ear as classical and contemporary standards are put through the wringer – as mentioned, the Star-Spangled Banner gets a kawaii dressing-down, while the Mambo No. 5 gets a frankly unnecessary calypsofication. The moment when you realise this game has gone through the looking glass, though, is when you’re racing through a city centre in space through what appears to be morning traffic to the strains of a MIDI William Tell. It’s a moment that should soften the most cynical of gamers.
Parodius, the first in the series, is less about absurdities and more of a straight-ahead shooter. The soundtrack is equally as charming though heavier on originals, the gameplay is just as impulsive, and the game itself is a quality port from the arcades. Many of the series’ hallmarks are here: stone heads, silly power-ups and a grinding learning curve. But on the same disc as Fantastic Journey, it feels a bit superfluous, unfortunately. It’s no less of a classic, but feels more like a special feature.
If there’s any criticism to be levelled at Ultimate Parodius, it’s that there’s never enough of it. Clocking in at six or seven levels each and a number of difficulty levels that really just change the number of continues, the games’ natural innovation and playability isn’t given the chance to be fully appreciated past the first few playthroughs. It’s a damn shame, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed with a re-release with achievements/trophies on the modern consoles.
But this minor complaint is piffling for fans of the genre. Everything about the shooting genre is perfectly sent up here, from the gameplay mechanic, to the genre’s story tropes (or lack thereof). There is plenty to keep coming back for if you’re well-acquainted, but with a bit more thought to longevity, a modern casual audience reared on Nokia phones’ Space Impact would have much to enjoy.
But overall, this is pretty much it for 2D shmups. The balance between playability and challenge went to hell as specialty developers continue to fit more and more bullets on screen and mistaking this for progress. And as the genre became abandoned by the general public, gems like the Parodius series shamefully got lost in the shuffle. With the resurgence of retro gaming, it can surely only be a matter of time before this injustice is rectified.
Tags: Bat Fuck Insane, Come On Fuckin' Guy, Fantastic Journey, Gokujyou Parodius, Konami, Parodius, Parodius Da!, PS1, Saturn
