Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Release: 02/21/92 Genre: Shooter
It is incredible that even in this day and age Parodius remains one of the best shooter series most have never heard of. With as many ports the first arcade game received you would think at least one would have hit the US. Unfortunately Europe has us beat in that regard. It is a damn shame too as almost ever version of Parodius is fantastic. The PC Engine version of Parodius Da! is pretty damn good coming after the seminal SNES port. Konami did a fantastic job with this one, but that is par for the course with their work on the system.
Parodius is a parody of Gradius and Twin Bee. It pulls from both series while having its own unique flavor. Over the years it would grow to poke fun at even more Konami series such as Castlevania, Tokimeki Memorial, and even Lethal Enforcers. While the series had its start on the MSX it was the first arcade game, Parodius Da! ~Shinwa kara Owarai e~ that most are familiar with and put it on the map. Parodius Da hit multiple platforms spanning the Gameboy to the PlayStation and Saturn. This PC Engine port falls squarely in the middle. It is very good but comes with numerous concessions that were unnecessary.
Like the later Gradius games Parodius gives you four weapon load outs except here they are based on a different Konami series. The Vic Viper is identical to the original Gradius. Twinbee is a bit original as its bell power-ups are separate items in addition to the traditional weapon grid. Octopus is analogous to Salamander and its ripple laser is one of my personal favorites in a Konami shooter. Pentarou from Antarctic Adventure has my favorite set of options. Proton torpedoes are awesome and the spread gun is extremely powerful as it expands on contact. The bells from Twin Bee is present but are not as annoying as they do not bounce when shot. The temporary powers they produce are pretty funny, from a massive smart bomb to a megaphone that shouts random phrases.
Parodius has an anything goes vibe that I find endearing. The series is very Japanese in its humor but still relatable for international audiences. That is because it relies on absurdity. One moment you are flying through a clown filled Easter Island than the next you are doing your best to avoid being crushed by a Go Go Dancer. The bosses are an esoteric bunch, from an American Eagle (literally) to a sumo wrestler. It does not use humor to mask a subpar game however. Behind it all is a game with fantastic pacing and shooting mechanics with excellent level design. It is here with this port suffers a bit.
Konami did their best but Parodius Da! is missing content. Parodius Da! is one of the few 8 megabit Hucards but even with that Konami still cut two levels. Stage five was the Moai stage typical of Gradius except this time with a twist; it is one long assault on a battleship except the Moai are the pilots. It also featured one of the game’s more……questionable bosses. The eighth stage was the requisite water level. More than likely the scaling puffer fish boss is the reason Konami decided it was not worth including. As a mea culpa there is an exclusive time attack mode available from the start. It is pretty cool but considering the SNES game has everything from the arcade plus the same time attack (albeit with different content) and you can’t help but be a little disappointed.
Like all the ports of Parodius this version is considerably easier than the arcade. It comes down to game speed; they all flow a little slower than the arcade and that makes a big difference. Your journey through Parodius and how hard it will be ultimately comes down to which ship you pick. Each of the game’s four ships and their load outs cater to different play styles. The Vic Viper presents the most balanced experience as its weaponry has few drawbacks. Twin Bee is the most challenging as its weapon set requires finesse. With two less stages the curve is also not as steep. Parodius was designed not to be as punishing as Gradius and remains just as accessible at home.
Some compromises were made to fit Parodius Da! on the PC Engine. The game runs at a lower resolution than the arcade and so the playing field scrolls vertically. While there is less slowdown than the SNES game there is notable sprite flickering not present in that game. The overall color palette is darker and missing detail that is present on the SNES and arcade. The public domain classical music is also not as good. However that aside the game still looks fantastic. Most of the parallax scrolling is intact and there are some instances of animation that were cut from the SNES game that made it over intact here. Short of using a larger Hucard you probably could not expect better.
In Closing
Parodius Da! is a phenomenal game and another great shooter to add to the pile. Konami were wizards with this hardware and did an excellent job of squeezing the arcade game onto a Hucard. Even with the missing content it is still leagues better than most of its competition on the platform. You cannot go wrong with this one, it is great.
