I love the way Konami approached the video game market during the 8-bit days. They were fun, and knew their target audience. That’s why titles like Life Force (or Salamander as it’s known as in Japan) were born. Life Force was released in a time when Konami’s Gradius was the big name in shooters. Someone at the company really liked the idea but wanted to take a somewhat different approach to it. I can really appreciate that the project was greenlit just because the pitch must have been really interesting. Nonetheless we have Life Force, and today we’re going to talk about the NES release. Let’s dive right into this review. Here we go!
Life Force takes place in the same game world as Gradius, but two years after that story concluded. Now a world eating alien serpent has appeared, and it intends to swallow everything in the Gradian galaxy. One lone ship, the Vic Viper, is the lone force standing against it and the game begins as you enter the body of the beast to save the world. What’s interesting is just how Life Force contrasts to Gradius. The latter takes place entirely in outer space and feels very sterile. Life Force on the other hand is very organic and has body parts that serve as stages and obstacles. It’s a stark contrast and helps differentiate the two games even if they do take place in the same universe.
If you didn’t already know Life Force is a scrolling shooter game. Specific red colored enemies drop power-ups. Collecting one allows you to upgrade your speed (you activate these with the B button), but collecting another gives you missiles, yet one more changes your shot to a ripple, then a laser, and more. You’re given decent freedom over this system and can adapt it to your playstyle on the go. When you die you unfortunately lose all of your power-ups, but Life Force is more forgiving than Gradius. What I mean is that you can continue from where you died even though one hit will still blow up your ship. This alone makes the game significantly more accessible and easier to complete. This alone makes Life Force superior to its older brother.
That’s not the only of its advantages however. Life Force offers significantly more variety than Gradius as well. The environmental hazards are bigger and better for one. You’ll be damaging swirls of flames, moving statues, destructible barriers that regenerate, and more. These create fun and interesting gameplay dynamics in just about every stage. As far as level designs go in 8-bit shooters Life Force is well above average and one that you’ll remember long after you’ve played. If there’s one area it’s a little weak in this category it’s the boss fights. I found these to be mostly boring. Usually these hulking enemies have a small target zone requiring precision and patience. It doesn’t help that the backgrounds are just plain black backdrops during these fights.
The biggest gimmick Life Force has going for it is that every other level switches perspectives. Generally you’ll be fighting from a side view moving to the right of every stage, but many areas flip this around and Life Force becomes a top down shooter instead. It plays the same but the change in perspective gives the game new dynamics. I can’t think of any shooter from this era that used this same idea. It’s a shame because it breaths life into the game by preventing it from becoming repetitive. I absolutely loved this gameplay element and it’s another part of the Life Force that makes it much better than Gradius.
That’s all good, but I haven’t even gotten to the real driving force behind Life Force yet. It’s multiplayer, and not in a ‘take turns’ kind of way. You and a friend can play through the entire game while working together simultaneously. The screen does get a bit chaotic, but it’s well worth it. This works so well because when you lose a life you’re thrown right back into the action so in no way shape or form does bringing a friend hinder you or the experience in any way. It serves only as a bonus, and it’s an amazing one at that. Life Force is a fantastic shooter when playing solo, but multiplayer truly propels it into amazing status. This might just be the best 8-bit shooter of all time.
Life Force is a really nice looking game by NES standards. The ship and enemies are all well defined and fit in with the classic Gradius style and charm. I really love that thematically it’s so close to it’s older brother. The engine it uses actually seems to work a bit better even. There’s less flicker, more enemies on screen, and even a second player. Even with these extra bells and whistles the game seems to run as good as if not better than Gradius. I absolutely love the soundtrack as well. Again, it follows the style established in Gradius but has enough of its own flair. Stage 2 in particular has a fantastic track that is one of the best tracks on the entire NES platform.
