Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou

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Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou
System(s): Super CD-ROM², Virtual Console (Wii)
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Original system(s): Arcade (Konami Twin 16)
Genre: Shoot-'em-Up
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code JP 1992-12-18 KMCD2003 JP ▼ 2007-11-13 800pts800 US ▼ 2008-10-20 900pts900 EU ▼ 2008-05-02 900pts900 AU ▼ 2008-05-02 900pts900
Non-NEC versions Arcade Famicom X68000

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Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou (グラディウスII GOFERの野望) is a side-scrolling shoot-'em-up game created by Konami originally released in the arcades in 1988, and the sequel to Gradius. A port of the game was released for Super CD-ROM² hardware in Japan, as well as the Famicom and X68000.

Turbo Technologies, Inc. demonstrated a North American version at Winter CES 1993, but this release was cancelled for unknown reasons.

Story

Two years after the Vic Viper succeeded in destroying Zelos, the Bacterians, now under the leadership of the giant head Gofer, have once again attacked the planet Gradius.

Gameplay

Power meter select

Gradius II is a side-scrolling shoot-'em-up game in which the player returns to pilot the Vic Viper spaceship and counter the second onslaught of the Bacterian Empire. The game retains the power meter from the first game, but the player now chooses between four different weapon configurations and two kinds of shielding before starting the game. It also introduces two new types of stage that would be revisited in sequels: the "speed stage," where the game scrolls faster and the Vic Viper must navigate a tight maze (similar to the escape sequence at the end of Salamander), and the "boss rush" stage, where the player fights multiple bosses in a row.

The Vic Viper can be moved in any direction using the D-Pad. The playfield is taller than the visible area and scrolls vertically when the ship flies near an edge. The ship shoots with Ⅱ. Each weapon load-out contains two mutually exclusive weapon upgrades: one "Double" type that adds a second stream of bullets, and one "Laser" type that fires a more powerful beam. All weapons can neutralize enemy fire. Players can also select an upgrade that augments the ship's main weapon with a secondary weapon, which is fired when the main weapon is fired. The ship can additionally collect up to four options that follow it and replicate its fire. Options spread out when the ship moves away from them but can be clumped together by moving in alternating directions, giving the player the ability to cover a wide area with them or focus their fire. There is a new enemy called the "Option Hunter" that is capable of stealing the ship's options.

There is only one item to collect, which advances the "power meter" by one position. The player can select the desired upgrade when it is highlighted in the power meter by pressing Ⅰ, which resets the meter. Each upgrade can only be selected a certain number of times, after which it is no longer available (though it leaves a blank space that must still be advanced through to reach any upgrades after it). This system allows the player to strategize which upgrades to prioritize, with the most powerful upgrades requiring the most items to unlock.

The ship is destroyed if it takes a single hit from an enemy or collides with terrain. All power-ups are lost when the ship is destroyed. If the player has extra lives remaining, the ship restarts at a predetermined checkpoint, which gives the player an opportunity to collect more power-ups and upgrade the ship again. The game ends if the ship is destroyed and the player has no lives remaining. There are no continues, but they can be enabled in the options. Extends are given at 20,000 points and every 70,000 points after that, and the player can set the number of starting lives from the options (between 2 and 7) before starting the game. After finishing the game, it loops from the beginning at a higher difficulty. There are four difficulty levels (Easy, Normal, Hard, and Professional).

Items

Items are dropped by reddish-colored enemies when they are destroyed or when an entire wave of enemies is destroyed.

	Red Power Capsule
	Advances the power meter by one position.
	Blue Power Capsule
	Destroys all on-screen enemies when collected. This item appears after every 12 Red Power Capsules.

Power meter

Upgrades

The player can choose from four weapon load-outs. All of them contain Speed Up, which increases the movement speed of the ship (up to 5 levels), and Option, which creates an orange orb that follows the ship and replicates its fire (up to 4 options). The Double and Laser power-ups are mutually exclusive upgrades to the main weapon; choosing one removes the other if equipped, but the player can switch freely between them throughout the game.

					Description
					This is the same weapon load-out as the original Gradius. Missile: Adds missiles as a secondary weapon, which are dropped in a downward arc and slide across the ground. Double: Adds a second shot to the main weapon, fired at a 45-degree angle upwards. Laser: Changes the main weapon to long, piercing lasers.
					This load-out that can do high damage with its bombs but has relatively scant coverage and requires more precise control to use. Spread Bomb: Adds spread bombs as a secondary weapon, which are dropped downwards and explode in an area for high damage after hitting an enemy or the ground. Tail Gun: Adds a second shot to the main weapon, fired directly behind the ship. Laser: Changes the main weapon to long, piercing lasers.
					This load-out covers a large area with its main weapons, though its torpedoes are trickier to target effectively. Photon Torpedo: Adds photon torpedoes as a secondary weapon, which are dropped directly downward one at a time and slide along the ground. They can penetrate through multiple targets. Double: Adds a second shot to the main weapon, fired at a 45-degree angle upwards. Ripple: Changes the main weapon to ring-shaped projectiles that expand as they travel.
					This load-out incorporates the 2-Way missiles and the Ripple Laser from Salamander. 2-Way: Adds missiles as a secondary weapon, which are fired two at a time at upwards and downwards angles. These missiles do not travel along the ground. Tail Gun: Adds a second shot to the main weapon, fired directly behind the ship. Ripple: Changes the main weapon to ring-shaped projectiles that expand as they travel.

Shields

The player can select one of two shielding types, independently from the weapon load-out, which are activated by choosing ? from the power meter.

	Shield
	Creates two shields that protect the front of the ship and can withstand 15 hits.
	Force Field
	Ensconces the ship in a protective barrier that protects it in all directions and can withstand 3 hits.

Stages

	人工太陽ステージ (Artificial Sun Stage)
	エイリアンステージ (Alien Stage)
	結晶ステージ (Crystal Stage)
	火山ステージ (Volcano Stage)
	リベンジ・オブ・モアイステージ (Revenge of Moai Stage)
	神殿のステージ (Temple Stage)
	高速迷路ステージ (High-Speed Maze Stage)
	ボス・オンパレードステージ (Boss Rush Stage)
	要基ステージ (Key Stage)

Versions

The PC Engine version includes an extra stage, the Temple Stage, not in any other version of the game.

Production credits

• Game Programmer: Asuty.S, Iga, Shingo.T
• Graphic Designer: M.Suzuki, R.B, Pop the Top.Wada
• Sound Editor: Metal.Yuhki, K-Mu, Sanoppi
• Visual Editor: M.Yoshihashi
• Special Thanks: AC.GraII Team, X68.GraII Team, Giken, Dream.M, Elf Tateishi, T.Furukawa, T.Kazuyoshi, Musical Station
• Producer: Y.Yamada

Source:

In-game credits

File:GradiusII SCDROM2 Credits.pdf

Digital manuals

• 

  PC Engine mini JP manual

Magazine articles

Main article: Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou/Magazine articles.

Physical scans

Super CD-ROM², JP
Cover
Spinecard Disc File:GradiusII PCESCD JP Manual.pdf Manual

Technical information

ROM dump status

System	Hash	Size	Build Date	Source	Comments
?	CRC32 MD5 SHA-1			CD-ROM (JP)

References

Sega Retro has more information related to Gradius Deluxe Pack

Gradius / Parodius games for NEC systems
Gradius (1986) | Salamander (1991) | Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou (1992)
Parodius Da! Shinwa kara Owarai e (1992)