Gokujou Parodius (1994), developed and published by Konami for the arcade, is the sequel to Parodius Da! and continues the series’ loving parody of Konami’s own Gradius. Released internationally as Fantastic Journey, it’s a horizontal shoot ’em up where you pick one of eight bizarre pilots â Vic Viper, TwinBee, Pentarou the penguin, Takosuke the octopus, Hikaru on her rocket, Mambo the sunfish, the angel pig Michael, or the stick-figure Koitsu on a paper airplane â and blast through seven stages built entirely around sight gags: a UFO-catcher crane game, an underwater fight with a cat-shaped battleship, a casino floor, and a moon level packed with rabbit references, all scored to remixed classical music and Konami tunes.
How to Play
Fight through the seven stages and their bosses, including the mermaid Eliza, a traffic-light “Crazy Core” that fires road signs (a parody of the original Gradius’ Big Core), a ballerina panda, and a final boss dressed as Indian royalty. Enemies drop capsules that advance a Gradius-style power meter; press the power-up button to cash in whichever upgrade is currently highlighted. Floating bells change color each time you shoot them, and each color grants a different bonus when collected, so time your shots before grabbing one. In the browser, use the Arrow Keys to move, Z to shoot, X to activate your power-up, 5 to insert a coin, and 1 to start.
Tips
- Shoot bells to the right color first: grabbing one too early can hand you a weaker effect than the one a couple more shots would have unlocked.
- Pick a character that fits your playstyle: each of the eight has a completely different weapon set on their power-up bar, so a loadout that feels wrong on Vic Viper may click with TwinBee or Takosuke.
- Go easy on your partner in co-op: friendly fire won’t kill your ally outright, but landing too many hits on them triggers a temporary rage mode that fills the screen with extra bullets.
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