Life Force / Salamander

Life Force Arcade Game

Life Force was a Konami arcade scrolling game released in in 1986 (it was a sequel to a game called Gradius).  Some of you may know of a similar game called Salamander.  The game included both horizontal and vertical scrolling stages, and two players could play simultaneously.  In Salamander, there were two ships the players could control:  Vic Viper or Lord British.  Those who played Life Force will remember that the premise was to pilot your ship through a human body and destroy viruses and germs along the way.

Life Force Arcade Game Cabinet

There were a number of power-ups that players could get in both games, such as better lasers, missiles, and a force field.  In Salamander, stage bosses included Brain Golem, which looked like a brain with arms, Tetran, a robotic octopus, Intruder, a fire breathing dragon, Giga, a skull with crazy eyes that spits at you, Tutanhamanattack, an Egyptian death mask, and Zelos, a red sphere with a snake around it.  Life Force bosses were similar.  This game was released for the NES and then later for the Sega Saturn and PlayStation.