Salamander 2

Salamander 2 is a horizontal-scrolling shooter video game in which players control a starship through six scrolling stages in an attempt to destroy the hostile alien race "Doom" before they wipe out the planet Gradius and the remains of mankind. The first player controls the blue Vic Viper while the second player controls the red Super Cobra. Both ships are tasked with completing each of the game's six scrolling stages; these stages alternate between horizontal and vertical-scrolling planes. In these, players must shoot down constantly-moving formations of enemies while avoiding collisions with them, their projectiles, and moving obstacles such as asteroids and walls. Stages conclude with a fight against a boss that is defeated by destroying its weak point. Completing all six stages allows the player to start back at the beginning, or "loop", to replay the game at a higher difficulty. By destroying red-colored enemies, players can collect power-up items that enhance their weapons. Both players begin the game with a standard forward-moving shot, and can upgrade these to a laser, a circling "ripple" laser that increases in size, and a twin shot, in addition to a forcefield and an increase in movement speed. Large, brightly-colored orbs known as "Options" can be obtained, providing additional firepower. Players can also collect smaller ones named "Option Seeds", which circle their ship and also assist the player in fighting off enemies. Options can be launched at enemies to create powerful shocks of lightning that home in on nearby targets.