Salamander Girl's T-Shirt

Salamander, also known as Life Force in North America, was an offshoot of Konami's popular Gradius (aka Nemesis) series. It retained the classic Gradius weaponry but rather than adopt the much celebrated 'selection bar' it went for the standard 'pickup and use' power-up system. That's not to say that Salamander did not innovate. Released in 1986, the game was one of the first shoot 'em ups to feature two player cooperative play and it introduced the iconic 'Ripple Laser' (circular beams that grow as they travel).

Still, Salamander was no ordinary shooter. It was the first to alternate between horizontal and vertical scrolling levels and contained jaw dropping graphics ranging from the organic, fleshy first level to asteroid belts and dynamic lava stages. Who could forget the end of the first level boss? The single eyed, giant brain with tentacles chasing your ship about the screen!!