is a series of
cute 'em ups
Cuteness is a subjective term describing a type of attractiveness commonly associated with youth and appearance, as well as a scientific concept and analytical model in ethology, first introduced by Konrad Lorenz. Lorenz proposed the concept o ...
developed and published by
Konami
, is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...
. The games are tongue-in-cheek
parodies
A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...
of ''
Gradius
is a series of shooter video games, introduced in 1985, developed and published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series, the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper.
Games
*''Scr ...
'', and also feature characters from many other Konami franchises.
Video games
There are six games in the Parodius series. The last of them, ''Paro Wars'', is a spin-off strategy game.
The only games released outside Japan are ''From Myth to Laughter'' and ''Fantastic Journey'', which received European localizations. None of them were released in the Americas.
Parodius games have been ported to several different platforms, including arcade machines, mobile phones, and home consoles.
Compilations
Pachinko machines
In addition to the video games, a number of Parodius-themed
pachinko
is a mechanical game originating in Japan that is used as an arcade game, and much more frequently for gambling. Pachinko fills a niche in Japanese gambling comparable to that of the slot machine in the West as a form of low-stakes, low-st ...
mechanical games have been released in Japan:
* ''Little Pirates'' (1998)
* ''CR Parodius Da! EX'' (2000)
* ''CR Parodius Da! ZE'' (2000)
* ''CR Parodius Da! 2'' (2000)
* ''CR Saikoro Chindōchū'' (2004)
* ''CR Gokujō Parodius!'' (2006)
* ''Gokuraku Parodius'' (2010)
* ''Gokuraku Parodius A'' (2010)
See also
*''
Air Zonk'' and ''
Super Air Zonk'', colorful shooter games by
Hudson Soft
was a Japanese video game company that released numerous games for video game consoles, home computers and mobile phones, mainly from the 1980s to the 2000s. It was headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo ...
starring its mascot character
*''
Harmful Park
is a 1997 horizontally scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Sky Think System for the PlayStation in Japan. Set in a theme park, the game has been described as a cute 'em up and resembles Konami's ''Parodius'' games. It has b ...
'', a PlayStation game inspired by Parodius
*''
Otomedius
is a side scrolling shooter by Konami which featured personification of space fighters from various Konami games. The name is a pun, being a portmanteau of the terms "Otome" and "Gradius", with a set of equipment resembling space fighters fro ...
'', another series of parody shooters by Konami
*''
Space Invaders '95'', a cartoonish parody of
Space Invaders
is a 1978 shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Tomohiro Nishikado. It was manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and licensed to the Midway division of Bally for overseas distribution. ''Space Invaders'' was the first fixed shooter and set ...
*''
Star Parodier
is a vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed by Kaneko and published by Hudson Soft for the PC Engine CD-ROM² in 1992. It is a spin-off of the ''Star Soldier'' series and was localized for North America as ''Fantasy Star Soldier''. ...
'', a game by Hudson Soft that follows a similar concept
*''
TwinBee
is a vertically scrolling shooter released by Konami as an arcade video game in 1985 in Japan. Along with Sega's '' Fantasy Zone'', released a year later, ''TwinBee'' is credited as an early archetype of the "cute 'em up" type in its genre. It ...
'', a cartoon-themed series of shooters by Konami
Notes
References
{{Konami franchises