Otomedius Gorgeous

Overview

Otomedius is a sci-fi side-scrolling shoot-'em-up developed and released by Konami for arcades (using PC-based hardware) in Japan on October 15, 2007.

With the name being a portmanteau of "otome" (or "maiden") and Gradius, Otomedius is a spin-off of the latter series (in similar vein to the Parodius series) and puts players in control of moe-anthropomorphized versions of starfighters from some of Konami's past games (including the staple Gradius starfighter, the Vic Viper).

The game's story involves an alternate take on the intergalactic conflict between the Gradians and the Bacterians, which now involve contemporary Earth. Players control high school students of St. Gradius Academy, who must pilot personal aircraft (the "Riding Viper") against invading Bacterian forces.

Much of the gameplay is similar to the Gradius, Parodius, and Salamander series, including the signature Power Meter system. Rather than a traditional, linear stage progression, players choose three of four stages to complete in any order. The game's cabinet is unique at the time for its touchscreen monitor, which is used for both navigating the menus and performing the "Dramatic Burst" special attack.

The game also featured internet connectivity with use of e-AMUSEMENT PASS cards, allowing players to customize their power-up loadout (using earned Weapon Cards), track their stats, rank-up their characters, and play a unique online multiplayer mode (where multiple players race through five stages as fast as they can, sending "Option Hunters" to other players). This service was discontinued on September 30, 2011.

The game later received a home port for the Xbox 360 on November 20, 2008. Re-titled Otomedius Gorgeous! (or "Otomedius G"), this port adds a new game mode ("Gorgeous Mode", which reworks the game in a linear fashion while changing some gameplay mechanics) and a new stage, with additional stages, characters, costumes, and music packs as DLC. A dedicated controller with a touch panel was later released in very limited quantities, known as the Hyper Stick Pro: Otomedius G Ver.

It later received a console-only sequel, known as Otomedius Excellent! (or "Otomedius X").

Characters & Ships

Each character's Riding Viper has their own unique weaponry and power-ups that are usually based on their originating series. Some of them also have their own chosen "element", which correspond with enemies in certain stages (with )

• Aoba Aona (Water) - Pilots the blue-colored Vic Viper, which is based on the Gradius series' signature starfighter of the same name.

• Erul Tron (Fire) - Pilots the red-colored Lord British, which is based on the second-player starfighter of the same name from both Salamander / Life Force and Salamander 2.

• Emon-5 (Wind) - Pilots the purple-colored Xel Viper, which is based on the player ships from Thunder Cross and Thunder Cross II. His design is inspired by Goemon from the Ganbare Goemon series.

• Madoka (Neutral) - Added on November 2007. Pilots the Murdoch Viper, which is based on the ship character Twinbee. Her design is inspired by Madoka from the TwinBee series.

• Diol Twee (Earth) - Added on January 2008. Pilots the yellow-colored Serenity Viper, which is based on the player's ship from Xexex.

• Tita Nium (Neutral) - Added on January 2008 and is unlockable. Pilots the Bigcore Examina, which is based on the recurring boss Big Core from the Gradius series.

• Esmeralda (Neutral) - Added in Otomedius Gorgeous! as DLC. Pilots the green-colored Jade Knight, which is based on the starfighter of the same name from Gradius Gaiden.

• Poinny Koon (Neutral) - Added in Otomedius Gorgeous! as DLC. Pilots the purple-colored Falchion Beta, which is based on the starfighter of the same name from Gradius Gaiden.