- Free shipping on orders over $50
- Every volume tracked on DVD and Blu-ray
$45.26
Life Force NES cartridge from Konami, released in North America in 1988. This port of Salamander lets two players fly together through a giant living organism, with a Gradius-style power bar. You get the loose cartridge only, with no box or manual. Orders ship within 2 business days.
| Platform | NES |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Konami |
| Condition | Loose Cartridge |
| Availability | In stock |
Life Force NES is Konami's 1988 scrolling shooter for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a port of Salamander, a spin-off of Konami's Gradius series, and it reached North America in August 1988. This listing is the loose cartridge only, with no box or manual.
Your ship flies through the inside of a huge living organism to destroy the tumor at its core. Most of the bosses are organic creatures too. Many background graphics and enemy sprites come straight from the arcade Salamander.
The NES game swaps the arcade's instant pick-ups for a Gradius-style power bar, so you choose which upgrade to activate. You can have two option drones at once, one fewer than in the arcade.
Two players can fly together at the same time. Electronic Gaming Monthly called it one of the first big two-player simultaneous shooters on the NES. Entering the Konami Code raises your stock of lives from 3 to 30.
The names can be confusing. Konami's 1986 arcade game was called Salamander, and it was later re-released in Japan as Life Force. The Famicom version kept the Salamander name and drew on both arcade releases. In North America the NES cartridge was sold as Life Force. Some levels and bosses were cut to make room for new content, and the NES version does not have the multiple endings of the Famicom game. If you enjoy Gradius, the Life Force cartridge plays in a similar way but adds co-op.
See all our NES games. Try the game that started the series, Gradius, or Konami's two-player run and gun Contra. Read more about Life Force on Wikipedia.
Is Life Force two-player?
Yes. Two players can play at the same time.
Is Life Force the same as Salamander?
It is the NES port of Salamander, renamed Life Force for North America.
Does the Konami Code work in this Life Force Konami game?
Yes. It raises your lives from 3 to 30.
What is included?
The loose cartridge only, with no box or manual. It is an NES cartridge for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Orders are dispatched within 2 business days. Standard US shipping is $4.99, and orders over $50 ship free. Every order is covered by our 30-day return policy.
Standard shipping is $4.99. Orders over $50 ship free.
Loose is the game cartridge only. Complete (CIB) includes the cartridge, the original box and the manual. Brand New is factory sealed. Choose one above; options shown in grey are not in stock right now.
Sassy808 –
Originally posted on Amazon.com · not a MarioShroomed purchase
Great game!
This is still a great game 20 years later! I do agree with the other reviewers about the first minute or so be difficult…once you make it through you’re good to go. I do suggest the Ripple and then Option combo. It gave me a bigger shooting range and made it easier to get through the levels…especially the first one. I remember passing this game a couple of times in 2 player mode because it gives you a couple of continues but if you’re playing by yourself, you’ll have to start completely over when you lose your 3 lives. If you’re interested…Google the “Konami Code”. It’ll give you 30 lives and you shouldn’t have a problem after that. Have fun!
Grymcell –
Originally posted on Amazon.com · not a MarioShroomed purchase
Another NES Classic!!!!
Taking a trip back in time, remembering old video games you played, is a lot of fun! It is even more fun, playing them 25+ years later, and reliving that!!!!
Ty3140 –
Originally posted on Amazon.com · not a MarioShroomed purchase
Three Stars
The actual chip on bottom of cartridge was rusted and needed alcohol and doesn’t work all the time.