Gradius: Archimendes Edition (Famicom) Playthrough
178A playthrough of Konami's 1986 shoot 'em up for the Nintendo Famicom, Gradius: Archimendes-hen (グラディウスアルキメンデス編, lit. Gradius Archimendes Edition).
Gradius: Archimendes Edition, a promotional crossover in the same vein as Kaettekita Mario Bros. (https://youtu.be/SsjPIgE-smI), was announced a month after the initial April 1986 Famicom release of Gradius (https://youtu.be/M8Z78WC-xGQ). This alternate version of Gradius serves as an advertisement for Archimendes, a line-up of instant ramen products launched by Otsuka Foods in 1985.
It was never sold in stores, but sending in two proofs of purchase from Archimendes packages (the arrow mark that was printed on the lid) between May 10 and July 4, 1986 would enter you in contest in which four thousand copies were given away as prizes.
Archimendes-hen is largely the same as the standard retail version of Gradius, but there are a couple of notable differences. The power-up icons have been replaced with pixel art representations of Archimendes snack packs, and the ending's text now reads:
OMEDETO! KEY WORD WA 'GAME SNACK ARCHIMENDES DE POWER UP'
That translates to English as, "Congratulations! The key word is "Power up with game snack Archimendes."
Given how obscure it is, I thought Gradius: Archimendes-hen would be a fun novelty to shine a spotlight on, but good luck if you want to obtain a copy for yourself! It's rarity is absolutely reflected in the prices it goes for these days. There are four copies currently listed on Yahoo! Auctions Japan: a loose cartridge with a beat-up label is listed with a starting bid of 48,800円 (appx. $325 USD), while prices on complete boxed copies range from 200,000円 to 350,000円 (appx. $1,330-$2,330 USD). Ouch!
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