Sexy Parodius is an extremely unhinged and kitsch Konami parody horizontal shmup. Characters are even more absurd than other Parodius entries, with adult humor and hilarious situations. A Japanese PS1 shmup oddity, reserved for fans of 1990s Japanese arcade culture.
Your verdict
Category
Shooter2 players7+
Co-op
Description
Japanese Konami parody shoot them up, Parodius derivative where bikini-clad female characters twist Gradius into festive, cheeky settings. Created by Konami, released in 1996 in Japan under the Sexy Parodius title. Over nine wacky horizontally-scrolling levels, over eight playable comic characters with parodic power-ups, simultaneous two-player cooperative mode and arranged classical music soundtrack. Japanese edition under the Sexy Parodius title.
Sexy Parodius review
3/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Polished"
3/5
Music
★★★★★
"Memorable"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Punishing"
The cheekiest entry in the Parodius series, it introduces stage objectives that shake up the horizontal-shooter routine: rescuing characters, collecting targets, all under an avalanche of gags and projectiles. Managing your options and improvising to suit the mission keep you on your toes. Wacky but tough, it weds whimsy and challenge with flair.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
Konami's parody horizontal shmup, a Japan-only release never translated, the wildest and most kitsch of the Parodius line with its adult humour and absurd bosses. A faithful arcade conversion, it holds a strong cult aura among fans of 90s Japanese arcade shooters. Loose it stays sought, and complete copies with spine card climb, backed by genuine territorial scarcity and real underlying demand.
Is Sexy Parodius still worth playing in 2026?
A parodic horizontal shooter from Konami, Sexy Parodius extends the Parodius series by subverting the genre's codes with absurd humour, deranged bosses and a wacky bestiary drawn from Konami folklore. The snappy gameplay faithful to Gradius, the hidden per level objectives and the zany staging stay a treat. The high difficulty calls for mastery. A delightful shmup to recommend for fans of horizontal shooting and eccentric Japanese video game humour.
