Konami parody shmup with deliberate adult humor and undressed characters as bonuses. Gradius gameplay perfectly parodied, inventive levels. A little tamer than it appears. Still as fun and colorful as the other Parodius games.
Your verdict
Category
Shooter1 player12+
Co-op
Description
Parody shoot-'em-up by Konami with adult content and offbeat humor. Published by Konami, released in Japan in 1996. Sensual characters with distinct firing configurations, levels with suggestive and absurd settings, caricatured bosses, well-known music revisited. The final entry in the Parodius series on Saturn, with humorous adult-oriented elements.
Sexy Parodius review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
A zany shoot'em up parody by Konami: octopuses, penguins and delirious bosses in a flood of garish colours compose a joyful chaos. The absurd inventiveness of the settings and the visual humour overflow with energy. This graphic whimsy, unhinged and polished, stands as a delightful gem of the genre.
Deliciously absurd, Konami's music subverts great classical pieces and Gradius themes into a parodic patchwork of wild inventiveness. Each level sparkles with catchy melodies and hilarious musical nods. This sonic whimsy, joyful and virtuosic, is the whole zany charm of this cult series.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Konami pushes the Gradius parody to its zaniest limits, with oddball objectives to fulfil across the levels and a totally unhinged bestiary. Beneath the sparkling humour hides a demanding, inventive horizontal shooter. Colourful, funny and snappy, this entry delights as much through its gags as its sharp gameplay, ideal for letting off steam with a grin.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
Japan exclusive Saturn edition of Sexy Parodius, distributed by Konami in November 1996, an arcade conversion that extends the Parodius sub franchise into a more pin up visual humour and an original mission mode. Konami Japan run was short, jewel case with intact obi, and the combination of the Sexy Parodius physical content scarcity with the complete absence of Western localization makes it for Parodius enthusiasts a targeted archive object. Complete with obi marked Sexy Parodius clearly valued among Konami completists.
An underrated gem
A wild parody of the Gradius series, this Konami shooter embraces cheeky humor and a delightful streak of madness, without ever sacrificing its finely tuned gameplay. Its risqué tone and Japan-only release kept it under wraps. Funny, inventive, and superbly paced, it'll hit the mark with shmup fans who enjoy a bit of self-mockery.
Is Sexy Parodius still worth playing in 2026?
A parodic sequel by Konami, Sexy Parodius offers a delirious horizontal shoot that parodies the Gradius saga with absurd characters and offbeat universe full of adult humour. The vibrant humorous art direction, absurd bosses and delirious soundtrack make it an absolutely cult gem of the Saturn catalogue. For anyone fond of horizontal shoots or seeking a cult humorous Gradius parody, a warm recommendation still valid today without any hesitation for delirious shoot genre fans truly here indeed.
