The Alpinia (アルピニア in Japanese) is one of the protagonists of the 1997 arcade shoot 'em up Solar Assault (alongside the Vic Viper and the Lord British. It is a brand new fighter that incorporates unique weaponry from its previous counterparts. In terms of appearance, it appears as a hybrid between the Vic Viper and the Lord British, but with black color scheme with an orange trim.
History
In the year 6852, twelve years after the events of Gradius III, a mysterious mobile fortress of unknown origin suddenly appears and moves toward Planet Gradius. Ominously, stars and planets standing in the mobile fortress' path suddenly and unexpectedly vanished, as if they were warped into another dimension. With Planet Gradius is in peril once more, the Vic Viper alongside its Latis counterpart the Lord British and the new starfighter called Alpinia were summoned to investigate this matter and if necessary, destroy this unknown approaching enemy.
Alpinia was developed with combined technological know-hows of both Vic Viper and Lord British. There are slight differences which trigger the start of the game Solar Assault and its revisions: one version states that Alpinia came under attack by the mysterious enemy during its maiden flight, triggering the start of the game. Other version states that the said mysterious enemy launched its assault upon planets at the time Alpinia was completed. Anyway, ordered to counter the incoming enemy, with an unusually unique set of weapons incorporating both old and new armaments, Alpinia and the other fighters set out to investigate the potential threat and after waging series of dangerous dogfights in various environments against various foes, including some familiar adversaries, the fighters eventually discovered the mobile fortress and managed to infiltrate it through an opening in the midst of combat. Once inside the fortress Alpinia, alongside Vic Viper and Lord Britsh plowed through waves after waves of enemy onslaughts until the trio starfighters eventually made it to the Core that controls the fortress and destroyed it, bringing the planetary threat to an end.
Afterwards, Alpinia's fate is left in the dark, as it is never seen or mentioned again; though in Otomedius X there comes a sentient Riding Viper that bears the name of Alpinia.
Specification
| Wingspan | 21.12 m (69.3 ft) |
| Length | 54.04 m (177.3 ft) |
| Height | 9.48 m (31.1 ft) |
| Crew | 1 |
| Weight | 11.7 t |
Weapons
Alpinia's arsenal combines weapons used by the Vic Viper in past installments, as well as a new weapon in the form of a homing missile. it is stated that Alpinia is the fighter for novice players. (Vic Viper for experts and Lord British for intermediate-skilled players)
- Impulse Rail Gun - fires a single, semi-automatic bolt that can destroy smaller enemies easily.
- Psy Com - a new type of missile, when fired, it will target the nearest enemy at a fast speed. It can be upgraded to improve its accuracy.
- Mind Blast - fires three rail guns straightforward.
- Twin Laser - fires two small lasers straightforwards, they have a faster fire rate than the normal variant used by the Vic Viper.
- Charge - a new feature in the form of a meter, which when powered up and activated, will unleash a barrage of shots in the form of the weapon the Alpinia has active.
- Optionsa - creates a phantom orb that provides extra firepower, but does not protect the Alpinia from enemy projectiles. They will follow the exact path of the Alpinia from behind.
- Shield - creates a pair of hexagonal gear-shaped shields that protect the Alpinia from the front, however unlike past games, it can only absorb two shots instead of six.
Gallery
External links
- Alpinia at the Gradius Wiki
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