Poini Coon: Poini pilots another ship taken from Gradius Gaiden, the Falchion Beta. Her name rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it?
Arnval: The pilot of the Anthurium (a ship inspired by Gradius V) and a guest character from Konami’s Japanese Busou Shinki toyline.
Gesshi Hanafuma: She rides the Wave Sword, a ship seen in Super NES classic Axelay. Gesshi herself is based on the Famicom title Getsu Fuuma Den, which our readers may remember from corresponding DLC in Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. A Getsu Fuuma Den villain, Ryukotsuki, also appears as a boss in Otomedius Excellent.
Strarf: A downloadable character who originated in the Busou Shinki toyline. Strarf flies the Alpinia, a ship introduced in the 3D arcade game/Gradius-spin-off Solar Assault.
Kokoro Belmont: A DLC character inspired by a certain popular Konami series. She even fires holy water and axes! Her ship, the Stavros, comes from obscure arcade shmup Trigon, dubbed Lightning Fighters in the US.
Dark Force: Otomedius Excellent’s main villain who appears in three different forms throughout the game. Gothic lolitas are a dangerous bunch indeed.
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Otomedius Excellent is now available on Xbox 360. It features 3-player local and online co-op. Stay tuned for our full co-op review.