Crystal Core

Crystal Core
English name	Monarch
Japanese name	クリスタルコア Kurisutaru Koa
Alternate name(s)	Ice Ice
Type	Core
Appearances	Gradius II Gradius III Gradius Gaiden Parodius Da! Gokujō Parodius! Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius (enemy)
Theme	"Take Care!" "Boss on Parade III" (Gradius III SNES)

“	You Shall be Crushed!	„
	~ Announcer in Gradius II

Crystal Core (クリスタルコア, Kurisutaru Koa), also known as Monarch, is a recurring boss in the Gradius series.

Description

Crystal Core is a crystalline Core surrounded in ice. It appears in Gradius II as the boss of the crystal stage and in Gradius III as part of the Boss Rush. It's also a junked boss in Gradius Gaiden stage 2. This is one of the more interesting looking bosses, as it has four orange and blue barriers and one Blue core.

Attack patterns

Crystal Core attacks by waving its tentacles while shooting blue small fireballs every 20% of a second from them and fires two medium-large standard Core defense lasers every second. The tentacles block all shots and cannot be destroyed. Eventually, Crystal Core will close up its tentacles to shield the core and then release a volley of 14 lasers every 20% of a second while moving up or down, then resume normal attacking. In Gradius Gaiden, the Core defense lasers are much thinner.

Gallery

Crystal Core in Gradius II

Crystal Core in Gradius II (NES)

Crystal Core in Gradius Gaiden

Crystal Core card artwork from Yu-Gi-Oh!

Crystal Core as seen in the Yu-Gi-Oh! card "Safe Zone"

Crystal Core's appearance in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Trivia

• A boss also named Crystal Core appears in the role-playing game Suikoden (also by Konami), possibly being a nod to the Gradius enemy, although only by name, as physically both are very different from each other. While they do share a similar color scheme (blue with a reddish center), the Suikoden boss is more reminiscent to the Zelos Force.