Happy 30th Birthday Gradius!

Fans of Konami’s classic titles will be pleased to know (if they didn’t already) that today is the 1985 Konami hit Gradius’ 30th Birthday! Gradius, also known as ‘Nemesis’ in parts of Northern America and Europe, is a popular side-scrolling shooter series that debuted as an old school arcade game on May the 29th 1985. Since then the series has spanned over multiple platforms and is still remarked as one of the world’s most popular (and toughest) side-scrolling shooter games! We thought we’d celebrate the game’s 30th birthday by providing a brief history of the Gradius series, touching on some of the more well known titles. Starting with the game that paved the way…

Scramble

‘Scramble’ was released by Konami in 1981 and is regarded as the game that inspired the Gradius series. It was the first ever side-scroller to adopt a ‘forced scrolling’ style of game play and to progress over multiple different levels. In this game the player takes control of a spaceship (referred to as a ‘Jet’) and must navigate through six brightly coloured levels, each with their own distinct terrain and obstacles, before reaching the enemy base and destroying it. Along the way the player must avoid colliding with the terrain as well as a number of moving obstacles, all whilst maintaining their fuel supplies (by shooting fuel tanks) and destroying enemy ground installations. Scramble was the first game of its kind to feature this re-fuelling system.

Gradius

The original Gradius was released 1985 as a pay for play arcade game. It was later released for home entertainment on platforms such as the NES and MSX home computer. In game, the player controls a space ship known as the Vic Viper and must side scroll their way through a series of different levels. Along the way they must battle an array of alien ships and creatures which try to collide into the Vic Viper or shoot it down. Fortunately, the player can take advantage of a selection of power-ups available to collect throughout the course of the game to upgrade the Vic Viper’s abilities and weapon systems. The game consists of multiple stages where the player must battle waves of enemy ships. At the end of each stage a battle takes place where the Vic Viper must “Destroy the Core!” of a super charged boss enemy. The original Gradius sold over one million copies in Japan and the NES version was the first ever game to feature the famous Konami Code.

Gradius II: Gofer’s Ambition

Gradius II was released in 1988 and follows a similar game play format to its predecessor. The player reprises their role as the pilot of the Vic Viper now battling an onslaught of enemies from the Bacterion Empire (led by the disembodied alien ‘Gofer’). Players have the option select between multiple weapons and shields to fight their way through a total of nine stages featuring all new enemies (including cameo enemies from the game’s spin off ‘Salamander’). The game features an all new load-out screen where players can equip one of four unique weapon load-outs for the Vic Viper dependent upon their game play style. Other new features include ‘boss rush’ mode (where players can hone their skills in a level comprised entirely of boss enemies) and ‘speed stage’ (where the game scrolls at high speed whilst the player is required to maneuver through narrow corridors). This is the first game to feature an enemy that approaches the Vic Viper from behind: the Option Hunter.

Gradius III: From Legend to Myth

Gradius III was released in 1989 and continued to develop the format of previous Gradius titles. It is believed to be one of the most difficult games in the Gradius series, consisting of ten individual levels or ‘stages’ where the player must, once again, combat the Bacterion Empire. Stage four is considered to be more of a bonus level due to the lack of enemy craft, instead the player must avoid colliding with walls as they navigate a pseudo 3D landscape. In addition to this there are two hidden stages (accessible only in arcade versions of the game) based on levels from previous Gradius and Salamander titles. The most famous addition to Gradius III is the “Edit Mode” for the weapon load-out system: this mode allows players to choose from a number predetermined weapon setups (like in Gradius II) or gives them the all new option customise their own set up as they progressed.

 Gradius Gaiden

Gradius Gaiden is a 1997 release, developed for the Sony Playstation home entertainment system. The game was a Japanese exclusive up until its re-release in 2006 as part of the Gradius collection for the Playstation Portable. The game play maintains many of the 2D side-scrolling elements from previous Gradius titles but also incorporates some 3D elements in an way that has been described as visually similar to Konami title ‘Castlevania: Symphony of the Night’. Gradius Gaiden contains new features inspired by the Gradius spin-offs ‘Salamander’ and ‘Parodius’ including two-player simultaneous play and multiple ship selections. The game’s difficulty can now be altered from one of seven settings ranging from ‘easiest’ to ‘hardest’. Notable changes in easier level difficulties include boss attack types are alteration or removal and a decrease in the number of enemy units on screen at any given time. In addition to this players can now utilise a level select option which allows them to start at any stage they have visited before and loop their current stage. Players can also enjoy an unlockable free play mode that can be accessed by beating the game on normal mode without using any continues and/or by logging at minimum of 10 hours of game time.

Gradius IV: Resurrection

Gradius IV was released in 1999 for the Konami Hornet arcade system. A direct squeal to Gradius III, Gradius IV features a significant graphics upgrade and an online ranking system (that was only available in Japan) that would go on to feature in Gradius V. Once a player’s game is over a unique password is generated containing the player’s score information. Players could then upload their score to a Konami website by entering this password though this feature was discontinued the following year. Actual game play mechanics remain fairly similar to previous titles. Gradius IV includes a total of 9 playable stages each with their own end of stage boss battles and the load out system now features a total of 6 ship configurations to choose from. Notable game play differences include the elimination of the “Edit Mode” (introduced in Gradius III) and various alterations to the power up weapon systems.

Gradius V

The latest installation in the Gradius series, Gradius IV, was released in 2004 for the Playstation 2.
The game is heralded by critics as a revival of the classics. Gradius producer Yasushi Takano noted in an interview that the Gradius mechanic had become “stagnant” and that he wanted to take the series in a new direction in order for it to remain relevant. As a result of this Gradius V players will note many modern day game mechanics that were not present in previous titles. These include the ability for a player to restart from their last position when they die, a checkpoint system, and a level specific ‘continue’ function. The pixel ‘damage’ radius around the players ship is significantly reduced in size to allow players to navigate smaller areas without taking damage and extra lives and ‘continues’ can be earned when the player collects a certain number of points each level. Gradius V received a positive reception upon its release and is praised for it’s modern take on old school graphics and detailed level design.

From its humble arcade beginnings to its home entertainment debut, Gradius has always been regarded as a video game classic. Now you know your Gradius history, have you been inspired to take on the Bacterion Empire? Have you discovered a new found love for side-scrolling shoot ’em up action? Or have you’ve been Gradius fan since the very beginning? Let us know in the comments section below!

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