Gradius
- Gradius (1989 on Dedicated handheld)
Description official descriptions
The people of Gradius are in trouble. The ameoboid Bacterions have launched an all out attack against the planet, and it's up to you to fly into battle and save them. Along the way you'll be able to power up your ship with hyper speed, force fields, lasers, missiles, double beam cannons and more to help you battle.
Gradius is a side-scrolling shooter. Shooting certain enemies will leave a power up pod behind which can be collected to add more power to your ship. Each level features a wide variety of enemies trying to stop you, with a large boss at the end. Gameplay is for one player or two players alternating.
Spellings
- アーケードアーカイブス グラディウス - Japanese PS4 / Switch spelling
- グラディウス - Japanese spelling
- 宇宙巡航机 - Simplified Chinese spelling
Groups +
Screenshots
Promos
Credits (Sharp X1 version)
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 78% (based on 36 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.6 out of 5 (based on 106 ratings with 0 reviews)
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Discussion
| Subject | By | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Gradius(arcade) released for Windows(via Steam) in Konami's Arcade Classics | Andrew Fisher (695) | Aug 22nd, 2022 |
| PC Engine credits | Freeman (62979) | Apr 10th, 2019 |
Trivia
1001 Video Games
The Arcade version of Gradius appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
Arcade version
The coin-op arcade version of this game was such a success, rumor has it that it caused a coin shortage in Japan.
BBC Micro conversion
A & B Computing reported in 1987 about a BBC Micro port that was developed, but never finished. The programmer was later revealed to be Kenton Price.
Game Art Beyond
In 2018, Nemesis was selected as one of the biggest classics on the Commodore 64 by the creators of the C64 graphics collection Game Art Beyond. Nemesis was honoured with a high resolution title picture (based on the original arcade game artwork) in a special C64 graphics format called NUFLI, along with a new C64 SID interpretation of the Level 1 theme (incl. Start of Stage prelude).
Konami Code
The NES version was the first game to use the famous Konami Code.
NES version
In the arcade game, players could carry up to four options. Due to technical limits of the NES, here they can only have two.
X68000 supplement
Gradius was bundled with the X68000 computer in Japan, which enforces its status as a "killer app".
Awards
- Power Play
- 1987 - #3 Best C64 Game '87
- Issue 01/1990 - Best Nintendo Game in 1989
Information also contributed by Игги Друге, Dracula Marth and Maw
Related Games
Released 2004 on PlayStation 2, 2015 on PlayStation 3
Released 1986 on Arcade, 2019 on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Released 1987 on MSX, 2009 on Wii, 2016 on Wii U
Released 1989 on Arcade, SNES, Wii...
Released 2006 on PSP
Released 1988 on NES, 1992 on TurboGrafx CD, 2007 on Wii...
Released 1996 on PlayStation, 1996 on SEGA Saturn, 1997 on Windows
Released 2001 on Game Boy Advance
Released 1990 on Arcade, Genesis, 2021 on Nintendo Switch
Related Sites +
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2006 Retro Remakes Competition
A complete Windows remake of Nemesis/Gradius was one of the entries. -
Planet Gradius
A fansite containing game-related info, artwork and music, plus some emulations of Konami's games.
Identifiers +
- MobyGames ID: 4512
- Wikipedia (en)
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Frumple.
Commodore 64 added by Quapil. Wii added by Corn Popper. Nintendo 3DS added by CrankyStorming. Arcade added by 666gonzo666. Nintendo Switch added by Kam1Kaz3NL77. Wii U added by is_that_rain_or_tears. TurboGrafx-16 added by Oyn. PlayStation 4 added by Sciere. Sharp X1 added by Kabushi. ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, MSX added by Martin Smith. Sharp X68000 added by Terok Nor. NES added by Servo. Windows Apps added by Kayburt. PC-88 added by j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】.
Additional contributors: Roedie, Satoshi Kunsai, Servo, Unicorn Lynx, Maw, samsam12, Macs Black, Trypticon, Patrick Bregger, Rik Hideto, Malte Mundt, FatherJack.
Game added July 15th, 2001. Last modified October 24th, 2023.