Garudius '95

At first glance, one would think that Garudius '95 is undoubtedly a part of Konami's venerated Gradius series. Indeed, it is based off of the arcade version of Gradius III, and uses much of the graphics and music from that title. All of the signature weapons, like the laser, ripple, twin shot, and even the options, are present. Iconic Gradius enemies like the Big Core even show up.

However, this game was not produced or authorized by Konami; it is the work of an independent doujin fan-game circle known as CO2-PRO. It is also different from the other entries in the series: though much of the artwork and music is lifted from Konami's game, the stages themselves are not. Each of the ten stages in Garudius '95 is unique, and has never appeared in any of the official Gradius titles. Designed for the Gradius veteran, the game presents a challenge even on the lowest difficulty setting. The player is allowed to choose from any of the first four stages to start at, and there are five difficulty levels.