Fast and difficult shoot ’em ups, often shortened to “shmups”, were an absolute staple of the arcade era. Space Invaders was a major proponent in the explosion of arcade culture, so it’s no wonder that the genre consistently received countless combinations of spaceships blasting through baddies for decades to come. In 1985, Konami released Gradius, a horizontal shmup that upped the difficulty while giving unprecedented choice to the player in the form of a unique power-up system. Now, 40 years later, Gradius is seen as one of the most influential titles in the shooter genre, and rightfully so. As Konami’s classic shmup celebrates four decades of extremely fun sci-fi action, let’s take a look back at the glorious story of Gradius and its timeless gameplay.
Vic Viper’s First Adventure
By the time 1985 rolled around, Konami had been in the arcade business for almost a decade already, with their first game being an unremarkable brick breaker called Block Yard in 1977. In fact, Gradius was originally developed as a sequel to Konami’s earlier sci-fi arcade game from 1981, Scramble, but the ambitious project quickly grew into something else entirely. Inspired by Western science fiction films like Star Wars, the game was designed to be similar to Namco’s Xevious, but with much more impact and excitement. After a year of development, Gradius was shipped to arcades around the world (titled Nemesis outside of Japan) and quickly became a player favorite.
In Gradius, you control Vic Viper, a super sleek spaceship with the ability to jump between different dimensions, on a wicked trip through the stars. At its most basic, the Vic Viper isn’t all that powerful of a ship, but through the calculated use of power-ups, can become a true terror of the cosmos. Along the bottom of the screen is an upgrade bar, and by collecting power-up capsules during gameplay, you can choose which upgrades you want to add to the ship.
Basic upgrades like quicker speed and missiles can be unlocked quickly, but for more powerful goodies, you’ll have to conserve your power-ups until you’ve stacked enough up. There’s an inherent risk and reward to this style of progression, where you’re encouraged to conserve your power-ups for the best option, but some upgrades are basically a necessity for survival. Knowing when and where to use these precious resources, while constantly shooting at or evading enemies, is an engaging experience that rewards both skilled play and game knowledge, making each successive attempt feel more fruitful.
Players were more than happy to clunk their currency directly into the nearest Gradius cabinet, as the game found notable success. It was a big hit during the summer of 1985 in Japan, but picked up even more steam in 1986, with further success in both the US and EU. Konami was smart to release a port of the game for the Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System, which sold well over 1 million units in Japan alone. This home version of the game also gave birth to the iconic “Konami Code” (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start), which gave you 30 lives to start with instead of the usual 3. With success in both the arcade and home console markets, Konami knew they had a hit on their hand, leading a confusing but profitable stream of sequels.
More and More Gradius
The first spin-off in the Gradius universe arrived in 1986 with Salamander (eventually re-titled Life Force), bringing with it two-player cooperative play, both horizontal and vertical stages, and a notably easier power-up system. Several ports and home releases later, the “real” sequel arrived in 1988, appropriately titled Gradius II (but known as Vulcan Venture outside of Japan). Though Gradius II offered several improvements and integrated some features from Salamander, the next big hit in the series was Gradius III, released in 1989. This sequel brought us better weapons, a new “edit” feature that allowed players to mix and match power-ups, and was a huge hit when the home version was released in 1990 on the Super Nintendo.
Despite the momentum gained in the 1980s, Konami mostly let Gradius lie throughout the 1990s, save for a few spin-offs like Salamander 2 in 1996. Gradius IV didn’t arrive until 1999, and by then, the arcade frenzy had faded. At this point, the games were still critically acclaimed, but sequels like Gradius V failed to survive in the PlayStation 2 era. Unfortunately, apart from the meager 2008 WiiWare exclusive, Gradius ReBirth, Konami let the franchise die with little fanfare. To be fair, with games like Call of Duty dominating sales charts and the rise of online multiplayer, Gradius wasn’t going to turn a huge profit. In 2011, when Konami decided to use the Gradius brand for a slot machine, like they had with several other “dead” properties, it seemed like an unceremonious end for an otherwise magnificent arcade classic.
A Grand Legacy
Thankfully, the story of Gradius didn’t really end on such a glum note. Though Konami shamefully relegated the IP to gambling devices in a fit of desperation, the franchise still held a special place in the hearts of arcade fans. As a shmup, Gradius delivered everything you wanted: challenge, action, strategy, and a pattern amid the chaos. It did its job so well, that 40 years later, we still can’t resist a quick play whenever a rogue Gradius cabinet appears. Better yet, the series has not been lost to time as other arcade franchises have, thanks to the upcoming Gradius Origins collection.
For the first time in over 10 years, a new Gradius game will be available on all major platforms, covering the 7 major installments in the series, along with the previously unreleased Salamander III. While I doubt that this new collection will rake in big bucks, at the very least, it should be a fun stroll down memory lane. If you’ve never tried out Gradius, consider this a strong suggestion. Whether you check out the retro ports for NES and SNES, head to an arcade to play the original, or pick up the new Gradius Origins collection, Vic Viper’s adventure is one that’s worth strapping in for.
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