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Gradius

TurboGrafx-16

TurboGrafx-16

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 ...

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Developer
Konami Industry

Released on
1991

Size
1–2 Players

Version
TurboGrafx-16

Requirements
NEC TurboGrafx-16

Downloads
Shooter

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

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.

Gradius

Overview & History

Released for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 in 1991, this legendary shoot-'em-up port brought Konami's iconic arcade masterpiece into home living rooms with striking fidelity. The storyline casts players as the lone pilot of the sub-space fighter craft, the Vic Viper, tasked with single-handedly annihilating the hostile Bacterian Empire before they obliterate the peaceful planet of Gradius. While earlier home conversions struggled with hardware limitations, the HuCard release maximized the TurboGrafx's colorful palette and tight processing to deliver an intense, horizontally scrolling space combat experience complete with memorable biological and mechanical stages like the fiery Volcano zone and the dreaded Moai statues.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Gradius revolutionizes the shmup genre through its iconic Power Meter upgrade system. Rather than collecting fixed power-ups, destroying designated red enemy formations yields power capsules. Collecting these advances a glowing cursor across a bottom-screen menu, allowing players to strategically select upgrades on the fly: Speed Up, Missiles, Double, Laser, Option (which deploys up to two shadow-clones of the Vic Viper that mimic its attacks), and the impenetrable Energy Shield. Mastering the timing of these upgrades while dodging bullet hell patterns through treacherous narrow corridors and confronting massive biomechanical bosses—culminating in the iconic confrontation with the alien core brain—demands absolute precision and memorization.