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Gradius is a horizontally-scrolling shoot-'em-up released by Konami in 1986. A port of the arcade game of the same name (known as Nemesis outside Japan), it uses the same basic gameplay: the player pilots the Vic Viper and fights a wide array of enemies throughout several levels. Collecting power-up capsules will advance the power bar on the bottom of the screen, allowing the player to access the highlighted ability by pressing the B button. These will be practically necessary to progress - Gradius is widely considered a remarkably difficult game.
The NES version naturally makes some compromises to work with less powerful hardware, including limiting the maximum number of Options to two instead of four, but is otherwise a faithful port. It is also the origin of the Konami Code, added to help a tester struggling with the high difficulty - entering it when the game is paused gives nearly every power-up to the Vic Viper at once.
Screenshots
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The title screen.
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Every stage opens with a "dogfight" segment.
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The first stage proper.
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These volcanoes spew rocks everywhere.
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Most levels end with a boss fight against the Big Core.
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The second stage.
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Music
The original arcade game's soundtrack is almost entirely retained here, arranged for the NES's sound hardware. The primary melodies, generally upbeat and exciting, are largely intact even on a less powerful system. Noticeably, however, some songs have their first square channel drop out entirely after the intro - this is because the game's sound effects are inaudible otherwise.
Recording
Credits
- Ripper: Josh W. (NSF), Sonic of 8! (VGM)
- Recorder: Theand
- Game Credits:
(Game lacks credits.)
Miki Higashino has been identified as the composer of the original arcade version through this interview, among other sources.
Albums
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1986-05-21
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2011-01-13
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2016-12-21
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2018-09-??
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2023-11-15
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2023-11-24
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Game Rip
Ripping NES music is a very arduous process that is beyond the scope of this site.
Releases
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| Title: |
Vs. Gradius |
| Platform: |
Arcade |
| Released: |
1986-??-?? |
| Publisher: |
Nintendo |
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Links
| Gradius
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| Gradius / Nemesis
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 •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • 
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| Salamander / Life Force
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• • • • • •
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| Nemesis 2
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•
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| Gradius II / Vulcan Venture
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•  • • 
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| Nemesis 3: The Eve of Destruction
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| Cosmic Wars
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| Gradius III
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• 
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| Nemesis
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| Gradius: The Interstellar Assault
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| Salamander 2
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| Solar Assault
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| Gradius Gaiden
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| Gradius IV
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| Gradius Galaxies
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| Gradius V
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| Gradius ReBirth
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