Gradius cover art
Games / Shooter / Arcade / Gradius

Gradius

"One of the defining characteristics of the Gradius series is the use of a "power meter."

Konami· May 29, 1985· Main Game
74
Critic Score
1 reviews
71
User Score
49 ratings

One of the defining characteristics of the Gradius series is the use of a "power meter." The power meter is powered by a power-up item, whose purpose, when collected, is to move a highlight to the next power-up on the power meter. When a power-up that the player wants becomes highlighted, he or she may activate it, also causing the highlight to reset.

Released 29 May 1985 for Arcade and Sharp X68000 by Konami. Rated 7 by PEGI, E by ESRB. Up to 2 players locally.

Story

Gradius, our mother planet. Bacterian, a cluster of stars located in subspace, has invaded this dazzling planet and exposed it to a series of vicious battles.

Threatened with extinction in the face of such an onslaught, the planet Gradius decides to deploy its final hope: the super-dimensional fighter Vic Viper.

Its destination is the enemy fortress of Xaerous.

The only way to put an end to this conflict is to plunge deep into the enemy's stronghold and destroy the core that lies at its center.

Prepare to launch!

And so, Vic Viper takes off into the vast blackness of space.

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Gameplay Video
Gameplay Video

Gradius screenshots

Gradius screenshot 1
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Gradius screenshot 5

Artwork & Box Art

Gradius artwork 1
Gradius artwork 2
Arcade
Standard
JP
May 29, 1985
Arcade
Standard
EU
Sep 1, 1985
Sharp X68000
Standard
JP
Mar 28, 1987
Critic Score
74 /100
Mixed or Average
Based on 1 professional review
Aggregated from professional game critics and publications.
User Score
71 /100
Mixed or Average
Based on 49 ratings
Aggregated from player ratings across platforms worldwide.
Score Comparison
Critics
74
Users
71
Score Guide
90–100
Universal Acclaim
75–89
Generally Favorable
50–74
Mixed or Average
CriticsUsers
20–49
Generally Unfavorable
0–19
Overwhelming Dislike