Patreon button  Steam curated reviews  Discord button  Facebook button  Twitter button 
3DS | PC | PS4 | PS5 | SWITCH | VITA | XB1 | XSX | All

Gradius

Gradius (XSX) game cover art
Platform: NES
Tags: Shooter, Scrolling, Horizontal
Developer: Konami
More Platforms: TurboGrafx-16

Publisher
Region
Released
NA
12/??/1986
EU
11/30/1988
JP
04/25/1986

Gradius (NES) screenshotGradius (NES) screenshotGradius (NES) screenshot


Staff Reviews

Gradius review

Reviewed January 03, 2004

Marc Golding says: "From deep space and the theme that accompanies it, we fly full tilt into the earthly environs of level one. Dormant volcanoes line the ground, until at last, one volcano proves to be active, and violently so. Hide, and pray, and shoot, and survive the angry magma to fight Gradius' only boss (outside of the final one, snicker. More on him later). A nondescript ship faces off with you on the right of the screen and moves up and down, loosing volleys of slivery blue lasers. The same pattern is necessary for every level when he greets you. Take his eye out for the first time in level one, knowing that it won’t be the last. "
Masters's avatar

Reader Reviews

Gradius review

Reviewed May 06, 2005

overdrive says: "If there is one fond memory I have of Gradius and its hordes of sequels and spin-offs, it is simply the way that all the levels meld together to form what appears to be a single, constantly-shifting juggernaut of a stage. That just gives Konami’s main contribution to the world of shooters a certain flow that’s lacking in many games of the genre, where you tend to be randomly teleported from one locale to another — leaving you to guess exactly how all those diverse regions are connected. "
overdrive's avatar

Gradius review

Reviewed March 22, 2006

phediuk says: "When asked to name a Konami game, the Gradius series--likely a mistranslation of "Gladius"-may not be the first games to come to mind. The series has always been aimed towards the hardcore shooter crowd, and as such, they've never been all that high-profile. The series really hasn't evolved much over the years, being your typical side-scrolling shmup, and its gameplay has always revolved around one central gimmick: the Option system. "
phediuk's avatar

Gradius review

Review date unknown

sgreenwell says: "Gradius upped the bar for shooters, past the Space Invaders days. "
sgreenwell's avatar

More NES Games to Consider...
Details NA EU JP
Life Force artwork Life Force
Reviews: 4
Tags: Shooter, Scrolling, Horizontal
Release Date: August, 1988 (North America)
Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou artwork Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou
Reviews: 2
Tags: Shooter, Scrolling, Horizontal
Release Date: December 16, 1988 (Japan)
S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team artwork S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team
Reviews: 1
Tags: Shooter, Scrolling, Horizontal
Release Date: June, 1991 (North America)

At HonestGamers, we love reader reviews. If you're a great writer, we'd love to host your Gradius review on this page. Thanks for your support, and we hope you'll let your friends know about us!

User Help | Contact | Ethics | Sponsor Guide | Links

eXTReMe Tracker
© 1998 - 2024 HonestGamers
None of the material contained within this site may be reproduced in any conceivable fashion without permission from the author(s) of said material. This site is not sponsored or endorsed by Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, or any other such party. Gradius is a registered trademark of its copyright holder. This site makes no claim to Gradius, its characters, screenshots, artwork, music, or any intellectual property contained within. Opinions expressed on this site do not necessarily represent the opinion of site staff or sponsors. Staff and freelance reviews are typically written based on time spent with a retail review copy or review key for the game that is provided by its publisher.