Tag Archives: Gradius

Gradius: The Interstellar Assault Review

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Gradius definitely looked like a fun game right from the jump but I was still surprised to see that it had a bit of a real storyline going for it. We got actual little cutscenes between levels and a real ending. So I was impressed there and it helps make up for how short the game is. There are only 6 levels here after all, although the game is exceptionally difficult so it will feel like a lot more than that at different points.

The main story sees you fighting off a powerful alien invasion. These creatures have the advantage in sheer numbers as well as technology. You will be using a lone plane to try and take them all down. The game is a 2D shooter where you can gain new weapons and abilities as you go through the levels. It won’t be easy without a doubt but you will certainly be able to help even the playing field this way. The key is to make sure you don’t grab the wrong weapon because it overwrites the one you had on previously. Some weapons can be combined though. As you gain item boxes, you see which slot is highlighted and pressing the A button will give you that ability. The letter stands for each one, L for Laser for example. So choose your abilities carefully and you should be all set.

Personally my favorite combination was the laser blasts with the shield and rocket. It covers your front pretty well and the shield also buys you a little time. The lasers seem to do a little less damage than the spread shot machine gun but I liked the speed. So you will need to find the right combination that works for you and then the rest will really come into place. Additionally, it’s fair to say that you need fast reaction times here. Most of the bosses revolve around you hitting the weak point but that’s the area where it rapid fires all of the attacks from. So if you don’t watch out then you’re gonna be in trouble.

The graphics are definitely more on the old school side. They’re not terrible or anything but they won’t be standing out. When you recommend this game to someone, you’re probably not going to be talking about the graphics. At least I doubt that you will. Instead it will come down to the soundtrack. That part’s okay but nothing too memorable either so maybe instead just focus on the gameplay. It’s a simple but effective game with how it controls. It’s easy to pick up but difficult to master.

There isn’t really any replay value to be found here so you should keep that in mind. Of course if you’re playing it on the Switch Online then that is more of a non factor since you won’t have to pay anything extra to check this one out. Instead you can just dive in and enjoy it. As long as the game is fun, it helps to override the length to an extent. It’s still not going to make a name for itself as one of the top NES titles or anything like that but I would say it is still good enough in the end.

Overall, Gradius is a good game. It’s not really anything to write home about but at the same time I give it points for just being a fun title. No real gimmicks or desperate attempts to try something new. Instead it settles for just being a fun space shooter. Perhaps that is a result of the game being fairly old so this was still new territory or the devs were just that confident. Either way it is a title that has withstood the test of time and I can really recommend it to any gamer.

Overall 6/10

Gradius Review

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It’s time to look at another classic NES game. This one is a retro shooter that you may be familiar with. Gradius definitely has a pretty epic cover. I know you can’t judge a game by its cover but if you ever could then this would be the one. It does have an actual ending with a final boss so I was happy to see that. The last few games didn’t really deliver with an ending on the NES so I take what I can get. It’s still a pretty short game though at only around 20-25 minutes, but it’s a good time. The difficulty level here is pretty crazy though so I wonder how you could beat it without a lot of rewinding and such. I suppose in the end people found a way.

The the gameplay here is that of a 2D shooter. You have a main blaster and when you defeat enemies they drop power ups which upgrades your ship. It seems like the powers stack which is pretty cool. Your speed also starts to get bumped up which is a mixed bag. On one hand greater speed is usually a lot of fun because you can essentially do anything. On the flip side, you move so fast that it is very difficult to just dodge an attack. A lot of the time your dodge will end up bumping you into an energy blast or into the wall. A lot of my deaths came this way rather than actually falling in battle. So to an extent you actually may prefer not to get all of the power ups. The issue is that you can’t avoid the speed if you want better lasers so while it’s a tough call I’d say to just grab them.

The best power up is definitely when you get a little energy disc who will follow you around and shoot blasts of its own. By the end I had two of them which was pretty cool. They really had my back. There’s one level in particular that is tough to move in because the ceiling is small and you have little robots running along it. If they get behind you then it is really tricky to land a good hit on them. That’s where your little assistants come in. They have no trouble shooting behind you and catching all of these blasts.

In a sense this game plays out like one of those bullet timer games where there are energy blasts everywhere. A single shot can take out your ship so you really have to keep blasting. There are 7 main levels and there is a boss at the end of each one. The bosses are actually the easiest part though. I only lost a few times to them until the final boss but the others go down in a cinch. You just gotta keep working at it but their attacks are very slow. The final boss seems like a homage to the Mother Brain. It can’t really move or fight back much though so you’ll beat it with ease. That’s the problem with these bosses who don’t have arms or legs, they just can’t really fight back and it gets them into all kinds of trouble.

The graphics are pretty good. It’s aged pretty well in that respect and the game is also pretty good about not lagging. Only near the end of the game where there are scores and scores of enemies will the game start to freeze up. Otherwise you’re good on that front. The soundtrack is also pretty solid with a good tune or two here. It really gets that sci-fi feel across.

Overall, Gradius is a pretty fun game. I’d rate it higher but 20 minutes is still a very short amount of time to keep yourself busy. The levels keep on looping across various cycles which get harder and harder so I suppose it would last you a while if you want to beat all the cycles. It’s still the same levels though so I can’t really say that I would really be working on that for very long. There are still quite a lot of NES titles left to play after all so I can’t forget about them. Still, if you have the NES Online then this is a fun one to check out. There was definitely more effort put into it than some of the others that I’ve played.

Overall 5/10