Konami Is Bringing GRADIUS ORIGINS to Consoles and PC in August

In the time before bullet hells, shoot 'em ups featured sharp level design and more deliberate gameplay. Konami's Gradius is undoubtedly one of the finest shoot 'em up series of the 1980s and 90s. Players will finally be able to enjoy many of those games on modern hardware thanks to GRADIUS ORIGINS. The upcoming compilation collects 7 arcade Gradius titles, most with multiple versions to choose from. What's more, four of them will support 2-player local co-op!

The following games will be included (co-op titles appear in bold):

1. GRADIUS (1985)
   1. JP ROM Ver. / JP Bubble Ver. / NA Ver. (NEMESIS) / EU Ver. (NEMESIS) / NA Prototype (NEMESIS)
2. SALAMANDER (1986)
   1. JP Ver. / NA Ver.(LIFE FORCE)
3. LIFE FORCE (1986)
   1. JP Ver.
4. GRADIUS II: GOFER no Yabou (1988)
   1. JP Early Ver. / JP Mid Ver. / JP Late Ver. / NA Ver. (VULCAN VENTURE)
5. GRADIUS III: Densetsu kara Shinwa e (1989)
   1. JP Old Ver. / JP New Ver. / Asia Ver. / JP AM Show Ver.
6. SALAMANDER 2 (1996)
   1. JP Ver.
7. SALAMANDER III (2025)

Salamander III is a brand-new game created for this collection, which should be very exciting to play. All of the games featured in this collection are fantastic, but a few games are notably absent, such as Gradius Gaiden, Gradius IV, and Gradius V. Perhaps they'll make it into a future compilation. The actual bonus features and enhancements are stacked, including: save states, rewinding, Easy Modes, Invincible Modes, Training Modes, online leaderboards, sound galleries, visual galleries, and a "Gradius Guide."

GRADIUS ORIGINS will cost $39.99. It will arrive on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam on August 7 of this year. Preorder now for a ten percent discount. Limited Run Games also has physical standard, classic, and collector's editions up for preorder through May 11.

Tags

• konami
• pc
• shmup
• 2 player local co-op
• nintendo switch
• playstation 5
• xbox series
• compilations
• gradius origins
• life force