GRADIUS ORIGINS

Last updated: 2025-08-08

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Summary
  • New Salamander 3 is excellent but short
  • High-quality, valuable game collection
  • Extensive Gradius versions included
  • Missing key games and console ports
  • Older Gradius games suffer slowdown
  • Poor audio mixing and volume control
GRADIUS ORIGINS header

Categories

Collection GameArcadeSide-scrolling ShooterTop-Down PerspectiveWeapon CustomizationTraining SimulationHigh Score ChasingSingle-player

Emotions

Satisfaction37%Excitement13%Frustration11%Disappointment11%Nostalgia7%
Reviews
(sample size)
66
Helpful reviews
65%
Unhelpful reviews
35%
Protest reviews
0%
Positive points
184
Negative points
110
Gameplay points
18
Perf. points
10
Rec. points
25
Misc points
43
Point
New Salamander 3 is excellent
Description
The new Salamander 3 is a standout addition, praised for its faithful recreation of the series' style while introducing new, accessible gameplay mechanics. It's considered a highlight of the collection, offering a fresh experience that appeals to both new and veteran players with its balanced difficulty and nostalgic design.
Importance
99%
High-quality, valuable collection
Description
The collection is highly praised for its overall quality, value, and the care put into its development by M2. Players appreciate the comprehensive package, new features, and the definitive way it presents these classic games, making it a must-have for fans of the genre.
Importance
94%
Extensive Gradius versions included
Description
The collection includes a wide array of Gradius series versions, notably the previously unreleased Gradius 3 AM Show version. This extensive inclusion of different game iterations, including rare prototypes and regional variants, is highly valued by fans for its historical significance and variety.
Importance
45%
Helpful modern features
Description
New quality-of-life features like quick save, rewind, and leaderboards significantly enhance the player experience. The rewind feature is particularly highlighted as a 'blessing' for retrying difficult sections, improving overall playability.
Importance
43%
Celebrates series' iconic elements
Description
The collection celebrates the iconic elements of the Gradius and Salamander series, including their influential power-up systems, memorable soundtracks, and innovative level designs. Specific praise is given to games like Gradius II for its evolution and Life Force (JP) for its unique stage reinventions.
Importance
35%
Faithful ports and rich bonus content
Description
The collection features arcade-perfect ports of classic games, showcasing the evolution of scroll-shooting. It also includes extensive bonus content like databases, artwork, design documents, and music players, providing a comprehensive historical and artistic context for the series.
Importance
27%