Gradius: Difference between revisions

This series provides examples of:

* [[Adaptation Distillation]] - Those who have played both the arcade and SNES versions of ''Gradius III'' agree that the latter is easier and more enjoyable.

* [[Anime of the Game]] - The ''Salamander'' OVAs.

* [[Asteroid Thicket]] - ''Gradius V'' stage 5 is the epitome of this.

* [[Attack Drone]] - the Options.

* [[Awesome but Impractical]] - The flame thrower weapon in the ''Nemesis'' series and ''Gradius V''. Sure it's powerful, but it has such short range that you have to put yourself in harm's way to get the most of it, and it's practically worthless against Core bosses.

** In ''Salamander 2'', you could do rolls like in later entries in the [[Thunder Force]] series. And like in ''Thunder Force'', it does nothing but [[Rule of Cool|look stylish.]]

** Same thing with any lava-based stage.

* [[Cool Starship]] - The Vic Viper, of course, along with its cousins, Lord British, Jade Knight, and Falchion Beta.

* [[Cores and Turrets Boss]] - Potentially the [[Trope Codifier]].

* [[Cue the Sun]] - The ending for ''Gradius Gaiden''

* [[Demoted to Extra]] - Big Core MK.I is a recurring boss in the first Gradius games. By Gradius V, it's a generic mook which appears multiple times throughout the stages with the other enemies. Yes, it's more powerful than an ordinary mook, but it's still a mook.

* [[Gaiden Game]] - The aptly-named ''Gradius Gaiden'', though if you're looking for a real Gaiden Game, check out the MSX Gradius series (''Salamander'', ''Nemesis 2'', and ''Nemesis 3''), which has a completely different and more detailed plot from the main series, and introduces several features not seen in future games, save for a remake of ''Nemesis 2'' called ''Nemesis '90 Kai''.

* [[Genius Loci]] - Many of the Big Bads, including Gofer, Bacterion, and Zelos. This trope also applies to the organic planets, which have Bacterians controlling the planets.

* [[Gravity Sucks]] - In Gradius Gaiden's stage, ''On The Event Horizon'', you are ''chased through a planet by a black hole''.

* [[Have a Nice Death]] - "You need some practice."

* [[Hive Mind]] - Bacterion, Gofer, and Zelos in the Gradius Series. Venom has {{spoiler|become one too in Gradius V.}}

* [[Large Ham]] - The announcer in ''Salamander 2'' is ''really'' enthusiastic in his line delivery.

{{quote|''"POUND through the ENTRAILS and '''SHOOT ABADON!'''"''}}

* [[Leitmotif]] - The first game's boss music evolved into the iconic "Boss Rush" music. Whenever and wherever it shows up, [[Boss Rush]] time.

* [[Load-Bearing Boss]] - The final bosses of the Gradius/Salamander Series. Certain organic bosses count too.

* [[My Name Is Not Shazam]] - The final boss music for ''Salamander 2'' is named "Giga's Rage". The final boss itself is actually named ''Doom''.

* [[Nintendo Hard]] - The arcade version of ''Gradius III'', especially. The SNES conversion and ''Gradius Gaiden'', on the other hand, are possible exceptions.

* [[Non-Linear Sequel]] - Played straight with most of the games, save for ''Nemesis 2'' and ''3'' on the MSX and their prequel, ''Gradius ReBirth''.

* [[Now Do It Again Backwards]] - Nemesis 2 (and presumably Nemesis '90 Kai) does this.

* [[One-Hit-Point Wonder]] - Partially mitigatable by the Shield, but only if it hits the shield instead of you. Then again, the first ''Gradius'' was originally an 80s arcade game...

* [[Organic Technology]] - Most of the organic enemies as well as the [[Womb Level|Womb Levels]] are these.

* [[Quietly Performing Sister Show]] - ''Thunder Cross'', another series of horizontal shmups by Konami which reused musics and had similar aesthetics.

** Is it Metalion or Metarion?

* [[Theme Naming]] - The bosses of the MSX ''Nemesis 3'' are named after obscure American rock and metal bands.

* [[Time Travel]] - In ''Gradius V'', you encounter your future self in Stage 2 and cooperate with him to destroy a battleship that he took back in time with him. Then at the end of Stage 7, you {{spoiler|encounter that same battleship and time-travel back to the events of Stage 2, because the battleship can only be destroyed with two ships. This leaves this troper with one question: ''Gradius V'' has 2-player simultaneous play. If two players reach the end of Stage 7, [[Fridge Logic|wouldn't that defeat the purpose of going back in time since there's already two ships?]]}}

** {{spoiler|Because the battleship only appears in Stage 2, thanks to your future self teleporting it and himself. You don't actually encounter the battleship until the end of Stage 7, but you know how to destroy it due to the events from Stage 2 and the analysis of the battleship by your ship's computer at the end of Stage 7. [[Fridge Brilliance|So, in a way, you have already completed the game at the end of Stage 2.]]}}

* [[Video Game Long Runners]] - The first game was ported to the NES, as well as many, many PC platforms. Then there's the many arcade releases and many, many console and (original!) PC releases.

* [[Villain Protagonist]] - You can play as the Bacterians in Cosmic Wars.

* [[Wasted Song]] - Konami released a soundtrack compiling music from their ReBirth games. However, ''[[Contra]] ReBirth'' and ''[[Castlevania]]: The Adventure ReBirth'' are the only games accounted for. ''Gradius ReBirth'' didn't even get the "Another Medley" treatment.

** ''Gradius ReBirth'' had a soundtrack released a year before the compilation album.