#Gradius gaiden shield options series

It’s not terrible, but it’s really only worth investigating for hardcore fans and completionists.' Notes They also said that the game was more of a step back compared to the critically acclaimed Gradius Gaiden for not using many of its ideas and features that proved to fix and improve upon the core Gradius gameplay, writing: 'Since it feels like such a redux, with very little added to the formula and almost nothing carried over from Gaiden, Gradius IV just seems redundant. In a 2017 retrospective coverage of the Gradius series, Hardcore Gaming 101 said that IV felt more like a 'best-of' remake of the first four games instead of a full-new game, disliking its graphics for being poor and its mechanics for sometimes being unfinished and not well-implemented. Several stage ideas were cut from the final game as the team had disagreements over how they would function, most notably a puzzle-like stage where the player shot reflective spheres to open up passageways. A 'boss rush' segment was added as the idea was popular among other Konami staff. Some stage ideas, like the 'volcano' theme in the fourth level, were incorporated from other Gradius games, with the majority being original ideas. The first stage, featuring large, reflective metal planetoids, was a sort-of homage to Gradius II and its first level, which had fire-coated planets with large dragon-like enemies bursting out of them.

#Gradius gaiden shield options series

As the first game in the series to use 3D graphics, the team focused to make stages take advantage of this.

The project's theme was 'interactive', signaling that levels should be engaging and react based on the player's movement and actions. One of the team's biggest ideas was the stage designs, as they wanted them to feel fresh and new, as well as being distinct from previous Gradius titles.