1980s
Gradius
1985 · Horizontal Shooter · MSX
Overview
The MSX Gradius brought Konami's landmark horizontal shooter to the platform with the powerup progression system that defined the series. The Vic Viper's shield, double, laser, and option upgrades were implemented in full.
Deep Dive
Konami's Gradius had defined the horizontal shooter genre in arcades. The MSX version maintained the core powerup system — collecting consecutive capsules filled a meter, and the player chose which upgrade to activate.
Developer Story
Gradius was converted from the arcade original by Konami's MSX development team. It was one of the MSX's most commercially successful games.
Did You Know?
- Gradius's powerup system spawned the entire 'Gradius-type' shooter category.
- The Konami Code was created during Gradius development — designer Kazuhisa Hashimoto added it for testing and it was accidentally left in the released game.
