Gradius IV Review

Intro

I cannot believe that Konami went from making a direct absolute masterpiece to an absolute dumpster fire of a Gradius Game. And it hurts for me to say this considering that most Gradius entries are absolutely goated. Just like the one before this game: Gradius Gaiden. I don’t need to explain any further why Gaiden was a masterpiece: The presentation alone upon looking at it for the first time is extortionary. The gameplay is a step up, the soundtrack is kicking. Fans wouldn’t imagine how well the next game could’ve been with all of the perfections that Gaiden have. This leads us to 1999’s Gradius IV: And boy, for a game that’s Gradius, there are a lot of bad things to cover. Strap in as you’re going to see me have things to say about this one.

Story
We revisit to the ending of Gradius II where Gofer was defeated by the almighty Vic viper. But, a fragment of Gofer’s merged into a planet, causing it to turn into a whole ship! Reminds me of the one from Gradius I somewhat. That's all there is though, other than you having to use the Vic Viper again to stop Gofer’s resurrection from happening, to save the world of Gradius all over again. Why can’t we have a Gradius game where the actual planet of Gradius is one that we can enter, and have a direct cause to it? Why are we going back into space again? I know that it would be out of place for Gradius, but at least you can cook something with that design of that, make it serious and such! The only game that I know that gets close to this concept is Parodius, which is a spinoff of Gradius, so that doesn’t realty count. Why are we revisiting Gofer again? How and why did an element of his get merged with a giant planet for it to be turned into a whole spaceship? none of this makes any sense to me, and I wished that I can ask the developers why they slacked off two year after the masterpiece of Gaiden. But at least the gameplay should be alright, right?

Gameplay
Where can I customize the slot bars? I want to have my shield first and options second... Where’s also the other shields that I can have like guard and limit? Why can’t I edit my weapons like Gradius III? Why are we going back to Gradius II in terms of the options you’re able to use? And don’t say that this is an arcade game, Gradius III WAS an arcade game and had the option to edit your ship parts! And they could’ve spared 30 seconds to switch the slot parts. Other arcade games at the time took longer of the game to acutally start! At least the graphics are okay, right...?

Liquid Metal
WHAT. AM. I. LOOKING AT. Seriously, the first time I looked at this game, I thought it was piss. It also kind of hurts my eyes for some reason. I guess it’s because of the rapidly switching colors within the “Liquid Metal.” And I still don’t know what it could possibly be. While this is technically unique to Gradius for the first time, the layout of the stage with dragons coming out was already featured in well.. Gradius II. (you’re going to see a bunch of similarities with this game and Gradius III.) And what’s worse about this one, is that it ends quicker than you think it does. I don’t know if it’s me, the fact that it ends very quickly beofre the boss says something imo. But the boss?

It’s a giant three headed dragon monster looking thing. Once again, this is a [boss] idea that was featured in another Gradius game (Arcade Gradius III). Apparently, its name was Yorogaton Chimera. I don’t know what that means, but it does change into 3 other forms: A weird crab infused turtle.. Looking,... monster? I don’t know what they were cooking. The other one is.. I can’t explain it. It has a shell, it has a giant looking teeth thing that are it’s eyes? And the final one, a fidget spinner spinning shooting projectiles. None of this makes sense to me.


Plant
Next stage might look like a unique stage, but all and all it’s just another traditional plant stage. It kinda looks like underwater plant life to me? I don’t know if that’s true and whatnot. The stage is also pretty easy just llik4e the others. Just get rid of the weird lines and head to a plant boss that also looks weird. The name for this one is Dendrodium, and while this is a pretty standard boss, it’s just the graphics that makes this boss look disgusting or just something else. It also dies faster than Yorogaton.

Bubble/Crytsal
They really thought that they can be unique with this stage making bubbles and crystal together, but the bubbles come from Gradius III, and the crystal comes form Gradius II. The reason I’m complaining about the reuse of the stages is because when they are presented within this game, it makes no effort to make things different and whatnot. Gaiden also reuses a bunch of things, but here’s the difference: It puts a twist in almost everything, making them feel familiar but unique. This stage just has floating bubbles, and floating crystals. The boss is the Bubble Core. The first core in this game. I’ll say that this is a pretty solid boss, shooting bubbles and lasers. Not too hard not too easy.

Life/Magma
This stage is a mixed bag for me. I was going to complain about the layout of the first part being like the life stage featured in Gradius II, but then the completely original lava part comes in just right after this! While completely volcanic stages aren’t oroiginal (the infamous stage in Gradius III), this is the only stage that actually makes things unique. I guess not everything in this game is not worth complaining about. However, this stage is also similar to III in how difficult it is! In this stage, you’ll be tasked with maneuvering through the fast-moving lava terrarian, with big rocks coming form both left and right. While this seems easy, this stage marks the intro to where I say that a large point of this game is rigged. The rocks are big and so as the moving lava, and i had a hard time passing this stage cause I kept on dying a lot especially when the volcano moves hard up and down. I forgot the type of animal Gillador, the boss is, but I do know that it’s related to sea animals and whatnot with having a giant strong shell, and a tail. That's this boss, which is also a first for Gradius.

Moai
As of writing this, I forgot that there was a whole Moai stage that came before the cell stage. This one isn’t unique, but it is a series staple of having multiple moai heads and whatnot. And just like all of them, there’s a harder part where they shoot more projectiles at you. Due to how typical this stage is, there's not much to say about it. The boss, Alpha/Omega (very original) is similar to the SNES Gradius III with how you have to fight two giant Moai heads attached to rocks, but what makes this one differ is that there’s small Moai heads that come out and shoot the circles, lasers and whatnot, making it harder to hit the giant moai heads. I like the extra challenge with this one, but I died a whole bunch because of the tiny Moai heads. The movements with the bosses are incoherent, and I end up dying because they don’t have a recognizable attack pattern for me to remember.

Cell
I don’t like what this stage looks like. The graphics make this stage look like it’s real. While also typical for Gradius, they make this this one disturbing be within with the stage moving as if the stage is real and whatnot. This stage also managed to be difficult with the organism vines (Dunno what to call them) and the multiple projectiles that come out after breaking them. Then there’s the little weird sticks that look at you which is also a staple enemy in organism like stages but there’s a bunch of them in a section of the stage. The boss is another core-looknig boss named Berial that also looks weird due to the 3D graphics of the game. It reminds me of a reborn version of Golem, the Slaamnader boss with the brain and the two hands that come out of it.

High Speed
And now it’s time for one of the worst stages in the entire game. After going through the hellhole that is the entire game, the High-Speed section of this game is the worst out of all of them. Not only that the stage is fast, but the background blends also well with the stage making it hard for me to see where to go, and there’s a bunch of big obstacles that get in the way of your path. The stage also starts off fast unlike the others in that it gradually gets fast. The paths are also more confusing than the other entries that I believe had a more coherent path to it. The core for this boss is another annoying one, but what am I supposed to say about how unique it is, it’s just like the other bosses in this game where they shoot a bunch of things at the player. If you die at all in this stage, just say goodbye to your progress which happened to me. Thank goodness for save states though, because I wouldn’t know how I would be able to finish not only this game, but Arcade Gradius III, too. This boss is also hard because it does like to turn it’s head a lot making the core hard to reach.

This boss also reminds me of another thing that I have to say about the game’s bosses: They. Drag ON. I took a while to beat this boss to the point that I believe that with my successful attempt, the boss self-destructed cause being an Arcade game, You can’t take too long with the boss. Almost all of the bossses take too long to beat not counting if you die mid-fight.

Boss Parade


Vanishing Core
The Gradius I ship comes in the background to send the boss cores to you. This first one gives me massive Gradius Gaiden vibes, what’s awesome about this one is the rainbow lights that it has. Although the circles along with the missiles and the listers are also projectiles to kill you.

Big Core MK III Kai
Gradius III’s Big Core Mk.III but with a vengeance. This one work like the original with the only addition being the fact that the parts that shoot the big lasers go up and down with the lasers in the missile shooing straighter beams. I don’t know how else to say it. Pretty solid remaster of the original Big Core Mk.III.

Covered Tetran
They made the Tetran from Salamander 2 a bit more annoying to fight with it’s arms going moving left and right faster than normal, with the ends also shooting lasers to keep you always moving.

Berserk Core
Two smaller ships that shoot big beams the bigger one shooting tiny ones only shooting big ones when the tiny ships are destroyed. I dunno what else to say.
Planet Core
Now the final one! This one is like a remaked version of the final core in the boss rush of Gradius II, but this one is harder with shooting i guess bombs? When the core turns, they turn along with it. The good thing about this boss is that it’s more coherent with it’s boss pattern but still difficult as it really is the final core from the boss ruhs.


Final Fortress
Now the mechanical base! We enter similar to Gradius II by shooting the opening, and this one is like Gradius III with the color choices of the base overall. Other than that, this one does take an interesting turn with how the base turns clockwise, but don’t get your hopes high it does go back to normal before. At least it doesn’t flash like the Arcade Gradius III one, and it’s not too long like that one either. The gate featured in this one is a bit harder to avoid than the others with moving parts coming down and up but other than that if you’re careful and destroy the turrets you’ll be done with this fight.

Now the walker. It’s the walker from Gradius II. I mean, you could say that because this game is related to Gofer and such, it can have a bunch of references to II and such, but why mark this game as a 4th entry if it’s more like a reimagining of the 2nd gradius game? This stuff is just confusing man. The onyl unique thing it does is move around harder but that’s about it.

And now we finally reached Gofer. WHAT. AM. I. LOOKING. AT?????? They have massacred Gofer’s design so badly that he now looks like a low budget golf ball literally sitting on the edge of a ship that looks like it has eyes. I am the center of the Universe, my ass. Thank goodness that they made you so pathetically weaker in this reincarnation. After defeating him, the ship turns back to normal, and credits play thereafter. Where is the awesome scene where you’re going back to normal? And while we talk about this, why has there been a bunch of people signing up for the cutscene that happens in the beginning of the game? It literally lasts less tha 30 seconds.

Soundtrack
Another thing that I have yet to discuss is the soundtrack for this game where most of them are name after Greek and Roman Gods. For example, the Life/Magma stage is called Cronos/Hades, and the Final Fortress has Prometheus/Athena respectively. I don’t know why they have done this considering that there are no roman/greek references within the stages themselves, but I already questioned too much of this game’s existence. As much as I like listening to the soundtrack within this game, this game’s music is off the trail with how it’s supposed to be serious and such. There’s no capturing of seriousness and such featuring lighter instruments, and the soundtrack is jazzier and more upbeat than the other Gradius games. The High Speed stage is an example of what I mean. It’s exciting, happy! And upbeat! You ready for a fast-paced stage? Here you go. Or how about the Bubble/Crystal one? It’s calm, and once again, has that Jazz riz. I don’t understand why most of the songs in this game are light considering that earlier entries had musicthat was too light in the scope of the developers.

Conclusion

So that was Gradius IV. A game that referenced stuff from past Gradius games and didn’t really seek to improve what has already been established. Honestly, for Gaiden which learning now literally translates to side story in English, I’d rather call that game the true Gradius IV as they put in a ton of more effort to it that makes it more of a love letter than a continued series down the line. Not to mention that, like the first 2004 SpongeBob Movie, the developers wanted to have Arcade Gradius III to be the final entry to the Gradius series overall, but none of the games after it made a great continuation as much as from 1 to salamander, to 2, and to 3. The graphics also don’t hold up much especially when comparing it to other games released in 1999. They should’ve stayed with the 2D designs even if games at the time were supposed to be all that 3D. But that’s it for another review off my list. I would’ve gotten more ruthless with this entry, but I’ve done the best that I could to explain things in greater detail than before.

Gradius is a shoot 'em up series I've been working through the last year or so. Playing through the Gradius titles especially, this close together, just feels like constant de ja vu. I believe a lot of people would describe the repeating levels and enemies as 'series staples' but I just see it as a lack of innovation. Gradius IV came out almost 15 years after the original 1985 release yet it feels almost like the same game.

Don't get me wrong, the visuals are certainly improved. Gradius IV uses some nice 3D models with decent looking effects for the time. It has a bit of a 'my first 3D' game look to it that a lot of titles did in that era but it looks good. The level and ship design though may as well have not evolved in that same time. There is an Easter Island statue section, a volcano level, a fire dragon level, some repeating bosses etc. Whilst there are slight changes (the volcano section now moves up and down) there is nothing exciting here, I've seen it all before.

The game plays well enough, I played it on the PSP Gradius collection. I certainly found it more accessible than Gradius III which was obnoxiously hard. That is until I got to another 'series staple'. In Gradius you sometimes get these forced speed sections where the screen speeds up horizontally forcing you to weave through obstacles to get past like your ship is speeding through. This section broke me. A wrong choice? Straight into a dead end you can't avoid. Dead. Stay at the back of the screen to see what's coming? Enemy comes from behind. Dead. Door closes on you and don't get there early enough or shoot it enough? Dead. It's just awful. I don't have the patience or time to memorise and practice this halfway through the game. I'd rather play games that are fun.

Worst cover art of the series too disapointingly. Two stars for being better than Gradius III, I still don't like it though.