Gradius III
Introduction
Gradius III first appeared in arcades in 1989, and Konami brought it to the Super Nintendo shortly after the console launched, with the North American release following in 1991. Once again the Vic Viper fighter takes off to stop the Bacterion empire, flying through horizontally scrolling stages full of volcanoes, bubble-filled caverns, crystal fields and giant Moai heads. The series’ signature power-up bar returns: collecting capsules moves the cursor along the bar, and the player chooses when to spend them on speed, missiles, doubles, lasers, options or a shield. Gradius III added a weapon edit mode that lets players build their own custom set of power-ups. The Super Nintendo version adjusts stages and difficulty compared with the arcade game and is known for slowdown when the screen fills with enemies, which many players came to appreciate during hectic moments.
