The cult classic returns, re-imagined
By Paul Hunter
Booting Gradius Origins on PlayStation 5 feels like stepping up to an arcade cabinet with modern buttons. Porting experts M2 delivers seven arcade-era shooters from Konami, including the Gradius classics and the Salamander line. The set also adds a brand-new Salamander III from M2 and a stack of regional builds and prototypes to check out different variations.
The emulation keeps things sharp and snappy. Controls are sharp and responsive, and input lag is near zero. You can quick-save, rewind mistakes, and tweak difficulty so you can learn the toughest sections without losing steam.
Beyond the action, the extras reward digging. You’ll find visual galleries, design documents, and an expansive music player. For the first-ever on home consoles, Gradius III AM Show Version is included, giving collectors a version previously only shown in a 1989 fall festival. Online Rankings and Training mode add even more replayability.
So, does the mix of faithful emulation and modern enhancements make Gradius Origins on PS5 worth jumping back into the Vic Viper or Lord British for another go? Let’s find out!
Gradius Origins serves up seven arcade shooters from Konami's two related shooter series. The Gradius lineup includes Gradius (initially known internationally as Nemesis), Gradius II: GOFER no Yabou (Vulcan Venture internationally), and Gradius III: Densetsu kara Shinwa e.
The Salamander side brings the 1986 arcade original Salamander, it's North American version Life Force (which uses the power-up selection bar from Gradius), and Salamander 2. The kicker is Salamander III, the third and newest entry made by M2 to echo the feel of a mid-90s arcade sequel, featuring the classic Salamander power-up system, horizontal and vertical-scrolling action, and huge sprite-based bosses.
For archivists, the collection is generous. Across the seven titles you can access 18 builds, including regional variants, prototype ROMs and rare trade-show edits. Small archival perks are a nice touch, such as the regional builds and prototype ROMs including notes so you know what’s different.
It is worth noting that this is strictly an arcade compendium, so console and MSX releases are excluded, notably sequels like Gradius Gaiden, Gradius IV and Gradius V aren’t included.
The gameplay here is built around two clear systems, and both are addictive in their own way. Gradius demands careful resource management. You collect capsules to move a selection bar, then spend that meter to buy speed, missiles, lasers or support options. Lose a life late in a stage and you drop back to a checkpoint with nothing saved. That sharp consequence makes long runs tense and satisfying when you hold on.
Salamander plays differently. Power-ups appear as icons you grab directly, and stages flip between horizontal and vertical scrolling. The flow is faster, and Salamander 2 lets you team up for co-op mayhem. Life Force borrows bits from both approaches, giving you hybrid pacing and occasional surprises.
M2’s modern aids change how you learn these rules. Quick saves and rewind let you correct a single mistake instead of restarting an entire run. There’s also a training mode where you set restart points, pick power-ups and drill tough sections. I used rewind during a brutal late-stage encounter and it turned a frustrating loss into a tight practice loop that actually taught me timing.
The new gadget UI is useful rather than cluttered. It shows your current upgrade state, on-screen hitboxes, and stage variations so you can study patterns. Controls are fully remappable and rapid-fire options exist for extended sessions. Replays and leaderboards give you measurable goals beyond surviving.
The collection’s museum complements the action. Galleries, design notes, concept sketches and a music player let you dig into the games without playing. That archive feeling makes returning to a level feel like homework you actually enjoy.
A small caveat: some practice aids are limited for the newly made Salamander III to keep its arcade spirit intact. Also the Gradius III AM prototype remains unforgiving and may still push you toward the rewind or easier settings. Overall, the mix of old-school mechanics and modern tools makes practise rewarding and runs feel fairer without losing challenge.
The way these games look and sound on PS5 is fantastic. The original sprites are intact, and the new Salamander III rocks that mid-90s arcade vibe with lots of layered effects. Salamander 2 still has that chunky colour palette that looks great even at higher resolutions.
You can change how the screen looks with a few easy toggles. CRT filter gives that old-cabinet warmth. Smoothing takes the blockiness down a notch. Sharp shows every pixel as it was originally drawn. You can pick original resolution, full screen or fit-to-window depending on your preference.
The gameplay feel is pixel perfection. Under heavy fire the frame timing stays steady and inputs feel responsive. That makes close calls feel fair and satisfying. Different titles keep distinct tones, which keeps each session feeling fresh. Replays, leaderboards and trophies add even more reasons to keep coming back.
Sound is very authentic to the arcade origins. Power-up blips and weapon bursts hit with the right snap. The music still gets stuck in your head and the music player makes it easy to sample tracks between runs. Some digitised speech comes with subtitles, which is handy when the original audio is crackly.
All told, presentation treats these arcade releases with respect. The faithfulness of these arcade ports combined with new quality-of-life features gives you a polished way to run through these classic classic on a modern setup.
Final Score: 8.5/10 - Great
Developer: M2
Publisher: Konami
Genre: Shoot 'Em Up
Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer
A key was provided by the publisher.
By Paul Hunter
Booting Gradius Origins on PlayStation 5 feels like stepping up to an arcade cabinet with modern buttons. Porting experts M2 delivers seven arcade-era shooters from Konami, including the Gradius classics and the Salamander line. The set also adds a brand-new Salamander III from M2 and a stack of regional builds and prototypes to check out different variations.
The emulation keeps things sharp and snappy. Controls are sharp and responsive, and input lag is near zero. You can quick-save, rewind mistakes, and tweak difficulty so you can learn the toughest sections without losing steam.
Beyond the action, the extras reward digging. You’ll find visual galleries, design documents, and an expansive music player. For the first-ever on home consoles, Gradius III AM Show Version is included, giving collectors a version previously only shown in a 1989 fall festival. Online Rankings and Training mode add even more replayability.
So, does the mix of faithful emulation and modern enhancements make Gradius Origins on PS5 worth jumping back into the Vic Viper or Lord British for another go? Let’s find out!
Gradius Origins serves up seven arcade shooters from Konami's two related shooter series. The Gradius lineup includes Gradius (initially known internationally as Nemesis), Gradius II: GOFER no Yabou (Vulcan Venture internationally), and Gradius III: Densetsu kara Shinwa e.
The Salamander side brings the 1986 arcade original Salamander, it's North American version Life Force (which uses the power-up selection bar from Gradius), and Salamander 2. The kicker is Salamander III, the third and newest entry made by M2 to echo the feel of a mid-90s arcade sequel, featuring the classic Salamander power-up system, horizontal and vertical-scrolling action, and huge sprite-based bosses.
For archivists, the collection is generous. Across the seven titles you can access 18 builds, including regional variants, prototype ROMs and rare trade-show edits. Small archival perks are a nice touch, such as the regional builds and prototype ROMs including notes so you know what’s different.
It is worth noting that this is strictly an arcade compendium, so console and MSX releases are excluded, notably sequels like Gradius Gaiden, Gradius IV and Gradius V aren’t included.
The gameplay here is built around two clear systems, and both are addictive in their own way. Gradius demands careful resource management. You collect capsules to move a selection bar, then spend that meter to buy speed, missiles, lasers or support options. Lose a life late in a stage and you drop back to a checkpoint with nothing saved. That sharp consequence makes long runs tense and satisfying when you hold on.
Salamander plays differently. Power-ups appear as icons you grab directly, and stages flip between horizontal and vertical scrolling. The flow is faster, and Salamander 2 lets you team up for co-op mayhem. Life Force borrows bits from both approaches, giving you hybrid pacing and occasional surprises.
M2’s modern aids change how you learn these rules. Quick saves and rewind let you correct a single mistake instead of restarting an entire run. There’s also a training mode where you set restart points, pick power-ups and drill tough sections. I used rewind during a brutal late-stage encounter and it turned a frustrating loss into a tight practice loop that actually taught me timing.
The new gadget UI is useful rather than cluttered. It shows your current upgrade state, on-screen hitboxes, and stage variations so you can study patterns. Controls are fully remappable and rapid-fire options exist for extended sessions. Replays and leaderboards give you measurable goals beyond surviving.
The collection’s museum complements the action. Galleries, design notes, concept sketches and a music player let you dig into the games without playing. That archive feeling makes returning to a level feel like homework you actually enjoy.
A small caveat: some practice aids are limited for the newly made Salamander III to keep its arcade spirit intact. Also the Gradius III AM prototype remains unforgiving and may still push you toward the rewind or easier settings. Overall, the mix of old-school mechanics and modern tools makes practise rewarding and runs feel fairer without losing challenge.
The way these games look and sound on PS5 is fantastic. The original sprites are intact, and the new Salamander III rocks that mid-90s arcade vibe with lots of layered effects. Salamander 2 still has that chunky colour palette that looks great even at higher resolutions.
You can change how the screen looks with a few easy toggles. CRT filter gives that old-cabinet warmth. Smoothing takes the blockiness down a notch. Sharp shows every pixel as it was originally drawn. You can pick original resolution, full screen or fit-to-window depending on your preference.
The gameplay feel is pixel perfection. Under heavy fire the frame timing stays steady and inputs feel responsive. That makes close calls feel fair and satisfying. Different titles keep distinct tones, which keeps each session feeling fresh. Replays, leaderboards and trophies add even more reasons to keep coming back.
Sound is very authentic to the arcade origins. Power-up blips and weapon bursts hit with the right snap. The music still gets stuck in your head and the music player makes it easy to sample tracks between runs. Some digitised speech comes with subtitles, which is handy when the original audio is crackly.
All told, presentation treats these arcade releases with respect. The faithfulness of these arcade ports combined with new quality-of-life features gives you a polished way to run through these classic classic on a modern setup.
The Verdict
Gradius Origins captures the heart of arcade shooting with six classics and the brand new Salamander III. The mix of strict Gradius upgrades and flexible Salamander pick-ups keeps runs dynamic, while extras like rewind, save states, and invincibility make even brutal stages approachable. With 18 versions spanning prototypes and regional builds, plus sharp filters, leaderboards, and a robust Museum, the package is more than nostalgia. What’s here feels curated with care: It’s both a history lesson and an adrenaline rush in one polished collection.Final Score: 8.5/10 - Great
Gradius Origins details
Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PCDeveloper: M2
Publisher: Konami
Genre: Shoot 'Em Up
Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer
A key was provided by the publisher.