Shoot ’em ups were one of the first video game sensations to sweep through arcades. The novelist Martin Amis became so obsessed with 1978’s Space Invaders he wrote an entire guide/appreciation of sorts for it long before the idea of games criticism was considered anything worth thinking about. From fixed-screen shooters like Galaxian and Galaga were born side-scrolling shooters like Defender and vertical scrollers like Xevious. Modern shooters prioritize precision aiming but old-school shoot ’em ups are all about precision positioning. The result is a series of spatial awareness puzzles infused with the nail-biting tension of futuristic guns, close calls, and endless carnage.
When Konami’s Gradius arrived in 1985 it quickly became one of the cornerstones of the genre thanks to its novel upgrade system, catchy music, and memorable boss fights. While its success, especially in the West, was short-lived, its cult status, which includes admiration for its unflinching difficulty, lives on. The road from Space Invaders to Doom to Call of Duty runs through Gradius. It’s an important legacy that’s now been admirably preserved thanks to the excellent Gradius Origins collection.
Out August 7 on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC, Konami’s tribute to its shmup history was developed by emulation experts M2 and contains Gradius, Gradius II, Gradius III, Life Force, Salamander, Salamander 2, and Salamander 3, an entirely new game in that lineage that satisfyingly recreates the old magic with new levels (M2 was also responsible for 2007’s franchise reimagining, Gradius ReBirth). It’s hard not to notice what’s missing. Gradius Gaiden, Gradius IV, Gradius V, and more are all MIA. Perhaps Konami is holding out for a second collection. At $40, Gradius Origins isn’t cheap, but what’s there is a polished and fulsome assembly of the past that doesn’t cut corners.
You can consult Digital Foundry’s fantastic breakdown for more on the series’ history and M2’s emulation in this collection. The games are tough as nails, especially for anyone unfamiliar with the unforgiving grind of quarter-based gameplay. Thankfully, the new collection includes modern aids like gameplay rewinding and quick-save reloads. Crisp presentation and quality-of-life additions are only half the story, though. Gradius Origins also includes alternative arcade versions of every game, with helpful documentation explaining what was changed between releases, including updates to make the game easier for American players or to fix high score exploits being taken advantage of in Japan. Console editions are unfortunately missing, but it’s still a really neat window into ’80s arcade gaming history.
While Gradius Origins is a great, authentic look at the shoot ’em up genre’s past, Earthion brings it forward into the present with a new entry that oozes retro charm. Arriving on PC last week (console versions will be available in September), Earthion is a 16-bit shmup directed by famous Streets of Rage composer Yuzo Koshiro and developed natively for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive (cartridges won’t be available until next year). All I can say is it’s the real deal: crunchy pixel art, snappy controls, and tight gameplay balanced to be approachable (at least if you’re playing on normal difficulty) with a top-notch soundtrack that keeps you coming back.
The art is what stands out most, with gorgeous backgrounds full of parallax scrolling effects that remind you what true “next-gen” upgrades used to feel like back in the ’90s. Earthion is also much more forgiving than its inspirations like Gradius and R-Type. Health bars and shield meters make it much easier to stay alive and snowball your upgrades. It’s a great debut game from Koshiro’s new studio, Ancient Corporation. There are apparently pirated ROMs of it going around, which the composer has begged people to avoid so the group can stick around long enough to make its next game.
The back-to-back releases are fitting considering Gradius‘ soundtrack was one Koshiro has cited as a powerful inspiration for his own work. As a genre, the shmup hasn’t gotten the same classic revival some other retro genres have over the last decade, but taken together, these games are a great start.
