Konami’s Gradius Origins Could Be Its Ultimate Retro Collection

Sure thing, let’s get into this. So, Konami’s been a bit all over the place with bringing back their old games, right? Remember those Silent Hill and Metal Gear “HD” collections? Yeah, not exactly their finest hour. But lately, they’ve been kicking it up a notch — thanks to these M2 guys who really know their stuff about emulation.

This new Gradius Origins collection? It dropped just the other day, and let me tell you, it’s pretty darn good. M2 delivered once again, no surprise there.

Gradius kicked off way back in 1985, kind of building on this whole shoot-’em-up thing that Konami had started earlier with a game called Scramble in ’82. Five main games in the Gradius world, loads of spinoffs, plus Salamander (or Life Force) — because why not mix things up with some vertical scrolling, right?

But hey, nothing much after 2008’s Gradius ReBirth, which was a WiiWare exclusive, you know. And yes, guess who developed it? M2, the legends.

Anyway, Gradius Origins has painstakingly recreated six arcade classics: Gradius, Salamander, Life Force, Gradius 2: Gofer no Yabou, Gradius 3: From Legend to Myth, and Salamander 2. There are 17 variations! Seriously. The Gradius 3 version they included was just this one-off at some 1989 arcade show. Weird, but cool, I guess.

They packed in heaps of gameplay options too, like invincibility modes and auto-rewind. Perfect for when you totally mess up — not that I ever do — letting fans finally conquer those tricky bits. And there’s loads of behind-the-scenes stuff too: early sketches, game art, music. You want that boss music on loop? Go for it.

M2’s even thrown in original bugs and CRT filters you can tweak. I mean, it’s like they thought of everything for the die-hard fans.

But hang on, the real kicker? There’s an all-new game: Salamander 3. It’s like they plucked it straight out of the late ’90s. Has that retro feel, with flashy sprites and early 3D vibes. Mix of side-scrolling, vertical madness — battling alien ships and all that jazz. It nails the nostalgia and still feels fresh.

So, if you’ve got a soft spot for Gradius or Salamander — or just love well-done retro collections — this M2 and Konami collab is calling your name. A real tribute, though only arcade-focused, it’s got depth and flair in spades.

Grab Gradius Origins now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. You’re welcome.