By What path brought you all the way here?
Edition Checked: PS5 (Standard) / European
- critique by Graham Banas
Gradius Origins is an astonishingly complete bundle. Beyond bundling six legendary shoot ’em up releases — the original Gradius trilogy, a pair from Salamander, Life Force and their region-specific edits — it also debuts the very first brand-new Salamander entry in almost three decades.
Salamander has always been the off-shoot sibling to classic Gradius, yet no fresh instalments have appeared since 1996.
Salamander III distinguishes itself by delivering a flawless fusion of the two brands the way nothing before has managed, blending enemy archetypes and stage themes without a single seam. And it caps everything with a stunning end-boss.
Curiously, Salamander now feels more gracefully aged than Gradius, even though Gradius lends this anthology its name.
Gradius might be legendary for its starship design, level hierarchy, and play loop, but Salamander proves Konami wasn’t afraid to embrace the strange. This is most evident in Life Force’s localisation, forcing you to pilot through what looks like the corridors of a living organism.
Where Gradius leans on mecha and starfighters with a vibe reminiscent of Galaga, Salamander probes horror, giving us moist grotesqueries, swarms of eyeballs, and more.
The moment-to-moment action remains the same no matter which title you pick — Salamander III included — which carries both pros and cons. The difficulty curve is brutal, but that’s par for the course given the era of their initial release. With both arcade operators hungry for coins and home consoles needing bite-sized yet endlessly replayable cartridges, such merciless design was inevitable.
Several modern conveniences soften the blow: an easy setting, full rewind mechanic, and even total invincibility so Trophy hunters can just sightsee.
The compilation offers a treasure trove of timeless shooters plus a fresh chapter that breathes invigorating life into the series. If you’re a bullet-hell devotee, it’s essential.
For more than ten years, Graham has been crafting reviews for Push Square. During that span he has faced countless exemplary adventures and, sure, a handful of misfires. Thanks to an encyclopedic grasp of publishers and catalogues, he’ll happily jump into any genre. When the review keyboard heats up, he typically gravitates toward rhythm titles and, more recently, VR. Invite him to a long chat about games and he’ll eventually confess that Kentucky Route Zero is his all-time favourite.