The SNES Gradius III port, beautiful but slowdown prone. Still a great Konami horizontal shooter, demanding and stylish.
Your verdict
Category
Shooter1 player7+
Description
Konami horizontal shoot-'em-up in which the Vic Viper spacecraft battles the Bacterion empire. Published by Konami, released in Japan in 1990. Six stages with varied configurations, iconic Gradius franchise power-ups, gigantic bosses, parallax scrolling effects and memorable soundtrack. Super Famicom port of the Gradius III arcade with adjusted difficulty levels.
Gradius III review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
A sonic peak of the series, Konami's music deploys electronic themes of remarkable breadth and intensity, from launch to titanic bosses. Each level pulses with a galvanising energy magnified by the SNES chip. This musical richness confirms Gradius as an absolute benchmark of the shooter.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Choosing your weapon loadout then crossing a deluge of fire wrapped in shimmering options: this demanding shooter rewards anticipation and precision. The imposing bosses and memorable levels impose a tense pace from start to finish. Strategic, snappy and fearsome, a pillar of space shooting that demands mastery but offers an unmatched rush.
The Japanese Super Famicom version of Konami's Gradius III from 1990, Japan-exclusive on original cartridge under this name. The Japanese cart is culturally important as the Konami launch title on Super Famicom and preserves a few technical differences from the US version. Intact boxed CIB with cardboard sleeve and illustrated Konami manual is a target for Konami SFC launch-line collectors, and the cote climbs steadily, sustained by this pioneer position.
Memorable bosses
A benchmark of the horizontal shooter, this entry strings together cult guardians — armored cores, spitting moai heads and organic creatures — up to whole corridors devoted to a merciless boss rush. Managing your power-up bar becomes a strategy in itself to survive. A fearsome difficulty, iconic design and relentless pace make these clashes a pillar of the genre.
Is Gradius III still worth playing in 2026?
The Super Famicom port of Gradius III keeps Konami's arcade with its capsule power up bar, orientable options and legendary stages. The move to Nintendo's hardware brings the well known slowdowns when the screen gets crowded, which can paradoxically help newcomers. The tech remains impressive for 1990. The difficulty stays demanding. Recommended to fans of capsule based Konami shooting wanting to discover the genre's centerpiece in a stable home version.
