It’s not nearly as cool as the black hole from Gradius Gaiden, but it’s still a pretty neat concept. There’s another replica of the first level of Gradius, except you can destroy a control panel which either turns the scenery snow white or sets it ablaze with fire. The opportunity to make an “old” game might come off as a bit cheap, and a step backwards.Īnd yes, on some levels it feels a bit uninspired, although it occasionally puts some twists on them.

On the other hand, most people consider Gradius Gaiden the pinnacle of that series, at least in the classical sense, not considering the direction that Gradius V took. This sort of retro styled design worked for Mega Man 9, since most classic fans agree the series peaked around the second or third NES game. There are some additional effects that weren’t present in games of the era, like sprite rotation. Gradius Rebirth is designed to look and sound like a late ‘80s or early ‘90s Konami arcade title, circa Gradius II. Plus, Gradius IV was already subtitled “Fukkatsu”, which basically means the same thing.Īt least that had the updated graphics going for it. One might be tempted to call it “Gradius Rehash”, since much of it is based off of recycled elements from previous games, even moreso than usual for the Rebirth line. Gradius Rebirth, released as a WiiWare title in 2008, is somewhat of an inappropriate name.

Contra rebirth wii