Gradius IV Fukkatsu | |
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Developer(s) | Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo |
Publisher(s) | Konami |
Director(s) | Akinari Takaki |
Producer(s) | Michihiro Ishizuka |
Designer(s) | Yasunori Kanetake Noriaki Yamamoto |
Composer(s) | Atsuki Watanabe |
Platform(s) | Arcade |
Release date(s) |
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Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Cabinet | Upright |
Arcade system | Konami Hornet |
Display | Raster, 512 x 384, horizontal orientation |
Gradius IV Fukkatsu (グラディウスIV~復活~ , lit. "Gradius IV: Revival") is the fourth arcade installment in a series of scrolling shooter video games developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. It was preceded by Gradius III, released in 1989, although other non-numbered spinoffs had been released such as Gradius Gaiden. This title brings a considerable graphical upgrade, particularly with the use of colored lighting. In addition, there have been several additions and removals to the vaulted weapons system; specifically, the edit mode has been removed and an online ranking system was added.
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The core gameplay of Gradius IV remains relatively unchanged. However, several changes were made on the weapons system in the transition from Gradius III. First of all, the edit mode has been completely eliminated, as are the "Snake Option" (s.option), the "Reduce" shield type, and the seventh powerup category. The seventh powerup category was the one that was labeled "!" and would produce detrimental results, such as reducing the speed or eliminating the weapons of the ship.
In this game there are a total of six configurations, the first four of which are migrated from Gradius II. There two new configurations are as follows:
Configuration 5: The missile mode is a vertical mine that is released above and below the ship. After a short delay, the mines explode, yielding a large explosion. The double mode is the standard 45-degree angle split. The laser mode is a thin armor piercing round that can penetrate multiple enemies.
Configuration 6: The missile mode is the flying torpedo, which produces two missiles that fly forward in front of the ship. The double mode is the tailgun, seen in other configurations. The laser is the twin laser seen in Gradius III.
Starting a tradition that is continued in Gradius V, this game introduced an online-ranking system. After a player's game was over, a password was presented. This password, which was hashed scoring information, could be uploaded to a Konami website [1]. This ability was only available in Japan, and was discontinued on August 27 of 1998. This was similarly done for the Gradius III and IV console release. Score recording was disabled approximately a year after its arcade brethren.
Gradius IV Fukkatsu never received a direct port. It was included in the Gradius III and IV compilation for the PlayStation 2 in 2000 and as a part of Gradius Collection for the PlayStation Portable in 2006. The former also includes a boss rush mode (play all the game's bosses in a time attack fashion) and a stage select.
Gradius IV Fukkatsu Original Game Soundtrack was developed by Atsuki and released by Konami on March 5, 1999 in Japan.
Gradius IV Fukkatsu Original Game Soundtrack (71:05) | |||||||||
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No. | Title | Length | |||||||
1. | "Athena" | 4:56 | |||||||
2. | "Dupon" | 5:28 | |||||||
3. | "Demo BGM (Demo)" | 0:16 | |||||||
4. | "Select BGM (Select)" | 1:02 | |||||||
5. | "Apollon (Dog Fight 1)" | 1:23 | |||||||
6. | "Feiton (Dog Fight 2)" | 1:00 | |||||||
7. | "Hydra (Stage 1 - Liquid Metal Stage)" | 2:02 | |||||||
8. | "Demeter (Stage 2 - Plant Stage)" | 1:52 | |||||||
9. | "Oceanus (Stage 3 - Bubble Stage)" | 1:46 | |||||||
10. | "Cronos (Stage 4 Part 1 - Magma Stage)" | 1:35 | |||||||
11. | "Hades (Stage 4 Part 2 - Magma Stage)" | 1:36 | |||||||
12. | "Uranus (Stage 5 - Moai Stage)" | 1:52 | |||||||
13. | "Hera (Stage 6 - Cell Stage)" | 1:51 | |||||||
14. | "Dupon (Stage 7 - High Speed Stage)" | 0:55 | |||||||
15. | "Boss BGM 1 (Boss Rush Stage 8 Part 1)" | 0:28 | |||||||
16. | "Boss BGM 2 (Boss Rush Stage 8 Part 2)" | 0:38 | |||||||
17. | "Prometheus (Stage 9 Part 1 - Final Stronghold Stage)" | 1:31 | |||||||
18. | "Athena (Stage 9 Part 2 - Final Stronghold Stage)" | 1:59 | |||||||
19. | "Titans (Boss BGM)" | 1:11 | |||||||
20. | "Game Over (Game Over)" | 0:11 | |||||||
21. | "Ranking BGM (Ranking)" | 0:45 | |||||||
22. | "Gaia (Staff Roll)" | 1:04 | |||||||
23. | "Gradius IV Sound Effect Library (Sound Effect Library)" | 2:16 | |||||||
24. | "Gradius" | 6:59 | |||||||
25. | "Gradius II" | 11:17 | |||||||
26. | "Gradius III" | 15:12 |
Gradius IV received generally positive reviews.
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