2026-08-28 · blog
Gradius Gaiden (1997) — the classic that a still image could not sell, and that sold 34,383 copies
Episode 41 of “Today Is Release Day”: Gradius Gaiden, released by Konami for the PlayStation in Japan on August 28, 1997, at 5,800 yen. It was the first entry in the series designed for a home console rather than an arcade, and reportedly took less than a year to develop. You choose one of four ships — Vic Viper, Lord British, Jade Knight, Falchion β — reorder the power-up meter yourself, and pick between a “Guard” barrier that survives terrain and a “Limit” barrier that grants three seconds of full invincibility. It also added the series’ first two-player mode. Its stages run from a snowfield to the remains of a boss, laser-reflecting crystals and rotating Moai heads. The reception, though, was twisted: Famitsu’s four reviewers called it one of the best-looking shooters on the PlayStation, while the wider public waved it off as “Gradius III with slightly better resolution” and “a 2D shooter, now?” in a year that only looked at 3D. It sold 34,383 copies in its lifetime, and the North American release announced in December 1997 was cancelled. The reassessment came later — on December 3, 2018 it was one of just twenty games built into the PlayStation Classic.
