Konami Digital Entertainment, has announced the GRADIUS ORIGINS collection—this compilation will release on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on August 7 with digital pre-orders starting on March 27 (yesterday). GRADIUS ORIGINS is the definitive collection of the earliest games from the GRADIUS series—2D shoot 'em up classics that embody nostalgic gaming from the 1980s.

GRADIUS holds a special place in gaming history - not just for its side-scrolling spacecraft battles, but also for introducing a legendary cheat code. First appearing in the original 1986 Japanese FAMICOM version, the now-iconic code (activated once players pushed the ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A buttons on their controllers) gave players a crucial power-up boost, and would later go on to become a staple in gaming culture. With this new collection, players can relive the challenge of GRADIUS while paying homage to the origins of one of gaming's most famous secrets.The collection also introduces Salamander III, a new entry to the franchise in over 15 years. Salamander III's storyline takes place after the events of the Salamander Wars that played out in Salamander (1986). Bacterian troops once again attack the planet Latis. Forced to face the enemy amongst the stars, a fighter pilot from Latis flies off to fight the Salamanders alongside Vic Viper - Type L.


Staying true to the 1990s aesthetics of GRADIUS titles, Salamander III features 2D sprites and backgrounds as players traverse six different stages using power-ups from the Salamander series. A total of seven games with 18 different regional versions are complimented with modern-day quality-of-life features, including competitive online leaderboards, rewind abilities, quick save/load functions, reduced hit detection, and more.

For more information visit: www.konami.com/games/gradius/