Gradius III

The classic spaceship Vic Viper hovers over the scorching surface of an enemy planet, and you know that a single hit is enough and you're done. This is Gradius III, one of the most demanding and at the same time most elegant horizontal shoot 'em ups on the Super Nintendo, and a game that to this day remains a byword whenever talk turns to the shmup genre.

The Gradius series was brought into the world by Konami, and its console version, Gradius III, follows on from the arcade original from the late eighties. At the heart of the game is the now-iconic upgrade system: you collect capsules that gradually light up a bar at the bottom of the screen, and you yourself choose when and into what to invest the energy. Speed, missile, double shot, laser, accompanying Option modules and a shield put combinations in your hands that few shooters of the era offered. A mistimed squandering of your bonuses, meanwhile, can spell ruin, so every advance requires a plan.

Gradius III is notoriously known for its difficulty. Bosses, narrow corridors full of obstacles and the legendary level with spewing volcanoes test even seasoned players, and death means the loss of most of your upgrades, so the return to action tends to be painful. It is precisely this uncompromising nature, though, that turned the game into a summit that genre fans want to conquer. Visually, the console version makes full use of the Super Nintendo's capabilities, including colorful backgrounds and smooth scrolling.

The game is also an important piece of the retro mosaic because of its role in the launch of the Super Nintendo in Japan, where it was among the early titles accompanying the console's arrival. For many players it was the first encounter with what Nintendo's new machine could handle in the action-shooter genre, and it underscored that Konami was among the top developers of the era.

Anyone who picks up Vic Viper today gets pure, fast and honestly hard action without needless frills. It's a game about reflexes, memory and cool-headed decision-making, not about story, and that is precisely where its enduring appeal lies. Gradius III has aged with the grace that only a true classic deserves.

Why play: If you want to understand why the Gradius series is spoken of with respect, and you're not afraid of a challenge, this is an essential shmup of the golden 16-bit era.