Gradius Galaxies 2001

Is it still worth playing?

The Vic Viper is sent to stop a planet that has turned into a mechanical fortress, in this 2001 horizontally scrolling shooter for the Game Boy Advance, set between Gradius III and Gradius Gaiden. It keeps the series' power meter. There are four weapon configurations, balanced, wide area, power and air to ground, shown by the color of the ship, and you can let the game assign upgrades or buy them yourself. Shields come as a shield or a force field. The game has three difficulty modes, each with three loops that get harder as you clear them. The stages include glass platforms that shatter, waterfalls that hover in mid air and a Moai level, and one boss is an invincible crusher that fills much of the screen. The Japanese version adds a challenge mode. Restarts from any checkpoint still make it easy to pick up and play.