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ESCHATOS
Game
Game2025
GRADIUS ORIGINS
Developer KONAMI, M2 Co.,LTD
Salamander III is the newest addition to the Gradius series, a legendary pioneer in the side-scrolling shooter genre, and comes with the original arcade versions of the previous games. From the Steam store page
222 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Oct 28, 2026 · last updated Oct 29, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
96
LovedLoved
132 positive · 6 negative
95% range 91–98%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 132 | 6 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 28 | 1 | 44 |
| Lemmy * | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 3 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
142 of 148 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
96% recommend · 134 yes, 6 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 140 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (277 of 298 positive).
Players praise M2's high-quality port work and extensive extras like save states and leaderboards. [1][2][3] Many reviewers note the collection is pricey and wish it included more Gradius games. [4][5][6] Some players find the games very difficult and recommend caution for newcomers. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [4]
As a Gradius fan, wait for a sale. $40 is a bit much but you do get some really interesting stuff in this collection. The main reasons to get this are for Salamander 3 and to play a long lost prototype of Gradius 3. The Japanese audience might be interested in trying out the harder US release of the original Gradius and the rare NA version of Gradius 2 called Vulcan Venture. Don't worry too much about difficulty. …
- [12]
Legendary franchise and one that has remained endeared to my heart. I was insanely disappointed with the Arcade Anniversary Collection and wasn't expecting Konami to ever deliver something more cohesive like Gradius Portable on PSP. And yet unexpectedly, for the 40th anniversary of Gradius they decided to hire M2 once again for another one of their collections and in terms of packaging, this might be their best. …
- [1]
Extremely high quality port for the Gradius series. I'm shocked how much effort M2 put into this collection. -Full KB support and adjustable settings / autofire -Savestates, replays (your game will be recorded during each session, you can choose to keep/delete or upload a replay) -Online scoreboard rankings with downloadable replays. they even went as far as to invalidate cheated scores or scores that used a game …
- [11]
TL;DR: Plenty here for longtime fans to enjoy. M2 did outstanding work. Even if you own some of these games, this collection includes something for everyone. For starters, there's the new Salamander 3. Salamander 3 is the first new Gradius/Salamander game in years and overall, it hits the spot. Personally, I think it draws a little too heavily from Salamander 1 to the point where it borders onto a remake. A couple …
- [2]
Another must-have collection by M2. (9.5/10)
Summarised from 34 of the 219 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
96% of the 140 Steam reviewers we collected recommend GRADIUS ORIGINS. The complaint that keeps coming up: price is too high for the content. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Reactions
60 of 222 · most liked firstKonami's Gradius Origins just got released today… which includes M2's all-new original game entry to the series, "Salamander III"! Going with a 'period-correct' angle this time that matches with the 2D arcade visuals, I was in charge of making the BGM music. 🐍🐉🐲 www.konami.com/games/gradiu...
positive · AI labelView post →DF Retro EX returns! Today, John looks at the phenomenal Gradius Origins - bringing together a range of beautifully adapted series entries along with a brand new game: Salamander 3! youtu.be/b2mBaTEjmVE
neutral · AI labelView post →Salamander III, a newly created game by M2 in Gradius Origins, making for the first original Konami shooter in nearly 25 years www.hardcoregaming101.net/salamander-i...
neutral · AI labelView post →I really suck at these games, but I keep buying them. Anyways, it's exactly what it says. If priced by virtual quarters for continues, I've spent about 6 bucks so far in about 45 minutes so I guess the price isn't too bad. I told you I suck at these.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Satoshi Nakai talked about his work on Salamander III, namely the backgrounds for stages 1 and 5 + the final stage and the boss. He also drew 2 posters: 1 for the game, the other one for Gradius Origins + Operation Night Striker. x.com/SatoshiNakai... x.com/SatoshiNakai... x.com/SatoshiNakai...
neutral · AI labelView post →We did a Quick Look at Gradius Origins, another great compilation of classic Konami games that also comes with a whole new game: www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0Pn...
neutral · AI labelView post →okay, i 1CCd Salamander 2. that means i've 1-alled every game on the Gradius Origins collection except for Gradius 3, because of course i haven't done Gradius 3. i'd like to do that game one day but i believe that will be in the far-flung future
positive · AI labelView post →lol i guess this is getting traction. prolly more than my salamander iii release announcement😩 y'all should check out konami's Gradius Origins btw, it's released for all the major game platforms and the included Salamander III has more of my music there lol bsky.app/profile/chib...
positive · AI labelView post →Preamble: Before I get into things, though, I must – sadly, given people apparently aren't reading the name of the compilation – give the disclaimer this is Gradius Origins. As in “where the series originated, and its beginnings” This was never once marketed as a comprehensive, exhaustive collection that contained literally every game in the series. They needed to pick a cut-off date, and that happened to be “1996”. Between having one compilation with the entire series with a single new game,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Busy day for M2 rereleases! First, Gradius Origins, an arcade-focused collection with a new game, Salamander III, and loads of extras! PSN store.playstation.com/en-gb/produc... Xbox www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/... Switch www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/... Steam store.steampowered.com/app/2897590/...
neutral · AI labelView post →[Upcoming game] Gradius ORIGINS (August 7) "A collection that brings together six legendary arcade classics and the all-new SALAMANDER III. Pilot your ship through dangerous enemy lines, upgrade your weapons, and master this intense, fast-paced adventure."
neutral · AI labelView post →I just received the Premium Box of Gradius Origins straight from Japan and this is one beautiful edition! Apart from the game, there's also a book, a clear-file, a cloth-poster, instruction cards for Salamander III and - very important - the fantastic soundtrack of the new Salamander!
positive · AI labelView post →once you see that gradius 2 directly influenced metroid, super metroid, and star fox you'll never unsee it
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →M2 also just wrapped up their first stream in a while: in addition to the first in-game look at the upcoming Night Striker Gear, they went sicko mode on Gradius Origins Collection & Operation Night Strikers and shared a brief Aleste Branch update (still just a potato) mastodon.social/@gosokkyu/11...
neutral · AI labelView post →The reason why there are steam achievements in Gradius Origins for getting a higher score than the default 57,300 on all the games is because "5-7-3" can be read as "Ko-Na-Mi" tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwik...
neutral · AI labelView post →As a Gradius fan, wait for a sale. $40 is a bit much but you do get some really interesting stuff in this collection. The main reasons to get this are for Salamander 3 and to play a long lost prototype of Gradius 3. The Japanese audience might be interested in trying out the harder US release of the original Gradius and the rare NA version of Gradius 2 called Vulcan Venture. Don't worry too much about difficulty. For everything that isn't Salamander 3, you can always play it in Invincible…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bloggo's First Shooter love was Gradius. Now M2 have spread their love on Bloggo's love. That sounds messy and quite frankly disgusting. Anyway Gradius Origins is out with a brand new game included! Watch and see what it's like! youtu.be/TxScg-kYrhE
positive · AI labelView post →Mediocre screen options (poor scanlines, ugly filters) as usual with M2. Salamander 3 has quite a few stutters on my 4K 120Hz screen (shouldn't be an issue with a 4080) and has even worse screen settings than the rest. No option whatsoever to remove slowdown in the older games, no pitch-black background. Overall, another disappointment from M2 after their lacklustre Aleste collection!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Even after all these years, it's still amazing to me to be able to play these arcade hits at home that, when I was a kid growing up in the 80s and 90s, we had to go to the arcade at the mall or various stores out there like Walmart, Harvest Foods, various gas stations and convenience stores, etc.. that typically had arcade machines stationed at the front, and pump out quarters and tokens to play these games. I'm no expert at these games by any stretch of the imagination. But, I have had a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Konami's Gradius and its spin-off series Salamander are the stars of the excellent new compilation Gradius Origins, which includes one brand new game: Salamander III. Read @garrettmartin.bsky.social's review. www.endlessmode.com/article/grad...
neutral · AI labelView post →If you're 'semi' into shmups and you've already got the Konami Arcade Classics collection then yes - this is most definitely a big upgrade over that (at least the PC version). This is smoooooth - as you would expect from M2. Casuals? I'd say stay away. It's very expensive for something that's just going to p*ss you off. This is old school 'quarter munching' action (sorry Electric Underground - but yeah, there's tough and there's memorise patterns after dying tough). At least there's rewind…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Legendary franchise and one that has remained endeared to my heart. I was insanely disappointed with the Arcade Anniversary Collection and wasn't expecting Konami to ever deliver something more cohesive like Gradius Portable on PSP. And yet unexpectedly, for the 40th anniversary of Gradius they decided to hire M2 once again for another one of their collections and in terms of packaging, this might be their best. They didn't have to go as far as putting so many extras like concept art, scans…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →while it is a little nostalgic, these games are very much rehashes of one another, and even with quirky additions such as the rewind function, it still doesnt cut it for the price paid for the collection These were and still are tough shootemups and mega skill is needed to make it through them even with new features After a while the novelty wears off and replayability is zero for me... would defo have been better with more added to the collection as other commentors have stated
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →twitch.tv/dot_lvl i'm live! i'm playing the Gradius Origins collection that just came out! this is a bunch of ports of the shmups that got me into shmups, and also! there's a completely new Salamander game in it! please enjoy!
positive · AI labelView post →don't forget to put in the Konami code in the game select menu to unlock an extra game!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bought it mainly for the brand-spankin' new Salamander III; otherwise this isn't my preferred method of playing the rest of the games in the collection (but I respect that this makes them readily available on modern platforms for everyone else). That being the case, I probably should've waited for a steep discount. NITPICKS: 4K / High refresh / Variable refresh DISPLAY ISSUES: -Single 1px line of white pixels along the top of the screen when in 4K. (Not present when in 1080p.) -Slight…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Probalbly the collection that is most for absolute sickos that M2 has ever released. Gradius is in an odd position in being the one shmup a lot of more casual players will recognise whilst in the shmup landscape these earlier games in particular are known as being kinda a bit wack, especially on the difficulty front. Basically all the games in this pack are a bit all over the place in terms of how hard they are, with huge spikes and hard recovery. They're great games but if you just recognise…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →hopped into Gradius Origins for the first time in a few days and just randomly pulled out the Salamander 2 1-ALL? I mean sure I guess cool game!
positive · AI labelView post →Extremely high quality port for the Gradius series. I'm shocked how much effort M2 put into this collection. -Full KB support and adjustable settings / autofire -Savestates, replays (your game will be recorded during each session, you can choose to keep/delete or upload a replay) -Online scoreboard rankings with downloadable replays. they even went as far as to invalidate cheated scores or scores that used a game breaking bug ( will detect and invalidate the score ) -Multiple versions of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Foreword: I paid ~$37 for this, and value commentary will reflect that price. Let's go through what's in this collection, piece by piece! For Gradius 1, you have the following versions: Japanese ROM version -- the version available on most other releases of Gradius 1, e.g. PSX, Saturn, PSP Japanese Bubble version -- Using unreliable bubble memory, this version is the first release of Gradius 1. This has somewhat more slowdown than the later ROM version. North American version -- the version…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Our weekly preview of new games focuses on the one title we'll definitely be playing: Gradius Origins, a collection of decades-old shmups from Konami (and one brand new game made to feel like it came out 25 years ago). www.endlessmode.com/article/this...
neutral · AI labelView post →Gradius Origins Review - The Ultimate Collection + Brand-New Salamander 3 | Digital Foundry Retro EX.
neutral · AI labelView post →QTP with a game you played when you were... -10 yrs old: 1995 - Donkey Kong Country 2 -20 yrs old: 2005 - Kirby Canvas Curse -30 yrs old: 2015 - Yoshi's Wooly World -40 yrs old: 2025 - Gradius Origins I don't think I played anything in 2025 that was from that year...Mario Kart World, I guess.
neutral · AI labelView post →A nice compilation... it is just sad that it doesn't include Gradius IV, Gradius V or Gradius Gaiden. Instead they give us Salamander/Life Force games, which is acceptable. The main negative point here is the need to fiddle around with Steams Controller Config if it could have been handled in game. Yes this does not allow you to reconfigure keys in game. What we got in the 90s with the Snes & Genesis/Mega Drive that was continued with PS1 and Saturn was apparently to much to program in 2025.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overall, it's a classic and you can't go totally wrong, but... But it's not fully tuned-in (yet?). For example, in the first game (the original), the missile option doesn't work, which is super frustrating since it makes the whole game harder for no reason. You can purchase the missiles, they just don't shoot :( Furthermore, I'm not sure the clock is set properly - as I played the game, even on my PS3, I would use 3 speedups to get to the speed I wanted, but in this version, 2 is too fast and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was surprised to see GRADIUS ORIGINS listed as a similar game to mine. It’s truly an honor! store.steampowered.com/recommended/...
positive · AI labelView post →One of @konamina.bsky.social’s greatest game series is #Gradius and they’ve got a whole collection out now on a bunch of systems. LIVE with #GradiusOrigins! (Which includes a brand new SHMUP!) On YouTube www.youtube.com/live/cduNE8m... Or Twitch.tv/EPN
neutral · AI labelView post →LRG's Gradius Origins Collection arrived today. Ordered April 2025. Took 11 months. Play-Asia's version was ordered onApril 2025. Took 4 months. Will open the box tmrw
neutral · AI labelView post →You're gonna die die and die again. For those new to the series, be ready and get used to it. As a long time Gradius fan, this is a fantastic collection and I am very glad Konami brought a lot of these Gradius games back from the unknown so everyone can experience them again. Salamander III was an unexpected but welcome addition and I thought it was good overall. My only hope is Konami expands this collection later on with the Nintendo and PlayStation line of games. I understand this is the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A large collection of various editions and sequels in the Gradius/Salamander/Lifeforce franchise. There are leaderboards for each, helpful save/restore/replay tools which make improving your skill at each less of a time-consuming grind than back in the day. Lots of retro-display settings to tweak if you're looking for that old-school CRT look, want some HUD elements showing your shields, lives, etc. Provides a collection of the games' music, including some unreleased/unused variations,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What are people playing this weekend?. Howdy folks! Opening the floor for anyone to post about games they're playing or looking forward to playing over the weekend. Anything interesting? I'll be cracking into the Gradius Origins collection myself, looking forward to trying out Salamander III.
neutral · AI labelView post →Another must-have collection by M2. (9.5/10)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →GRADIUS ORIGINS out now on Steam.
neutral · AI labelView post →Review: Gradius Origins (Switch) - An Almost-Perfect Package For Shoot 'Em Up Fans. I've really been enjoying the Steam version.
positive · AI labelView post →GRADIUS ORIGINS Notice of Update Ver.1.004 · GRADIUS origin collection update for 3 August 2026 · SteamDB. >GRADIUS III >Changed the default number of lives in Training Mode to 4 and ensured it remains at 4 after restarting. (This support is required to enable adding up to 4 Options via REMAIN OPTION) Changed the clear condition for the EX BOSS stage in Training Mode to "Area" only. > >SALAMANDER 2 >Adjusted the hitbox display. > >SALAMANDER III >Fixed an issue where the maximum loop count…
neutral · AI labelView post →...different options in mind, and before talking to Horii, he'd intended to go with a more compact 4-game comp the interviewer remarks on how that'd be a natural number but 13+ is crazy—Ueno asks Horii if he ever felt that way & he's lIke, "well, Gradius Origins had lots of games", so Ueno...
neutral · AI labelView post →the description is kind of misleading. 7 games with all variations for a total of 18 games, when it's actually just 7 games and their localizations with multiple arcade chip updates that either fixed bugs/cheats/glitches/difficulty levels.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I see an M2 ShotTriggers game, I buy it. The ports are brilliant, of course, and there's even a brand new game! Worth every cent. M2, PLEASE RELEASE EVERY SHOTTRIGGERS GAME ON PC
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Salamander 3 RULES
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gradius Origins Review - The Ultimate Collection + Brand-New Salamander 3 | Digital Foundry Retro EX.
neutral · AI labelView post →this isn't a comment on the quality of Gradius Origins at all, it's just really funny that a game that's 98% previously released games had an embargo on it
neutral · AI labelView post →After recent life events I'm back... and back to see that porting maestro's M2 are at the helm of a Gradius compilation... which includes an entirely new game, Salamander III (Salamander being a Gradius spin-off series). GRADIUS ORIGINS! Best news. #shmups www.timeextension.com/news/2025/03...
positive · AI labelView post →TL;DR: Plenty here for longtime fans to enjoy. M2 did outstanding work. Even if you own some of these games, this collection includes something for everyone. For starters, there's the new Salamander 3. Salamander 3 is the first new Gradius/Salamander game in years and overall, it hits the spot. Personally, I think it draws a little too heavily from Salamander 1 to the point where it borders onto a remake. A couple of the tracks as well as stages 1, 2, and 6 are directly from Salamander 1. It…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hey hey @polykillpodcast.bsky.social I #justbeatit, Lifeforce played on the Gradius Origins collection. Boy, this one’s rough. If not for the “easy” setting, I would have never beaten it. Like all shmups, it’s incredibly hard no matter what! A fantastic game overall!
positive · AI labelView post →Salamander 3 is a big disappointment. Graphics, audio and gameplay are all definitely inferior. Feels like a cheap knock off. They shouldn't have bothered and just kept the price down. However I'm grateful we can have the Salamander 2 arcade game to play at home now, as good as the Saturn port is. I'd wait for a sale because Salamander 3 is simply not worth it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →whole amount of screen and gamepad options, gadgets to help you keep track of resources in-game, and a whole host of salamander/gradius versions, all neatly packaged. emulation and input latency is great given its M2, and the new salamander plays quite well. as for my thoughts on each game: Gradius: fun little game even if presentation and structure of the game is more dated compared to later entries. provides a solid challenge to 1all Gradius II: my favorite game in the collection. i find it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Worth the purchase for Salamander 3 alone but you also get the best ports available for all of the other included games (plus a couple of secret ones if you poke around but I'll let you find those yourself). It's a great collection and I hope M2 and Konami keep 'em coming.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gradius Origins is an incredible collection of some of the greatest shoot ’em ups ever made, brought together by Konami and M2. It includes Gradius I-III, Lifeforce, Salamander I-II, plus the brand new Salamander III. Each one looks and plays beautifully, with handy extras like save states, rewind, and training options. You can even use the Konami code. Even playing Gradius III was fun with all the slowdown. It’s just a shame some of the home versions weren’t included, but as a celebration…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Perfect 10/10. This is a must buy if you were a kid who loved Life Force on NES.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →9. Gradius Origins* If you're new to shmups, sooner or later you will hear of these classic Konami games. This has all the arcade versions of the series. Even though Konami isn't anywhere like it used to be, we were blessed with a brand new game: Salamander 3! And by golly, they did it SO right
positive · AI labelView post →
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