Play Gradius Galaxies Online

Summary

Gradius Galaxies stands out as the sole Gradius entry on the Game Boy Advance, a fact that always catches my eye when I scan handheld libraries. The game mirrors the classic side‑scrolling action of its console siblings, letting you pilot the iconic Vic Viper and face the familiar moai statues and that infamous undefended final boss. What’s quirky is the weapon system: it mirrors Gradius III’s four configurations—Balanced, Wide‑Area, Power and Air‑to‑Ground—each signaled by the ship’s color, yet the edit mode is gone and the “snake option” never appears. You can either let the AI assign power‑ups or manually purchase upgrades, and you’re limited to just two shield choices, shield or force field. The difficulty structure is three modes, each unlocking three progressively tougher loops, while the Japanese version tacked on a hidden challenge mode that rewards high‑score unlocks—something the U.S. and European releases never received.

Storyline

Gradius Galaxies, the side‑scrolling shooter for the Game Boy Advance, slots its story right between the events of Gradius III and Gradius Gaiden. The alien empire Bacterion is busy constructing a super‑weapon intended to wipe out the planet Gradius, but the weapon is destroyed before it can be used.

Years later the wreckage crashes onto an unknown world, which slowly transforms into a massive mechanical fortress. In response, the planet Gradius dispatches its iconic starfighter, the Vic Viper, to infiltrate the fortress and put an end to Bacterion’s threat.