When it comes to Gradius, it's not often that expectations are played with. Typically, players will control the Vic Viper through a series of stages, all of which take place in a variety of sci-fi locales. In-between stages are brief sections wherein some enemies can be shot down for extra power-ups. Those who manage to survive long enough will inevitably face a "speed stage" where they must navigate tight corridors, all the while hounded by cannons and closing doors. Then there's going to be a boss rush, with all those circular ships appearing out of thin space. Oh! I absolutely can't forget about the giant walker robot near the end that tries you to crush you with its legs. What if there was an entry where the developer said, "Nah. I'm not doing all that." and shredded those expectations? It'd probably be a Gaiden of some sort... never mind. Let's just talk about this short yet solid STG for the Game Boy.
Gradius: The Interstellar Assault almost feels like a day in the life of an elite spaceship pilot. Predictably, everything goes to shit within the first minute. Just as soon as you're given control over the ship, the realization hits that you're being chased by a particularly ornery spacecraft. This sequence is not what anyone would expect to see in a shmup's first minute, and yet it works quite well. The less-than ideal framerate quickly becomes a distant memory thanks to the great controls. Anyway, after that harrowing escape, the first stage begins. It's distinctly Gradius, adapted to work for meager hardware. The pacing leans close to methodical, frequently punctuated by a variety of air & land-based craft, with a couple surprises to keep you on edge. The "free-range" portion of the stage, where your ship can scroll the screen up or down, is also finely crafted. Whatever difficulties you might run into are not the result of cheap enemy placement.
After defeating the first boss - which looks awesome by the way - the music changes to something peppy, like you'd hear in-between the stages of the usual Gradius entry. Let's just say that doesn't last for long. In fact, you're immediately captured and imprisoned inside of a mothership. Also, they took your powered-up weapons away, which is pretty cute. After breaking out of your cage, you'll face a different set of enemies as well as new obstacles. It's a smart method for keeping the experience fresh. There's a whole galaxy out there, and you're just one ship causing a lot of trouble. Anyway, the prison breakout ends with an inspired boss-fight that relies on its giant fan to push you into laser walls. Destroy it and the mothership is history. Try to avoid celebrating too much, since there's still at least 10 minutes of shooting action to go.
Again, this is a short game, and also pretty easy. Anyone with experience in the genre will cut through it painlessly. Still, it's a fun adventure that doesn't dare waste a second of its limited runtime. Repetition is nonexistent, every stage has its own creative hook, and you'll see something pretty cool at least once per minute. The replay-value is close to nonexistent though, so if you're looking for more than a future pleasant memory, then look elsewhere.
Still, I give Gradius: The Interstellar Assault a recommendation because it's clear the immense talent at Konami put a lot of love into it.
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