by Konami
for Nintendo Super NES

Gradius III, known in Japan as Gradius III: Densetsu kara Shinwa e ("Gradius III: From Legend to Myth"), is a side-scrolling shooting game originally released for the arcades in Japan and Asia in 1989. It is the second sequel to the original Gradius for the arcades following Gradius II, and was followed by Gradius IV. Gradius III was later released for the Super Famicom in 1990 in Japan and for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in 1991.

The arcade version was included with Gradius IV in a two-in-one compilation (Gradius III & IV) for the PlayStation 2 and in the Gradius Collection for the PlayStation Portable. The player returns as the role of the pilot of the Vic Viper starfighter to battle the onslaughts of the Bacterion Empire. There are a total of ten levels in the game.

Stage 4 is notorious for being the only pseudo-3D level to ever appear in the Gradius series. In this mini-level, the player controls the Vic Viper in a third-person (behind the ship) perspective and must avoid colliding with walls. Though the level is completely devoid of any enemies, free floating power-ups are scattered throughout.

There are also two hidden levels that are based on the early sections of Gradius and Salamander. The game contains the familiar weapons, level layouts, and enemies that have become trademarks of the series.

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