Salamander III (Nintendo Switch)

Horizontal / Vertical
Checkpoints OFF
4 Difficulty levels
6 Stages (loopable)
Ship speed by icons
- - - - - - -
Developed by M2 / Konami
Published by Limited Run Games in 2025

No one expected this. Well, I didn't.

Released in 2025 for a few different systems, Gradius Origins is a compilation that brings back several titles from the Gradius series and its spin-off franchise Salamander. Seeing these old titles re-appear for newer platforms was never supposed to be novelty, given the fact that such compilations had already been published in the past. There is a specific highlight that soon attracted the eyes of old timers like myself though: the inclusion of a brand-new game called Salamander III. This sequel comes almost 30 years after Salamander 2, and also after a good number of years since the last Gradius-related game, Otomedius Excellent. The idea behind its development after such a long time, and for the overall design of the game, is clearly stated in the selection screen: what if a sequel to Salamander 2 was released back in 1998?

Even though the game is very polished and fresh, presenting a solid homage to previous titles and to several Gradius tropes as a whole, Salamander III does not come with the evolutionary leap you'd expect from a brand-new title these days. It is overall very competent and offers quite a friendly challenge – for Gradius standards at least – but it doesn't have any fancy effects and it certainly doesn't surpass the beauty and finesse of Salamander 2.

As for Gradius Origins, it's nothing short of outstanding for a collection and ranks very high as the definitive way to enjoy all the included games, as well as some interesting arrange modes rarely seen before. Courtesy of the high standards always delivered by developer M2, it's just a little disappointing that Gradius Gaiden, Gradius IV and Gradius V were left out of the package.

Tetran gets evolved at the end of stage 2

Salamander III's gameplay is very much akin to the previous chapters, as expected. There are buttons for shot, missile, shot+missile and also for a new "burst" attack. Icons left behind by destroying full drone waves or specific colored enemies provide all the upgrades you might need: speed-up, missile, (regular) laser, ripple laser, multiple, multiple change (standard formation / snake formation) and force field. Recognizing each one of them is easy if you keep the original wallpaper, which shows them on the right border. Yes, the game is an old school 4:3 shooter that won't demand any eye-stretching across a widescreen area. With the possibility of playing in co-op with a friend, of course.

Initially there are two ships available, the Lord British mk III (red) and Vic Viper Type L (blue). Gray Layer (green) is unlocked after the game is beaten once, continues allowed, and swings things around a little in how the lasers work, with a particularly interesting variation for the ripple laser. The main draw between Lord British and Vic Viper is that the first has a better ripple laser, whereas the second has a more efficient laser. Other than that their behavior is pretty much alike, down to the possibility of accumulating four force fields in all sides of the ship, an aspect that also extends to the Gray Layer.

The new addition to the gameplay is the burst attack, which can be used whenever you have at least one multiple/option. It amplifies the power of the current weapon for a few seconds, cooling down to a weaker form for a little while before reverting to the default condition. It's similar to the temporary upgrade obtained after collecting a surplus power-up in Salamander 2, and sort of mirrors the special attack mechanic succesfully implemented in Andro Dunos 2. Depending on the circumstances, for instance, burst can be used to dispatch bosses rather quickly.

Making outstanding use of color, Salamander III strikes a very fine balance between old school graphics and fun factor. And if you ever get comfortable with the game, further loops await with new enemy formations/behavior, faster bullets and a growing number of suicide bullets. Pretty much all Gradius motifs and staples are covered here, from all types of "core" variations for boss parts to several throwbacks to the biological lore of the series, alongside planets with pulling gravity, sand slopes and the ever-present sightings of moai and rock-spitting volcanoes. The music follows the same standard, with energetic tunes and a few rearrangements of classic themes that, while competent, don't quite reach the level of excellence of Salamander 2's soundtrack.

Launch trailer for Gradius Origins emphasizing Salamander III
(courtesy of YouTube user and developer Konami)

What makes the difficulty here not that steep is the generous extend routine, which gives players a first extend at 20.000 and new ones at every 70.000 points scored. The amount of extra lives can be gone in a snap though. All items you're carrying are scattered randomly around the screen for you to pick once you die, but the respawn invincibility window is so short that it often leads to several successive deaths when you're trying to get them back amidst solid hazards. Frankly, this was pretty much my main hurdle to learn and conquer the game. That icon for formation change is also very annoying, picking it up always meant imminent failure no matter what. The only moment I think it might be helpful in during the final escape after the last boss, but I didn't get to test that.

All my attempts were initially made with the red ship because of the sheer coverage provided by the ripple laser. Once I looped it and unlocked Gray Layer, I started to play with Vic Viper Type L to see if there was something else to be unlocked. There wasn't, but my highest score came from one of these runs, as shown below. I reached stage 2-6 in the Normal difficulty and had a great time (wish I'd had more, but alas!). Gradius Origins and Salamander III have been approved with honors!