

También se introducen las nuevas naves Jade Knight y Falchion β, y la posibilidad de un modo a 2 jugadores simultáneos. Fue el primero de la saga en incorporar gráficos en 3D. "Gradius Legends") es un matamarcianos de la saga Gradius, producido por Konami en 1997. Gradius Gaiden (グラディウス外伝 guradiusu gaiden?, lit.In 2019, it was included in the Japanese version of the PlayStation Classic mini console. The game never saw a release outside Japan until the release of Gradius Collection in 2006 for the PlayStation Portable. Others felt it relied largely on fan service, and became too difficult at times. Some have also compared it favorably to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for the way it builds upon the series' core mechanics. Gradius Gaiden was acclaimed for its visuals, gameplay, soundtrack and creativity, and is seen as one of the best games in the Gradius series. The game was completed in less than a year. Some mechanics were also created specifically to take advantage of the PlayStation's hardware capabilities, such as its rotation and transparency effects.

Konami worked to make the game stand out from other Gradius games with unique, creative level designs and all-new mechanics, such as a selection of playable ships, new weapons types, and the ability to swap items in the player's "Power Meter".

Directed by Seki Teisaku, Gaiden was created to refine and build on the core Gradius gameplay, and to create a new, exciting shooter for a home console in mind as such, the name "Gaiden" was chosen, being the Japanese word for "side-story". It is the fourth mainline entry in the company's Gradius franchise, and the second to be produced specifically for a home console. Gameplay involves shooting down enemies, avoiding their projectiles, and collecting power capsules to unlock access to new weapons. Players control one of four different starships in their mission to eradicate the Bacteria army from destroying the planet Gradius.
