Moai zones

Moai zones, as the name implies, are recurring areas appearing in the Gradius series and its many spinoffs, where the main opposing forces are constituted by diverse types of Moai enemies. These stages have appeared since the very first game and have since become a staple in the franchise, appearing in almost every installment of the series.

The general layout present in these types of stages is conformed by a series of thin floating islands, where each carries several large Moai heads attached on both of its surfaces, top and bottom. As expected, the main projectiles the player will have to outmaneuver in these areas are their characteristic laser rings, which they incessantly vomit out and which can potentially fill up the screen in a short time due to the numerous and scattering nature of the attack.

Keeping up with the thematic, the main lesser enemies encountered in these levels are Flying Moais, which often attack in formations and at a considerable speed, and which are also able to fly through the platforms at will.

An iconic characteristic of these types of levels is that they often feature a free vertical scrolling layout, which means that the player can freely move their ship upward or downward with no limit whatsoever, as the level will infinitely scroll along the player's ship; thus, once a part of the environment is scrolled off the screen, it will reappear on the opposite end, either up or down, depending on the direction the player's ship is flying toward.

Due to the nature on how the large Moais attack, with them readjusting their aim as the player passes by and opening their mouths to vomit laser rings, thus also exposing their weak spots, most of these types of levels are played in a similar manner. As such, the player is advised to bring as many Options as possible and also invest in bringing Missiles that feature a good trajectory pattern in order to sweep over the Moais and carpet bomb them in their mouths, as well as bringing either an upgraded Double with which to deal with enemies attached on the ceilings, or even better, a fully upgraded normal Laser, which is able to travel through the islands and pierce through the Moais' mouths from a safe distance.