Mechanical Base

Mechanical Base
Vic Viper embraces enemy fire from all directions in the Mechanical Base.
Minibosses	Demos Tetran Covered Core Big Core MK II Crystal Core Death MK II Dellinger Core Disrupt Shadow Gear Big Core (time warp) Golem (time warp)
Boss	Bacterian
Environment	Enemy base
Music	"Mechanical Base" "Final Shot" "Escape to the Freedom"
Game	Gradius III
◄ Previous stage	Crystal Zone
◄ Previous stage	Crystal Zone
Next stage ►	N/A
Next stage ►	N/A

Mechanical Base is the tenth and final stage in the arcade version of Gradius III. It takes place on the surface of the Bacterian planet, then flies into the planet's mechanized core. It is considered to be one of the hardest stage in the whole Gradius series.

Overview

Part I

Bosses on parade

Welcome to the Boss Rush! The bosses, in order, are:

• Demos
• Tetran
• Covered Core
• Big Core MK II
• Crystal Core
• Death MK II
• Dellinger Core

After Dellinger Core is defeated, fly down into the crater to find the entrance to the next area.

Part II

Base

Upon entering, the lights blink on and off while Zubs appear to hound the Vic Viper. After passing through that and evading incoming floor tiles, the next obstacle is a small maze in which laser-firing ships move among tight spaces. Even if destroyed, the ships will remain and block access, so the path must be planned out quickly to avoid getting trapped.

Next comes the familiar moving wall traps, followed by indestructible mini Crabs blocking passageways. A new obstacle follows: the spinning lasers. They rotate and criss-cross at multiple angles, severely limiting space. The boss at the end of this area is Disrupt, the new model gunwall.

Part III

Final approach

The worst is yet to come! Shadow Gear will come marching in, and afterward is a tricky cell wall in which the Vic Viper must avoid indestructible globes in the tight spaces between the walls. The final boss at the very end is Bacterian itself. As in tradition of Gradius games, Bacterian itself is easily killed, although he will try to attack with strange energy blasts that will send the Vic Viper back in time. However, an intensely-difficult high-speed area will follow as the Vic Viper escapes the base. If a life is lost, the player will return to the cell wall area.

Time warp stages

If for some inane reason the Vic Viper is hit by one of Bacterian's attacks, one of two mini-stages will begin, each based on the respective first stages of Gradius and Salamander, and ending with the corresponding boss (Big Core and Golem). All power-ups will be taken away at the start of these stages, and the game will return to the beginning of the cell wall area when the Vic Viper either dies or completes the stage.

Music

• Aircraft Carrier (Zub Rush II, Big Core)
• Poison of Snake (Tetran, Golem)
• Take Care! (Covered Core, Big Core MK II, Crystal Core, Death MK II)
• Dark Force (Dellinger Core, Disrupt, Bacterian)
• Escape to the Freedom (escape)
• Return To The Star (credits)
• Challenger 1985 (Gradius time warp stage)
• Power of Anger (Salamander time warp stage)

Description	Audio
Theme of Boss Rush - Aircraft Carrier, Poison of Snake and Take Care!
Theme of Mechanical Base 1 - Mechanical Base
Theme of Mechanical Base 2 - Final Shot.
Theme of Boss theme - Dark Force.
Theme of Escape - Escape to The Freedom.
Theme of Gradius III ending - Return to Star.