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PowerCapsuleMSX

The Power Capsule (パワーカプセル Pawā Kapuseru?) is the main power-up item found in all games that comprise the Gradius series. They are always found upon destroying certain enemy formations or red-colored enemies.

Power Capsule types[]

Common types[]

  • Red Capsule: The main type of capsule found in the games. When picked up, the Red Capsule will light up the Power Meter. Each time you pick another Red Capsule the next power-up will light up in the meter, allowing the player to choose the desirable weapon they want to equip. In certain games, it grants you some points to tally your score. (e.g. 300 points for every red capsule in Gradius III Arcade)
  • Blue Capsule: Dropped after a certain amount of Red Capsules, the Blue Capsule automatically destroys all minor enemies onscreen when picked up and damages larger enemies and stations. The flash that ensues upon pickup doesn't destroy onscreen enemy projectiles, though. It is given a buff in Gradius V as the effect includes on-screen bullets, essentially made that similar to Mega Crush.

Unique types[]

In any Gradius game with special stages (i.e., the MSX and PC Engine ports of the original game, Nemesis 2 (and Nemesis '90 Kai), the Super NES version of Gradius III, and Gradius ReBirth) players can exclusively find these types of capsules.

  • Yellow Capsule: Consecutively adds to your score for each capsule picked, giving 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1,000 points.
  • Green Capsule: Gives an extra life.
  • Purple Capsule: Exclusive to the PC Engine port of Gradius. Gives rapid fire ability to the Vic Viper for a short amount of time.
  • Gray Capsule: Exclusive to the PC Engine port of Gradius. Stops auto-scrolling for a short amount of time.

Notes[]

  • Depending on the game (including spin-offs), the player may or may not earn points when collecting Power Capsules, and their value may also vary. For example, in the original Gradius, collecting capsules won't give any points, while in Gradius III and Solar Assault, they give 300 points, and in Sexy Parodius, they only give 100 points.

Gallery[]

See also[]

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