Shadow Gear

Shadow Gear (シャドーギア^?) is a boss exclusive to the arcade version of Gradius III.

Description[]

Shadow Gear is the Shadow Dancer in Gradius III Arcade, except it has eight legs. You have to avoid these legs until you get to the end. In the SNES version, it was replaced by the Shadow Gear MK II.

The Shadow Gear has a unique design, unlike all other Walkers in the series, comprised of four large sticks with pointy ends, connected on their middle by rotating bodies. Each of the sticks move independently, turning 45 degrees then pulling the rest of the body.

Trivia[]

Due to its design, hitbox collision changes for each movement is left incomplete.
- Because of that, it is more dangerous to just go under the pointy ends if the first & third sticks move than for the second & fourth sticks.
If it spawns rights after a Ducker fires a shot, hitbox changes for the Shadow Gear will go out of whack and the hitboxes will fill up the entire screen to kill the player instantly.

Gradius III
Ships	Vic Viper
Stages	Desert • Bubble Zone • Volcanic Planet • High Speed Dimension • Moai Zone • Cell Planet • Prominence Planet • Plant Planet • Crystal Zone • Boss Rush • Mechanical Base
SNES exclusive stages	High Speed Zone • Fortress • Cell
Bosses	Goliath • Bubble Eye • Godrei • Big Core MK III • Dogas • Vaif • Twin Vaif (SNES) • Gregol • Wyvern • Vulture Dragon • Choking Weed • Lizard Core • Beacon (SNES) • Tetran • Covered Core • Big Core MK II • Crystal Core • Death MK II • Dellinger Core • Disrupt • Shadow Gear • Shadow Gear MK II (SNES) • Big Core • Golem • Bacterian

Mechanical bosses
Gunwalls	Fortress Valis • Demos • Disrupt • Bloody Gate • Keeper's Core • Enigma • Crystal Gust • Cliff Core • Gunner Wall • Core Reactor • Fortress Gate • Plate Core • True Venom
Shadow Walkers	Electronic Cage • Crab • Shadow Gear • Shadow Gear MK II • Sol • Crab-II • Rotating Wall • Ground Spider • Elephant Gear • Electronic Cage MK2 • Crab Warlock
Other	Reckless • Striker • Grave • Heavy Ducker • Hydra • Cerberus