: It retains the home version’s cap of two "Options" (multiples) and lacks the arcade's vertical scrolling in the second and third levels.

Hamster Corporation’s series provides a "museum-grade" preservation of this specific historical curiosity. On the Nintendo Switch, the release includes modern amenities such as online leaderboards , adjustable difficulty, and a "Caravan Mode" that challenges players to score as much as possible within a five-minute limit.

: The famous Konami Code —which debuted in the home version of Gradius —was stripped out of the VS. version to prevent players from gaining free power-ups in a commercial arcade setting. The Arcade Archives Treatment

Arcade Archives: Vs. Gradius Review for PlayStation 4 - GameFAQs

The release of (Product ID 01004EC00E634000 ) offers a fascinating look into the recursive history of the shoot ’em up genre. While the name suggests a direct arcade port, the game is actually a specialized arcade adaptation of the NES version, which itself was a port of the 1985 arcade original. The Recursive Legacy of VS. GRADIUS

Released in 1986 on Nintendo’s hardware, VS. GRADIUS represents an unusual full circle in development. Most arcade games of the era were ported down to home consoles; however, because the VS. System was built on NES architecture, Konami essentially took their refined NES home port and sent it back to the arcades. Key differences in this version include:

: Unlike the NES version, which ends after stage seven, VS. GRADIUS continues indefinitely to encourage high-score competition and quarter-feeding.