Salamander III Bug Fix for 128-Loop Clear Draws Surprise and Praise
The fix confirms that at least one player reached a 128-loop clear in a shooter designed to escalate difficulty per loop, a threshold the developers apparently did not anticipate needing to test.
Key Facts
- Konami Digital Entertainment released update Version 1.004 for Gradius Origin Collection on August 3, 2026.
- The update fixed a bug in Salamander III that reset the maximum selectable loop count in stage select after clearing 128 or more loops and returning to the title menu.
- Gradius Origin Collection launched on August 7, 2025, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam.
- Salamander III is a completely new shooter developed by M2, the first new 2D Gradius series title in 17 years since Gradius Rebirth in 2008.
- The collection includes seven titles and 18 versions, including the first home console port of Gradius III AM Show version.
Reporting from 2 sources: Denfaminicogamer, Magmix.
Konami Digital Entertainment released update Version 1.004 for Gradius Origin Collection on August 3, 2026, fixing a bug in the newly developed Salamander III that occurred after players cleared 128 or more loops. The bug reset the maximum selectable loop count in stage select when returning to the title menu. Because Salamander III increases difficulty with each loop, the 128-loop threshold drew surprise and praise on social media, with comments such as "Is there anyone who can play over 128 loops?!" and "In other words, someone actually did it!" The collection, released August 7, 2025, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam, includes seven titles and 18 versions, featuring arcade entries like Gradius, Salamander, and Gradius II, plus the new Salamander III developed by M2. The update also includes other fixes detailed on the official site. Whether the bug was discovered through actual play has not been officially announced, but the feat sparked respect for whoever found it.
- Version 1.004 shipped on August 3, 2026, roughly a year after the collection's August 7, 2025 launch.
- At 20 minutes per loop, 128 loops would take 42 hours and 40 minutes of play, a figure Magmix calculated in its report.
- Social media reactions included "A super hot fix" and "A bug I could never confirm myself (lol)."
- Salamander III is the first new 2D shooter in the Gradius series in 17 years, following Gradius Rebirth (2008, WiiWare).
- M2 handled development of the new entry, which sends the Lord British and Vic Viper back out to save planet Latis.
- Denfaminicogamer's advance play confirmed that from the second loop onward, not only does bullet volume increase, but terrain and objects also change.
- The collection includes the console debut of the "Gradius III AM Show version" among its 7 titles and 18 versions.
- Support features include quick save, rewind, an "Easy Mode" that shrinks hitboxes, an "Invincible Mode" that only counts deaths, and a "Training Mode" that sets respawn points, loop count, and power-up state.
- The package also carries a sound gallery, visual gallery, and "Gradius Encyclopedia" for checking enemy characters.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.