<s>
Gradius	B-Device
Advance	I-Device
is	O
a	O
horizontally	O
scrolling	O
shooter	O
handheld	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Mobile21	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Konami	O
in	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
later	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
month	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
as	O
Gradius	B-Device
Galaxies	I-Device
and	O
in	O
2002	O
in	O
Japan	O
as	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
only	O
Gradius	B-Application
title	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
plot	O
is	O
set	O
between	O
Gradius	B-Application
III	I-Application
and	O
Gradius	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bacterion	O
was	O
developing	O
a	O
powerful	O
weapon	O
to	O
use	O
against	O
the	O
planet	O
Gradius	B-Application
,	O
but	O
it	O
was	O
destroyed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
planet	O
Gradius	B-Application
then	O
sent	O
the	O
Vic	B-Application
Viper	I-Application
to	O
stop	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
takes	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
Vic	B-Application
Viper	I-Application
spacecraft	O
tasked	O
with	O
destroying	O
hordes	O
of	O
enemies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Various	O
traditional	O
elements	O
of	O
Gradius	B-Application
are	O
present	O
—	O
the	O
moai	B-Language
,	O
an	O
undefended	O
final	O
boss	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
upgrade	O
power	O
meter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
weapons	O
system	O
remained	O
mostly	O
unchanged	O
as	O
the	O
configurations	O
available	O
are	O
identical	O
to	O
Gradius	B-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
with	O
the	O
exception	O
that	O
the	O
edit	O
mode	O
is	O
missing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
four	O
different	O
types	O
of	O
weapons	O
configurations	O
:	O
Balanced	O
,	O
(	O
traditional	O
Gradius	B-Application
)	O
wide	O
area	O
(	O
Salamander	O
)	O
power	O
,	O
and	O
air-to-ground	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
configuration	O
is	O
indicated	O
by	O
the	O
color	O
of	O
Vic	B-Application
Viper	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Gradius	B-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
there	O
are	O
only	O
two	O
shield	O
options	O
—	O
shield	O
and	O
force	O
field	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
"	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
review	B-Application
aggregation	I-Application
website	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
World	O
Report	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
awesomeness	O
and	O
said	O
that	O
"	O
it	O
could	O
even	O
be	O
considered	O
the	O
GBA	B-Device
's	O
Ikaruga.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
ability	O
to	O
save	O
high	O
scores	O
directly	O
to	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
