Did you know..? (MSX trivia!)

Did you know... Gradius took inspiration from Scooter Shooter, a 1985 Konami arcade game? https://youtu.be/1duS65ADXbI (e.g. @ 9:15)

(Looking at the release dates: big chance that game & Gradius AC were (partly) developed in tandem. (So the inspiration might have been vice-versa there :))

I must say I don't see much similarities either. A sprite here and there looks somewhat familiar, and I think I might have recognized a bit of Gradius 'vibe' in one of the songs, but that's it.

If anything, it seems to be much closer to [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joust_(video_game)]Joust[/url] in terms of gameplay?

Yes, I was primarily trying to point at the Extra Stage theme from Gradius MSX (the elephant in the room?) (which has also been used in the Sharp X1 version & later in Gradius ReBirth).
Some sprites/enemies are similar indeed: the bouncing pods & the hor. axis revolving fighters.
I read someone claiming some of the scenery was reused in (later) Gradius games, and mentioning the similarities in the shield / force-field concept.

Considering it's a title most people probably haven't ever heard of, somewhat of an oddity, I thought it was interesting enough to bring to attention.

I read Konami's plans were originally to port / create some version of Thunder Cross (the first game) to/for MSX, but that it diverged into what we know now as Space Manbow. Some similarities spotted there as well.

Phantasmagoria ?