When comparing Knightmare (AKA Majou Densetsu) vs Gradius, the Slant community recommends Gradius for most people. In the question“What are the best and the most revolutionary games of all time?” Gradius is ranked 37th while Knightmare (AKA Majou Densetsu) is ranked 51st. The most important reason people chose Gradius is:
Perhaps it’s the first arcade game having secret stages?
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Pros
Pro Tunes from Miki Higashino
Just like in Gradius, all tunes used in this game were composed by Miki Higashino. She was a teenager at the time and was working for Konami part-time, everyday, after school.
Pro Amazing graphics for the 80's
1986 was the same year that the original Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros: The Lost levels came out. The textures in Knightmare look substantially better than the relatively blocky textures in the Zelda and Mario games of its time.
Pro One of the first games to have a 'bird's eye view' angle
Considered technically challenging back in 1986, Knightmare offered a top-down (bird's eye) view. This made a lot of sense, especially for vertically scrolling games such as this one.
Pro Secret stages
Perhaps it’s the first arcade game having secret stages?
Pro Power-ups chosen during gameplay
The kind of power-up depends on the amount of power-up capsules collected, and the second button allows you to choose the desired one.