Category:Upgrade bar mechanic

The Upgrade Bar is a game mechanic that gives the player (some) control over which power-up they want to use. When the player collects an Upgrade Item, the Upgrade Bar moves up one level, and by pressing a button, the player "activates" the power-up of the current level, and the Upgrade Bar is cleared. When the player dies, typically the Upgrade Bar gets reset to first level.

This game mechanic was introduced in Gradius.