Darius series
Encyclopedia
Darius is a series of side-scrolling shoot 'em up
video games, released by Taito
. When it started, its primary difference from other top first-generation scrolling shooters, such as R-Type
and Gradius
, was the ability to select different levels on the way to the final areas. The primary villains are mostly large fish or crustacean in form.
" by one gaming magazine. The absence of Darius+ from Japanese Darius resources suggests that this Western release is not considered canon.
. The game retained the music of the arcade game, and included several new bosses.
Darius Alpha, a "boss fest" version of Darius Plus, is one of the rarest PC Engine games—only 800 copies were made. Like Plus, Alpha is a hybrid game, taking advantage of the extra video hardware when played on a SuperGrafx
.
in 1991, this is a mix of the original Darius and Darius II with a few new bosses. The stage layout is also completely linear—the only Darius to be so.
of the original soundtrack
.
and developed by PCCW
. This is mostly a watered-down version of Darius Plus, with fewer stages and fewer bosses. The game also has a score attack feature: individual stages can be played, which can be useful to practice destroying bosses. Most interestingly, the music of the game is a mixture of music from the previous Darius games, with two new tracks added.
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
video games, released by Taito
Taito Corporation
The is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company....
. When it started, its primary difference from other top first-generation scrolling shooters, such as R-Type
R-Type
is a side scrolling shoot-em-up arcade game produced by Irem in 1987. The player controls a space fighter named R-9a "Arrowhead" to defend humanity against a mysterious but powerful alien life-form known as "Bydo", which was later discovered to be not entirely alien in origin...
and Gradius
Gradius
The Gradius games, first introduced in 1985, make up a series of scrolling shooter video games published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series, the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper...
, was the ability to select different levels on the way to the final areas. The primary villains are mostly large fish or crustacean in form.
Series
- DariusDarius (arcade game)is a shoot 'em up arcade game released by Taito in 1986. It is the first game in the Darius series. It is known for using a unique three-screen arcade cabinet setup, non-linear level design and multiple endings.-Gameplay:...
, Arcade (1986) - Darius IIDarius II (arcade game)Darius II, released outside of Japan as Sagaia, is a 1989 arcade video game by Taito. It is the direct sequel to Darius, first released in arcades in 1989. The arcade version kept the same three-screen format as the first game...
, Arcade (1989) - Darius+, Atari ST, Amiga (1989), ZX Spectrum (1990)
- Super Darius, PC Engine CD (1990)
- Darius Plus, PC Engine/SuperGrafx (1990)
- Darius Alpha, PC Engine/SuperGrafx (1990)
- Darius II/Sagaia, Sega Genesis (1990)
- Sagaia, Game Boy (1991)
- Darius TwinDarius TwinDarius Twin is a horizontal scrolling shooter for the Super Nintendo, released in 1991 and is part of the Darius series. It was re-released on the Wii Virtual Console in Japan on April 13, 2010 and in North America on December 13, 2010.-Story:...
, SNES (1991) - Sagaia, Sega Master System (1992)
- Darius ForceDarius ForceDarius Force, also known as Super Nova, is a horizontal scrolling shooter for the Super Nintendo, released in 1993 and is part of the Darius series.-Story:...
/Super Nova, SNES (1993) - Super Darius II, PC Engine CD (1993)
- Darius GaidenDarius Gaidenis a shoot'em up arcade game, developed and released by Taito in 1994. It is the third arcade installment of the Darius series.-Gameplay:...
, Arcade (1994), Sega Saturn (1995), PlayStation (1996), PC (1998) - Darius II, Sega Saturn (1996)
- G-DariusG-DariusG-Darius is a shoot'em up arcade game, released by Taito in 1997. It is the fourth arcade installment of the Darius series and the first in the entire series to feature three-dimensional polygonal graphics.-Gameplay:...
, Arcade (1997), PlayStation (1998), PC (2001) - Darius R, Game Boy Advance (2002)
- Dariusburst, PSP (2009)
- Dariusburst Another Chronicle, Arcade (2010)
Darius+
The Edge released Darius+ to various home PCs. It bears little or no resemblance to the original game, as it was completely redone by The Edge and only has five different bosses and of which one is a small version of another boss. It has been described as the "poor man's R-TypeR-Type
is a side scrolling shoot-em-up arcade game produced by Irem in 1987. The player controls a space fighter named R-9a "Arrowhead" to defend humanity against a mysterious but powerful alien life-form known as "Bydo", which was later discovered to be not entirely alien in origin...
" by one gaming magazine. The absence of Darius+ from Japanese Darius resources suggests that this Western release is not considered canon.
Super Darius
Released for the PC Engine CD and developed by NEC Avenue, had an original boss for every stage (the first game to do so).Darius Plus
An expanded port of the original Darius which supports the NEC SuperGrafxSuperGrafx
The SuperGrafx video game console is an upgraded version of NEC's popular PC Engine system. At first it was known as the PC-Engine 2—which was purported to be a true 16-bit system with improved graphics and audio capabilities, not expected to see release until 1990...
. The game retained the music of the arcade game, and included several new bosses.
Darius Alpha
Darius Alpha, a "boss fest" version of Darius Plus, is one of the rarest PC Engine games—only 800 copies were made. Like Plus, Alpha is a hybrid game, taking advantage of the extra video hardware when played on a SuperGrafx
SuperGrafx
The SuperGrafx video game console is an upgraded version of NEC's popular PC Engine system. At first it was known as the PC-Engine 2—which was purported to be a true 16-bit system with improved graphics and audio capabilities, not expected to see release until 1990...
.
Darius II/Sagaia (Sega Genesis)
Released for the Sega Genesis in the early 90s, this is a port of the original Darius II with a new exclusive boss called Nehonojia. Except for Nehonojia and some boss placement changes, the stage layout and all other bosses and captains are the same as Darius II. The game was released as Darius II in Japan and as Sagaia elsewhere.Sagaia (Game Boy)
Released for the Game BoyGame Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
in 1991, this is a mix of the original Darius and Darius II with a few new bosses. The stage layout is also completely linear—the only Darius to be so.
Sagaia (Sega Master System)
Related to the Genesis Sagaia and not the Game Boy Sagaia, this game was only released in Europe. It uses a simplified, 12-zone branching layout.Super Darius II
A port of Darius II for the PC Engine CD, also developed by NEC Avenue. A somewhat rare game, it features several new bosses and a hard-rock remixRemix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
of the original soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
.
Darius R
Released in 2002 for the Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
and developed by PCCW
PCCW
PCCW Limited is the holding company of HKT Group Holdings Limited, Hong Kong's premier telecommunications provider in the Information and Communications Technologies industry. PCCW also holds a majority interest in Pacific Century Premium Developments Limited...
. This is mostly a watered-down version of Darius Plus, with fewer stages and fewer bosses. The game also has a score attack feature: individual stages can be played, which can be useful to practice destroying bosses. Most interestingly, the music of the game is a mixture of music from the previous Darius games, with two new tracks added.