|
Darius Gaiden is one of the
3 excellent 2D shooters that are available in PAL
format. The Darius series of games are horizontal 2D
shooters with a couple of distinctive features. Firstly
there is the aquatic theme - the bosses of these games
take the form of different aquatic mechanised creatures.
Secondly there is the level branching structure. The
levels in Darius are laid out in a pyramid shape; the
player starting at the apex of it and then selecting one
of two available levels after completing each level to
progress to one of many different endings (not unlike
level progression in the classic driving game Outrun).
Darius Gaiden is one of the
best in the series and it has all of the usual shooting
game features. Certain enemies leave powerups behind
that when picked up increase the firepower of your ship
which fires horizontal lazers and also drops bombs; the
colour of the powerup dictating which element of your
firepower gets intensified. Some powerups give your ship
with a shield while others award the player with a smart
bomb, extra life or just a large point bonus.
The graphics are excellent -
the smart bomb (called a black hole bomb) being a
particular highlight. When it is activated it creates a
vortex into which everything is drawn (except for
bosses), including any bullets - it then evaporates with
a flurry of damage dealing streaks of lightning. Each
level has plenty of enemies and bullets flying around
with no discernable slowdown and while it isn't a
"bullet hell" shooter, it certainly isn't that far from
it - your shield and black hole bombs are usually
required at some point if you want to get through a
later level without losing a life. Having said that I
can remember seeing videos of hotshots completing this
game without using the bombs - a challenge for the
hardcore only though. Control is slick and there are no
cheap deaths in this game though some of the bosses
throw surprises at you that can probably only be dealt
with the benefit of a prior encounter.
Darius Gaiden introduces a
novel idea that I haven't seen in any other shooter.
Each level also has a mini-boss that you encounter about
half way through each level. This can be defeated in the
normal way but each mini-boss has a control sphere which
if shot often enough will become detached. If you pick
this up then the mini-boss becomes a turncoat and starts
fighting on your side. You don't really have much
control, and unfortunately it disintegrates before the
main boss battle, but it’s an interesting idea that
would be nice to see developed further.
The soundtrack deserves
special mention. It is so overpowering that there is
little room left in the sonic spectrum for spot effects
which can sound a bit tinny. It has a real epic feel and
some of the tracks feature bizarre opera singing. The
tracks are reused in later levels but given the large
number of levels this is forgivable.
So it’s a great shooter.
It's got great visuals, sounds, plenty of levels and
some novel ideas - what's the downside? Well for the
high score chaser (which means almost all 2D shooter
fans) there is a rather big downer with this game. It
doesn't save your high scores. There really is no excuse
for this - its lazy - and it hurts the game as it
reduces the desire to revisit it after a break from
playing it. Some may say its a minor issue but for
anyone who is into 1 credit completions and high scores
it is a big deal. The high score screen is there , and
it even records your path through the levels, but what
is the point if it isn't saved? A great pity.
If you can get over that
point, this is a great shooter that has that intangible
Japanese feel to it.
This game is available in
the Taito Legends 2 collection for PS2 but the Saturn
port of the game looks, feels and plays better.
|
