Developer: Taito Publisher: Acclaim Release: 01/29/96 Genre: Shooter
I like the Darius series. Whether it is the weird alien fish angle or its sedate pace it scratches a different itch in my shooter brain. However it has always been secondary to my love of series like Gradius and R-Type. The games lacked that bombastic attitude that made its contemporaries so exciting. Darius Gaiden is the much needed shot of adrenaline the series needed with a horde of new features and art direction so incredible it is still impressive. Were it not for the crushing difficulty it would probably be in my personal top 10.
There are no significant changes to the default power-up system. Your main weapon, missiles, and shield are upgraded individually by collecting colored badges (red, green, and blue respectively). Each weapon evolves as it levels up and to be honest I am not sure how far it goes. Even during the final levels they still gained more power with badges which is actually pretty cool in my book. Unlike prior games death does not strip you of all weapon progress. Only the main cannon drops two levels; the others are reset to the current level. The newest addition is the black hole bomb, a giant black hole that sucks in all nearby enemies and bullets and explodes in a flash of lightning that also grants temporary invincibility. While far from the likes of Gradius the added firepower goes a long way toward making the high difficulty bearable.
Possibly the coolest addition is the enemy capture system. Every level features a mini-boss of sorts with a crystal as its weak point. Releasing the crystal from its head and capturing it will turn the mini-boss to your side briefly and functions as a giant option. These are incredibly powerful and will decimate most enemy forces easily for as long as they last. Alas, captured bosses only live a short time and only appear once per stage. I would have loved to see this system expanded or to have captured enemies last longer. You need every edge you can get in this brutal affair.
Do not be fooled. Even with the changes to the power-up system Darius Gaiden is still one of the most difficult shooters that is not a bullet hell. Part of this is due to the ranking system. If you collect too many power-ups the game scales to match your power. Balancing which items to collect and which to avoid is a hard juggling act. You need stronger weapons otherwise the game becomes an absolute slog. But if you become too strong it has the possibility of becoming a nightmare. This extends to the bosses which are a whole other beast in themselves. What makes it funny is that Darius Gaiden is a bit generous with its items. Not only are badges more common but you can find hidden badges in the environment as well. The rank system is like a trap you unknowingly trip and wonder what happened.
Regardless of how you choose to “game” the system Darius Gaiden flows differently from past games. Most levels are short which is in stark contrast to its predecessors. These more compact stages feel like a warm up to the end level bosses. The longer stages feature excellent design with carefully arranged enemy waves secrets. Depending on your current rank they are either sparsely populated or become a bullet riddled hellscape. The true star of the game however is its bosses. Every boss battle is a war of attrition as they feature numerous attacks and will change form as many as three or four times. The shift in their tactics keeps you on your toes and you have some control over it. Dismantle them in pieces and some become absolute nightmares.
As much as I like the boss fights I do wish they were shorter. Whether it is because your weapons are not so powerful they all seem like bullet sponges. When you cycle through the same attack sequence eight or nine times just to reach the second phase something is wrong. Sometimes these fights drag on longer than the stages themselves! This is probably my one sticking point with the game, even more than the ranking system. The game is hard enough as it is with limited credits, spending upwards of ten minutes wailing on one boss becomes mind numbing.
The standard Darius branching system returns and comprises twenty eight total levels now. A single run will comprise seven levels with seven possible endings. Just like previous games some of the endings are downright bizarre which I will not spoil. I like that every zone is distinct this time around; most of the previous titles would change the color palette and end level boss but recycle stages to pad out its choices. Some bosses are used several times in numerous stages but considering the amount of work put into each one can you blame them? Darius Gaiden still has more content than the vast majority of shooters released.
In Closing
Darius Gaiden is a truly fantastic game and one of the best in the series. Beyond amazing production values and great mechanics combine to make Darius Gaiden of the best domestic shooters for the Saturn. I would argue it is one of the best shooters on the system period. Do not let the high difficulty stop you, this one is great.
