Darius (video game)

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Darius
Darius
Arcade flyer
Developer(s) Taito
Bits Laboratory (PCE/CD)
Softek (AMI/ST)
Consult Software
Publisher(s)
      Composer(s) Hisayoshi Ogura[1]
      Series Darius
      Platforms Arcade, Amiga, Atari ST, PC Engine (Super CD-ROM²), Wii (Virtual Console), ZX Spectrum
      Release date(s)
      1986
      • Arcade
          Amiga
            Atari ST
              Super CD-ROM²
                PC Engine
                  ZX Spectrum
                    Wii Virtual Console
                    PC Engine
                      Super CD-ROM²
                      Genre(s) Scrolling shooter
                      Mode(s) Single-player, co-op
                      Cabinet Upright
                      CPU 2x Motorola MC68000 @ 8 MHz[3]
                      Sound 2x ZiLOG Z80 @ 4 MHz
                      2x Yamaha YM2203
                      1x MSM5205
                      Display Raster, horizontal orientation

                      Darius (ダライアス Daraiasu?) 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.[4]

                      A port by Softek and The Edge was released for the Amiga and Atari ST titled Darius+. An expanded port by Bits Laboratory and NEC was released for the PC Engine's Super CD-ROM² titled Super Darius (スーパーダライアス Sūpā Daraiasu?). Another expanded port was made for the PC Engine itself, titled Darius Plus (ダライアス・プラス Daraiasu Purasu?), which is similar to the Amiga and Atari ST title. A boss rush version of Darius Plus was released under the name Darius Alpha (ダライアス・アルファ Daraiasu Arufa?).

                      Gameplay

                      Darius is a two-dimensional horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up set in a fictional future. Uniquely among shoot 'em ups, the game's screen is three times wider than conventional size, and the arcade cabinet uses an arrangement of three screens to accommodate it. The player controls an ornate fighter spacecraft, named the Silver Hawk, and must navigate through scrolling terrain while battling a variety of fighter craft, ground vehicles, turrets, and other obstacles throughout the game's stages (referred to as zones in the game). The ship's arsenal consists of forward-firing missiles, aerial bombs and a protective force field, all of which can be upgraded by power-ups (in the form of large, colored orbs) that are dropped by specially-colored enemies throughout the game's zones. When the player reaches the end of a zone, a boss appears, which must be defeated to proceed. Once the boss of a zone is destroyed, the player is given a choice of which zone to play next via a branching path. While there are 28 zones in total, only seven can be played in a single run.[5][6][7][8]

                      Plot

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                      Development and release

                      File:Darius arcade screenshot.png
                      In order to seamlessly connect the three screens, the arcade cabinet uses a mirror to align the edges of the three monitors together

                      The arcade game features raster graphics on three CRT monitors and amplified stereophonic sound.[6] In order to seamlessly connect the three screens together, two of the monitors, which display the first and last thirds of the game's screen, respectively, are placed in the bottom of the cabinet facing upwards, with their visuals reflected into view via a one-way mirror. The third monitor, which displays the middle portion of the game's screen, is placed behind the mirror and is the only one actually facing the player. The reflection of the two bottom monitors partially overlaps the third monitor, giving the illusion of a seamless wide screen.[6]

                      The game's soundtrack was composed by Hisayoshi Ogura, the founding member of Taito's in-house music division Zuntata. Ogura composed the music with the concept of, "a large existence," that being the large bosses in the game and the expansiveness of the universe. The game's main theme, titled "Chaos", is notable for being one of the earliest examples of avant-garde in video game music.[1] Ogura recalled,

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                      ...For its time it was extremely avant-garde music. I assigned this piece the role of Darius's main theme. I'll have them hear something no one's ever heard in a game before! With these kinds of thoughts in mind, I composed a piece with the expressive scale of the beginning of the universe.

                      — Hisayoshi Ogura, on composing the game's main theme "Chaos."[1]

                      The first stage's theme, called "Captain Neo", is a reworked version of a song from an earlier arcade game by Taito, Metal Soldier Isaac II.[1] When a prototype of Darius was exhibited at a trade show, the song was used as a temporary placeholder. However, upon hearing the song at the trade show, Ogura liked it and decided to keep it: "I was surprised by its overwhelming power, so much that I could feel it in my bones."[1]

                      The musical score saw its first commercial release on CD,[9] vinyl[10] and cassette tape[11] on June 25, 1987 by Alfa Records through their video-game music-centric imprint G.M.O. Records.[12]

                      The iOS, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 game Space Invaders Infinity Gene, also by Taito, includes an upgrade option to the same craft used in Darius, and has some of the same enemies. Darius R, a remake of the first Darius game with some different tunes and a fewer number of stages, was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2002.

                      Reception

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                      References

                      1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
                      2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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                      4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
                      5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
                      6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Darius at the Killer List of Videogames
                      7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
                      8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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                      External links

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