Darius II (video game)
A direct sequel to the 1987 shooter Darius.
Darius II, known internationally as Sagaia, is a horizontal-scrolling shooter for arcades that Taito made and put out in 1989. It directly follows the 1987 game Darius. A remake, Super Darius II, arrived on the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² in 1993.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Taito
- Director
- Hidehiro Fujiwara
- Designer
- Hidehiro Fujiwara; Takatsuna Senba
- Programmer
- Akira Otsuki
- Tatsuo Nakamura
- Masashi Tsuzura
- Shinji Soyano
- Artist
- Masami Kikuchi
- Takatsuna Senba
- Hisakazu Kato
- Composer
- Hisayoshi Ogura
- Series
- Darius
- Platforms
- Arcade
- Mega Drive/Genesis
- Game Boy
- Super CD-ROM²
- Master System
- Sega Saturn
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The game is set in the inner half of the Solar System and retains the branching level structure of Darius. It was programmed for multiple screens; a three-screen version exists, but the game is more commonly represented as a two-screen game. The red, green, and blue powerups from the first game return, providing upgrades to the missile main weapon, bomb subweapon, and shield respectively. Two new powerups were added: a yellow powerup that adds a laser main weapon, and a rainbow powerup that grants one upgrade to all weapons. Acquiring powerups differs from Darius; a formation of a specific enemy must be completely destroyed, and every powerup now grants an upgrade. Weapons upgrade differently, though the shield upgrade remains the same. A new feature is the appearance of minibosses called captains, which are smaller versions of bosses from the first game.
Plot
Darius II takes place after the first game. The colonized planet Darius is recuperating from an invasion by the alien Belser Army, and its inhabitants have situated themselves on the planet Olga while repairs are made. The space flight Headquarters on Olga picks up an SOS signal from Earth, describing alien ships similar to those of the Belser Army. Suspecting these might be their Earthling ancestors, the people of Darius send Proco Jr. and Tiat Young to help.
Ports
The Mega Drive version of Darius II hit Japan in 1990, then came to the Genesis in the US and Brazil the following year under the name Sagaia. This port swapped in a boss rush mode accessible via a code, shuffled some level and mechanic details—moving the boss Steel Spine to a different stage and swapping Killer Higia for a new creation called Nehonojia. Since it lacks a two-player mode, players can pick between Proco Jr. and Tiat Young; Proco plays normally, while Tiat starts each life with one power level per weapon. A Master System port, developed by Natsume and also called Sagaia, arrived in Europe and Brazil in 1992. It borrows from the Mega Drive version, keeping Tiat Young (though more restricted) but cutting many zones and their bosses entirely. The PC Engine Super CD-ROM² version, published by NEC Avenue in 1993 as Super Darius II, introduced a completely new set of bosses, major level redesigns, and a fully rearranged soundtrack with fresh songs. In 1996, a direct port of the original arcade game came out for the Sega Saturn in Japan and Europe, supporting two players and offering stretchable widescreen modes. The arcade version also appears in the Japan-only Taito Memories compilation series. Both the arcade and console versions were collected in Darius Cozmic Collection for the Nintendo Switch on February 28, 2019, and the PlayStation 4 on March 5, 2020 in Japan, with a worldwide release on June 16, 2020. The game was also part of Taito Milestones 2 for the Switch, launching in Japan on August 31, 2023 and worldwide the next day. Hamster Corporation brought it to the Arcade Archives series for the Switch and PlayStation 4 in October 2023.
More in Taito Games of the 1980s
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