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| Darius II | |
|---|---|
 Japanese arcade flyer | |
| Developer | Taito |
| Publisher | Taito |
| Director | Hidehiro Fujiwara |
| Producer | Hidehiro Fujiwara |
| Designers | Hidehiro Fujiwara Takatsuna Senba |
| Programmers | Akira Otsuki Tatsuo Nakamura Masashi Tsuzura Shinji Soyano |
| Artists | 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 |
| Release | |
| Genre | Scrolling shooter |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Darius II[a] is a 1989scrolling shooter video game developed and published byTaito forarcades. It is a direct sequel to the 1987 titleDarius. It was later released asSagaia[b] in Japan in 1991 for theGame Boy as well as non-Japanese ports.[1] A remake was released for thePC Engine Super CD-ROM² asSuper Darius II[c] in 1993.
The game is set in the inner half of theSolar System, and has the same branching level structure asDarius.[2] Similar to the firstDarius game,Darius II was programmed for multiple screens; while a three-screen version like the original exists,Darius II is more commonly and generally represented as a two-screen game.
The red/green/blue powerups from the first game return, and have the same function, respectively. They provide upgrades to the "missile" main weapon, the "bomb" subweapon, and a shield to absorb damage. Two new powerups were added: a yellow powerup that adds a new "laser" main weapon which functions somewhat similarly to the bombs, and a rainbow powerup that grants one upgrade toall the players weapons. Acquiring these powerups and the upgrade path is vastly different fromDarius. A formation of a specific enemy must be completely destroyed (and a formation may not have a powerup), and every single powerup now grants some kind of upgrade. Furthermore, the various weapons upgrade differently, though the shield upgrade is the same as before.
Another new feature inDarius II is the appearance ofminibosses known as "captains"; large enemies that appear somewhere in the level before the main boss. InDarius II, these are all smaller versions of bosses from the first game, with similar abilities.[2]
Darius II takes place sometime after the firstDarius game. The colonized planet Darius is recuperating from its invasion from the alien Belser Army thanks to that game's heroes Proco and Tiat. Darius' inhabitants have since situated themselves on the planet Olga while Darius' societies, architecture and attacked areas were being repaired. The space flight Headquarters established on Olga picks up anSOS signal coming from Earth, where the first colonists originated before colonizing Darius. The signal included the description of alien ships similar to those of the Belser Army. Suspecting these might be their remaining Earthling ancestors, the people of Darius sends both Proco Jr. and Tiat Young to help them.
AMega Driveconversion was released in Japan in 1990; it was later released for the Genesis in the United States and Brazil in 1991, where it was renamedSagaia. Changes include a boss rush mode (via a code) and various modifications to levels and mechanics, such as the boss Steel Spine being moved to another level and the boss Killer Higia being replaced with a similar creation called Nehonojia. This conversion does not support two players, so the ability to choose between Proco Jr. and Tiat Young was added; Proco plays like normal, while Tiat starts every life off with one power level to each weapon.
AMaster System conversion, developed byNatsume,[3] was released in Europe and Brazil in 1992, also titledSagaia. It is somewhat based on the Mega Drive port, and while Tiat Young and her abilities are still present (though even more limited), many zones (and thus bosses) have been completely removed.
ThePC Engine Super CD-ROM² version was published byNEC Avenue and released in 1993 under the titleSuper Darius II. This version features an entirely new set of bosses, major changes to levels, and a fully arranged soundtrack including new songs.
In 1996, a port of the arcade version itself was released in Japan and Europe for theSega Saturn, complete with two-player mode and stretchable wide screen modes. The arcade version is also available in the Japan-onlyTaito Memories series ofemulation-based compilations.
The arcade version, as well as console versions ofDarius II, was included inDarius Cozmic Collection for theNintendo Switch on February 28, 2019, and thePlayStation 4 on March 5, 2020 in Japan, and worldwide three months later on June 16, 2020. It was also included as part ofTaito Milestones 2 on August 31, 2023 in Japan for the Switch, and worldwide the following day. On October 5, 2023, it was released for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 byHamster Corporation through theArcade Archives lineup. This version has a rarer three-screen mode found inTaito Milestones 2.
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Consoles + | 82% (Master System)[4] |
| Commodore User | 84% (Arcade)[5] |
| Sega Master Force | 46% (Master System)[6] |
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In Japan,Game Machine listedDarius II as the sixth most successful upright/cockpit arcade unit of November 1989.[7]