G-Darius HD

Why am I playing on a tiny window in the middle of the screen with loads of empty space? Why is there slowdown? This is not a serious re-release. Continue playing the original until these things are fixed.

The best ship shooter that i ever play in my life, i love g-d in my childhood, and this HD version is awesome

Incredible game. Countless hours with my ps1 version as a child and now I can continue playing through my steam and show others how cool it is.

FINALLY. THEY PUT FISHING IN A SHMUP

[b]G-Darius[/b] marks the transition of the series to 3D (or rather 2.5D), and also what was an occasional gimmick in [b]Darius Gaiden[/b], capturing a few minibosses to use them like drones, ascends to a full-on game mechanic. The Capture Ball allows to catch almost any non-boss enemy and not just get additional firepower and a shield with the right positioning, as captured enemies can be either turned into bombs or absorbed into a super-beam that becomes even more important against bosses, as they have their own beams which can be contained, if not overwhelmed and absorbed, by your own, causing massive damage to them. Add the captured minibosses having special attacks activated using fighting games control inputs (what?), and you can see how once again the [b]Darius[/b] series was capable of innovating and improving itself. The visuals, like a lot of 3D of the second half of the 1990s, haven't aged completely graciously. Of course, in that early era, seeing those 3D backgrounds move was impressive, but nowadays they are just scarce in detail when not just empty. It's thankfully saved by not needing to be realistic, and once again the bosses steal the show: they still look fantastic in design, and the HD treatment makes them even more striking. So much so that a special "Showcase" mode allows to confront a few of them simulating a dual screen setup, aka making full use of a widescreen monitor. What has not aged at all is the soundtrack, which is very different from what you'd expect from a shmup; more often than not it is ominous and surreal (do I hear a voice saying "Meditation" when the end-of-level music starts?), another way Darius sets itself apart. There are "only" 15 levels this time, as a run is made of only 5 levels, with 5 different final bosses and related endings. There are, however, mid-level points where, depending on the position of the ship on the screen, you get to see variations on the levels and some differences in the bosses, so there is still quite a bit to play even within the same levels. And don't think a run is shorter than in [b]Gaiden[/b], because bosses take long to defeat. They are bigger and badder, with impressive arrays of attacks as they waltz from one side to another and attack even from the background at times, and lots of armor to whittle down unless you catch some minor enemies they release and go into a beam duel. If you play it right, it's exhilarating. The biggest wall I've met is the difficulty. Really, even if it allows for unlimited credits to "cheese" a run, the enemy attacks are so overwhelming I often didn't find any fun even in that. It is that punishing, also showing how the balance of a game can be upset in the name of forcing players to drop more credits in its original arcade incarnation. I wondered if my memories of [b]G-Darius[/b] were skewed, and it turns out that the surprisingly decent PC port of the early 2000s, the first time I experienced the game, was based on the console version, which for obvious reasons was made more accessible to players. It is, in fact and thankfully, included in this Steam package, even if unfortunately it's the only one without an HD version, and the in-engine cutscenes are replaced by the badly aged CGI you can expect from the era. [b]Darius Gaiden[/b] stays my favourite due to better aged visuals and not having very long boss fights, but I can't be too harsh on [b]G-Darius[/b]; even if I couldn't enjoy it fully, I can appreciate a level of quality it hasn't lost almost three decades after it was made. It's clear it requires a level of skill and dedication I am not able to give. M2 has done their usual good job, also adding a Training Mode that allows the player to at least have a few more advantages to start with and/or see later levels. The "gadgets" that fill the part of the screen not occupied by the game itself with info like next level branch, boss energy, and special moves of the captured minibosses are always welcome. I just wish, once again, they would add the ability to configure keyboard inputs at will.

Je tiens a recommander ce jeu UNIQUEMENT aux fans de Darius car vraiment le portage est indigne sur un pc meme de bas gamme ! Des saccades , des frames qui ralentissent , une 3d qui pique les yeux voila ce que vous aurez ! Les divers modes "ameliorent" un peu le rendu mais vraiment ce n est qu un portage rate , meilleurs sur emulateur c est pour dire ! Les commandes repondent bien et le jeu est assez court mais pas depourvu de challenges ! Un mode triche permet aussi de choisir sa difficulte pour y jouer avec differents reglages et ca c est vraiment un plus ! Bref les versions differentes n apportent pas grand chose au final Interet : 11/20 Realisation : 09/20

ゲーセン稼働当時、ZUNTATAサウンドに心躍らせつつ βビームを打ち返しつつ焼き(？)魚をこさえておりました...... グラフィックのレトロさがクリアならば、シンプルなシステムと良質なBGMを楽しめると思います。 PS版のようなBGMの途切れがないのもポイントが高いです。 ゲームとしては (思い出補正を除いたとしても) オススメ出来ますが、価格(4000円)を考えると、優良且つ安価なインディーズSTGが3～4本ゲット出来てしまうので悩ましいかもしれません🤔

It's so sick. Everything about this game is cool as hell. The art design, soundtrack, level design, bosses, combat, strategy, etc. are all perfectly executed. I wasn't expecting much judging by the steam page, but after playing it for a while I was pleasantly surprised.

Three different Darius games with M2's typical (in the best way) spot-on emulation and extra options to make the games approachable even to beginners.

Tem como não, marcou muito minha infancia, todas as fases quando jogo me faz lembrar quando era jovem jogando na casa de meu amigo, fico arrepiado pra cada musica tocada