Darius is a series of horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up computer games produced by Taito.
The original Darius, released in arcades in 1986, was unique in the fledgling genre for having a game screen three times longer than the usual size, and thus requiring three screens to be arranged side-by-side in order to play.
The player flies a small spacecraft called a Silver Hawk, which is also distinctive in being highly detailed in design - indeed, Taito devised mock blueprints for it. The Silver Hawks are a trademark of the series.
Like most horizontally scrolling shooters, the gameplay takes the form of a number of levels with a boss at the end. The bosses in Darius, although mechanical, frequently take the form of aquatic animals, such as fish or squid.
Another trademark of the series is the unique branching level structure. The levels are arranged in a large binary tree, and at the end of each level, the player must choose one of two paths to follow. This means that there are many different paths that can be taken through the game.
Various power-ups can be acquired in play, providing such enhancements as improved guns, extra bombs, and anime-style energy shields.
Darius games
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Last updated: 05-21-2005 16:09:02
