{{Infobox video game , title = G-Darius , image = G-Darius arcade flyer.jpg , caption = Promotional flyer , developer =

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It b ...

, publisher = Taito , released = Arcade{{vgrelease, JP, June 1997 PlayStation{{vgrelease, JP, April 9, 1998 {{vgrelease, NA, September 11, 1998 {{vgrelease, EU, September 11, 1998 , genre = Horizontal-scrolling shooter , series = '' Darius'' , modes =

Single-player A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. A single-player game is usually a game that can only be played by one person, while "single-player mode" is usuall ...

multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

, platforms =

Arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

, arcade system = Taito FX-1B {{nihongo foot, ''G-Darius'', Gダライアス, Jī-Daraiasu, lead=yes, group=lower-alpha is a

shoot'em up Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of chara ...

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...

, released by

in 1997. It is the fourth arcade installment of the '' Darius'' series and the first in the series to feature

three-dimensional Three-dimensional space (also: 3D space, 3-space or, rarely, tri-dimensional space) is a geometric setting in which three values (called ''parameters'') are required to determine the position of an element (i.e., point). This is the informal ...

polygonal graphics In 3D computer graphics, polygonal modeling is an approach for modeling objects by representing or approximating their surfaces using polygon meshes. Polygonal modeling is well suited to scanline rendering and is therefore the method of choice for ...

Game-play

Much like previous installments in the ''Darius'' series, ''G-Darius'' is a horizontally scrolling

. While the game features three-dimensional polygonal graphics, the gameplay remains

two-dimensional In mathematics, a plane is a Euclidean (flat), two-dimensional surface that extends indefinitely. A plane is the two-dimensional analogue of a point (zero dimensions), a line (one dimension) and three-dimensional space. Planes can arise as s ...

. The player controls a spaceship named the Silver Hawk and must battle enemies and avoid obstacles throughout the game's stages (referred to as "zones" in the game). The ship is armed with forward-firing missiles, small aerial bombs, and a protective force field. These can be upgraded by

power-up In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that can be used at any time chosen ...

s, in the form of large orbs, that are dropped by specially-colored enemies when they are destroyed. When the player reaches the end of a zone, a

boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, a ...

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. There are 15 zones in total, numbered using the Greek letters alpha to omicron, but the player only needs to complete five in a row to reach one of five alternative endings. Each level also has two alternative routes that the player can choose about halfway through. Some of these are duplicated in later stages but result in the bosses appearance and attack sequences being slightly different. Among the player's arsenal is the 'capture ball', which the player can launch to capture enemies. Once captured, the enemy will follow and aid the player's ship.{{cite magazine , url=http://segaretro.org/index.php?title=File:SSM_UK_19.pdf&page=94 , title=G Darius (Preview) , magazine=

Sega Saturn Magazine ''Sega Saturn Magazine'' was a monthly UK magazine covering the Sega Saturn, a home video game console. It held the official Saturn magazine license for the UK, and some issues included a demo CD created by Sega, ''Sega Flash'', which included ...

, publisher=

EMAP Ascential plc, formerly EMAP, is a British business-to-business media business specialising in exhibitions & festivals and information services. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History Ric ...

, issue=19 , date=May 1997 , page=94 Each enemy contains a unique enhancement; some will act as extra turrets and others will act as shields. Additionally, the player can detonate their captured enemy as a bomb.{{cite magazine , title=G-Darius , magazine=

Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The m ...

, publisher=Ziff Davis , issue=104 , date=March 1998 , page=66 The captured enemy will continue to follow the player until either they are destroyed after taking enough damage, the player's ship is destroyed or the player 'absorbs' them to utilize a special ability. New to the series is the concept of beam-dueling. The player can absorb a captured enemy to fire a powerful laser beam over a short period, which will instantly destroy nearly every enemy it comes into contact with. This is primarily used during

boss fight In video games, a boss is a significant computer-controlled opponent. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight. Bosses are generally far stronger than other opponents the player has faced up to that ...

s. Every major boss in the game has an equivalent laser beam. If the player and the boss fire their lasers simultaneously, a 'duel' between the two will initiate. The player must overwhelm the boss' laser by repeatedly tapping the fire button as quickly as possible. If successful, the boss' beam will eventually dissipate and the player's beam will multiply in size (as well as in power) and severely damage, if not kill, the boss. Some bosses have multiple beams and if the player counters all of them, their own beam can multiply up to four times. Some enemies and large bullets are invulnerable to the beam, allowing bosses to shield themselves. Familiarity with a boss's attack patterns is thus vital for the successful use of the beam dueling mechanic. An upgraded version of the game, ''G-Darius Ver. 2'', added a beginner mode in which the player's power-up level goes down only one rank upon death, and the game ends after completing only 3 zones.

Plot

''G-Darius'' is a prequel story that revolves around a conflict between the humanoids of Amelia and cyborg/

chimera Chimera, Chimaera, or Chimaira (Greek for " she-goat") originally referred to: * Chimera (mythology), a fire-breathing monster of Ancient Lycia said to combine parts from multiple animals * Mount Chimaera, a fire-spewing region of Lycia or Cilicia ...

biovessels known as the "Thiima" (meant to mean simply "deliverer of death"). The Thiima had been aroused by the Amnelian army's use of the weapon A.N. (All-Nothing) to annihilate the world Blazer, whom Amelia had been at war with over jurisdiction over the moon Mahsah. Determined to protect their existence, and long ago programmed to protect the universe from just such threats as A.N., the Thiima swarmed Amelia. Although the armed forces were badly ravaged, Amnelian scientists and engineers were able to make use of both A.N. and reverse-engineered Thiiman technology/life systems to create the Silver Hawk fighters. Ultimately, two pilots—Same-luck Raida and Lutia Feen—are chosen to perform a decisive attack on the main Thiima base: Kazumn, a satellite of the planet Darius.

Release

''G-Darius'' was ported to the

as ''G Darius'' and released in 1998 for Japan on April 9 by

, in Europe on September 11, and in the United States on September 17 by

THQ THQ Inc. was an American video game company based in Agoura Hills, California. It was founded in April 1990 by Jack Friedman, originally in Calabasas, and became a public company the following year through a reverse merger takeover. Initi ...

. The PlayStation port is based on the "ver. 2" arcade release. The original arcade version of ''G-Darius'' was later re-released on the

port of ''

Taito Legends 2 ''Taito Legends 2'' is the sequel to ''Taito Legends'' and is a follow-up collection of 39 (or 43, see below) Taito arcade games for Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows. As the former collection, it has been derived from the Japan exclu ...

'', a compilation consisting of several arcade games by Taito. The

Windows 95 Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows 9x family of operating systems. The first operating system in the 9x family, it is the successor to Windows 3.1x, and was released to manufacturin ...

version, based on the PlayStation port, was published by CyberFront Corporation, MediaKite, and Sourcenext in 2000–01. A port for Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation 4 was released in 2021 worldwide digitally. It contains the standard resolution version, as well as a new HD version of the game. In the US and Europe, it was also released as a physical edition. In Japan, the physical release is part of the compilation '' Darius Cozmic Revelation''. This compilation was released internationally by Strictly Limited Games. ''G-Darius HD''

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

version was released on March 30, 2022. An update to the Switch and PS4 ports on the same date added ''G-Darius Ver. 2, G-Darius Ver. 2 HD'' and ''G-Darius for Consumer'' (the Japanese PlayStation port).

Reception

{{Expand section, date=April 2012 {{Video game reviews , GR = 79%{{cite web , url=https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/197415-g-darius/index.html , title=G Darius for PlayStation , website=

GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...

, publisher=CBS Interactive , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429061221/https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/197415-g-darius/index.html , archive-date=April 29, 2019 , url-status=dead , access-date=November 6, 2020 , Edge = 7/10 , EGM = 8.75/10 , Fam = 29/40{{cite magazine , url=https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=4457&redirect=no , title=Gダライアス S, language=Japanese , magazine=

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...

, publisher=

Enterbrain , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing founded on 30 January 1987 as . Magazines published by Enterbrain are generally focused on video games and computer entertainment as well as video game and strategy ...

, access-date=November 6, 2020 , GI = 8.25/10 , GameFan = 91% , GamePro = {{Rating, 4, 5 , GSpot = 8.3/10{{cite web , url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/g-darius-review/1900-2547691/ , title=G Darius Review mport, last=Bartholow , first=Peter , date=May 1, 1998 , website=

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

, publisher=

CBS Interactive Paramount Streaming (formerly CBS Digital Media Group, CBS Interactive, ViacomCBS Streaming), a division of Paramount Global, oversees the company’s streaming technology and offers direct-to-consumer services, free, premium and pay. These incl ...

, access-date=November 6, 2020 , IGN = 8/10{{cite web , url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/09/18/g-darius , title=G. Darius , last=Nelson , first=Randy , date=September 17, 1998 , website=

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

, publisher=

Ziff Davis Ziff Davis, Inc. is an American digital media and internet company. First founded in 1927 by William Bernard Ziff Sr. and Bernard George Davis, the company primarily owns technology-oriented media websites, online shopping-related services, an ...

, access-date=November 6, 2020 , NGen = {{Rating, 3, 5{{cite magazine , url=https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_46/page/n131/mode/2up , title=G Darius , magazine= Next Generation , publisher=

Imagine Media Future US, Inc. (formerly known as Imagine Media and The Future Network USA) is an American media corporation specializing in targeted magazines and websites in the video games, music, and technology markets. Headquartered in New York City, ...

, issue=46 , date=October 1998 , page=128 , access-date=November 6, 2020 , OPM = {{Rating, 4, 5 The PlayStation port received favorable reviews according to the

review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

. '' Next Generation'' said that the game was "fun for those fogies who can stomach it, but the average gamer will be bored to death". In Japan, ''

'' gave it a score of 29 out of 40. Also in Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed the arcade version in their August 15, 1997 issue as being the fourth most-successful arcade game of the month. Five issues later (November 1), however, the magazine demoted it to being the tenth most-successful arcade game of the month. In a 2014 retrospective, '' Euro-gamer'' called the game "one of the greatest shooting games ever realised".{{cite web , url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-03-29-darius-retrospective , title=Darius retrospective , last=Higham , first=Rupert , date=March 30, 2014 , website=

Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...

, publisher=

Gamer Network Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and other ...

, access-date=March 31, 2014

Notes

{{Notelist

References

{{Reflist

External links

* {{KLOV game, id=7869 * {{moby game, id=/g-darius {{Darius series 1997 video games Arcade video games Darius (series) PlayStation (console) games PlayStation Network games Video game prequels Video games featuring female protagonists Video games scored by Hisayoshi Ogura Video games with 2.5D graphics Windows games PlayStation 2 games Multiplayer and single-player video games Horizontally scrolling shooters Taito arcade games THQ games Video games developed in Japan CyberFront games