Darius
1987 · Shooter · Arcade
Overview
Darius (1987) is Taito's horizontal shooter on a three-screen cabinet, in which the Silver Hawk takes a branching path through zones full of fish-shaped bosses.
Deep Dive
Three monitors, joined by mirrors to look seamless, give a playfield three times the usual width. The player chooses a branching route through 28 zones, seven per game. Enemies and bosses are modelled on fish and other sea creatures rather than machines or insects.
Developer Story
Junji Yarita designed it. Taito showed it in London in January 1987 and released it in Japan that February; it was Japan's most popular upright arcade game that April. Home versions included Super Darius and Darius Plus on the PC Engine.
Did You Know?
- The cabinet had a headphone jack and a "body sonic" speaker under the seat.
- Hisayoshi Ogura, founder of Taito's band Zuntata, composed the music.
Sources & further reading
- Darius (video game) — Wikipedia
