Darius Plus

Darius Plus is a game set in some sort of a cave, in some random year, fighting for no apparent reason. But let's put all the vague and pointless talking points on the back burner for now. Darius Plus is just a wonderful game with great power ups, and spectacular weapons. This game takes its arcade counterpart to a whole new level, with fast action and unique bosses for each level. The game retains its wonderful soundtrack and is overall a great update to an already solid series.

You start the game with no shield and the basics of weapons -- missiles and bombs. The missiles, as you would expect, shoot straight ahead, while the bombs kind of droop down at an angle. Luckily when you do get hit you will just appear in the same spot and keep going (unlike some other shooters I have played on this system). But just because there's no shield to start with doesn't mean you won't find one, in the upper part of your screen is a area with a few empty blocks in it, as you pick up stuff from the enemies, the blocks fill up and give you a shield, one hit for every block.

The enemies have some very odd behavior; they come in and just move towards you and then simply retreat as if they only wanted to see what was going on, others will swarm in circles just waiting for you to get in their path. Oddly enough, I don't even remember the enemy firing at me, but that doesn't mean a thing. Where they lack in firepower, they make up in Kamikaze madness. Not only do you have to avoid your enemy, you have to avoid the cave walls. One fatal move and you could get your self slammed into a stalagmite or a stalactite.

After you fight you way through a level you have to battle a boss as normal, which usually takes the form of mechanical aquatic animals, such as fish or squid. After you defeat the boss the cave will split into two, and you will have the option of picking which path to take, which will inevitably take you to a different level.

Darius is a wonderful series, one I would love to be updated, unfortunately shooters aren't as popular as they used to be, a real shame considering that this game is one of the best in the genre.