The Darius Arcade Collections are both hard-as-nails shoot-em-ups that, while sometimes more frustrating than fun, are overall truly enjoyable fast-paced space shooters that are visually and technically impressive.
Darius Arcade and Console Cozmic Collections
Developer: Taito
Price: $45 for Arcade, $60 for Console
Platforms: PS4 and Nintendo Switch (reviewed)
MonsterVine was provided with a Switch code for review
This will be a review of two similar titles; the Darius Cozmic Arcade Collection and the Darius Cozmic Console Collection. Both are compilations of classic Darius space shoot-em-ups, simply from different hardware. Both collect various versions of each game, from international releases to Japanese-exclusive ones, as well as SNES, Sega Genesis, and PC ports of various Darius games. While some of the games are hit or miss, quite a few of them are thrilling titles that test your reflexes and patience in equal measure.
Though there are many different games, the core gameplay is quite similar between them. You play as a ship that can shoot projectiles and bombs, similar to Fantasy Zone. You’re constantly scrolling one-way while being barraged with various intergalactic foes and spacefish appearing to try to destroy you. It’s fast, exciting, and occasionally aggravating, and nearly all of the games are very difficult. The bosses across the games are the highlights, from the previously mentioned space-coelacanth to weird skull monsters, there’s a lot of fun variety in the various foes that will repeatedly kill you.
My main issue with a few of the Darius games is the fact that levels will restart upon death, and you normally die in a single hit. This means that unseen enemies that spawn from behind or above you can kill you, leading to a complete level restart that feels unfair. This can be immensely frustrating, as it encourages a trial-and-error approach that is time-consuming without being especially fun. Also, the original Darius is hard to play in a manner that looks pleasant, as the original dual-screen cabinet looks painfully stretched and thin on a TV, or blown-out when expanded.
“Gaiden feels like the most enjoyable standalone game, but the various SNES/Sega Genesis and Super Famicom versions of games like SAGAIA and Darius Twin make the Console Collection more fun to explore overall.“
My personal favorite titles are Darius Gaiden and Super Nova, both of which feature excellent visuals and absolutely banging soundtracks. Gaiden is especially fun, as it’s challenging difficulty feels fair, and the extra attack you’re given is a blast to use both for how useful it is and how cool the vortex looks as it sucks up enemies. Gaiden feels like the most enjoyable standalone game, but the various SNES/Sega Genesis and Super Famicom versions of games like SAGAIA and Darius Twin make the Console Collection more fun to explore overall.
My personal recommendation is the Console Collection, as the number of games and overall value feels more worthwhile, but Darius Gaiden is part of the Arcade Collection, so neither is really a bad buy. Both have various modes outside of the core games, like Time Attack and Practice Mode in certain titles, which adds some extra time to each Collection.
The Final Word
The Darius Cozmic Collections are both mostly enjoyable titles that collect a good number of incredibly hard but normally fun shoot-em-ups. A few of the titles can be more frustrating than fun, but the best parts of both packages and the variety of game versions make these Collections worthwhile for diehard shoot-em-up fans.
MonsterVine Review Score: 4 out of 5 – Good
