Darius II

From Sega Retro

n/a

  • Sega Mega Drive
    NTSC-J
  • Sega Mega Drive
    NTSC-U
  • Saturn
  • Master System
Darius II Title.png
Sagaia MD TitleScreen.png
DariusII Saturn JP SSTitle.png
Sagaia SMS Title.png
Darius II
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Sega Master System, Sega Saturn
Publisher: Taito
Developer:
Original system(s): Arcade boards
Developer(s) of original games: Taito
Sound driver:
Sega Saturn
SCSP/CD-DA (16 tracks)
Genre: Shooting[1][2][3], Arcade[4]

















Number of players:
Sega Mega Drive
Sega Master System
1
Sega Saturn
1-2
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
JP 		¥8,900 (9,167)8,900e[5] T-11083
Sega Mega Drive
US 		T-11016
Sega Mega Drive
BR
Sega Master System
EU 		7078
Sega Master System
PT
Sega Master System
UK 		£32.9932.99[8][9] 7078
Sega Master System
AU
Sega Master System
BR
Sega Saturn
JP 		¥5,8005,800 T-1104G
Sega Rating: All Ages
Sega Saturn
EU 		MK81085-50
ELSPA: 3+ OK
Sega Saturn
DE 		MK81085-50
USK: 12
Sega Saturn
PT
Sega Saturn
UK 		£39.9939.99[10] MK81085-50
ELSPA: 3+ OK
Sega Saturn
PL
Sega Saturn
AU 		FDAR07SSC
OFLC: G

Darius II (ダライアスII), also known as Sagaia outside Japan, is a side-scrolling space shoot 'em up developed by Taito as a direct sequel to the 1986 game Darius. It was originally released in 1989.

The game was ported to several Sega systems, including the Sega Mega Drive and Sega Master System. A port to the Sega Saturn using the original name was released exclusively in Japan and Europe.

Story

Proco and Tiat, seeing the planet Darius in ruin, create a new planet called Orga. Their descendents, Proco Jr. and Tiat Young, receive a mayday signal from another civilization born from Darius's ruins, prompting them to take the Silverhawk, a ship, back to save this other civilization from evil forces.

Gameplay

Like the first game, the player controls a space ship shooting at various enemies that resemble fish in a non-linear level order.

A and C shoot; holding them down rapidfires (though there is a break every few bullets). B drops bombs (you have unlimited bombs). Powerups are collected in the usual shoot em up fashion and there are powerups for both the gun and the bomb dropper. A score bonus is awarded for defeating groups of enemies.

Versions

Stages in the Mega Drive version differ quite a bit from the arcade version: backgrounds are different (e.g. arcade stage B takes place on a rocky planet surface and in a cave, while the Mega Drive version of stage B is mechanized), enemy placement and behavior has been changed and the bosses have also been modified. The Master System version features a reduced amount of stages.

The Saturn version, conversely, simulates the arcade version's wide screen mode utilizing a zoom feature. However, due to running in a lower resolution mode, it can be very difficult to see enemies and bullets.

Screenshot

Main article: Darius II/Comparisons.

History

Legacy

Darius II was followed by Darius Gaiden in 1994 (originally planned to be released as Darius III).

Production credits

Mega Drive version

  • Executive Producer: Takao Ueno
  • Producer: Tomohiro Nishikado, Shouji Takahashi
  • Director of Software: Yuichiro Kawamuki
  • Programmers: Takashi Kuroda, Yoshiaki Ishii, Ayumi Onosaka, Takahisa Horimoto
  • Production Designer: Wakadaishou
  • Character Designers: Makoto Saitoh, Gota Goto, Keisuke Miyanaga, Nishiyaman
  • Team Zuntata
  • Programmed by: Mira Turbo, Dogen Shibuya
  • Game Checker: Kiyoshi Bandou
  • Technical Adviser: Hideaki Tomioka, Haruo Suzuki, Kouji Yamazaki
  • Special Thanks to: Hidehiro Fujiwara, Akira Fujita, Akira Ohtsuki, Tatsuo Nakamura
  • Game Designed by: Yuji Koga
  • Directed by: Yuichiro Kawamuki
© Taito Corporation 1991

Master System version

  • Executive Producer: Tomohiro Nishikado
  • Producer: Kimio Hirota
  • Director: Iku Mizutani
  • Programers: Moriyuki Kanaya, Yuji Akita
  • Graphics Designers: Isao Inoue, Yasunari Hayami
  • Music Director: Iku Mizutani
  • Music Composer: Hisayoshi Ogura
  • Character Designers: Yasunari Hayami, Isao Inoue
  • Original Game Designer: Fukio Mitsuji
  • Special Thanks: Yuji Koga, Kohji Yamazaki
Taito Corporation 1992 All Rights Reserved

Saturn version

The Credits
  • Directed And Produced by: Hidehiro Fujiwara
  • Game Designed by: Hidehiro Fujiwara, Takatsuna Senba
  • Programmed by: Akira Ohtsuki, Tatsuo Nakamura, Masashi Tsuzura, Shinji Soyano
  • Art Designed by: Masami Kikuchi, Takatsuna Senba, Hisakazu Kato
  • Cabinet Design: Yoshinori Aiura
  • Hardware Designed by: Toshiyuki Sanada
  • Team Zuntata
    • All Music Composed And Arranged by: Hisayoshi Ogura
    • Sound Editor: Yasuhisa Watanabe, Norihiro Furukawa
    • Sound Soft Ware: Naoto Yagishita
  • Special thanks to: Onijust, Akira Fujita, Takamasa Hori, Masaki Yagi, Masahiko Takaki, Ogr Young, Zippy Aoki, Kouji Tsunekiyo, Hikaru Taniguchi, And Staff Of Kumagaya
© Taito Corporation 1989 All Rights Reserved
Taito
Source: In-game credits. Original credits only.[11]


サターン版 「ＤＡＲＩＵＳII」 スタッフ
  • プログラム: 金子 道明, 南雲 泰人, 阿部 央, 関 拓志, 赤座 清敬
  • グラフィック: 高須 雄二, 小松崎 成俊, 山田 耕司, 栗原 義昭, 藤原 淳
Source: Staff.txt (in CD-ROM)

Magazine articles

Main article: Darius II/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: Darius II/Promotional material.

Physical scans

Mega Drive version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
80 [12]
75 [13]
79 [14]
79 [15]
77 №6
69 [16]
30 №1991-01, p41
89 №13, p118
65 №5, p91
87 №1, p65
83 [17]
83 [18]
72 [19]
80 [20]
87 [21]
83 №18, p64
90 [7]
Sega Mega Drive
 77
Based on
17 reviews

Mega Drive, JP
Darius II MD JP Box.jpg
Cover
DariusII MD JP CartTop.jpg
DariusII md jp cart.jpg
Cart
Darius II MD JP Manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, US
DariusII MD US Box.jpg
Cover
Darius II MD US Cart.jpg
Cart
Sagaia md us manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, BR
Sagaia md br cover.jpg
Cover
Sagaia MD BR Cart.jpg
Cart

Master System version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
82 [22]
81 [23]
91 [24]
90 [25]
67 [26]
72 №50
80 [27]
78 №34, p28/29
23 [28]
50 [29]
51 [30]
88 [7]
73 [31]
Sega Master System
 71
Based on
13 reviews

Master System, EU
Darius II SMS EU Box.jpg
Cover
Sagaia SMS EU Cart.jpg
Cart
Sagaia SMS EU Manual.pdf
Manual
SagaiaSMSEUManual3L.pdf
Manual (3L)
Master System, PT
Sagaia SMS PT cover.jpg
Cover
Master System, AU

Sagaia SMS AU cart.jpg
Cart
Sagaia Master System AU Manual.pdf
Manual
Master System, BR
DariusII SMS BR Box.jpg
Cover
Sagaia SMS BR Cart.jpg
Cart

Saturn version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
30
60 №391, p29
60 [32]
68 [33]
36 [10]
55 [34]
75 №69, p124
28 №86, p60
53 [35]
68 [36]
Sega Saturn
 53
Based on
10 reviews

Saturn, JP
DariusII sat jp backcover.jpgDariusII sat jp frontcover.jpg
Cover
Darius II (ダライアスII) Saturn JP Spinecard.jpg
Spinecard
DariusII Saturn JP Disc.jpg
Disc
Saturn, EU
DariusII Saturn EU Box.jpg
Cover
Darius II Saturn EU Disc.jpg
Disc
Saturn, DE
DariusII Saturn DE cover.jpg
Cover
Darius II Saturn EU Disc.jpg
Disc
Saturn, PT

Saturn, AU
DariusII Saturn AU cover.jpg
Cover
Darius II Saturn EU Disc.jpg
Disc

Technical information

ROM dump status

System Hash Size Build Date Source Comments
Sega Mega Drive
✔
CRC32 f1e22f43
MD5 c9ab9dd499c7d56772fccbd2ec2ae465
SHA-1 0aa2632da5ec3c1db21b273bcb8630d84b7bb805
1MB 1990-11 Cartridge (US)
Sega Mega Drive
✔
CRC32 25dfe62a
MD5 4ab80160ba6811a48e0482c402941062
SHA-1 93593e4014e13db90fedc1903a402c6f7d885a2f
1MB 1990-09 Cartridge (JP)
Sega Master System
 ?
CRC32 66388128
MD5 d8a4c95203bbe294760085189f9544fa
SHA-1 2a3e859139f8ca83494bb800dc848fe4d02db82a
256kB Cartridge (EU)
Sega Saturn
✔
CRC32
MD5
SHA-1
489,679,344 CD-ROM (EU) MK81085-50 V1.000
Sega Saturn
✔
CRC32
MD5
SHA-1
489,648,768 1996-04-18 CD-ROM (JP) T-1104G V1.003

Track list

Saturn version


1. (Data track)


2. Olga Breeze (04:09) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura


3. Olga Breeze (03:34) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura


4. Muse Valley (03:42) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura


5. Jamming (03:29) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura


6. Cynthia (03:49) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura


7. Planet Blue (03:37) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura


8. To Nari (03:32) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura


9. Say PaPa (05:32) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura


10. All Clear (01:05) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura


11. War Oh! (03:51) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura


12. Boss2 (03:52) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura


13. Round Clear (00:55) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura


14. Say Papa (Intro) (00:23) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura


15. Name Set (00:48) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura


16. Ending (00:45) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura


17. Say PaPa (Ending) (02:17) 
Composed by: Hisayoshi Ogura
► Running time: 45:20

Extra content

This game has extra content which can be viewed when accessing the disc on a PC.

Folder / File Type Size description
DAR2_ABS.TXT TXT (Abstract) 89 About this game.
DAR2_BIB.TXT TXT (Bibliographiced) 10 Title
DAR2_CPY.TXT TXT (Copyright) 53 Copyright
STAFF.TXT TXT 414 Production credits


References

  1. ↑ File:DariusII sat jp backcover.jpg
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://sega.jp/fb/segahard/ss/soft_licensee2.html (Wayback Machine: 2019-10-02 10:31)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/software_l.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-07-02 23:21)
  4. ↑ File:Darius II SMS EU Box.jpg
  5. ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "January 1991" (JP; 1990-12-08), page 79
  6. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "April 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 22
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Supergame, "Julho 1992" (BR; 1992-07-xx), page 34
  8. ↑ Sega Force, "July 1992" (UK; 1992-06-xx), page 55
  9. ↑ Sega Power, "September 1992" (UK; 1992-08-06), page 28
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Mean Machines Sega, "December 1996" (UK; 1996-11-01), page 72
  11. ↑ File:DariusII_Saturn_JP_SSEnding.pdf
  12. ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "January 1991" (JP; 1990-12-08), page 33 (35)
  13. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 83 (85)
  14. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "March 1991" (UK; 1991-02-16), page 72
  15. ↑ Computer + Video Giochi, "Aprile 1991" (IT; 1991-xx-xx), page 88
  16. ↑ Génération 4, "Février 1991" (FR; 1991-xx-xx), page 94
  17. ↑ MegaTech, "Xmas 1991" (UK; 1991-12-06), page 77
  18. ↑ Mean Machines, "May 1991" (UK; 1991-05-01), page 76-78 (76)
  19. ↑ Power Play, "3/91" (DE; 1991-02-15), page 140
  20. ↑ Sega Power, "October 1991" (UK; 1991-09-05), page 53
  21. ↑ Sega Pro, "December 1991" (UK; 1991-11-21), page 19 (21)
  22. ↑ Consoles +, "Juillet/Août 1992" (FR; 1992-0x-xx), page 118/119 (118)
  23. ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Junio 1992" (ES; 1992-xx-xx), page 68/69 (68)
  24. ↑ Joypad, "Mars 1992" (FR; 1992-0x-xx), page 84/85 (84)
  25. ↑ Joystick, "Mars 1992" (FR; 1992-0x-xx), page 136
  26. ↑ Mean Machines, "September 1992" (UK; 1992-08-27), page 62/63 (62)
  27. ↑ Player One, "Avril 1992" (FR; 1992-04-10), page 66/67 (66)
  28. ↑ Sega Pro, "July 1992" (UK; 1992-06-18), page 42/43 (42)
  29. ↑ Sega Force, "1/92" (SE; 1992-xx-xx), page 18
  30. ↑ Sega Force, "July 1992" (UK; 1992-06-xx), page 52/53 (54)
  31. ↑ Video Games, "7/92" (DE; 1992-06-24), page 51 (49)
  32. ↑ Joypad, "Juillet/Août 1996" (FR; 1996-xx-xx), page 72
  33. ↑ MAN!AC, "08/96" (DE; 1996-07-17), page 48
  34. ↑ Mega Force, "Novembre/Décembre 1996" (FR; 1996-1x-xx), page 93
  35. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1996-09 (1996-06-14)" (JP; 1996-05-24), page 230 (232)
  36. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine (readers), "Final data" (JP; 2000-03), page 13 (15)
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Darius II
Darius II Title.png

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Darius games for Sega systems
Sega Mega Drive
 Darius II (1990) | Darius (2019) | Darius Extra Version (2020)
Sega Master System
 Sagaia (1992)
Sega Saturn
 Darius Gaiden (1995) | Darius II (1996)
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