Darius Gaiden is a 1994 horizontal-scrolling shooter arcade game developed and published by Taito. The fifth entry in its Darius series, players control a starship named the Silver Hawk in its mission to destroy the Belsar empire before it wipes out the population of planet Darius. Gaiden adds several new features to the core concepts of its predecessors, including screen-clearing black hole bombs and the ability to capture mid-level bosses. The game has been ported to several consoles, including the Sega Saturn and PlayStation.
Created by producer Hidehiro Fujiwara, Darius Gaiden was designed to show off the technological capabilities of Taito's then-new F3 System, an arcade board that utilized interchangeable cartridges. Though he had little exposure to the series, Fujiwara wanted to design a new Darius game that improved on its established concepts. The development team worked to retain many of the franchise's core elements while also focusing on creating a new and engaging experience. Originally titled Darius III, its name was changed to Darius Gaiden as its plot took place between the first two games; gaiden is the Japanese term for "side story".
Darius Gaiden was critically acclaimed in arcades, and received several awards. The home console conversions were also well received, with critics applauding its gameplay, attractive visuals, and responsive controls. Some felt its music was bizarre and unfitting, while some enjoyed its outlandish nature. Retrospectively, it has been ranked among the greatest side-scrolling shooters of all time.
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