Duration: 19:15

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While I don't have a PS4 nor a Switch at the moment to play the Cozmic Collection, I was able to do some runs at Prickly Angler's place and even get this 1CC! He was kind enough to save the replay and send me a recording of it which is what you can watch here.

Sagaia v2 is a variation of Sagaia v1, which itself was already a arrangement of Darius 2's arcade version. v2 isn't emulated so far and can only be played in the Cozmic Collection, which isn't the case for Sagaia v1. Both Sagaia versions cut down the amount of stages overall, with only a branching path every two stages, and thus only 4 final zones to explore. On the upside, each of those final zones has an exclusive boss, with the one here being Killer Higia.

Sagaia versions also tweak boss fights but removing midbosses from all stages except the first and last, and lowering the boss HP. However, while those changes make Sagaia v1 easier than Darius 2, Sagaia v2 adds some new tricks to some of the boss fights (like Alloy Lantern).

Sagaia v2 also has some tricky stages and some new backgrounds that can be beautiful but also extremely troublesome for lisibility. Zone C and its purple background is a good example. Or just look at that final boss lmao. Amazing, a work of art. I was in WTF mode at how ridiculous the twisting background with harsh color contrast is and how it made it hard to read the red bullets. If you thought Darius Gaiden was the first psychedelic Darius, you aren't exactly right lol.

Played on Cozmic Collection (PS4)

#STG #shmup