Darius Plus (1990). Play online

Summary

When I fired up the PC Engine’s turbo‑charged cartridge Darius Plus, the first thing that hit me wasn’t another generic star‑fighter—it was a fleet of robotic fish blasting lasers from their fins, snarling squid, and armored sea‑snails. The series’ signature silver hawk still feels like a classic Gradius fighter, with forward missiles, vertical bombs and an upgradeable shield. Because the hardware can’t mimic the original three‑screen arcade pane, the view is narrowed to a single yet still impressively wide field.

What keeps me coming back is the branching route system; after each boss you pick one of three exits, leading to a total of 28 zones but only seven will appear in any single run. That non‑linear layout turns each play‑through into a tiny puzzle of which path will give the most power‑ups or the toughest showdown.

A hidden gem is Darius Alpha, a giveaway card limited to 800 copies where you fight just the bosses, and it shares the same SuperGrafx‑boosted graphics as the regular Plus version. Playing on a SuperGrafx reduces flicker and slowdown, making the enemy fish movement look smoother.

Storyline

Darius Plus drops players into a future where humanity, after exhausting Earth’s resources, colonized a distant world called Darius. The fledgling society flourished until the Belser Army—humanoid warriors piloting massive, sea‑shaped starships—launched a sudden invasion. Their relentless bombardment wipes out the planet’s original defense fleet, leaving the colonists on the brink of annihilation.

Hope arrives in the form of the Silver Hawk series, sleek single‑pilot fighters capable of carrying multiple weapons at once. Two ace pilots, Proco and Tiat, are tasked with turning the tide. Guided by the legendary “Silverhawk” beacon, they pierce the enemy lines, striking back against the alien armada. The story frames the battle as a desperate last stand, with the bright bird‑shaped craft symbolizing the planet’s final chance for survival.