If you have been playing video games since the 1980s when Arcades ruled the video game industry, then chances are pretty high that you came across Darius or any of its international variants who went by the name of Sagaia. Darius Cozmic Collection comes in two different variants Darius Cozmic Collection Console and Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade. Both these games are a collection of various Darius and Sagaia titles that were released for both arcades and consoles back in the last 1980s and early 1990s. Thanks to Taito Corporation Japan and ININ Games we now have these lost gems brought back to life for Nintendo Switch and PS4. This is our review of Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade and Darius Cozmic Collection Console in which we head down the memory lane and experience one of the best side-shooters ever made.
Before we start with this review, it is worth mentioning that both Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade and Darius Cozmic Collection Console are two separate collections of the Darius and Sagaia titles. You will need to buy both of them separately. Arcade has all the different versions released for Arcade machines whereas, in the Console version, you will find all of the versions ever made for home consoles such as SNES, Super Famicom, and Sega Mega Drive. It is also worth mentioning that these are not remastered or remake. These are the authentic Darius and Sagaia titles released for Arcades and consoles back then simply ported to Nintendo Switch and PS4 in their original form with a few added features to make gameplay more suited for modern consoles. Now let us start with the review.
Darius tells you the story of a pilot that is in the cockpit of a Silver Hawk fighter craft and has to fight through hordes and hordes of enemies. The enemies come in various waves and patterns and you will have missiles and bombs at your disposal to eliminate them. At the end of each round, you must come face-to-face with a giant boss based on sea creatures which will really test your mettle. As you destroy enemy waves in the game, you pick up different upgrades that make your shield, missiles, and bombs more powerful and allow you to chop through enemy waves much more easily. Later titles in the franchise also gave you access to a more powerful arsenal of powerups to deal with enemies however most of the titles in the franchise stayed with just missiles and bombs along with your shield for protection.
First, we will go through Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade which started the whole franchise. Upon booting up Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade, you are presented with a cool intro screen and then you are taken to the game selections screen from where you can select which game you want to play. Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade has seven different versions of Darius and Sagaia titles released for Arcade machines between 1986 to 1994. This includes the very first Darius game which was released back in 1987. This is titled Darius Old Version since this is the very first version of the game that was announced in 1986 however it was released in 1986. It was later followed by Darius New Version, Darius Extra Version, Darius II Dual-Screen Version, Sagaia Version 1, Sagaia Version 2, and finally Darius Gaiden.
The first three titles are simply the same game with different changes in the game to make it more playable by different players. Each new version has less difficult bosses when your fighter plane Silver Hawk is powered up. Darius Extra Version is the most refined form of the original game since it is the most balanced out of the bunch. Darius II Dual-Screen came with the feature of utilizing two screens while Sagaia Version 1 is the first international release of the franchise outside Japan on Arcades. Its Version 2 is basically the same game however according to ININ Games, this version is extremely rare, and extremely few people actually managed to get their hands on it. Darius Gaiden is the final installment in the franchise and it came with the best visuals as it featured semi-transparent effects and parallax scrolling. It also gave a new gameplay mechanic to players where they can use the deadly BlackHole Bomb to annihilate screens full of enemies in an instant.
All these seven titles are in their original form on Nintendo Switch. The screen is altered to deliver the best possible experience to players as for the initial games it is more rectangular than square. As you move to newer titles, the screen turns boxier and bigger as well catering to better visuals of the titles. It feels like you are playing on another screen inside the game and it looks extremely look with the classic visuals of the Darius Arcade titles. Having these smaller screens certainly captures the original visuals of the titles and this helps because there is no pixel-tearing unlike playing these games on third-party emulators where the pixels are torn and it completely ruins the experience. The gameplay is absolutely brutal and you will need a decent time getting used to the difficulty. Arcade titles were not easy and Darius proves it with its high-difficulty and focused gameplay.
Coming to the second collection under review, Darius Cozmic Collection Console consists of a whopping 9 Darius and Sagaia titles released for different home consoles between 1990 to 1993. These were different variants that found home on unique consoles and even on the PC engine. Sagaia versions were international releases of the Darius versions which were only limited to Japan. Certain games included in this collection never made it outside Japan so players have access to some real unicorns of the franchise in this collection.
Darius Cozmic Collection Console comes with Darius II for Mega Drive, Sagaia for Sega Genesis, Sagaia for Sega Master System, Darius Twin for Super Famicom, Darius Twin for Super NES, Darius Force for Super Famicom, Super Nova for Super NES, Darius Alpha for PC Engine and Darius Plus for PC Engine. Most of these titles are the same as each other with some changes while Sagaia versions are international releases for Darius games. Darius Force which was released for Super Famicom is also the first release that came out exclusively on the console. It was released internationally for Super NES later as Super Nova. All of these games bring their original visuals, features, and soundtrack to Nintendo Switch along with the added features.
Both Darius Cozmic Collections, Console and Arcade, come with some added features and mechanics to make gameplay more suited to modern gaming. One of the things you will notice right from the start is that all games support online leaderboards. No matter how you perform, the final scores of your playthroughs will be uploaded to the online leaderboards where you can compare your scores with the online community and try to be the very best amongst them. Both collections also support Quick Save and Quick Load with the help of which you can quickly save your game and load them. You can also save your replays and even download replays from the internet to watch others play at your leisure. Titles that came with co-op play support so-op in these new collections as well. Both collections are probably the best way to preserve this iconic franchise from our past and let the new generation experience the birth of side-scrolling shooters.
Final Verdict:
Both Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade and Darius Cozmic Collection Console come filled nostalgia and for someone who has actually played these titles on Arcade machines or the early consoles, these are just brilliant. The visuals and sound design of both collections are as authentic as they can be and they just look and sound amazing. The gameplay is brutal and requires precision and pattern-learning. Both console and arcade versions really feel like they are made for separate machines and you can feel the difference between the titles made for arcades and consoles. These collections will certainly not look as brilliant or feature-happy as the modern games you might be used to but they are what led to today’s industry and I will highly recommend that you must try both the console and the arcade versions of Darius Cosmic Collection. With these new collections, Darius is certainly preserved as it comes with some versions that people could not even find when they were live in Arcade machines and consoles around the world.
Final Score: 9.5/10
