When I recently got into iOS gaming with my iPad 2, I knew that I would be quite content with being able to tap into the Cave shoot-'em-up releases but I would never have thought that I would be able to play something like this on the device. I am of course referring to the recently released DariusBurst: Second Prologue that was developed by Pyramid and published by Taito. And this is not just a mere cash-in for shmup starved iOS players either for it an excellent game that is the ported from the latest entry into the series that was previously available exclusively for the PlayStation Portable in Japan.
Plenty of fish in the sea.
The game is a sidescroller and it features several branching stages. There are only 5 stages that you will be playing through, which is shorter than what I'd come to expect from a Darius game but at least there are those multiple paths to get to the end of the game. Thankfully, the questionable length is not that big of a problem because the game's scoring system will keep you wanting to keep playing it. This revolves around the burst system, which is a super-powered attack that you can unleash as long as you have the Burst gauge charged. Using Burst attacks increases the multiplier bonus of killing of a chained group of enemies and a strategic use of it can also trigger a powerful Burst Counter that also boosts your score rate. It's fun to figure out the enemy patterns in each stage and plan out your attacks accordingly. Collecting power-ups is very important in this game because you want to be able to maxed out your shots, missiles, and shield to prepare yourself for the final boss battle. Speaking of the bosses, DariusBurst: SP got a mean selection of them and true to the series, they are all mechanical abominations of the innocent marine life that inspired them. Some of them are utter monstrosities, as in they take up the entire half of the screen, and are a lot of fun to fight against. It is disappointing however that despite the branching paths, you fight against the same four bosses for the first four stages and only the last stage features a unique, stage-specific boss thus the game has four different final bosses.
The bosses are brilliantly designed. Wish there were a lot more of them though.
The touch control works great with the game. Your ship shoots automatically and you only have to worry about moving it around by sliding your finger on the screen. You do have the option to toggle the auto shot on and off as well as the ability to move the shot and burst button to the location that suits you. Adding the option of double tapping to trigger Burst attacks would have been nice however. I also wish that those buttons can be moved towards the black bar at the bottom of the screen to clear up the gameplay area or that the HUD are placed inside the black bar at the top since the game itself doesn't take up the entire screen of the iPad. Despite these little imperfections, this has become my favorite iOS shmup thus far. I love it more than the Cave games I own - perhaps because I didn't get ESPGaluda II HD here since I already have that game on the X-Box 360. You may be quite shocked by that asking price of $10.99 but this game is certainly worth more than that. There are 4 unique ships that you can choose from and three different game modes. Then, there are also an unlockable gallery that features both 2D artwork and 3D models found in the game. The 3D graphics are very beautiful and you also get to enjoy the game's strange, offbeat, and exotic soundtrack courtesy of Zuntata! DariusBurst: SP is the kind of the game that I would love to see more on the iOS, specifically the iPad. I look forward to see what Taito will bring to the iOS next.
Lots of pretty sights to see in this game. It certainly looks quite expensive.
RATING: 4 out of 5
Game key provided by developer.
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