Played the M2 release of Darius on the Mega Drive not too long ago and was thinking of playing either this or Super Darius II. Chose to play this since it was the same console. Unlike the other Darius game, this one actually came out back in the day and it's still a very fun game albeit with some issues for me.

First off I want to say I really like some of the new locations in the game like the ruined city that takes place on Earth or at least I think it's meant to take place there. While some locations look very similar to the first game, I'd say they are better here. The music also isn't too bad either though I prefer the previous game.

The gameplay is more of the same where you choose different routes and you fight bosses of the aquatic variety. It's always nice to see those though I found the final boss to be disappointng. Apparently there's a couple more depending on the last level you go to but I happened to take the two last levels that led to him.

I will say there are times I feel like I'm in very autopilot mode like I'm not even thinking and it is easier then the previous game. You even have continues this time which I'm happy for. You even still got that Tiat ship if you want an easier time despite there already being difficulty options.

When you're fully powered up though it can feel very satisfying to plow down a lot of the enemies and get score bonuses. Really it's just more Darius and sure it's not graphically as good as the Arcade game, I do appreciate the attempt to try to keep it looking good.

Sagaia is just a fun game to go through if you're looking for shmups to play. I haven't played the Arcade version so maybe that's better but this still isn't a bad choice. There's also Super Darius II though that one seems somewhat controversial due to changes they made but I'll see if I enjoy that one when I get to it. There's even multiple endings to keep you coming back, it's a joy from beginning to end.