G-Darius HD (Switch Review )

By Justin D Williams

Take flight in the iconic Silver Hawk and immerse yourself in thrilling gameplay with both modern HD-visuals or authentic retro-arcade graphics. Experience the conflicts between the Amnelia Kingdom and the merciless Thiima Empire that took place before the battle between the people of Darius and Belsar. During this conflict, the series’ iconic Silver Hawks were created to make use of the game’s unique capture ball system that allows you to forge your own strategy and gain an edge over the enemy! G-DARIUS HD is the port of “G-DARIUS” in high resolution – developed by the masters of remastering at M2. The game can also be played in low resolution like in the original arcade version. From the epic boss battles to the memorable soundtrack, G-DARIUS stood out when it first got released in the arcades and up to these days, critics and fans are praising this game as a prime example of how to bring a 2D game series properly to 3D.

G-Darius HD offers a variety of versions to play the game with Darius HD the high-definition version of the arcade game. This one includes an improved model of the Silver Hawk. Darius which is the fourth installment of the Darius franchise this is the original arcade game. Darius for consumers is the console port of the game that features a beginner’s mode. I was happy to see this one included because it was the one that I played on the Playstation One. Finally, you have two versions of Darius HD Ver 2. One version is adjusted to shorten the playtime which is great for speed runners and it also includes a beginner’s mode, boss timer, and a time bonus. There are many versions to play the game and the inclusion of in-game achievements sweetens the deal.

In Game Achievements Offers More Replay Value for the Switch

Justin that all sounds good and dandy but how does the game hold up and play? The gameplay plays like the standard arcade shooter you expect from the Darius series. G-Darius HD allows the Silver Hawk to capture enemies using a capture ball which can use to aid the playing field of the wave of enemies on screen. Enemies can fire back at their former allies or be used for a bomb or big laser attack which is very helpful against bosses. The game is very fun and the inclusion of achievements makes it worth multiple trips. Speaking of replay value G-Darius offers paths during and after each level. During the level, you will be presented with a choice of which path to take either the top or bottom route. This choice leads to various new enemies and locations that will determine the path taken later in the game. If you want to see the other path you will have to replay the level again. For those who have played the game, it really doesn’t offer anything new under the sun. The inclusion of achievements is helpful and the unlimited credits do put a damper on the difficulty of the game.

G-Darius HD graphically is definitely an improved the clear crisp look of the environments, models, and Silver Hawk makes it a great price for admission. However, the game is not without its flaws. There is a framerate issue that the game framerate drops a bit when multiple enemies and explosions happen. I’m surprised that such an old game would still encounter this issue I had when I played it on the PS1 back in the day. Thankfully it’s not game-breaking but the slow-down drop does become annoying at a certain level.

Final Thoughts: G-Darius HD is a nice collection of the same game with different offerings of past interations. Solid gameplay with a few framerate issues make the price of 29.99 seem a bit high. The replay value of achievements and branch path still make it a worthy addition to the collection. However this a rating for a Wait for Sale.