Darius II (arcade game)

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Screenshot from the three-screen arcade version of Darius II

Darius II Zone Select screen

The direct sequel to Darius, first released in arcades in 1989. It was also ported to the Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Master System, where it was known as Sagaia.

The arcade version kept the same three-screen format as the first game. The power-up system changed slightly - now, to obtain power-ups, the player had to destroy complete waves of a particular enemy.

Two new power-ups were added: a new weapon power-up which gives the player green, vertical lasers, and a rainbow-coloured item that powers up all the players weapons.

The game is set in the inner half of the Solar system, and has the same branching level structure as Darius.

Another new feature in Darius II is the appearance of minibosses - large enemies that appear near the middle of a level, with similar abilities to the game's normal bosses (such as extravagant weapons, or the inability to be damaged without first exposing a vulnerable area). The minibosses in Darius II are in fact smaller versions of the bosses from Darius.