Blow Up Evil Mechanical Fish In DARIUSBURST SP
DARIUSBURST SP ($10.99) by TAITO Corporation is the iOS port of the PSP version of Dariusburst. Now the classic shooting game is available to you wherever you go!
I love bullet hell shoot-em-up games (shmups), and I love them even more when they look amazing. And that’s exactly what we have here, with the horizontal scrolling Dariusburst SP. I was a bit skeptical when I saw that the game is $10.99, but personally, I love it and will definitely be keeping it around for a while.
The graphics are great and look extremely sharp, with the enemies flying in from the foreground with a 3D effect. This looks like a shooter game that you would expect to see on a console, or in this case, a dedicated handheld gaming system, such as the PSP. While I was playing the game, I was just drawn in to the game with the crisp visuals, and the techno-like music adds some extra oomph to the game.
There are two game modes: Original and SP. The original mode is the same game from the PSP version, so if you haven’t played it, this is a great way to do so. The SP version is basically a remix, and exclusive to the iOS port. It features new enemy patterns and revised boss battles, so it’s good to play through it even if you went through the original mode.
The controls for the game are very simple – move the ship around by swiping your finger on the screen. You will automatically be firing (along with sending out some homing missiles), so you don’t have to worry about holding on to a button to do so. You can activate your Burst laser by tapping on the button in the bottom right (and switch back to basic shots with the adjacent button). The laser can only last for so long though, so you must wait a while before it charges up fully again.
As you blow up enemies in your path, you may come across a floating orb that they left behind. These are power-ups, and they will increase your shot, missiles, power, and more. If you’re curious about how strong your ship is at the moment, you can take a gander at the top of the screen to view how many power-ups of a certain type you’ve collected (they’re all color coded).
Each zone will take place in a different sector, and will feature various enemies. At the end, you will also encounter some pretty awesome boss battles, with each having their own unique attack pattern. I did notice that most of the bosses are giant robotic fish, so I have to wonder what made the developers come up with these.
My favorite moment was the first boss, that seems to like firing a laser at me from it’s metal butt. It actually made me laugh as I played it, though that probably wasn’t good because I ended up not seeing bullets coming at me.
As you clear a stage, sometimes there will be multiple stages to choose from after. This is actually important, because you can unlock the Mission mode if you clear two different paths in either Original or SP mode. You start off with two selectable ships, but the last two can also be unlocked after meeting certain criteria. Each ship has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, which you can see before starting the game.
My only problem with the game is that sometimes in the flurry of battle, I can’t see everything on the screen because my fingers are in the way. Of course, this isn’t a problem from Taito, it’s just a problem with touchscreen controls in general.
I wish that there was iCloud sync for game progress. That way, if you start from your iPhone, you can pick up where you left off from your iPad. It just makes things so much easier.
Despite this, I am enjoying the game thoroughly and will continue to keep it on my iPhone for a while. The price is a bit high, but keep in mind that this is a universal app, and the graphics are top-notch. Plus, you won't be able to find a PSP copy of this game for $11 (the original is running for at least $75 on eBay).
