DARIUSBURST Chronicle Saviours is the latest installment in Taito's DARIUS series of arcade-style shooting games. Blast hordes of alien sea-monsters, and blaze your own trail through branching environments.
User reviews:
Recent:
Mixed (11 reviews) - 63% of the 11 user reviews in the last 30 days are positive.
Overall:
Very Positive (216 reviews) - 86% of the 216 user reviews for this game are positive.
Release Date: Dec 3, 2015

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September 1

Steam Shmups Sale, Two Triangle Service Bundles, and an ESCHATOS Contest!

The Steam Shmups Sale is on now, we've got two new Triangle Service bundles, and we're holding an ESCHATOS contest!



Triangle Service Bundles
First, here are the bundles. Make sure to get them while the sale is going on! The individual games and their OSTs are on sale too!...

Triangle Service Shmups Collection
http://store.steampowered.com/bundle/1293/
This is all of our Triangle Service games and their soundtracks in one bundle!

Shooting Love 20XX
http://store.steampowered.com/bundle/1248/
This is all four of our Shooting Love 20XX games and their soundtracks in one bundle!

Additional Sales
Second, our other shmups on sale!...

http://store.steampowered.com/app/285440/

http://store.steampowered.com/app/377870/

http://store.steampowered.com/app/314180/

http://store.steampowered.com/app/378770/

http://store.steampowered.com/app/278510/

http://store.steampowered.com/app/377860/

http://store.steampowered.com/app/435970/

ESCHATOS Contest
Finally, we have an ESCHATOS contest! Here's the details...



Good luck on the contest!

That's it for now. It's almost too much!... almost!

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August 26

DARIUSBURST Chronicle Saviours and More From Degica are Currently on Sale on the Humble Store!

DARIUSBURST Chronicle Saviours and several other great Degica games are currently on sale on the Humble Store!

https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/degicaweek/

The sale will end in a little over two days, so hurry and grab those games!

0 comments Read more

Reviews

“However you choose to play, whether all or in part, alone or in a group, DBCS is a product of exceptional grace. Cinematic and grandiose, the hypnotic flow of its stages and the dynamism of your weaponry is only upstaged by its set-piece bosses. From giant mechanised crabs and hulking sea turtles to formidable stingrays, swordfish and golden lobsters, each battle is positively majestic.”
Recommended – Eurogamer

“DariusBurst Chronicle Saviours is the best entry in the storied shoot ‘em up genre in years.”
4/5 – We Got This Covered

“A slice of heaven for shmup fans everywhere. Controller support, Steam cloud saves, 3000+ stages, 4 play co-op support, dual monitor and wide screen support and much much more. I can't put this game down, it's that much fun and it's that good.”
9/10 – The Outer Haven

About This Game

WARNING!! DARIUSBURST Chronicle Saviours is approaching fast!



DARIUSBURST Chronicle Saviours is the latest installment in Taito's DARIUS series of arcade-style shooting games. Blast hordes of alien sea-monsters, and blaze your own trail through branching environments.

Features:
  • The richest content in the Darius series: all the arcade content from Another Chronicle EX (AC), plus the all-new Chronicle Saviours (CS) Mode.
  • In AC Mode, you have multiple modes: Original, Original EX, and Chronicle Mode. Original Mode is an authentic recreation of the arcade campaign with its branching levels. Original EX mode is a harder version of the arcade campaign, designed for players that want an extra challenge.
  • Chronicle Mode includes a whopping 3000+ stages that can be unlocked by global players. Each time a world is unlocked by a player on your cabinet*, you get access to it too. Race to save them all!
  • CS Mode is a single player story mode with 200+ stages, spanning the entire timeline of DARIUS history. Revisit classic Darius ships and music in this ultimate fan experience!
  • 9 playable ships to choose from, including Silver Hawk variants from classic Darius games, and a new CS-exclusive ship. Some ships are equipped with powerful Burst weapons, while others have strong base firepower. Pick the playstyle that suits you best, and use your ship’s unique strengths and weaknesses to blast through your enemies.
  • Over 40 enormous aquatic-themed battleships including series favorites like "Great Thing" and "Iron Fossil" as well as new CS-exclusive bosses.
  • A haunting and memorable Zuntata soundtrack, including classic tracks and entirely new compositions. Play it loud for the full Darius experience!
  • Up to 4-player local co-op with unique mechanics like sharable power-ups and Burst weapon combos.
  • Graphical settings for a variety of resolutions in 16:9 and 32:9 aspect ratios—up to 3440 x 1440 resolution.
  • AC Mode supports dual monitors with a 32:9 aspect ratio, and up to 6880 x 1440 resolution. The 32:9 aspect ratio appears letterboxed on single-screen displays to preserve the appearance of the original game. CS Mode is optimized for single-monitor displays to give a larger picture. No matter what your setup, DARIUSBURST CS is a truly massive visual experience!
  • Steam achievements, online leaderboards, and cloud backup saves are supported. Compete to see who can get the best score in each area!

For additional information about Darius lore, game modes, ship types, and more, please visit the Darius website at: http://darius.jp/dbcs/en/

*Here's how the cabinet feature works; when you begin playing DARIUSBURST CS, you'll be assigned a random virtual cabinet. As you complete areas in Chronicle Mode, you'll liberate planets and unlock new areas. Whenever you liberate a world, it will also be unlocked and shared with other players that are in the same cabinet. Compete with other players to see who can clear the most worlds, or see who can get the highest score in each world. It's like a miniature universe that you share with other players!

System Requirements

    Minimum:
    • OS: Windows Vista/7/8.1/10
    • Processor: Core 2 Duo E6400
    • Graphics: Shader Model 2.0 Compatible, GeForce 8600GT
    • DirectX: Version 9.0c
    • Storage: 1800 MB available space
    • Sound Card: DirectSound-compatible sound card
    • Additional Notes: Controller recommended, Monitor over 1280x720 px, refresh rate over 60Hz not supported.
    Recommended:
    • Graphics: Shader Model 2.0 Compatible, GeForce GT260X or better
    • Additional Notes: Controllers: XInput and DirectInput (Xbox or similar button layout) controllers are supported. XInput controllers are recommended. ** DirectInput controllers with more or fewer buttons might not have an ideal layout. ** Analog Stick buttons (pressing the sticks inward) are not recognized. - - - Dual Monitors: To use dual-screen mode, 2 monitors supporting 1920x1080 are necessary. It is possible to use monitors with a higher resolution, but 2 monitors set to 1920x1080 are recommended. ** Monitors with less than 1080 pixels in vertical resolution are not supported. ** Dual monitors are only supported for AC Mode.
Customer reviews
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Recent:
Mixed (11 reviews)
Overall:
Very Positive (216 reviews)
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103 reviews match the filters above ( Very Positive)
Most Helpful Reviews  In the past 30 days
2 of 4 people (50%) found this review helpful
1 person found this review funny
Recommended
8.1 hrs on record
Posted: September 21
This one's for the fighters
This one's for the soldiers
This one's for the warriors, freedom!
This one's for the leaders,
This one's for the dreamers,
This one's for the keepers, freedom!

Hear this humble message
In heart's spoken language
We can't take more damage
of justice's miscarriage.
Dear sisters and brothers
We fight for the honor
We must fight until we get what's right!

It must be decided,
That we are united,
And won't be divided, freedom!
By working together,
And cutting the tether,
Defeat the oppressor, freedom!

Fight harder and harder,
Soar higher and higher,
So soon you'll discover
That we are the power.
Today we are fighting
Tomorrow we're thriving.
We must fight until we get what's right!

CHORUS
You'll never win 'less you use what's within
Look deep inside for the POWER LIGHT.
Good place to start is just lead with your heart,
Fight for what's right all your life!

We fight for the mothers,
Alongside our brothers,
We fight for the lovers, freedom!
A new day is dawning,
Energy is soaring
Our joy is transforming, freedom!

* REPEAT

Forget all the doubters,
Know you are the power
In this perilous hour, freedom!
We fight for the mothers,
Alongside our brothers,
We fight for the lovers, freedom!

A new day is dawning,
Energy is soaring
Our joy is transforming,
Cry freedom, oh, freedom
Today we are fighting
Tomorrow we're thriving,
We must fight until we get what's right!

CHORUS (REPEAT 2x)
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1 of 2 people (50%) found this review helpful
Recommended
1.3 hrs on record
Posted: September 19
a super ambitious shmup that plays really well
best played on two identical monitors or an ultra-wide scree- wait where are you going come back
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Most Helpful Reviews  Overall
153 of 183 people (84%) found this review helpful
4 people found this review funny
Recommended
101.1 hrs on record
Posted: December 3, 2015
I'm just going to start off by saying I have nothing but praise for this game. With that said I know most STEAM users are going to look at the price point for this and think, "They've GOT to be out of their minds!" No they aren't This game is packed with so much content that I don't think there's a single game of its kind that can topple. I'll even say that you couldn't even combine 3 or 4 games together to get the amount of content that this game has to offer fans of the genre.

Aesthetically this game brings a simple and clean presentation to the table. The UI for ship combat is clean and simple to understand without too much info bombarding the player while they are struggling to keep their ship from a fiery demise. The 3D models are low in the polygon department, yet beautifully designed. Everything from simple cannon fodder enemies to the enormous bosses look great.

When it comes to blasting things into the next dimension this game brings it home. Every stage I've played so far in CS mode feels satisfying to navigate through while serving a healthy dose of destruction to everything in your wake. The slew of ship models in the game keep everything feeling fresh. Each ship brings something different to the table, be it bombs, options (bits), firing patterns, lasers, devastating counter lasers... You're going to have a different experience trying each one.

Areas feel a bit easy at first, but the difficulty steadily increases with each one you go to. And there's 200 of them in this mode. You'll be forced to learn enemy formation patterns, stage layouts, and boss attack patterns. Also, don't worry about encountering the same boss two or three times. While sometimes bosses look the same, their attack patterns sure as heck are not. Nothing I've encountered so far has felt unfair to me and every death I've had in an area has brought me closer to success on my next go around. This game does a great job of being difficult without being frustrating.

The music is another thing in this game that really caught me off guard. The soundtrack and sound design for this game is just superb. Everything feels new yet very nostalgic. It's as if I've been transported over 20 years back to the past to enjoy some of the older games from back in my youth. It's something that just feels great to experience while going through the game. With that said, the music still sounds fresh and sound effects are of a better quality than what us older people had from back in the day.

The thing that boggles my mind with the game is that I haven't even touch AC mode which contains 3 other modes within it and the original aspect ratio of the arcade version which will allow PC players to enjoy an authentic quarter crunching experience. There's one mode (Chronicle I believe) that has 3000 stages that are unlocked by the community. Each "cabinet" is like its own little universe which players can pick before starting AC mode. The further you and players in that cabinet get through Chronicles the more worlds you unlock. It adds a VERY lite MMO aspect to the game which will keep this game fresh far a good long while.

But for me, I'm content with trying to survive through CS mode. I don't see myself finishing that anytime soon since I'm on the less skilled side of the spectrum when it comes to Shoot'em Ups. Like I've stated in the beginning, your money will not go to waste on this game is you're a fan of the genre and have been waiting for a content heavy shmup to come across the STEAM store. PC has been getting a RIDICULOUS amount of fantastic shooters in the last two years and DARIUSBURST has easily sky rocketed to the top 3 in my opinion. This is a top shelf experience and a title that deserves to be in every shmup fan's catalogue.
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74 of 88 people (84%) found this review helpful
Recommended
23.6 hrs on record
Posted: December 5, 2015
The best and most shmup you can buy on Steam.

It's hard to explain how huge this game is. Do you want a lengthy single-player campaign that will take you many hours to complete? CS mode is that. Do you want a classic Darius experience with multiple routes? It has two of those modes: Original and Original EX. Do you want a huge selection of different challenges? Chronicle mode has hundreds and hundreds of challenges with thousands of stages. Even if you aren't the type who plays arcade games repeatedly in order to get higher scores, there's still enough here to occupy you for hundreds of hours.

And how is this gigantic game? In a word: incredible. Dariusburst takes a different tack than many modern bullet hell shooters and instead goes for what I'd call popcorn hell. Huge swarms of tiny enemies and asteroids are everywhere. The bosses are huge, have a large variety of attacks, and are exhilarating to fight. Don't think it's just swarms and bosses, though: there are plenty of bullet-firing medium sized enemies and stage walls to contend with, too. Dariusburst is very much its own thing and doesn't cleanly fit into any of the shmup archetypes.

The scoring system is relatively simple, with a multiplier that ticks up when you destroy waves of enemies and gets reduced when you get hit. Kill an entire enemy wave and the you get a score bonus multiplied by your current multiplier. Kill the final enemy of a wave with your rechargeable laser or bomb and you get that same bonus multiplied by 16. This means the best scoring tactic is to kill everything and try to eliminate the final enemy of each wave with your laser/bomb. This is easier said than done, so there's a lot of depth here in figuring out the ideal movement and timing for killing enemy waves. Bosses fire their own lasers and if you time it right, you can fire your own laser into that laser (like in G-Darius) and counter it for massive damage and large amounts of points if you kill the boss with the resulting counterburst.

The art design is great. It doesn't push a lot of polygons (this is an enhanced port of an arcade game based on a PSP game, after all) but the art more than makes up for it. Backgrounds can be astonishingly beautiful and the boss designs are great. There are also a large number of references to previous Darius games that are cool to pick out. Sound effects are well done. Nothing to write home about (apart from the wonderful boss alert siren), but they get the job done. The music is incredible. The "Freedom" song in the trailer is love-it-or-hate-it (I'm in the latter camp) but it's easily the least good of a long and lengthy soundtrack. The way the soundtrack is perfectly synchronized in the arcade modes is awe-inspiring.

There's only two real flaws with this game. The huge number of modes and missions means that high scores are scattered across a bunch of leaderboards rather than being concentrated and more competitive. Second, there's no practice mode for individual stages and bosses in AC mode. Some of the bosses (looking at YOU, Phantom Castle) have some really mean attacks and it would be nice to be able to practice them in AC mode without going through a series of stages beforehand. CS mode lets you select individual stages, so you can sort of use it for practice, but the aspect ratio is so different that it's not really the same thing as the AC mode boss fights.

All in all, I can't recommend this game enough. The price may be high but it is totally worth it given both the length and quality of Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours.
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162 of 235 people (69%) found this review helpful
7 people found this review funny
Not Recommended
20.2 hrs on record
Posted: December 21, 2015
Oh, DARIUSBURST. You come so close, and yet you falter mere steps away from the finish line.

Many people will look at the price tag and think twice about it, but if your concern is lack of content, you shouldn't worry. DARIUSBURST is a game that is absolutely stuffed to the gills. There's a full recreation of the Arcade mode in 32:9 (with dual-monitor support!), including Original (choose three stages from a total of twelve in the traditional Darius split map), Original EX (Original but harder), Chronicle (thousands of stages, unlocked collaboratively with other players), and Event (currently unused). There's also a new mode, similar to Chronicle meant for home play on a 16:9 monitor by a single player. There are dozens of enemies and bosses, most if not all of the latter having one or more variants with different attacks. There are eight ships to choose from in arcade and a ninth in CS, all of which have dramatically differing capabilities.

As far as actually playing it goes, DARIUSBURST doesn't disappoint either. The controls are responsive, the ships don't feel too fast or slow as you dodge between volleys of fire and take down enemies, and the battles are all delightfully flashy and impressive in a way that makes it fun to watch despite the average graphics. It's really a great game.

And yet, there's a big red thumbs down at the top of this review. And it's there for a reason. DARIUSBURST doesn't lack for content, and it doesn't lack for gameplay, but that's not all that's important to a game. What DARIUSBURST is ultimately missing to make it woth the full price tag is polish. It's an overall gread experience, that is nonetheless missing things - both minor little pleasantries and arguably key features.

There's no replay functionality whatsoever.

There's no stage practice option beyond finding a Chronicle course that starts with the stage you want to practice.

When playing AC mode on a single monitor, it's letterboxed... with bland black rectangles, as opposed to some of the series' gorgeous art assets.

Without multiple controllers, there's no way to pick the color of your ship.

There's no online multiplayer, when many of the stages in Chronicle cannot be entered at all without a team of two or more.

The arcade loading screens, meant to inform the player about their ship and the bosses, are inexplicably left untranslated from Japanese.

Those are all features that other shmups, cheaper shmups, have provided in the past. Yet DARIUSBURST, a fully-priced retail release, lacks them.

And that's why, ultimately, I cannot click the "Yes" button and recommend it. If there were a Mixed option in addition to Yes and No, I'd cheerfully pick that one, because there's a lot here to like. But if it's got to be one of the two...

DARIUSBURST would be worthwhile at $30. It'd be a bargain at $20. But at $50, I can't recommend it to anyone who would be on the fence and decide to read some reviews. Wait for a good sale, and THEN get it and have a great time.
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41 of 55 people (75%) found this review helpful
1 person found this review funny
Recommended
16.5 hrs on record
Posted: December 3, 2015
There was a time where if you had mentioned to me that you either had access to DariusBurst Another Chronicle, either via an arcade cabinet or by playing it on an iOS device, I would have given you a weird look. And not just any weird look, but the look that I wanted to steal your soul type of look as I really wanted a chance to try the game, just for once in my life. And with no access to either an iOS device or a Japanese PlayStation Portable, I was forced to merely watch videos of the game in action on Youtube. That is until recently when Degica stated they were porting the game over to not just the PlayStation Vita, but also the PlayStation 4 and the real shocker, the PC. That’s all I needed to hear to get my shmup spirits lifted. Besides Darius, my other favorite shmups, Gradius and Thunderforce, were dead and buried, never to see the day of light again. And while Darius was still being carried on, its existence was always out of my reach, that is until now. “Shoot-’em-up: a fast-moving story or movie, of which gunfire is a dominant feature. Also known as a shmup” DBCS is technically two games in one, which I believe was done to not only bring home that arcade experience but also to build upon it. Within the game, you have the ability to chose between DariusBurst Another Chronicle or AC mode, which includes all of the original arcade modes and original arcade screen ratio (perfect for dual screen or wide-format monitors and DariusBurst Chronicle Saviors or CS mode, which is the updated version of the game. And while you’re free to choose either mode, there are a few differences. In AC mode you have access to the original arcade game modes; Original, Original EX Mode, Chronicle Mode and Event Mode. Original (Easy, Normal and Hard) is what I call the starter zone while Original EX Mode is a tougher version, tailor made for shmup experts (Expect, Extreme and Exceed) . You know, the same people that are able to single credit an entire game.

Chronicle mode however is what stands out here as you are presented with several different missions and objectives to complete, as the systems are broken up into several areas. And speaking of those objectives, they range anywhere from completing an area with just one credit, completing an area with multiple players, playing with a specific set of equipment and so forth. It’s a definite time sink that’s for sure. Thankfully you’re not the only one who’s doing this, as everyone around the world who plays this game can also contribute to the AC progression via cabinets. And just like it sounds, a cabinet is like a global progression save. For example, say everyone from a specific arcade was able to beat several areas, such as one of the specific multiplayer objectives. That objective would then contribute to unlocking more areas in the AC mode’s game, and everyone who is accessing that cabinet can benefit and contribute to that going forward. This allows access to literally hundreds of new levels and even exclusive AC mode only bosses that you likely wouldn’t unlock on your own. And for those wondering, yes this is basically the NESYS / NESiCAxLive Network being emulated at home. Oh, and when I mention hundreds of levels, I actually meant thousands! Yes, Taito is boasting that Dariusburst Chronicle Saviours’s AC mode will include over 3000 total stages. So you’ll be playing this for quite some time. No matter how you choose to play the game; Xbox 360, Xbox One, Dual Shock 4, Arcade Stick, as several other not very known controllers, you’ll be happy to know that the game supports just about every gamepad and joystick. I can attest to that myself as I’ve tested over 10 different configurations and were able to play the game with all of them. And yes, you can even play with the keyboard, if you want to that is. I don’t see why, but at least that option is available.

However in CS mode, the game changes. Similar to the chronicle mode in AC, this is mode is also laid out in a manner that you have set paths to take, after first area is completed that is. And unlike AC mode where you can chose the next stage, once you start the area you’re stuck on until it’s completed. You’re also handicapped to an extent as you will find that some missions will not allow power ups to drop as well as restrict you to a specific ship. However you won’t go into a mission blind as the overlay will tell you from the start what your ship will be, power up status, how many zones make up the area, and stage make-up. Another difference is that while you play CS mode, you accumulate points based on how well you do in the zones you play through. Eventually after accumulating enough points you can trade them in for a new ship which you can then outfit with lasers, bombs and shielding. Using this tactic, you’re no longer forced to use the preset ship, which will make certain levels that may have seemed impossible before a total cake walk with the new ship. However there’s also a down side to this and every time you use that powered up ship, you will consume however many number of points you put into upgrading it. So you’ll have to track how much you have or if you start running low, to take off some of that added power or simply use the preset ship. It’s a nice method to keep you from overpowering your way to the end of the game. Via every transition in CS mode, you’re provided pieces of the on-going story that you’re currently taking place in. And while CS mode isn’t as expansive as AC mode as it pales in comparison of possible stages (200+ vs 3000), it’s still a fun addition and more up-to-date take on the Darius shooter. Also worth noting that CS mode is a single player affair while AC mode will allow up to 4 players.

You want ships? Well you won’t be disappeared here, especially if you’re familiar with the Darius games as there’s a handful of them playable in-game; Gaiden, Assault, Next, Legend, Formula, Origin, Second, Genesis and one ship that isn’t related to the Darius universe, the Murakumo, which is a CS exclusive ship btw. Apparently that ship hails from an older Taito game, one that I can’t quite figure out. And while it’s not directly related to the Darius ships of legend, the Murakumo is clearly a fantastic ship in its own right and is fun to play with, assuming you can afford the points required to pick it up. Fans of G-Darius may be slightly disappointed with the Genesis Silver Hawk as it does not feature it’s capture ball. It’s not a huge deal and it doesn’t detract from the game, but it would have been nice to see it included. Even still, there are subtle differences between the ships, so each one is unique in that retrospect. If you’ve ever played a Darius title, then you should be familiar on how the game functions. You pick your ship and off you go, pretty straight forward stuff. Thankfully the controls of the game are very responsive, and while playing the game I didn’t have any issues as I dodge the incoming fire. That said, if I died it was due to me slipping up instead of the game.

Read the entire review here - http://www.theouterhaven.net/2015/11/61199/
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34 of 46 people (74%) found this review helpful
Recommended
116.5 hrs on record
Posted: December 4, 2015
For fair disclosure, I was part of the closed beta testing team for Dariusburst CS.

An absolutely solid game, well worth the asking price involved. Having first hand experience with a DBAC arcade cabinet, I would've paid twice as much as this for the AC mode alone, regardless of the content of the CS mode.

Dariusburst Chronicle Saviours is a full conversion of one of the more successful recent arcade machines made, both in Japan and the west as well. The cab had 2 big widescreens plugged next to each other in 32:9 ratio, and the Steam version supports the same configuration - Put two widescreens together, and it'll run in Dual Screen mode. It's an absolutely INCREDIBLE spectacle for anyone even remotely into shmups, with the only thing missing being the subwoofer under your seat literally shaking you on boss warnings.

Original and Original EX modes are your standard arcade runs - Pick a route, play 3 stages, chase high scores. For the score chasers among everyone, this is going to be where you'll be spending most of your time. Original mode contains Easy, Normal and Hard routes, with Original EX containing Expert, Extreme, and Exceed difficulties. The balance between all the stages is very, very well done.

Chronicle Mode is almost like an online social mission mode based mode, with a gigantic map full of different planets and several different missions. Each planet is represented by a hex grid, and every hex represents a run of stages or bosses with clear conditions and rules. Completing this mission and meeting these conditions will liberate that area, unlocking all the missions around it. The interesting thing here, is that you are working together with everybody else online set to the same cabinet number as you, so you're working in a joint effort to unlock and complete Chronicle Mode together, not just yourself.

The CS mode is the home conversion exclusive mode, with gameplay designed for a single screen for people that don't have dual screen setups. This contains new stages, music, new bosses, a new ship, unique rules, storyline and a LOT of music / sound from the older Darius games in the series. For people looking for a progression based game with a start and an ending (and a game that fills the whole screen instead of letterboxe 32:9) then CS mode is where you'll want to be playing.

Ultimately it's a HUGE game, pretty much suitable for shmup players of all skills levels. There's something for the hardcore and something for the casual audience too.
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28 of 39 people (72%) found this review helpful
Recommended
32.8 hrs on record
Posted: December 29, 2015
First of all, I should say that I'm a huge fan of Darius series and Taito games in general so I might be a liiiittle biased here.

Now that I got that out of the way, let's move on to our main topic here, the game, DARIUSBURST Chronicle Saviours. Oh wow, where do I start?

You might have looked at the price point and went, "oh my god, that's high!” Believe me, I was like you too when I found out about it. I mainly bought this for its Arcade port of DARIUSBURST Another Chronicle, considering how hard it is to find the real cabinet version of the arcade game plus tons of new added content, I’d say it’s a really good buy.

The game is fun, it’s separated into two parts, CS Mode which is the new single player content made exclusively for this game and AC Mode, which is the arcade port of Another Chronicle. You have 9 (or was it 8?) different ships to choose from and some of them are from the older Darius games which was a pleasant surprise for me. (They even changes the music to older Darius music if you play as them in CS Mode, neat). The boss fights are great and the game boasts a pretty darn awesome soundtrack too, but I think a lot of us can agree the “freedom” song on the trailer is kinda meh.

The amount of levels you can play in this game is hugeeeeee! Mainly in CS Mode and Chronicle Mode in AC Mode. But a little warning. Sure, the game has tons of content but there's some repetition here and there and maybe some tweaks between the levels. Something like, "beat these levels and bosses with this ship". I think that might also be the case with Chronicle mode in AC Mode but I haven't really touched it yet during the time this review was written. But still, I enjoyed every second of it. And it really helps to get better for beating AC mode with 1 credit. Hey, on the bright sight, most of other shmups just have around 5 or 6 levels and this one have waaaay more than that. Fun!

If you’re a shmup fan, you definitely should get this but maybe when it's on sale, because honestly I still think it's a little bit pricey. But either way, this is the biggest shmup game I’ve ever played and I had a lot of fun with it, I hope when you bought this, you too will have fun with it :3
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20 of 25 people (80%) found this review helpful
Recommended
9.3 hrs on record
Posted: December 7, 2015
Say what you will about the price point but this game has an amount of content that no other game in the genre can boast. Normally a shooter will come with a regular arcade mode and maybe a boss rush. This game has the original arcade mode as well as the CS mode where you can go up against hundreds of different challenges.

Also unlike most shooter releases this is a brand new game that we are getting at the same time as Japan. Normally it would take years for us to see these titles but not with this one.
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16 of 18 people (89%) found this review helpful
Recommended
73.9 hrs on record
Posted: April 19
Ignored by the majority of the western gamers, beloved by a niche & reviled by others, the Darius series has always been a bizarre one... in more ways than one. Mechanically, it's in a specific place between "mainstream shmup everyone and their grandmothers has played" and "turbo-hardcore bullet-curtain bonanza where the projectiles are many, the screen is busy and the ships are all piloted by girls or guys that all embody a specific anime fetish". Darius is accessible enough that the everyman may happen to give it a shot, but maybe not inaccessible enough for some members of the hardcore shmup community. As a result, you'll find that even the most beloved older entries in this series get reviews that complain about them being "too tough" or "unfair", despite the difficulty being much more beginner-friendly than the average Cave game.

This is largely because Darius, unlike many other shooters of its kind where one hit means death, has an upgradable shield system; that way, the difficulty ramps up to crazy levels, but even low-level players can feel like they can achieve things. In that regard, this game's the best in the series; while not "hand-holding", both Arcade and Chronicle Saviours modes put effort into guiding you towards high-level play, not through tutorials but through masterfully executed pacing. The first few CS missions, anyone could beat but it will just keep ramping up more and more, until you're fighting screen-filling monstrosities with barely any health. This format, however, is a double-edged sword; on one hand, CS mode's length creates a perfect learning curve. On the other hand, it sometimes loses the adventurous, over-the-top feeling of playing Gaiden or G; level assets and base designs for bosses are often blatantly recycled. The levels can feel like they were created (extremely well, but still) with a level creator and you will find yourself playing increasingly difficult versions of what is basically the same stage. Even including the recycling, though, DBCS still has far more content AND more solid, player-friendly mechanics than many of its rival shmups (I'm looking at you, Ikaruga stage 2) that I don't feel the price is hugely unwarranted. I paid 35 for it, and chances are it'll go down for good as time goes on; if the game grabs you in a particular way or if you're a really hardcore scrolling shmup fan, the price shouldn't bother you. Otherwise wait for a sale. I recommend checking out the second Taito arcade game collection on PS2; it has both Gaiden and G in it. My main reason for purchasing this was to support the series for what it represents as a whole moreso than to own this specific game.

The bosses have more specific, memorable patterns than ones found in more Cave-inspired games, where the bosses can kind of mesh together. I don't remember specific bullet patterns in Crimzon Clover that well, but the attacks of the Stare or Fossil-types in Darius will always stay with me.

The biggest difference between my view and that of the gaming mainstream lies in what many believe to add to a game's "content" or its "bang for their buck"; I don't really care if I can watch Flash cartoons on TV, watch real-life stand-up comic acts and be immersed in a "living, breathing world"; I don't need the oh-so-important "quiet time" and "pacing" of pushing a block onto a switch. I just want a game with non-stop, carefully-crafted, solid mechanics and design and DBCS does a great job at that. Those that think shmups are "easy to make" and thus should be ten bucks by default simply haven't thought deeply about what goes into a well-crafted game.

The art direction beyond the boss designs is possibly my biggest issue; the levels, while still full of enemies flying around in beautifully planned out routes like mechanical shoals, look pretty bland compared to the sheer beauty of G and Gaiden's settings. The bosses make up for this, though, being well-designed by famous anime mecha designers with the foresight of a stylishly blocky aesthetic not held back by hardware limitations (remember that Darius Burst started as a PSP game).

A common issue people have with this series is its music. From its very beginnings back in 1986, if you reached the iconically-designed, Go Nagai-esque King Fossil in the original Darius, your battle was accompanied by a melody that just... didn't sound quite right. For nearly three decades this tradition has been kept, this very game being heavily marketed using the level theme of the beginning of its Chronicle Saviours mode: a jazzy track with vocals that just feel... a tad off. This is because, from the get-go, Darius set out to create its own unique identity among the flood of shoot-em-ups of its era; a STRANGE identity. Surreal visuals, bizarre music written to inspire a variety of emotions; from relaxation, to getting high off your ♥♥♥, to a psychotic fit; and, above all else, a marine theme and a difficulty to match that make you feel like you are mere bait in a massive space-ecosystem of mechanical sea life. It's a type of game with genuine artistic merit that is never acknowledged as such.

Just as Darius Gaiden, back in 1994, had its soundtrack panned by game magazines of the time ("[like] some fat bint warbling away like an Old Spice advert" so does Chronicle Saviours' most popular English upload have a comment section flooded with "wtf is this garbage music" comments. The gaming community doesn't seem very accepting of music that gets across emotions that go beyond what is typical, but the bizarre nature of Zuntata's music for Darius is obviously not a result of incompetent songwrighting; the falsettos have their carefully-controlled purpose. It's not Trout Mask Replica-level, but it still helps contribute hugely to this series' sense of identity.

So, long story short; a unique and fun game, part of a fun and unique series. If you're not quite sure if this is your thing, try Gaiden and G first and see what impact they have on you and if you think it's too expensive, just wait until the next sale.
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ScavFace "Such Lust"
0.8 hrs
Posted: September 26
Darius Burst CS is an awesome game... if it wasn't so buggy or a bad port.

Its September 2016, almost a year since release and they still haven't address the corrupted save data bug loop.

If you really want to pick this game up, get the console versions instead.
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haozertree
32.9 hrs
Posted: September 15
short mode: Darius is a horizontal shootemup where enemies are giant fishes. This game features over a dozen of different ships to choose from and literally thousands of missions to complete. If you like shump classics such as Gradius and Rtype get this right away. If you like CAVE style bullet hell style shooters you will appreciate this game as well. If you are remotely interested in shootemups (shumps) you should get this game.

TLDR mode:
I am a big shump fan and have been playing Darius series from the SNES to Staurn to PS to iPad, and now this on PC. This game basically takes the ships and bosses from all previous games from different platforms and allows you to play with updated graphics on the PC. It's easy to see how the game has evolved since the earlier days which you basically hold down both bombs and auto fire buttons. The bomb mechancism from the Gaiden days have been replaced by the Burst mechancism to keep the game fresh. This game has both depending on the ship you choose. In fact, I think the only game mechanism missing from the previous games is the poke-ball like feature from th G-Darius games.

Speaking of gameplay I would say that this game has the most amount of content you can get from a space shooter. The CS mode of this game allows you to play missions after missions with different pre-set conditions and ships. In this mode you can also use your scored points to buy and use other ships from the Darius series. The other mode of the game you get to play on a very wide screen with up to 4 players straight through the traditional stages.

One of the other things which attracted me to most games is the music. This game has music samples from all previous Darius series, including the beloved/weird music from the Saturn game. This ZUNATA group is just good at making shooter game music.

If you lie shumpss just buy this game already, you won't regret it.
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Locomalito
33.0 hrs
Posted: September 15
A huge shmup, worth every penny
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cloud1771
11.7 hrs
Posted: September 8
great game to play when you dont have hours to put into a good RPG. With kids I only get short bursts of time to play game and the kids love watching me play... Decent music and fun shooter game not too difficult but with settings to make it harder.

I got it $25 on sale.
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sarge_418@msn.com
0.8 hrs
Posted: September 4
Theres stuff about this game i love,but on the flip coin theres stuff i dont like!.
First i would urge people to only purchase this in a half price sale, as its not worth the full asking price.Second i cant believe theres no full screen option in Arcade mode which is a big shame, with all those levels and arcade cabinets to choose from there is so much content.And there is no option to how hard or easy you want the game to be to.Its crazy hard on Arcade mode and game feels like it is running to fast to.

While the graphics are ok they are not amazing to, but just feel like a game from 2006 sort of time.
And no option to set them better or to suit the needs of your pc if you have a very powerful rig, with a very powerful GPU to.Just felt in todays time of such powerful hardware they could of included advanced options to make things look alot better.And from past history iam sure from this lazy port, they wont even take any notice of fans complaints about things we would like to see in future updates.
The downloadable content for different ships from past games they made is a great edition, but i would of rarther seen a perfect port first, then more downlodable after.

So iam sorry to say that in the games state it is now, i very doubt they will even bother updated any of the complaints and concerns people have with it, which is very sad to say the least, from a game which is ok and not awsome.

As i said in the first part of my review get this at a half price sale, which then the game is just about worth the asking price.

Even though this is a case of good and bad and lots of content as in stacks of levels and DLC packs, iam giving this a thumbs down for now, but really hope down the line they update things which is iam sure going to be a no!.
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Ethird
2.8 hrs
Posted: September 3
What is it with Japanese developed games either not working properly, or failing to adapt on to the steam platform? Like most others, this game is poorly designed & ported for steam, some UI felt very forced, almost felt slapped on, game plays sluggish at time, or speeds up at crazy speed for some. With most the porting faults still remaining for months after the initial release, it is asking for an unfair price considering the patchy, roughly put together contents it offers, lacking in depth, and of course the quality and gameplay?? The after game warning screen telling players not to bump their head on the arcade machine is not even removed, so is the ‘FREE PLAY’ credit sign on screen. Countless bugs and crashes felt punishing, game won’t even launch on some PCs, and so on…

I loved DARIUSBURST as an arcade game, it’s an amazing space shooter, it fueled my stay in Japan for a good few months, I’ll finish work, drop by a game centre and have a game or two with some locals, it was really fun and immersed, so I was really excited when it was ported onto PC. Despite waiting for it’s ridiculous pricing to drop for months, and keeping an eye on it’s updates and fixes, it still isn’t anywhere near a good functioning port, I got it at 50% off, and proceeded to play it right away, I can’t on my main PC, as the game won’t even launch, had to stream play it through a lower spec laptop…

It’s really frustrating being a fan of Japanese games like this, how they’re always over priced on steam, always buggy, always lacking content, almost felt like them companies just wanna make a quick buck, banking on their names and expecting their fans to take it.

Do not get this game unless it’s 50% off, it no where near deserving of it’s asking price...
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🐔 crow
2.3 hrs
Posted: September 3
They say this game has THREE THOUSAND LEVELS or something like that, which is a technically true statement but maybe they should have instead said it has thirty levels a hundred times which is more accurate. You can play a bunch of different remixes of similar levels and fight a bunch of bosses that look more or less the same but with slight differences. There are ten actual different boss designs and they get recolored a bunch to make more bosses. But you can play the arcade mode and it's cool and there is good music... I dunno, it's a weird game and a weird release. Is it worth the price? I don't know if it is. There's definitely a lot of problems with it and it's not, for example, as good as G DARIUS was, but... whatever, it's an acceptable game and you don't HAVE to play all the silly padding levels if you don't want to.








for the fighters
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Fudo Myo
3.7 hrs
Posted: September 3
TL;DR: A buggy mess - anaemic content - save your cash

Every time I exit the game (by pressing B from the main menu on my wireless Xbox 360 controller), the screen goes completely black with the exception of the mouse cursor, and locks. I cannot Alt-tab out, I cannot Alt-F4, I cannot CNTRL-Shift-ESC to bring up Task Manager.

I have to do a hard reboot every time I leave the game. I have a great rig. This is inexcusable.

Furthermore, there has been much back-and-forthing on the price point on the discussion board, with the publisher even creating a pinned thread about about it. I was excited for this game, and I waited for the 50% off for the sale, and I still feel ripped off. The lauded 3,000 levels of material is simply the same old content remixed to death. I fought the same damn boss three times in less than 40 minutes.

I would ask for a refund but I purchased it through Amazon to use up some gift money, and they won't take back digital games, so I'm out of luck. I won't be playing again until the above bug is patched, and even then, I don't think the content is worth the price.

I've had much more fun with $5 shmups on Steam. Save your money.
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