DariusBurst Another Chronicle EX+ is as thin as $40 can stretch the fifth iteration of its namesake. Its cumulative and sweeping arrangement of DariusBurst's horizontal shooting excellence is, objectively speaking, worth an investment of time. Its position against Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours in the same marketplace, along with its own slapdash assembly, weakens its necessity in any enthusiast's collection.
Taito’s Darius was founded on the belief that the aquatic life of the ocean abyss would be even more terrifying if it were mechanized and then taken to space. The player would control a modestly equipped spaceship and, with sufficient warning, obliterate scores of small, large, and extremely large successions of menacing biomechanical creatures. Darius Gaiden’s appearance on Saturn and G-Darius’ port to the original PlayStation remain the premier proofs of Taito’s mesmerizing thesis. Both are also unassailable in the realm of classic horizontal shooters.
Darius seemed to go dormant until Pyramid’s Dariusburst found itself among the weird and wild retro-revivals that graced Sony’s PlayStation Portable. Iterations of Dariusburst, under banners like Dariusburst: Another Chronicle, Dariusburst: Another Chronicle EX, Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours, have established score-chasing symphonies on arcade and console hardware over the last decade. DariusBurst Another Chronicle EX+, despite Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours’ existence on the same platforms, offers a similar surplus of content and hopes players will find its additions appealing enough to warrant another substantial entry fee.
Dariusburst found definition in its namesake. Along with the typical implementation of horizontal fire and arcing bombs, it allowed the player to fire a massive horizontal laser—a burst, if you will—and wipe the screen of fodder and/or put a dent in a massive boss. Dariusburst’s most clever gimmick was allowing the player to detach that laser and rotate it around the screen. The utility of this mechanic could be applied to offense and defense, providing an additional line of hard power or creating a safe reprieve from hails of bullets and bad guys. It was a wonderful example of elegance in simplicity. A small addition, if handled with care, could revolutionize a series two decades deep into its storied history.
Firing up DariusBurst Another Chronicle EX+ comes with a bewildering series of options. The title screen instructs the player to press start. Doing this will present an array of replay configurations, none of which are accessible or make sense for a game you have never played. The best that could be managed (this is an arcade port) is an overlay at the bottom of the screen that, on PlayStation, tells the player that the triangle button is the true way to press start. From here you can choose Original Mode, Original EX Mode, Chronicle Mode, and Event Mode. While some oddly formatted text provides some information for each mode, it’s difficult to find definition and learn distinction. It’s all, in one way or another, Dariusburst.
As best as I can put together, Original Mode is the surviving model of the original Dariusburst. Three starting levels branch off into four mid-levels and five concluding levels (Zone’s A through L). A difficulty scale provides some direction for new players. Each stage unfurls an escalating collection of smaller enemies and occasional environmental hazards before concluding with an impressive gigantic oceanic metallic space monster. The levels in Dariusburst feel designed around taking advantage of its signature mechanic and, in classic shooter fashion, reward both skill and improvisation. There’s a degree of talent necessary for a balletic performance, sure, but Dariusburst doesn’t frequent the bullet-hell realm as often as some of its peers.
DariusBurst Another Chronicle EX+’s other modes feel like riffs on its Original Mode. EX Mode adds a complimentary arrangement of paths (Zones O through Z), pallet-swaps some opponents, and generally feels like an updated take on the original game. Chronicle Mode outlines a star map and loads it with exclusive bosses and limitation-imposing missions. Chronicle Mode feels like someone keeps remixing a remix, and seems designed for those who are looking for high scores outside of the base game. Event Mode is Another Chronicle EX+’s signature addition, collecting all 21 of the timed event levels from the original arcade release. It’s an overabundance of content.
Another Chronicle EX+ takes the concept of Dariusburst as far as it can possibly go. Its collection of original ships are joined by the crafts from Darius II, Gaiden, G-Darius, and even the ship from Scramble Formation. These aren’t cosmetic moves, either, as each ship drops the burst power in favor of their signature abilities from their respective games. Another Chronicle EX+’s is also accessibly-minded; it (as an arcade port) is set to freeplay, ensuring anyone can finish the game. The score chase remains for players in pursuit of perfection.
The principles behind shooters like Dariusburst were forged in the fires of the 80’s arcade scene. They fell out of favor and almost died with the polygonal 3D revolution of the 90’s, but Darius (along with submissions from Cave and Treasure) showcased the unique power of the genre into the new millennium. Shooters can either be played with complete focus to climb leaderboards or used as viable means of personal dissociation. Sometimes I just want to remain in a minimally conscious state and blast away everything in front of me, and shooters can readily meet that requirement. Another Chronicle EX+ carries the requisite load of lights, colors, sounds, and striking vistas to see those needs are met. Despite its flaws, it’s a sterling representative of a genre time keeps trying to leave behind.
While the quality of the base game lives up to its reputation, Another Chronicle EX+, as a package, has some lingering deficiencies. The 32:9 aspect ratio could have used some wallpaper and the controller could have used the option to turn off vibration. Unintelligible menus, an incoherent flow from the title screen, and adjustments that feel more like hacks than options round off Another Chronicle EX+ as a suspicious package. It feels like it was made under a considerably limited budget.
The addition of Event Mode (and the subtraction of Chronicle Saviours mode) begs the question: why is Another Chronicle EX+ a $40 product fit for 2021? Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours, its 2015 iteration, is still available for $60 from the PlayStation store from Degica Games. Another Chronicle EX+ is $20 cheaper and from a new publisher, ININ Games. Another Chronicle EX+ appears to exist because a different publisher appears to have obtained the rights to Dariusburst and found value in publishing a lower-cost alternative with a slightly different name. This strikes me as cynical but maybe it will strike other players as a bargain.
DariusBurst Another Chronicle EX+ is as thin as $40 can stretch the fifth iteration of its namesake. Its cumulative and sweeping arrangement of DariusBurst’s horizontal shooting excellence is, objectively speaking, worth an investment of time. Its position against Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours in the same marketplace, along with its own slapdash assembly, weakens its necessity in any enthusiast’s collection.
