Vertical scrolling shmups are one of the earliest genres in gaming and many entries in the genre have left a strong impact on gamers. Darwin 4078 and Raiden are two vertical scrolling shmups but are both different thanks to the unique mechanics each has. Taking a look at these games is a good way to look at the essence of what makes a great shmup.
Darwin 4078 was released by Data East in 1986 and is someone similar to the Namco title Xevious, but with a unique gimmick to set it apart. The game is based on Darwin’s theory of evolution and sees the player collect powerups called EVOL in order to evolve the player’s ship. The game does not increase in difficulty the more powerful the player becomes, because part of the game’s gimmick is instead managing the evolutions in order to survive.
EVOL powerups must be constantly obtained to maintain and further power the ship but the ship will devolve without them. Furthermore, some types of evolution are dependent on the attacks on the enemy as well as being attacked and must be gained carefully. Some evolutions can be too difficult to maintain though, so players need to pace themselves as they progress.
Other forms of evolution in the game are mutations and reverse evolution that are available if certain objectives are met. These forms are powerful but come with some trade-offs since a wrong move can leave the player stuck in the weakest form the game has to offer. There are nineteen total forms to find in the game, and a good deal of strategy is needed to progress and find and maintain the right form that fits.
Raiden, released in 1990 by Seibu Kaihatsu and Tecmo, is often considered the epitome of what a vertical scrolling shmup should be. There are eight stages of ever-increasing difficulty, along with bombs, an assortment of powerups, and medals to increase scores. This is a formula that has been mimicked many times by later developers, though not quite capturing the spirit of Raiden.
Whereas Darwin 4078 gives the player a set number of lives before making them start over, Raiden lets players pick up right where they left off once a new credit is used. There are also a number of gameplay aspects that Raiden brought in that were incorporated into the genre moving forward, such as having the ship’s shrapnel damage enemies upon losing a life. The idea of co-op was not new to shmups but Raiden’s co-op play became lauded for how well it worked and how it improved the gameplay compared to many others in the same genre.
What we have here are two vertical shmups, both with good graphics and music, but with two different gameplay styles. Darwin 4078 goes for a more experimental approach while Raiden went on to define what was expected of the genre. Both releases for Arcade Archives recreate the games perfectly, with Raiden having the international and Japanese releases along with TATE mode that is great for flipgrip players on Switch.
As for which is better, that is a matter of taste, as both shmups ultimately are going for different audiences. Both are worth checking out on Arcade Archives, but Raiden may interest aficionados more, to see where that series began. Players can not go wrong either way.
Disclaimer: Review keys were provided
Images were taken from Nintendo.com