Legality:
This Guide is Copyright, 2005, Matthew McIntyre
This guide may not be used on a website or in any public forum
where it is protected by copyright without the consent of the author.
To contact me: entropiclobo(at)yahoo(dot)ca or chaos(dot)wolf(at)gmail(dot)com
Websites with permission to use this Guide:
www.GameFAQS.com
www.neoseeker.com
faqs.IGN.com
www.1up.com
Game by Taito
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* Table of Contents *
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*To jump to a section, hold the Control Key and press F, then type in the
section number as it appears (ie type S1)
S1: Intro
S2: GamePlay
S3: Power-Up Paths
S4: Walkthrough
SAG1: Zone 1
SAG2: Zone 2
SAG3: Zone 3
SAG4: Zone 4
SAG5: Zone 5
SAG6: Zone 6
SAG7: Zone 7
SAG8: Zone 8
S5: Enemies
S6: Credits
SAGAIA is rated "F" for "Fish." It contains scenes of irratible mechanical fish
and turtles. Player discretion is advised.
"Sods and rinds to cover the flake
Cake and tea for supper
Codfish in the spring of the year
Fried in maggoty butter"
-Lyrics from I'se the B'y, Maritime Canada Folk Song. Author unknon.
This song, I believe, is of Newfoundland heritage. And being that I'm of Nova
Scotian origin, I'll skip any John Cabot debates and just comment that this
tune is adequate in introducing a game from the Darius series. Where this song
is fun - and about fish, the Darius series takes their fish more seriously.
Well, you can still tell TAITO had a lot of fun with the fish in the game, and
in the Darius series - that really shows in the bosses. While they aren't all
fish, they all have personality.
It should be noted that this is _not_ Darius II ported and named "Sagaia" as
others are. No, this is an original Darius game on the Game Boy. It is most
definitely a different experience - unlike most other Darius games it's linear,
and of course there are a few technical differences. Overall, it's a great game
in its own right, and a Darius title at heart.
And okay, so I reused my Sagaia ASCII... well, the game does have the same
logo... =P
You can select A or B for your shot and bombs, whatever you please.
Besides this, I recommend rapid fire for those starting out, or for those that
want to save their fingers some punishment.
So when you begin, you can select life stock, rapid fire on or off, difficulty,
and control scheme.
-One button will shoot your primary weapon forward.
-The other will fire the bomb, which works vertically.
-The control pad flies your ship, the Silver Hak, int he direction you hold.
Sagaia is eight levels long, you need to beat each endboss to progress to the
next zone. When you have completed all eight Zones, the game ends.
//As far as dodging enemies are concerned, shoot them first and if that isn't
an immediate option, try responding to them from as far as possible.
You have three power-ups: Weapon, Bomb, and Shield. The first two improve your
attacks, and the third gives you a shield that can block a few hits. Without
the shield, the Silver Hawk is destroyed in one hit.
Your abilities power up over time. You will see blocks beside the ability, ala:
[ ][ ][ ][ ]
When you get a power-up, this occurs:
[X][ ][ ][ ]
Denoting that you are filling up the meter. In my lists, the number refers to
the total number of squares filled. If you fill the meter until it turns blank,
you cannot lose your power-up type, just the stength of that type. This
includes continuing.
Weapon:
0 - A single shit is fired forward on a horizontal.
1 - Two shots, paralell to one another, are fired forward on a horizontal.
2 - Three shots: two in back, one above the other, and one in front positioned
between the back two shots.
3 - Three shots: One above the other, paralell shots.
4 - Threeway shot: Three shots go forward. The top and bottom fly on diagonals,
the middle goes straight forward.
5 - Laser: More penetrating power than a shot, that is it can travel through
targets more easily. You are sacrificing coverage by upgrading to this
level, but it _will_ be worth it in the long run.
6 - A longer, thicker Laser.
7 - A little longer.
8 - Longer, a bit thicker.
9 - Longer again.
10 - Wave - Waves are powerful weapons, though the actual width of the starting
wave is small, it will grow with new upgrades. This also has a high rate
of fire.
11 - A wider (taller) Wave.
12 - Your Wave is now taller than the Silver Hawk with shields.
13 - Grows from smaller to larger as you fire it.
14 - Bigger
Bomb:
0 - One bomb drops down at an arc.
1 - Same
2 - Same
3 - Same
4 - Same
5 - One bomb drops down, one bomb drops up.
6 - Same
7 - Same
8 - Same
9 - Same
10 - This one's odd. A bomb launches diagonally up and left, and one diagonally
down and right. The next shot involves a bomb diagonally down and left,
and consequently another up and right.
11 - Same
12 - Same
13 - Same
14 - Same
Armour/Shield:
0 - Nothing.
1 - Weak shield, it can take a few hits.
2 - Same
3 - Same
4 - Same
5 - Medium Shield, can take more hits.
6 - Same
7 - Same
8 - Same
9 - Same
10 - Heavy Shield, More hits still.
11 - Same
12 - Same
13 - Same
14 - Same
//Same means that the effect is the same, there is no accurate measure of
power.
//With the shields, pick new ones up to restore your shield to full power,
even after maxing it out.
Sagaia does not have the same path system most Darius games do. Instead, it is
a linear game, like R-Type or Gradius. There are eight levels in total.
Before you start, you can use the option screen to change your stock, etc.
This guide is written with the Normal Mode in mind.
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SAG1: Zone 1
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Alright, immediately fall back to the left of the screen and begin firing. Try
to take out all of the small, looping enemies to gain a wepon powerup, then
attack those head-shaped ships that come flying on a horizontal. About the
background towers - yes they can kill you. A good way to check if something is
dangerous is to see if your shots are stopped by it.
Some Heads will come flying at different planes. One will have an armour power-
up. Try and destroy it - be aware that these scorpion tailed ships will arrive
in a line almost immediately after the heads. They fly, and fire, straight
ahead. They should produce another shield power-up. There is a line of heads,
and some small loopers following this.
The path is going to narrow between those structures just briefly. There are
still some small loopers flying towards you, so beware. Some spinning enemies
in small loops will come from the right side of the screen as you exit this
small convergence. One of them has a Bomb upgrade. Directly after the spinning
loopers, you will encounter some enemies flying in a wave pattern. For the sake
of a name, let's call them "Wave 1's." They fly in a sinusoid pattern, and do
not fire. They take a couple of hits but shouldn't be too menacing.
Up next, Scorpion Ships, take out the top row to gain a shield. While up here,
try to let your bomb hit the lower row. A line of Heads will arrive, the last
one carrying a bomb upgrade. You'll be attacked by some looping enemies that
are a little more erratic now. From the right, they will move in short bursts
and fire at you. From behind, they will loop around your ship then fly off to
the right. Take out the Erratic Loopers as they come from the right, and let
those that come from behind loop around you as you shoot them.
Right, there will be some small loopers, then spinning loopers. The two
formations of spinners will yield a bomb and weapon power-up. The next thing to
worry about are two lines of Scorpion Ships. You may be forced into going in
between the lines. If this is the case, fall back at the end to avoid the Wave
1's.
There's a couple of erratics up next, but they come fairly spaced and in low
numbers. They're followed by a line of Heads. Immediately after, scorpion ship
type enemies will fall from the ceiling to floor, and other from floor to
ceiling. I'll refer to them as droppers. Move between them as the converge,
shooting and falling back. See Zone 1 enemies for extra details.
There's a line of heads immediately following this. After these, you will find
some Wave 1's. This batch moves in a pretty wide arc. If you can't beat them,
fly between them when they diverge from one another (they come in pairs).
Two waves of Heads will arrive, three Heads at a time in a diagonal line. No
big deal. However, in teh event you can't take them out, take out two and avoid
the third's loop. A couple of small loopers, a vertical line of Scorpion Ships,
then some spinning loopers which will yield a bomb power-up.
A few wave 1's and erratics mesh right into some droppers. Then there are a few
small loopers and a bounty of spinning loopers. Just a few Wave 1's and then...
WARNING!
A HUGE BATTLESHIP
******************************************************************************
King Fossil
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IS APPROACHING FAST!
Our first boss is the classic Coelocanth, King Fossil! Overall, this guy is
none too tough once you catch onto his wave attack. He will fire a spread wave
of shots whenever he opens his mouth. You can nail him then. Basically, you
can stay in front of his mouth, let a shot or two hit it then dodge the shots.
Also note that you can blow up his fins. Keep up the attack for a little bit
and he will be toast. Ah, toasted fish =)!
1st ZONE IS OVER.
WE ARE NO RUSHING INTO...
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SAG2: Zone 2
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BE ON YOUR GUARD!
Alright, the second Zone. I will warn you now - the previous stage always had
a floor and a ceiling. This is not the case in this stage. Because some areas
lack a surface for power-ups to bounce off of, they can fly offscreen more
easily. Major bummer, thummer down!
Don't hit the rock formations. Destroy one of the incoming Scorpion Ships for a
shield power-up. There are some enemies afterwards with bat-like wings. They
fire a threeway spread when destroyed but their shots can be destroyed with
your own shots. This does render them less threatening but keep them in mind
all the same.
A little ahead is a circular turret. This is dangerous, it produces wide wave
of shots. Avoid them and bomb them, they are priority. As you pass under the
big meteor, smaller meteors will fly at you. If you shoot these, they will
split into two smaller meteors. These will be destroyed when shot. If your
weapon isn't upgraded, beware of shooting too many at once. The black one holds
a bomb upgrade (two if you can get both small rocks).
Be aware that a Wide-Wave cannon waits for you near the end of the meteor
storm. There are a few Bat-Wings up next, and then some spinning loopers which
yield a weapon power-up. Fight the next few Bat-Wimgs and get ready for the
hopper on the ground. Hoopers leap across the ground, destroy it before it gets
too far.
Past this, are a few meteors. One has, if you can get the two fragments, two
weapon upgrades. There are a few scorpion ships up next. Get ready for a wide-
wave turret and a hopper. These are priority targets. After these and a few
meteors, you will see a turret with three cannons. This shoots a spreadshot of
three shots. This whole area is peppered with wide-wave turrets. Take them out
from as far back as possible. The three-ways aren't as priority but they are
still a nuisance. The turret area ends when you see a bat-wing.
Try to clear these little turret tunnels out as efficiently as possible, from
as far back as possible. Possibly switch up and down, one at a time. Continue
on through.
This is another area featuring the turrets, handle it as you handled the
previous, similar length of stage. There are a few on the ground here, take
care of the top two paths and don't go out of your way to attack the bottom.
Leaving this area, get ready for a hopper, but be aware of the meteors. Try to
take the hopper out, but don't put yourself in harm's way at the same time.
That is, more harm in addition to the hopper.
After a few batwings, three spinning loopers. Two of them have power-ups - a
weapon and a bomb. There will be some droppers soon thereafter and then a
hopper. A few more bat-wings and...
WARNING!
A HUGE BATTLESHIP
******************************************************************************
Red Crab
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IS APPROACHING FAST!
Ah, a familiar face from the other version of Sagaia! Well, our friend is a
little more challenging than King Fossil. It simultaneously launches a homing
missile and a spread of four large balls. Both of these can be destroyed, but
the spreadshot moves too fast to make that worthwhile. Instead, let the missile
loop around you, as you try to hit it, and dodge the spread shot. Try to keep a
fairly good distance from the Crab to avoid it.
Shoot at the large claw until it is destroyed. Red Crab will no begin jumping
up and down. A simple tip to help you get to this phase is to stay level with
the claw's weakspot when the crab is far, and go towards the top left corner
when the crab is near. This gives you the best possible chance of dodging the
shots.
Alright, so he's jumping up and down. This is actually much easier. He's locked
in place so you can always avoid the spread. Just pulverise his mouth until he
is destroyed!
2nd ZONE IS OVER.
WE ARE NO RUSHING INTO...
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SAG3: Zone 3
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BE ON YOUR GUARD!
There's a ceiling in this zone, and plenty of big rocks. Position yourself in
the centre and take out the line of heads that comes soon after the zone starts
up. You can bait that mine don and dodge it if you want, or try to destroy it.
Getting under it causes it to fall and explode.
Alright, you should be able to see a wheeled vehicle on the screen soon. This
is a rather dangerous missile launching enemy. The missiles it launches can fly
up and level with you, then fly forward. Anyways, swoop don level with it and
take it out then head back up about midscreen to catch that vertical line of
three Heads. The middle will have a weapon power-up. They are followed by a
similar line (no power-ups) and a mine.
You will soon see a satellite dish. This shoots lasers up at an angle, this
angle is a locked position. Take it out with a bomb and fire forward at the
mines and small loopers.
Soon, some spikey enemies will materialize, likely one on either side of you.
Get out of there way while shooting small loopers. Continue shooting the small
loopers and mines that come - one group of the loopers will have weapon power-
up in their ranks, another will have a shield. Wonderful, jes? Well, get ready
for four spikes to materialize, and a missile car. Avoid the spikes as they
are an immediate threat, then continue avoiding more groups as they appear.
Getting in line with the car is dangerous - you could try bombing it but
evasion is the best bet. Remember, the missiles can go "backwards."
You're out of the danger zone when the small loopers arrive, take them out then
swoop to ground level and take out the dish turret and the next car. Head back
up right away and start firing on the heads, one has a weapon upgrade, another
has a shield. Just be careful of the mines up above. These heads will give way
to some small loopers. There are some dish turrets here. Bomb them if you must,
but it's no problem to avoid them.
There are a lot of dish turrets and mines up ahead, and a missile car. Bomb the
car as two spikes will materialize soon and complicate things. There are a few
more dish turrets, and a group of small loopers. You can get a weapon upgrade
out of this group.
Keep in mind the ubiquitous mines, take out the heads then get ready for four
spikes to materialize. The best thing to do here since you're in such an
enclosed space is to fall back to the left of the screen and take a few out
while didging. Go a little forward then do the same for the next group of four,
and the last group is only to spikes so you've got a little more space to
breathe.
There's a few dish turrets, and a missile car, as well as the omnipresent
mines. You can get a bomb and shield upgrade from the other enemies approaching
from the right. After the heads, you'll be in a cave with mines. Destroy them
as you come to them. As you approach the dish turret farther down the tunnel,
bomb the little whole in front of it. You should cause a 1up to float up,
thummer up!
Head back up after getting your 1up and destroy that missile car. As the
background begins to change, groups of four spikes will begin to materialize.
You have a lot of room to move here, so void them by flying through the largest
gaps. Towards the floor or ceiling isn't necessarily the best choice though.
There are then two missile cars, a few small loopers, and...
The turtle bosses in Darius games alays look far-out and funky fresh, and this
one is no exception. From his shell he can launch a spread-shot, this should be
easy to dodge as it is launched from a considerable distance. However, he can
also fire homing missiles from his underbelly. You should handle these like Red
Crab, let it loop around you and try and take it out. Its head-plate can also
lift up to shoot a laser. This attack can be very dangerous as it is launched
as close to you as Strong Shell can get.
Take out his fin while firing on the shell. If you damage the shell enough he
will lose the spread-shot. This makes it easier to attack the head. Get in a
shot or two as the plate moves and then get out of the way of the laser. Keep
this up for a little while and Strong Shell is out of there.
3rd ZONE IS OVER.
WE ARE NO RUSHING INTO...
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SAG4: Zone 4
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BE ON YOUR GUARD!
Get ready for some scorpion ships, take out one row while bombing the other. An
odd enemy, three cubes, will emerge. These follow your ship for a while so take
them out as you see them. Erratic Loopers will arrive from the left and right,
the ones from the right taking a similar techique as those from the left.
Some cubes will fly in from the left. Fly around to the back of them and fire.
In the two lines of scorpion ships that will appear: the bottom has a weapon
upgrade and the top has the shield. It's difficult to get both, but it is
possible with skillful bomb use. Or start on the top, and swoop down to get the
bottom.
*************
King Fossil 2
*************
Surprise, King Fossil emerges to attack you! He's actually more difficult than
before too. When he opens his mouth, he shoots two shots. They travel in a
sinusoid curve, crossing over each other, making this effect OOOO. It's like
drawing circles in the air. After he closes his mouth, those large, destroyable
shots you experienced with Red Crab are back - one from the top and one from
the bottom. They travel in arcs toward one another.
Basically, to take him out you will need to fire at his mouth then avoid the
shots he spits. Dodge the larger shots by moving in towards King Fossil. They
should converge behind you. If you have an upgraded weapon, he should go don
quickly. If you don't, his pattern will get more convoluted but it shouldn't
be anything too drastic.
--Moving on:
Nope, that isn't then end of the stage as you didn't get a WARNING. Some
erratics come from behind, let them loop you then shoot them as they pass. From
the right, a new enemy. These 'sharks' are quite dangerous. If you are level
ith them, they fire straight forward. Otherwise, they fire missiles at you.
Start picking them off but beware - their crashing wreckage can still damage
you!
Following the sharks, some cubes emerge from the left. Some erratics and
scorpion ships will also come from the right. In fact, you can get a weapon,
shield, and bomb upgrade from those scorpion ships. Snag the power-ups quickly,
however, as they _will_ disappear as you close in to fight...
**********
Red Crab 2
**********
Attack the big claw as usual. His large shots now bounce along the ground, so
either get above them or move past them from below. As usual, take out the
homing missile as it loops around you. When it starts jumping up and down,
watch out for the balls getting a little extra bounce. Just keep firing on its
mouth and it should go down quickly. If your weapon is sufficiently upgrades,
you can even just blow up most of the balls this whole fight.
--Moving on:
Get ready, two lines of Scorpion ships. The top has a bomb upgrade, the lower
has a shield. Take out the loopers from the right, and the cubes that follow.
There will then be cubes from the top, then bottom, then sharks from the right.
A couple of erratics then more sharks. Nothing will happen for a while and then
you will encounter...
**************
Strong Shell 2
**************
Yep, it's our turtle chum again. He's got a neat trick, he summons several
large orbs which fly around him as a shield. These can be destroyed, and in
fact you should take out a few asap. Meanwhile, he will fire lasers from his
head, and two missiles at a time from his underbelly. Take on his head as you
did in Zone three, fire and move after it opens. Keep in mind that the shield
regenerates. As long as you play this one safe, you can keep his defenses down
and get enough hits in on the head to take him down.
Do _not_ get trapped on the same side of the screen as him. If he is down, you
should be up and when he is up you should be down. It takes some time, but if
you are patient you should suffer minimal set-backs (if any).
--Moving on:
Take the bottom row of scorpion ships for a bomb power-up, then engage the
sharks. As the wave of sharks end, cubes fly in from above, then behind, and
finally belo. Some loopers come in from the right, then...
WARNING!
A HUGE BATTLESHIP
******************************************************************************
Big Merman
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IS APPROACHING FAST!
Heh, pretty rad name. Anyways, do not underestimate him. From above, he can
fire four shots to your general vicinity. He can fire one large straight shot
from above his head, a very large ave from his ventral (bottom) fin, and a
smaller wave from his dorsal (top) fin.
I concentrate on the ventral fin first, as Big Merman will move to the extreme
left of the screen. Just move over the wave and under the four shots and keep
firing on the fin. The next target is the main body - aim behind the eyes. This
is where the four shots are launched from. Move out of the way when it opens up
the head hatch of course, to avoid the laser shot.
From here, two options. Either take out the top fin or take out the head. When
you destroy the mechanism launching the four shots, it will begin firing two
homing missiles from around its eyes. These are much easier to avoid than the
shots. When it opens its head, fire then dodge. It's just like Strong Shell.
It goes down when the head is gone.
4th ZONE IS OVER.
WE ARE NO RUSHING INTO...
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SAG5: Zone 5
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BE ON YOUR GUARD!
Those spears poking out of the ground will destroy you if you touch them
so stick close to the centre of the screen.
The wave of scorpion ships that arrives contains power-ups for bombs and for
the shield. Stick around the middle of the screen to catch them. There's a new
Wave-Travelling enemy here, in a very tall sinusoid curve. However, they are
fairly slow so these Wave-2's aren't a huge threat.
Afterwards, you'll face some droppers. Then some enemies which chase you will
appear from below, then from the right. One of those appearing from below will
yield a bomb power-up. Hammer away at the scorpion ships and Wave-2's, stay
closer to the top of the screen now to dodge the rockets that launch. In fact,
study the ground. It is possible to see the missile warheads.
A little bit ahead, you will see this spinning enemy. It moves up and down. Not
exactly a threat but it is proably obscuring your path ahead. Destroy them and
the wide-wave turret. You can probably aim your shot into the threeway turret.
Bomb the wide-wave turret as you pass over the tall column, then fly down to
blast the next one. After the spinner, you will come across many small circles
forming walls along your path. You can bust through by shooting it. Watch out
for the rocket as you leave that area, then take out the Wave-2's. Two lines of
scorpion ships come along, the top has a weapon upgrade, the bottom has a
shield.
Watch out for the rocket as you approach some more of those small circles. Bust
through and up, defeat the spinners outside. Keep towards the top during the
next complex of the balls too. As you leave this one, avoid the rockets. The
first group of chasers that arrives has upgrades for bombs and weapon. Get
ready for two lines of scorpion ships, no upgrade so pick either one.
Four spikes will appear, take whatever evasive action you are comfortable with.
As droppers appear, there will be two "tree" like structures. Land a bomb in
between them to make a 1up appear.
The next part can be tricky - rockets and chasers. Try not to go too far ahead,
or you will set off all the rockets. Take them one or to at a time while
fighting the chasers. Then there are two groups of four spikes and then some
more chasers. Then get ready for...
WARNING!
A HUGE BATTLESHIP
******************************************************************************
Cuttle Fish
******************************************************************************
IS APPROACHING FAST!
Right on, Cuttle Fish. If you can disable his weapons quickly he is actually a
bit easier than the last few bosses you fought. From his main body, he fires
to shots in an arc. From either tentacle, two large shots, which have very low
tracking ability and can be destroyed (either tentacle are the to large ones).
From his mouth he fores a laser. Concentrate on the closer tentacle and the
body first, to disable most of the firepower. Then take out the other tentacle,
he will begin spitting two homing missiles at a time from his mouth but these
can be easily destroyed. Train your fire on the mouth and dodge when a laser
comes.
If you are having difficulty avoiding the initial assault, being a little ways
in to the right (not flush to the left) helps. You will be under the apex of
the double-shot's arc, and the bigger shots probably won't be able to turn to
you as well.
5th ZONE IS OVER.
WE ARE NO RUSHING INTO...
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SAG6: Zone 6
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BE ON YOUR GUARD!
Another cave, memories eh? There are a few mines, then a load of wide wave
turrets and bat-wings. Try to take the turrets out with bombs if you can. Stay
in the middle and blast the bat-wings as they come. You can move up and don to
blast the turrets too, if your shot is wide.
After the threeway turret, there are some spinning loopers that yield a bomb
upgrade. There there are more batwings and wide-wave turrets. These continue
for quite some distance in fact. Eventually, you will see a mine. A small
triangle will fly down, line up with you, and fly forward. This one gives a
weapon power-up.
After a few more mines and turrets, more triangles will appear. One of them can
give a shield upgrade. As you continue, bomb the spaces that are one turret
wide. One of them that occurs before a tall wall and a wide-wave turret has a
1up.
Besides that it's mostly a matter of bombing the turrets. With the bat-wings,
in the tisty tunnel, take them out from afar so you don't get caught behind a
wall. The next group of triangles hold a weapon power-up.
Bomb the space the next group of triangles fly down from. They don't have a
power-up, but the space has a 1up. Fight on through the turrets and you will
find some spinning loopers, which give a shield power-up.
There will be another group of triangles, with a shield, and then a fair number
of bat-wings. Then...
WARNING!
A HUGE BATTLESHIP
******************************************************************************
Green Coronatus
******************************************************************************
IS APPROACHING FAST!
If it seemed like the stage was short, it's because really it was a fairly
patterned stage. Anyways, we're up against the classic Darius-type seahorse.
From the bottom of his gut, he shoots a laser, from his body he shoots a five-
way spreadshot, and from his mouth he fires homing missiles. Alright, since he
gets very close to the left side of the screen, concentrate first on his laser.
Because he gets so close, this could force you into it. Now take on the spread
gun. You should shoot and dodge, going in between shots when it fires.
When both the laser and spread shot are destroyed, the tail becomes vulnerable
and so does the head. The head shoots two missiles at a time now, and the tail
shoots a shot right ahead. The tail is an easy target, and you should get it
out of the way even for the sake of safety. Take out the head and it's gone.
6th ZONE IS OVER.
WE ARE NO RUSHING INTO...
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SAG7: Zone 7
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BE ON YOUR GUARD!
Ah, a very mechanical-base style level with dramatic music. Tear into those
scorpion ships for a bomb power-up, and take out the dish turrets by flying
don in front of them and blasting. Between the small loopers that follow, you
can get weapon and shield upgrades.
After the two spinners, you will need to bomb the dish turrets up ahead. Move
in and out dropping bombs. If you want, take out the front turret, then fly in
to beat the next. The scorpion ships that fly by above will yield a shield.
Fly down and in, destroy the next dish.
When the path splits between scorpion ships above and a dish turret below, go
down as there is a missile car here - priority target. If you decide to go up,
bomb around to find a 1up. It's much safer to go down, but if you want to risk
the chance of finding a 1up then go up.
Stay down for the most part, taking little peeks up to blast the spinners. But
there are dishes and missile cars on the ground so going up is a risky move to
take in extended intervals.
As you leave the split level room, take out that dish with your main weapon if
it is wide enough. Otherwise bomb it. Move through these tunnels quickly and
take out the missile car when you spy it. Travel along destroying dishes, the
scorpion ships that come yield a shield and bomb power-up.
It will become apparent soon that many of the turrets can be bypassed and you
should do this. You can still hit them with a bomb, but may are not worth it.
If you can get the shot in, great, if not don't risk your life.
The alcove right above the line of three scorpion ships that give a bomb
upgrade has a 1up. After the next two dishes that are right next to each other,
a revolving enemie will appear and make small loops in the air. It fires a big
shot straight forward. Because these revolvers persist on the screen, they are
a high priority target.
There is a 1up in the space in front of the next dish turret. Continue don the
passage destroying revolvers and dishes.
You will leave into a more open area, and erratics will coem from the left and
the right. A revolver comes next, from the right. Then, get ready because...
WARNING!
A HUGE BATTLESHIP
******************************************************************************
Ancient Helm
******************************************************************************
IS APPROACHING FAST!
Ah, Ancient Helm is a horseshoe crab. They've been used a few times in the
Darius series, and they're usually quite rad. Ancient Helm is no exception, and
where a lot of the past few bosses have been kind of easy, she has enough
tricks to make a good showing.
From her "eyehole" she shoots a laser, straight ahead. She will also launch two
homing missiles, one high and one low. Finally, she lays an egg, it bounces to
the left until you are above it, then it turns into a larva and flies upwards.
You can destroy the egg, but it is particularly dangerous because it is easy to
neglect that it is even there. Also, do _not_ stay in front of Ancient Helm for
long as her laser is thick and fast enough to get you if she's close enough.
Begin firing on her, you can damage her mid region and the tail. You will most
likely destroy the body first, before the tail. This is because her body blocks
damage to the tail. At any rate, knocking out the mid-body disables her
missiles, which is a definite plus. Concentrate on the tail now. This will
disable the eggs. Shoot, and dodge when the laser comes. When the eyehole opens
to shoot the laser, the head will take damage. You will probably damage her in
the efforts to stop the tail. If you take this out first, her laser is disabled
and you only have to worry about eggs. Whatever the case, she is destroyed once
all parts are taken out.
7th ZONE IS OVER.
WE ARE NO RUSHING INTO...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SAG8: Zone 8
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BE ON YOUR GUARD!
YEAH! THE FINAL LAP! This is the final stage of Sagaia and is the equivalent to
Zone 4.
Starting off, the top line of scorpion ships has a weapon power-up while down
below is a shield. They lead straight into some droppers. There will be some
cubes from the bottom, top, and left. Some more scorpion ships will come, the
bottom line has a bomb upgrade - but beware as cubes come from the back as the
ships move left.
Another enemy like the sharks, but with wings, arrives now. It shoots two
homing missiles at a time and moves straight forward even if you destroy it.
Stay at the top to face the two lines of scorpion ships if you want to get a
shield upgrade. Next up is...
*************
Cuttle Fish 2
*************
Our tentacled friend makes his return. He shoots a laser from his mouth, small
waves from his large tentacle tips, and a big wave from the top of his body.
Take out his front tentacle first, to give you room between the other tentacle
wave and the top wave. Take out the back tentacle. Now Cuttle Fish will begin
launching homing missiles but you _do_ have more room to take out the top of
the body. Take it out, then attack the mouth (note that the big wave will still
fire but you've taken out one missile launcher). Hit the mouth, dodge the laser
and repeat. It should go down after a few repetitions.
--Moving on...
Some erratics come fromt he left and right, and then scorpion ships. Take the
top line if you want a shield power-up. Some cubes will come from the right,
take them out quick because you don't want to get pincered by the cubes from
the left.
Now, shoot the winged shark and go underneath it but stay within the loop
formed by the looping enemies. And I guess the enemies mean business because
even though you've just beaten Cuttle Fish again, here's...
*****************
Green Coronatus 2
*****************
Our seahorse pal again, he starts off firing a radial spread of shots. He also
fires the same laser and his wave attack is operational from the start. He can
also shoot missiles from his mouth, a homing missile to be precise. Shoot at
the main body - in particular the source of the radial shots and the laser. The
laser fires at two levels, close together though so it isn't a huge concern.
Just stay a little above the laser and fly between the shots to avoid the
spread, then head back up and continue firing. Once the spreadshot and lasers
are offline, you only hve to worry about the missile and wave - you have a lot
of room to move now - but it shoots two homing missiles at a time now. You can
either take out the table and then the head, or just the head.
--Moving on...
You will face cubes from right, up, and down. Then, winged sharks. As you fight
them loopers come from behind. After these, droppers, then scorpion ships. The
top line has a weapon power-up, the bottom has a shield. Just another winged
shark and then...
**************
Ancient Helm 2
**************
She's back and has a fairly simple pattern - with a lot of firepower. When she
stops, she will drop eggs, usually two. Destroy these. Her pattern starts here,
she will fly up at an arc or down at an arc. While she does this she launches
three homing missiles and three lasers. Deadly. She will usually take the
opposing route next. Stay at the far left and move the opposite direction she
moves, when she moves. In other words, if she goes up, go down. While she is
stopped, get a couple of shots in on her and then maybe take out the eggs.
You have to predict her movements, and so you must move when she starts to.
You'll knock the missiles out first, then the tail. But she's still a challenge
because she has to open her eyes in order for you to blast her head. So, still
tracking her pattern, fire off a few shots as she starts firing and moving and
get out of the way. This is a fight of patience.
--Moving on...
Three winged sharks come from the right. Then cubes come from the top, then
right, then bottom, and finally from behind. There's loopers to the right, then
cubes from left, then winged sharks from the right.
When you reach scorpion ships go up and then down, to get a shield and weapon
poer-up. Beware as cubes will come from the left and droppers will fall during
the wave. Winged sharks approach from the right and then...
WARNING!
A HUGE BATTLESHIP
******************************************************************************
Great Thing
******************************************************************************
IS APPROACHING FAST!
Great Thing, the _definitive_ Darius boss. In all but one game he has appeared
in, he's been a final boss. He's a heavily armed sperm whale with a taste for
Silver Hawk. Bask in his greatness, then get ready to fight!
Great Thing starts off the battle by charging forward. Duck under him, then
destroy the homing missiles he launches as he flies backwards. You can damage
him when he opens his mouth to spit a narwhal horn. This horn can be destroyed.
However, as he moves down, the lasers are the biggest threat. Strafe the
cannons with your shot as you fly over him.
Now that you are above great thing's tail, he will shoot three shots in a
spread at you. These are easy to avoid. Now, continue circling around Great
Thing as you did at the start. You'll soon start taking out laser cannons.
Once they are all gone, the battle really picks up, he shoots a fiveway spread
forward, the narwhal horn, and three homing missiles. These re tricky missiles
as they are obscured by the ground. Try to stay low, and if you have a wide
weapon, you can destroy these missiles as they come. Keep trying to hit his
mouth as he opens it - this is difficult because the horn he spits blocks your
shots. Bummer. As always, this is a battle of patience, and if you can get a
good dodging rythm down you should slowly wear Great Thing down.
When you destroy the mouth, he's gone.
Enjoy the ending.
"Sagaia? On the Nintendo Game Boy? I conquered it."
**Droppers
Ships that "fall" from the ceiling to floor, and from floor to ceiling. For
avoiding these, consider this:
S = Silver Hawl
T = Falling from the Top
B = Falling from the bottom
T T T T
-> T T T T
S -> T B T B T B T B
-> B S B B B S
B B B B
Alright, so as they fall, move either under one coming from the top, or over
one coming from the bottom. Travel in the same direction as the Dropper you are
no paralell with. After you pass an adjacent dropper, move over that one (for
instance, if you are under a top faller, move under the next bottom faller as
soon as you get the chance). You can stay under this to avoid the droppers.
This is all one swift movement. You will be firing while doing this so some
space will be cleared. But if you start moving this way by habit, you will
always be ready for them.
Also, some droppers start another wave after one has finished, in this case you
just have to move between two falling droppers.
**Erratic Looper
From the right, they move in short bursts, firing at you. This becomes an
issue when they are in numbers because multiple enemies placed at different
points on the screen may become confusing. Take them out from a far distance
if possible.
If they arrive from behind you, they will loop around the Silver Hawk and fly
off right. If you are relatively clear of other threats, let them loop around
you and fire on them as they pass.
**Head:
They look like robot heads. They're tough skinned enemies that fly across the
screen, then loop back to the right and leave. If you're having trouble with
them, fall back. However, they are likely to have a member in the back of the
pack possessing a power-up. So if you can defeat them, go for it. You can still
get to Heads with power-ups if you miss them, but with the others onscreen, the
safest route is to just destroy them all.
**Scorpion Ship:
I'm calling them this because it looks like they are holding a tail out over
the cockpit, like a scorpion. These ships fire, but they aren't precisely a big
threat. They fly forward, firing. They are easy to dispatch from a distance,
though you _should_ be aware of them if you are fighting something else. They
are simple, yes, but can take you by surprise if you aren't careful. Please
note that they can fire at you if you go under or over them. This is why you
must keenly track them.
**Small Loopers:
The first enemies you will encounter are these small, looping enemies. They fly
across the screen in an arc and loop at the other side to fly back. They are
simple enemies, however please note that they do arrive in large groups and
possibly with other foes. Just try to destroy them while you've got the
opportunity - from as far away as possible. In other words, as they come to you
from across the screen.
**Spinning Loopers:
These spinning enemies travel in a tight loop across the screen. Because the
loop is so tight, they aren't as evasive with regards to your shots.
**Wave 1:
A ship moving across the screen in a sinusoid. Be most careful when they are on
different levels of the screen as they _can_ take up a considerable portion if
enough of them arrive. They can endure a few hits, but overall aren't bad.
********
Zone 2:
**Bat-Wing:
A ship with bat-like wings. It moves forward firing a Shots. When you destroy
this enemy, it releases a threeway spreadshot in retaliation. This wave of
shots can be destroyed by your own weaponry. Even though this does take away
some of their threat-level, if they are onscreen and you can't deal with them
right away they could catch you off guard. They aren't the biggest priority,
but they aren't negliable either.
**Hopper:
Large enemy that leaps across the ground. Take it out before it gets too close
to the left side. If you don't take care of it swiftly, it will hop back and
forth firing at you.
**Meteor:
Flies at you, divides into two when shot. These fly off at different paths,
and are destroyed by shots.
**Three-Way Turret:
Shoots three shots in a wave. Not as threatening as a wide-wave, but it is
still a definite target.
**Wide-Wave Turret:
A circular turret which fires a spread of bullets from 0 to 180 degrees. Make
no mistake, these are dangerous and high-priority enemies. Bomb them asap.
********
Zone 3:
**Dish Turret:
Fires a beam up at a diagonal. If you keep a track of this turret's position,
it won't be entirely capable of hitting you. Don't ignore it, however, as you
could potentially be trapped by its beams.
**Mine:
When you fly underneath it, it drops and explodes along the way. Alone, this is
not much of a threat. However, as with any enemy it's distractions you will
need to worry about. You can try shooting these mines, or just bait them and
avoid the explosion.
**Missile Car:
Priority enemy, drives back and forth shooting one missile at a time. These
missiles fly up at a diagonal until they are level with you, then they fly
forward. Take these out quick to avoid problems later.
---Please note: Being behind the car doesn't make you safe from the missile.
The missile can start moving that direction when it is level
with you.
**Spike:
This enemy materializes and flies towards you. They come in groups,
complicating your escape route.
********
Zone 4:
**Cubes:
Spinning cubes that follow you briefly. If you can, destroy them as they
appear.
**Shark:
A dangerous enemy with two attacks. If you are level with it, it fires forwards
but otherise it launches three missiles at a time at you. Obviously, in groups
the missiles become a real pain. They are a priority target but watch out -
they don't blo up but are rather reduced to wreckage. As this crashes, it can
damage you.
********
Zone 5:
**Chaser:
An enemy that will follow you. High priority, destroy them before they cut your
options with other enemies severely.
**Rocket:
Flies straight up when you pass overhead. Try to spot the warheads and temp
them to launch so that you may avoid them with prior knowledge as you their
location.
**Spinner:
Moves up and down. They are probably in your way so destroy them to clear a
path.
**Wave 2:
An enemy that opens and closes while travelling in a wide arc. This is a simple
pattern and you should be able to take them out without issue as they are
fairly slow.
********
Zone 6:
**Triangle:
A quick enemy that lines up with the Silver Hawk and flies straight at it on a
horizontal plane. They may not be obvious, so their danger comes in the element
of surprise. Vaporize them as you see them.
********
Zone 7:
**Revolver:
Hovers in place by taking small loops. Fires a shot straight forward. Because
they will persist on the screen, take them out asap.
********
Zone 8:
**Winged Shark:
Flies forward launching two himing missiles at a time. If you destroy it, it
continues moving straight, so avoid the wreck.
Geez b'y, thanks go out to those fish who line our oceans and our hearts. And
all marine and fresh water life at that - you inspire some of the coolest
bosses of video game history.
Thanks to the hosts, without them you wouldn't be reading this guide.
Thanks to TAITO for the Darius series. This is an excellent game in its own
right. It doesn't stray too far from the formula, like Darius+ does, but it
holds its own as an excellent game.
Websites with permission to use this Guide:
www.GameFAQS.com
www.neoseeker.com
faqs.IGN.com
www.1up.com
