Play Darius Gaiden Online Free for Sega Saturn.
That clip up top is the real Darius Gaiden — the actual 1996 Sega Saturn game from Taito. Grab the free RetroPlayers.Club Player and it runs full-speed on your PC, no cartridge required.
The game has been ported to several consoles, including the Sega Saturn and PlayStation. Darius Gaiden is a 1994 horizontal-scrolling shooter arcade game developed and published by Taito.
Darius Gaiden
Play this Game The Right Way Now -> Download Our Mini App & Start PlayingThe RetroPlayers.Club Player is a Premium perk. Go Premium or sign in to play Darius Gaiden at full speed on your own PC.
Darius Gaiden runs on your own PC through the free RetroPlayers.Club Player app — full speed, your controller, cloud save states. You confirm you own the game before it loads; the disc streams from your library and is wiped the moment you stop playing.
🎮 USB or Bluetooth controller? Plug it in, Once Detected Click Here to Open Your Controller Options
| Action | Keyboard | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| D-Pad Up | ↑ | D-Pad up |
| D-Pad Down | ↓ | D-Pad down |
| D-Pad Left | ← | D-Pad left |
| D-Pad Right | → | D-Pad right |
| B (bottom) | X | Bottom face |
| A (right) | Z | Right face |
| Y (left) | S | Left face |
| X (top) | A | Top face |
| L | Q | Left shoulder |
| R | E | Right shoulder |
| Start | Enter | Start |
| Select | V | Select |
🎮 Sega Saturn controls
These are the keys the RetroPlayers.Club Player app uses for Sega Saturn, shown for reference. Your controller still lights up below so you can confirm it is detected — Premium members can remap here (keyboard or USB controller) and the app applies the map at the next launch.
No controller detected yet — plug one in and press any button.
Press buttons — your controller lights up here so you can see it is detected. Go Premium to save a custom map.
| Action | Keyboard | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| Up | W | D-Pad up |
| Down | S | D-Pad down |
| Left | A | D-Pad left |
| Right | D | D-Pad right |
| A | J | Right face |
| B | K | Bottom face |
| C | L | Extra face |
| X | U | Top face |
| Y | I | Left face |
| Z | O | Extra face |
| L | Q | Left shoulder |
| R | E | Right shoulder |
| Start | F | Start |
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First registered run claims the top spot. It won't stay easy for long.
Playing counts once you're signed in — register free in the player above.
Other Places You Can Get This Game
Love Darius Gaiden? Own the real thing — these are legitimate places to buy official versions.
How to Play Darius Gaiden
The RetroPlayers.Club Player ships with Darius Gaiden already mapped — the layout below is the default, and Controller Mapping in the app rebinds any of it.
The Story Behind Darius Gaiden
It also provides minor alterations to the gameplay, such as increasing the rate of fire and removing the cap on the number of black hole bombs that can be carried. Fujiwara had little exposure to the series aside from assisting in production of the original Darius. This version was released a year later in North America, where it was published by Acclaim Entertainment as part of its publishing deal with Taito.
Due to the story taking place between Darius II and the first Darius, Kato decided to name the game Darius Gaiden, with "gaiden" being a Japanese term for "side story". In the months after its debut, an updated version named Darius Gaiden Extra Edition was released. Darius Gaiden was published by Taito as the third arcade installment in its Darius series, and the fifth entry overall.
What You'll Play
Levels conclude with a boss that must be defeated by destroying its weak spot, such as its head or mouth. The Silver Hawk begins the game with a forward-moving shot. This is accomplished by destroying the energy orb on its head and collecting it when it flies off.
Collecting additional emblems upgrades the player's weapons, such as a stronger shield or missiles that move forwards and backwards. In these levels, the Silver Hawk must destroy constantly moving formations of enemies while avoiding their projectiles, as well as dodging obstacles. Darius Gaiden is a horizontal-scrolling shooter video game.
Why It Still Hits
Staff at GameFan compared its quality to SNK's Pulstar. Upon its debut in arcades, Darius Gaiden received critical acclaim, and was a commercial success. Gamest commended Taito for not focusing on gimmicks like the panoramic screen, but instead on the gameplay by making it fresh and interesting.
Staff praised the mechanics, soundtrack, graphical style, and overall presentation. Famitsu awarded it the "Gold Hall of Fame" award, the magazine's second highest award for a game. The Japanese magazine Gamest handed the game several awards, including the 2nd "Best Graphic", 3rd "Best Shooting", and 7th "Grand Prize" awards.
Darius Gaiden — Frequently Asked Questions
What console was Darius Gaiden released on?
Darius Gaiden was released for the Sega Saturn in 1996.
Can I save my progress in Darius Gaiden?
Yes, with Premium: the app lets you save a state at any point in Darius Gaiden and resume from exactly there.
Who developed Darius Gaiden?
Darius Gaiden was developed by Taito and published by Taito.
How do I play Darius Gaiden?
Grab the free RetroPlayers.Club Player linked on this page and launch Darius Gaiden in it. It plays the genuine Sega Saturn game natively on your computer; the clip above is a live preview.