Darius II (New)

Twenty-eight levels sounds like a lot, but the multiple routes make every playthrough feel fresh. The parallax scrolling in the background is a nice touch that adds depth to the action. A solid pick for any shmup fan.

I was blown away by how smooth the parallax scrolling is here, it really makes each level pop. Even though there are only seven main stages, the twenty eight total variations keep me coming back to try new paths.

The branching routes really stretch this one out—twenty-eight stages across seven paths means I keep finding new corners to chase down. The parallax layers are subtle but give the background a genuine sense of depth that most shooters on this system skip.