Sound Breakdown Paradise Halloween 2017 Special: G-Darius

Well, folks, you knew it was coming; another Halloween, another Sound Breakdown Paradise. Lord knows these will become regular fixtures at some point but hey, ‘least I haven’t missed a Halloween yet!

Though perhaps not quite to the same extent as fighting game fans, Shoot ‘em Up (or SHMUP) players do often exhibit a degree of franchise loyalty. You’re either a Gradius person, an R-TYPE person, someone who swears by everything C.A.V.E. puts out, and so on and so forth. Me?

I like Darius.

Darius’ legacy somewhat precedes itself; it’s the one with the Fish in it. Because hell, it’s Taito, everything’s weird with Taito. The earlier games in the franchise have a somewhat mixed reception- some think they’re all solid games, others think they relied to heavily on their strangeness and (as far as the arcade versions went) the multi-screen gimmick. The further the series went along, though, the quality of the games levelled out to a point where die-hard SHMUP players ranked them among the best of the best; Darius Gaiden is still routinely considered the series’ high point, and the Dariusburst titles that have come out in recent years have enjoyed a pretty decent amount of success.

The title I want to talk about today, though, is one that sits right in the middle of both of those; G-Darius.

Originally released in 1997, G-Darius serves as a prequel to the series from a storyline standpoint, but was a significant evolution from a gameplay one. For starters, the environments and enemies/ships are rendered with 3D models that lend a proper level of depth to the game’s visuals- and thanks to some really imaginative setpieces and designs, still hold up as visually impressive some 20 years later. In addition to the series standard mechanics of upgradable Lasers, Missiles and Shields, the “Capture” mechanic from Darius Gaiden has been greatly expanded; provided you have Capture Balls in stock, you can grab any and every enemy in the game and reappropriate them to fight on your side- including the various minibosses you encounter. Not only does this provide you additional firepower and shielding (if the captured foe is large enough), but you can also sacrifice them by way of a bomb that gives you some additional cover and hurts anything that comes near or, most importantly, to power a ridiculously powerful beam weapon that destroys everything in it’s path. Thing is, the end of level Bosses have these beams as well, and they can and will use them on you without hesitation- however, you can counter their beams with one of your own and, through rigorous button mashing, you can overpower and eradicate their beam and increase the size (and power) of your own. Of course, the reverse can happen as well, so make sure your fingers are in firm fighting order before you make any rash decisions!

At this point you’re probably wondering why I chose to cover this game for the Halloween countdown- I mean sure, the Fish thing is weird, but it’s not quite horror material specifically is it? Well, y’see, the Darius games always had a slight undercurrent of tragedy and spookiness running in the background- again, this is Taito we’re talking about here- but following on from Metal Black (which was originally designed as a potential Darius III before changing direction in development) and Darius Gaiden, those undercurrents moved ever more into the forefront and, for my money, they reached their zenith with G-Darius. First, let’s go over the game’s backstory;

The twin planets of Amnelia and Blazar have been duking it out for a long time, over the incredibly petty quarrel of who, exactly, claims jurisdiction of their shared moon Mahsah. Things coasted along fairly typically as far as Intergalactic Wars go for a while, until Amnelia deploys a weapon they’d been developing in secret whilst the battle raged on: A.N., or “All-Nothing”. Put simply, the Blazar- and their entire planet- are effectively wiped out of existence by the All-Nothing, as though they were never even there to begin with.

The Amnelian’s cruelty and callousness awakens something at the heart of the universe; unknowably old and incredibly powerful agents of destruction known as the Thiima- a made up word meaning “deliverer of death” in the Darius universe. The Thiima are effectively existence itself’s last line of defence against the most destructive of forces, and have decided that if the Amnelians are not only hateful enough to create a weapon like All-Nothing, but are also spiteful enough to use it over something as petty as a land dispute, then they are a potential threat to all life and must be eradicated completely- just as they did to their rivals before them.

Going by that summery, you’d think you’d be placed in the role of the Thiima, but no. The Thiima are the big bio-mechanical sea creatures with names like Queen Fossil and Eight Feet Umbrella. You, the player, assume the role of two pilots from the Amnelian forces, meaning you’re directly fighting for the genocidal dickwads that destroyed an entire planet because they wanted ownership of a moon. It’s a pretty bleak setup, all things considered- and several of the games endings reflect this overall tragic nature (the two pilots do not survive their mission in at least a couple of them, including one where they themselves disappear from existence as they desperately try to float over to each other for comfort in their final moments), although given this is the start of the Darius timeline it’s taken for granted that the Thiima are defeated, at least the two player characters survive and repopulate a barren planet- which becomes the titular Darius the series is named after- and the Thiima’s technology is stolen and re-purposed by much less interesting opponents. Still; it’s a pretty tonally downbeat affair, which brings me on to the other reason I’m covering the game for Halloween; the music.

I think most everyone has a basic idea for how SHMUP games are supposed to sound, by and large; highly melodic, mostly upbeat, vaguely pop-y synth driven affairs that feel triumphant and empowering, encouraging you to take on the evil foes and vanquish them in the name of great justice! Or, something. Yeahhhhhhhh...

Wanna hear the first boss theme from G-Darius?

Harsh industrial percussion? Check. Distorted guitar SFX? Check. Incredibly unsettling melody and chords that, every now and then, just go flat out atonal and clash with each other? Check. There are points where the song entirely devolves into pure noise the likes of which rival Akira Yamaoka on a good day, and overall it is not at all something you’d expect to hear in a SHMUP, no matter how weird it is. It’s positively nightmarish.

But, to be fair, not all the songs in G-Darius are so outright abrasive.

By and large, they mostly sound like this:

The industrial beats are still there, certainly, but the song’s more obviously melodic. Not that that makes it less tonally unsettling; it’s all depressive synth strings, weird vocal-like synth leads and chords, and sudden shifts into weird bubbly chords with deceptively simple but just slightly “off” rhythm. It doesn’t make you feel powerful or triumphant; it makes you wonder what the flying fuck is going on.

G-Darius’ score was written solely by Taito legend, Hisayoshi Ogura, but was “orchestrated” by their in-house band ZUNTATA (which Hisayoshi Ougra has been a member of more or less since it’s founding). His pedigree with the company cannot be understated; to list just a couple of examples, he’s been responsible for the soundtracks of all the arcade Darius titles that came before G-Darius (including the legendary Olga Breeze), was the composer for The Ninja Warriors, and perhaps most interestingly he also worked on The Legend of Kage. Though he’s not adverse to writing more down-to-earth songs, so to speak, his pedigree is songs that run the gamut from slightly weird to outright eccentric, and is probably the main reason ZUNTATA’s reputation among gamers is as being a “really weird” band. And for my money, G-Darius is easily his masterwork; this is among my personal Top 10 soundtracks, folks, so be prepared for an awful lot of gushing.

Net Work is the song the game opens on, and is used during the first half of the attract mode (which covers a very truncated and... not entirely clear version of the backstory outlined above- which I suspect was gleamed from guidebooks that came out in Japan). Gotta say, it sets the mood; hopeless sounding synth string chords, a little bit of atmospheric piano noodling here or there, a sustained choral note and odd little sound effects make for one hell of a first impression, and sets the stage for a not-so-heroic galactic battle pretty nicely. Even the little take-off

Speaking of stuff that sounds like it came from a horror game, here’s perhaps the most aptly named song on the score, Dada. There’s very little percussion here so almost the entire song relies on melodic elements, and good christ in heaven does it paint a haunting aural landscape. At the risk of sounding extremely pretentious, it sounds like a song primarily constructed of the wailing voices of long dead beings, what with all the atonal choral melodies it’s got going on. I feel like I’m using words like that a lot- atonal, dissonant, discordant- but I think this song in particular demonstrates how important those elements are to the foundation of the score’s composition. The notes don’t clash due to inexperience, they’re deliberately written to evoke a real sense of dread and foreboding that, as I’ve said before, is extremely palpable when playing the game yourself.

The thing that stands out the most about H.G. Virus to me is that distinctive percussive loop- another sample from Methods of Mayhem. Does it make the song even creepier to know that loop is from a set of loops referred to in the library with the designation of “throatbeat”? It’s also one of the tonally more interesting pieces, shifting from those heavy orchestra hits to vaguely grandiose string chords and slightly apprehensive piano lines, occasionally overlaying the two. It just barely borders on the edges of sounding triumphant and heroic, but it almost feels like the song is trying to override itself with the soundtrack’s overbearing sense of unease.

Nonsensecodon could arguably be called one of the “quieter” songs on the soundtrack, in the sense that it puts the dramatic industrial sounds a little more into the background- for the most part, anyway- and let’s the spooky synth work shine through. That is, after it opens with what I think is an altered sample of a creaky door... or maybe a Klaxon of some kind? It’s kinda difficult to tell, and I think that adds to the feel of the song that follows. Overall the melody isn’t as complex here as it is in other songs on the score- mostly limited to a few strikes and stabs here or there and the odd sustained synth chord- but that bassline is pretty ear worm-y, if simple. It’s also the song where you most clearly hear the synth bass and man, it’s a really nicely rounded tone- warm, meaty, and sits as the base of the mix really nicely. More excellent sound programming on Mr. Ogura and ZUNTATA’s part.

God, not even the Stage Clear/Zone Select loop, One Down even bothers trying to instil a sense of hope in the player; the vibe it gives me is more “oh fucking hell, here we go again; what a never ending nightmare”. I love it.

And then there’s Kimera II. This one’s going to be extremely difficult to talk about, because it’s my favourite song on the soundtrack- and among my most favourite pieces of music from any game, period. If I may be permitted to gush it is, quite frankly, masterful on every level; the arrangement is absolutely perfect from start to finish, it’s employment of the various sounds and synths programmed for the soundtrack is thoroughly excellent, and god, the tone it delivers is extremely raw and emotional- it still manages to make my hairs stand on end, even after playing G-Darius countless times over the years. The sense of finality the song captures feels incredibly daunting; this absolutely sounds like the score to a suicide mission, where those involved know deep in their hearts that they’re not making it home (and depending on the route you’ve chosen through the game, that may very well be the case). I’m a sucker for songs that have a depressing and despairing tone to them, so of course I’m predispositioned to like Kimera II on principal, but something about the melody and the chords is just... utterly beautiful, in a heartbreaking way. The second portion of the song even strips out the percussion and some of the spookier, more atonal sounds out to just let the synth strings, wordless choir, and some very slight industrial sound effects paint a grim picture for the player in no uncertain terms. Speaking of, though, I love that the more intense portions of the song mix that heartbreaking tone with the more chaotic, offbeat sounds to keep an air of menace to the proceedings. Like I said; absolutely masterful composition. How or why Hisayoshi Ogura has not been contacted about having this song arranged for one of those Symphonic Video Game Orchestra performances I will never understand, because as picky as I can be with orchestral music I would sell both my kidneys and at least one of my lungs to see an orchestra perform this, no joke. It’s cute that it’s the only song on the soundtrack to feature any audial representation of the ocean/sea life in it, too, with the little sound effect collage that opens the piece.

That and, by way of using the same operatic sample, listening to Teknopera from Rave Racer after this makes for an... interesting listening experience.

Of course, there’s Adam, which I talked about when I did Final Fever earlier in the week. Nonetheless, I wanted to highlight it again because it almost does what Kimera II does in reverse, and builds upon what H.G. Virus was doing with it’s tone; it starts out with a deliberately more intense and frightening vibe and melody, with descending notes and dramatic orchestra/industrial hits galore, before shifting into something far more dramatic and melancholy for the remainder of the song (albeit with weird synth sounds still filtering their way in to keep you on your toes). And I still really quite like the controlled chaos of the dance beat the song’s got going on, with how it slips from a steady four-on-the-floor rhythm into a more stuttered beat that almost makes it sound like the rhythm trips over itself- without actually tripping over itself, as everything’s still in time and correct.

And then, after all you’ve been through, you’re greeted with Duplication as you get your final results tally, and watch the ending you’ve received for your efforts. And fuck me, is it depressing. Gone are all the weird vocal-like synths, machine bangs and screeches, and completely discordant melodies; it’s just sad synth strings, and some barely audible piano mixed in for good measure. And it feels about as hopeless as Kimera II does, if not even moreso; fitting, given most of G-Darius’ endings aren’t particularly happy.

We end on Future Perfect from 7, which is probably the weakest song on the score for me personally. It’s not bad by any stretch- I quite the heavy beat, for one thing, and I do think the little piano riffs are kinda nifty- but this song

It’s absolute poetry in motion, isn’t it? That Adam fits the final boss of this route so incredibly well is an added bonus, too.

One of the saddest factors that comes into discussion of video game music is, for me, the lack of accessibility; up until extremely recently, video game soundtracks were extremely difficult to get ahold of in any official capacity. What games did get official soundtrack releases would have humble print runs in Japan, but generally didn’t make it over to the west unless they were bundled with special editions of the games in question. Very, very rarely, they were given a non-bootleg release, but in many cases those are even harder to find then the Japanese soundtracks are (and needless to say the further back you go, and depending on which service you use to buy your soundtracks and which soundtrack you’re looking for, you could go ages without seeing what you want only for it to go on sale for a ludicrous price when it does come up). There are plenty of exceptions to that rule, of course- I myself have gotten physical copies of a couple of old soundtracks for far cheaper then I would’ve expected- but generally speaking, it’s not hard to see why ffshrine.org is still alive and kicking in 2017. However, several companies have taken to digital distribution for their soundtracks, offering them through Amazon and iTunes- including Taito, who unlike certain companies I could name (NAMCO) have made their store

Well then, that’s one of the Big Beasts of Sound Breakdown Paradise finally covered; one of my favourite soundtracks that I kept putting off talking about for fear of doing it an injustice. Hopefully you found this an informative and engaging read, folks. If you’d like to see G-Darius in action, I’ve embedded a playthrough below. It's an edited playthrough that shows off all the possible routes and levels, so it kinda jumps around a bit in places; there's also some minor audio hiccups here or there, but it's the most complete playthrough of the game I could find.. If you’d like to play it for yourself, it was ported to the original Playstation in most territories and should still be easy to find, and it was included in Taito Legends 2 for the Playstation 2.

~ Decon, 21/10/17

Images sourced from shmups.com, vgmuseum.com, mobygames.com, tvtropes.org, arcade-museum.com, bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org, and giant-bomb.com