Dariusburst Another Chronicle

**Dariusburst Another Chronicle**
Developer:	Pyramid
Publisher:	Taito
Music:	Zuntata
Release date:	Old version: December 17, 2010 ; EX: 2011
Previous game:	Dariusburst (Release and Chronology)
Next game:	Dariusburst Chronicle Saviours (Release and Chronology)

Dariusburst Another Chronicle

Dariusburst Another Chronicle is a 2010 arcade shoot-em-up developed by Pyramid and published by Taito. The game is built on the same gameplay concepts as 2009's Dariusburst, but is significantly expanded on, featuring various new ships and bosses, refined graphics, a brand-new Chronicle Mode and a much larger 32:9 aspect ratio. In 2011, a revised version of Another Chronicle known as Another Chronicle EX was released, including the new Event and Original EX Modes, some additional new ships, and new bosses. The Phase 2 version of Another Chronicle EX is considered to be the most up-to-date arcade version of Another Chronicle, and is still being ported to new systems today.

Gameplay Overview

Another Chronicle is built on the same core gameplay as Dariusburst, but features many new enemies, ships and bosses, as well as a significantly larger playing field. As a result of the greater ship variety and colossal view, many levels and bosses have been adjusted and made stronger to keep up with the changes. For example, Great Thing has been given several new attacks and fires much more projectiles than it did in the original Dariusburst. Additionally, gameplay cycles are much shorter than usual, with games now taking only 3 levels to be finished rather than 5.

Controls

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Weapons

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Armor

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Captains

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Rank

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Scoring

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Original Mode Zones

Another Chronicle's zone system is greatly altered compared to that of previous games. Now, players choose from 3 different starting zones, and only have to go through 2 more zones after that before reaching the end. Another Chronicle EX also features Original Mode EX, following the same structure as Original Mode but with new, brutally difficult zones and bosses to truly test the player's limits, likely due to Original Mode being perceived as very easy compared to previous Darius games.

Below is a list of stages and their respective zones, as well as the zone's name, areas and boss. Structurally identical stages share the same obstacles and theming, but have a different enemy composition.

Stage 1 (Original Mode)

Zone A: An allied hangar under assault by the Belsar. Boss is King Fossil. Music transitions into Zone D if Zone D is selected.
Zone B: The ruins of an abandoned city. Structurally and musically identical to Zone A of the original Dariusburst. Boss is Hard Wheel.
Zone C: An asteroid belt near Darius. Boss is Hyper Jaw.

Stage 2 (Original Mode)

Zone D: An enemy-occupied area near Darius' satellite Kazumn, and above a hyperspace gateway. Boss is Lightning Claw. Music transitions into Zone H if Zone H is selected.
Zone E: A hyperspace gateway near Darius' satellite Kazumn. Boss is Ancient Barrage.
Zone F: A brief moment in the crosshairs between two sides of a battle between allied and Belsar fighters. Boss is Phantom Castle.
Zone G: An abandoned scrapyard in the middle of nowhere. Boss is Brightly Stare.

Stage 3 (Original Mode)

Zone H: A desert on the surface of an unknown planet. Final boss is Violent Ruler. The boss can be seen moving through the sands shortly before the fight begins.
Zone I: An enemy facility, presumably dedicated to manufacturing battleships. Final boss is Thousand Knives.
Zone J: An enemy base near an unknown planet. Final boss is Hungry Gluttons.
Zone K: An enemy-controlled space station near their home planet. Final boss is Dark Helios.
Zone L: The Belsar headquarters. Final boss is the iconic Great Thing.

Stage 1 (Original EX Mode)

Zone O: Structurally and musically identical to Zone A from Original Mode. Boss is Knight Fossil.
Zone P: A desert on the surface of an unknown planet, similar to Zone H but more upbeat. Boss is Glassy Stare.
Zone Q: An enemy-occupied asteroid belt, possibly on the edge of the galaxy. Boss is Dark Flare.

Stage 2 (Original EX Mode)

Zone R: Structurally and musically identical to Zone D. Boss is Lightning Flamberge.
Zone S: Similar to Zone E, but with many more obstacles. Boss is Trident Jaw.
Zone T: An upbeat vertical downscroller through an abandoned city. Boss is Thousand Edge.
Zone U: An enemy base orbiting their home planet. Boss is Heavy Gluttons.

Stage 3 (Original EX Mode)

Zone V: Structurally and musically identical to Zone H. Final boss is Golden Ruler.
Zone W: A solemn vertical upscroller through an abandoned city. Final boss is Dual Spin.
Zone X: A Belsar stronghold. Final boss is Dreadful Whip.
Zone Y: A Belsar scrapyard, very similar to Zone G. Final boss is Slash Shell.
Zone Z: An undersea Belsar base, reminiscent of Zone Z from the original Darius. Final boss is G.T.V.

Story

Another Chronicle takes place 6 years after Dariusburst. After an initial defense against a Belsar invasion following the release of a powerful computer virus onto the hyperspace network, the Silver hawks are now ready to begin the early stages of a counteroffensive against the Belsar.

Original Mode and Original Mode EX have very similar endings, although EX views the endings from a different perspective, and its endings for Zone X and Zone Z are altered from those for Zone J and Zone L.

Ending 1 (Zone H / V): The Silver Hawks have successfully repelled the Belsar invasion, but must now return home to rest due to sustaining various damages during the battle.
Ending 2 (Zone I / W): The Silver Hawks have completed their training and are ready for action. The game then prompts the player to enter Chronicle Mode.
Ending 3 (Zone J): The Silver Hawks destroy one of the many Belsar battleships, but are now stuck in the crosshairs of an entire fleet of battleships. Suddenly, a fleet of backup fighters appears, and helps them to fight back against the battleships.
Ending 4 (Zone K / Y): In a desperate hail-mary to end the fighting, an experimental Burst weapon is unleashed, destroying the enemy fleet and the enemy home planet. The survivors of the explosion pack up and migrate to a new system.
Ending 5 (Zone L): The destruction of Great Thing causes every single Belsar battleship to shut down one after another, and the Silver Hawks are immortalised as heroes. You win!
Ending 6 (Zone X): After destroying a large Belsar flagship, the stranded Silver Hawks are backed up by a massive fleet of backup fighters, and the counteroffensive is fully put into action. This is most likely the true ending that Dariusburst Chronicle Saviours follows, as the same yellow backup fighters can be seen in the first zone of the first mission of CS Mode, which follows the counteroffensive picking up directly after where Another Chronicle left off (Another Chronicle is set in DC 2010 and CS starts in DC 2010).
Ending 7 (Zone Z): Following G.T.V's destruction, the Belsar battleships shut down and prepare to go back home. However, the military sternly warns major news outlets that this is not the end, for the Belsar will most likely rise once again.

Ports

Another Chronicle EX has been released for home consoles via Dariusburst Chronicle Saviours for PS4 and Steam, and Dariusburst Another Chronicle EX+ for PS4 and Switch. Chronicle Saviours features an arcade-perfect port of Another Chronicle EX alongside the rest of its content, albeit untranslated and lacking events, whereas Another Chronicle EX+ does not feature the Chronicle Saviours content but has events as well as the Murakamo and has been translated into English for the first time ever.

Dariusburst Another Chronicle

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