Darwin 4081

[Melf]

Sega did a great job porting Data East’s arcade shooter, and Darwin 4081 is sure to offer a decidedly different take on space shooters for those who think they’ve seen it all. This Japan-only import sports some solid gameplay and an interesting weapons system, and while it’s not the best shmup around, it’s one that’s worth spending some time with. Read our full write up to see if this one's for you.

[JDB]

never heard of this one

4082

[SEGA.GENESIS1989]

Darwin 4081 is a pretty hard cookie to much on. It is a very interesting title since as your ship evolves, your hit box increases. I always try to get the shield item after evolving. One thing that I was not aware of was the time limitation after each evolution. It is not something I took note of while playing the game.

My personal opinion is that it is a hidden diamond in the ruff. The backgrounds may look somewhat bland but the game's replayability is great! This is after all something that most shmup fans are after.

[Barone]

Great review!

Darwin 4081 is a a good Japanese-only title to buy: not very expensive (you can get it very cheap sometimes), some unique gameplay elements and a beautiful cover to look at.
I have a special love to early titles like this... I agree with the reviewer score and technically the game is nothing to write home about, but it's still a solid old school shooter and kinda undiscovered... The fact that it's a very good exclusive port (no slowdown and some improvements) of an older arcade game by Data East also add some points to this game in my ranking.

[StarMist]

When losing at this in the shmup competition I discovered it is possible to play as the dragon form that appears in the title screen. It seems to be by devolution as you must take a hit or two after having got the red grapelike firepower. ((I had a slightly clearer idea before but have erased it from my sent box: if The Coop or Kollision still have it and it seems clearer would you PM me or post it?)) .

darwin4081005-Copy.jpg

darwin4081001-Copy.jpg

It's invulnerable to shot but still vulnerable to collision. Once it wears out you're back to your weakest form...

[Barone]

Yes, I was able to get this form the last time I played it (by devolution after one hit IIRC).
This form is undocumented AFAIK.

The "ship" gets very big and so the shots but the game still does not slowdown (at least for the portion that I could play like that)... It's really impressive for a 1990 game. It shows flickering for the enemies' sprites though...