Darwin 4078

Shoot Them Up 

Type of the game: [Coin-Op] Arcade Video Game
Darwin 4078 © 1986 Data East Corp.

Standard vertically scrolling shoot'em up. You control a surrealistic space fighter, fighting just as surrealistic enemies. Power-up capsules alter the ship's shape, weapons, and make it larger. There are 16 levels with a giant enemy at the end of each.

Main CPU : M6809 (@ 1.5 Mhz)
Sound CPU : M6809 (@ 1.5 Mhz)
Sound Chips : YM2203 (@ 1.5 Mhz), YM3526 (@ 3 Mhz)

Players : 1
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 2
=> [A]= Shot, [B]= Bomb

Darwin 4078 was released in March 1986.

Soundtracks:
Data East Retro Game Music Collection - TEAM Entertainment [KDSD-00366] (July 21, 2010)

* General sequence :
1) When you are not invincible -> (get hit by a bullet) -> PISTER
2) All states -> (fixed time without collecting power-up) -> degenerate
3) PISTER -> (get hit by a bullet) -> die
4) All states -> (get hit by an enemy) -> die

* Evolution sequence (when you collect a power-up) :
PISTER -> BEAS (your starting level) -> BASUM -> SHARRU -> MISEAVE -> TWIPET -> DODOK -> ZUGAU -> KUES -> SHASUEM -> ZUGOGA -> GYASHARRU

* Degeneration sequence (at fixed time without collecting power-up) :
1) GYASHARRU -> ZUGOGA -> SHASUEM -> KUES -> ZUGAU -> DODOK -> TWIPET -> MISEAVE -> SHARRU -> BASUM -> BEAS
2) LAYSPER -> BASUM
3) SUPPURATE -> PISTER
4) BLACK DEAME -> PISTER
5) DEAME -> SEAS -> MALTO -> MEASA -> ZUGAU

* Mutation sequence :
1) All states -> (hit the orange smoke released by the 'bird' alien that flies from the screen bottom) -> SUPPURATE (bullet invincible)
2) SHARRU -> (degeneration) -> BASUM -> (collect power-up) -> LAYSPER (you front shot is invisible)
3) KUES -> (degeneration) -> ZUGAU -> (collect power-up) -> MEASA -> MALTO -> SEAS -> DEAME

* Opposite evolution :
DEAME -> (get hit by a bullet) -> BLACK DEAME (bullet invincible)

* Bomb upgrade :
1) Shoot horizontal stick aliens the right number of times and they will drift slowly down the screen. Dock with this to get extra firepower. This also works with the aliens that have extendible poles that spring out from their sides : just shoot them until they flash and dock with them.
2) You can also dock with the rectangular aliens (after you have shot them a few times). These appear close to the start of the game. It seems anything you shoot that then drifts slowly down, you can dock with (which increases the bomb power).

1. Darwin 4078 (1986)
2. SRD - Super Real Darwin (1987)
3. Act-Fancer - Cybernetick Hyper Weapon (1989)

Computers:

MSX 2 (1987) "Darwin 4078 [Model PANA-6]"

Game's ROM.
Game's screenshots.