Darius Gaiden - Silver Hawk © 1994 Taito Corporation.

Darius Gaiden is a horizontally-scrolling shoot-em-up in which one or two players pilot the Silver Hawk, a powerful fighter equipped with both a forward-firing weapon as well as bombs that constantly drop from the underside of the ship. The Hawk is also equipped with the 'Arm', a time-limited energy shield that absorbs enemy attacks without harm to the ship.

The Silver Hawk begins each game equipped with three Black Hole Bombs. These create a large, swirling vortex that pulls in nearby enemies and projectiles, followed by lightning strikes that inflict massive damage on any remaining enemies. The Hawk also has the ability to the capture mini-bosses that appear in the middle of most levels. This is accomplished by destroying the energy orb located on mini-boss's head and collecting it when it detaches. Captured mini-bosses ally with the player and fire their own weapons at enemies for a brief period of time, before self-destructing.

Collecting coloured emblems dropped by correspondingly-coloured enemies enables players to power-up the Silver Hawk's abilities. The game features a total of seven stages split over 28 zones, with players able to choose their own route through the game at the end of each stage.