Not to be confused with the port known asDarius Plus.
Darius+ is a shoot 'em up video game released in 1989 for western computers. It was developed by The Edge, with Taito having no involvement in its development beyond licensing the Darius brand.
This game was released on three different computer systems: ZX Spectrum, Atari ST, and Amiga. A version for the Commodore 64 was also intended for release but was never finished.[1]
Darius+ plays like a typical shooter, with the player's ship having only a forward firing gun which can be upgraded by picking power up icons, changing into a stronger shot, a three bullet spread and a piercing laser respectively.
Rodney Matthews created the illustration “The Nautilus” in 1987 as part of his independent portfolio of fantasy artwork. By that time, Matthews was already an established artist known for:
Album covers for progressive rock bands (Uriah Heep, Asia, Eloy)
Book covers for science fiction and fantasy authors (Michael Moorcock, Terry Brooks)
And fantasy art calendars.
“The Nautilus” depicts a biomechanical structure shaped like a shell, possibly inspired by the Nautilus pompilius mollusk or the submarine from Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Matthews blends marine elements with fantastical architecture, creating a vessel or creature floating in a surreal environment a hallmark of his style.
In 1989, the UK-based publisher The Edge acquired the rights to release a home version of the Japanese arcade game Darius, titled Darius+, for European platforms such as the Amiga, Atari ST, and ZX Spectrum.
Instead of commissioning new artwork, The Edge licensed “The Nautilus” from Matthews to use as the official cover art. This practice was fairly common in Europe at the time, where publishers often reused existing artwork due to its strong visual appeal or to cut production costs.
Matthews’ artwork appeared on:
The physical game box for Darius+
Some promotional posters
And in magazines of the time as part of the advertising
Although the painting wasn’t originally created for the game, its marine and alien themes aligned well with the underwater sci-fi world of the Darius series, giving the title a more artistic and fantastical presentation than typical arcade shooters.
