Great Thing (グレートシング) is a recurring boss in the Darius series. It first appeared as one of the final bosses in the original game, later showing up in almost all games in the series usually as one of the final bosses. it is shaped after a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus).
History
Website Summary
For Dariusburst: Another Chronicle EX
A flagship shaped like a sperm whale. He is stationed on the enemy star and is the flagship commanding the entire fleet. Literally, it functions as the center of the enemy, and is a representative of Belser because of its overwhelming firepower and durability. This ship is not only a command center, but also designed for battle at the forefront, and its combat power is by far the highest among Belser ships. Humankind has been in contact with similar ships in the past, but their armament has been significantly improved. In particular, having multiple burst guns is a threat.
In a normal battleship, heavy armor is applied only to weak points called vital parts, but in the case of this ship, the whole body is covered with heavy armor. It has overwhelming durability compared to other battleships, and covers the weakness of a huge body. A myriad of lasers and homing missiles are fired from the turrets located throughout the body, allowing for overwhelming barrage. Recent combat records have confirmed additional equipment as a countermeasure against long range fire and burst aircraft.
The drill-shaped missile launched from the bow is a weapon of mass destruction used exclusively on this ship, which can easily penetrate the heavy armor of enemy ships and deliver a deadly blow to the heart. From the magnitude of its destructive power, it is assumed that antimatter was used, similar to that used for burst cannons. In addition, equipped with a dolphin-type carrier, it is a flagship worthy of the strongest name in terms of firepower, durability, and mobility.
Darius Odyssey Guidebook Bio
- Name: Great Thing
- Motif: Sperm Whale
- Type: Large Battle Command Battleship
- Size: 1.18 km / 387.7 ft
- Zone: Z (Submarine Base)
- Weapon: Drill bullet, Etc.
- Name: Great Thing
- Motif: Sperm Whale
- Type: Large Battle Command Ship
- Size: 1.22 km / 401.7 ft
- Zone: Z' (Mechanical Cave)
- Weapon: Drill bullet, etc.
Gameplay
Darius & Super Darius
The worst part about Great Thing is that it always throws everything its got at the player. First of all it fires its front cannons and launches anchor drones from its head. Then, it fires its big laser cannon and a explosive whale from its mouth which explodes into a three-bullet arc aimed at the player. It then cuts loose with all its anchor drones (from the top AND bottom), and may or may not fire a drill missile from its forehead. A good place to be is roughly in line with the mouth so that the player can blow up the explosive whale as soon as it surfaces.
Super Darius II
This version is pretty much the same as the original. The main difference is that the player can shoot at it on any part of its body, except its mouth.
Sagaia (Gameboy)
This version is the last boss of Game Boy's Sagaia. On Darius and Super Darius, the player can shoot at any part of its body in order to disarm him. On this game is the same, but it will be more complicated due to its homing missiles and the drill-like rockets launched from its mouth.
It behaves pretty much like Hyper Great Thing, going around the screen and using its signature drill missile followed by 2 missiles from its underbelly (sometimes three missiles), laser shots and bullets from its cannons and a three bullet arc from cannons near the tail. However after destroying its front cannons, it will stop circling the screen and start to behave more like the original great thing, launching the drill attack and the missiles, plus a new bullet arc, all at once.
Darius Gaiden
Great Thing appears as the boss of Zone Z'. After destroying the multiplying orbs, Great Thing will burst out from the destroyed city below. It will immediately begin the battle by spitting fish drones from its mouth. If they aren't destroyed they will attack the player with lasers. Its next attack is to shoot twin lasers aimed at the player from one of its back turrets while sending anchor drones. It will then stop and use a spiraling laser following the player's movement which is very tough to dodge (the player's best bet is to move along the screen corners). After dropping a bomb below which scatters debris, it will begin to shoot the drill missiles from the bow, which explode into large bullets when destroyed. It will then shoot an arc of bullets from its arms them move to the left and shoot blue bullets from its backmost turret, all while shooting the yellow bullets which stop mid-flight to change trajectory.
After all of its guns are destroyed, Great Thing will move to the left and shoot a barrage of yellow homing beams, followed by the bullets in an arc and the drill missiles. After taking enough damage it will start following the player's movement all while shooting a barrage of rockets.
G-Darius
G-Darius has two variants of Great Thing, known as G.T. in this game. Great Thing is the final boss of Zone Omicron, and one of the potential final bosses. Both versions of Great Thing will start the fight by flying above the player, turning around to face and roar at him/her.
Great Thing starts the fight by facing the player, firing a 7-way spread of yellow bullets, and will open its mouth to launch shark-like ships that fire beams from their bows. Once it closes its mouth, it will fire its homing arrow drones and upper cannons, which fire turning beam projectiles. After that, Great Thing will aim its starboard side at the player, firing both its arrow drones, and bursts of two depth charge-like explosives. It will later move down, and fire beams from one of its upper cannons, firing both a long beam and a short turning beam.
Great Thing will once again face the player, firing drill bullets from its head and arrow drones from its mouth. It will later fly above the player, firing a tracking flashing beam from the coils in its belly. It will keep firing tracking flashing beams from its tail and a projectile burst from a turret on top of it. After this, Great Thing will repeat the pattern, but in the opposite direction. Its drill bullet phase, it will fire a spinning flashing projectile that also tracks, and unleash prism-shaped enemies from its mouth.
Once Great Thing is on its last fins, it changes its pattern, firing drill bullets and a spray of blue projectiles at the same time as the 7-way spread of yellow bullets. It will later turn around and fire depth charges from its belly, along with the tracking flashing projectiles. Once it faces the player again, it will unleash everything it has, firing all kinds of projectiles, including the shark drones, beige octahedrons, rainbow spinning projectiles, and finishing its barrage with two Beta Beams.
Great Thing's variant, Great Thing Violet, is faced on Area V' instead of Area U'. Its weapons fire faster, and it's much more heavily armed. Its pattern is also highly dangerous, as it can spin and fire all of its front weapons, and after that it will fly away from the player and fire all of its turrets at them.
Both variants of Great Thing's turrets can be destroyed, but they regenerate after a few seconds.
Dariusburst
When Great Thing enters the screen, it will be facing the player and begin using its main attack pattern, which will be repeated in parts of the fight. This consists of a pair of 3-way aimed spreads of red bullets and multiple homing arrow drones. After a while, it will move downwards until its top half is completely visible, and start firing 4 purple homing lasers out its top while one set of cannons fires twin orange beams. Midway through this pattern, the side horn will fire a non-Burst purple laser, then continue.
Next, Great Thing pulls back and reappears facing the screen, with its right flank facing the player. 3 top cannons will flip down. The first and third fire pairs of orange lasers, while the centre one fires bursts of 3 pairs of cube shots which turn into aimed grey shots when destroyed. Simultaneously, purple homing lasers will come out of Great Thing's top and the horn will fire 5 arrow drones every couple seconds. After a while, the boss will tilt downwards and charge a non-Burst purple laser which fires upwards, then continue with this pattern.
When Great Thing reappears, it will stay for a while, then pull off into the background, leaving 3 of its minions in a vertical column and a spread of yellow orbs downwards. Each minion attacks in this manner:
- Fires 4 way spreads of red bullets
- Fires a purple homing laser that homes in 3 times
- Fires a straight line of yellow bullets
- Fires a Burst beam that lasts barely half a second
- Teleports away
When Great Thing returns, it will resume its regular attack pattern, then pull off into the background, letting its entire left flank face you. These cannons will fire orange lasers and cube shots. After a while, the three cannons on its tail will charge and fire three non-Burst purple beams which sweep the left and top half of the screen. Midway through the beams, the minions will be summoned again, and Great Thing will leave.
When it returns, it will start its regular attack pattern again, but with a twist - the drill missiles are back! This time, they do not explode into small shots when destroyed, but instead leave behind a small, damaging explosion. However, not destroying them creates a large, long lasting explosion when they detonate. Use your Burst beam to handle these missiles before they eat your onscreen real estate.
After this, Great Thing returns, but with its top facing the screen. The two horns will continue spamming arrow drones, while the two side cannons send out pairs of orange lasers. however, the greatest threat is from the pink homing lasers, which are fired up and down alternately before they home in to you.
Finally, Great Thing fires purple lasers from its two horns to trap you. Next, it will do the exact same thing, but with one critical difference - the central cannon has popped up and is charging with red energy! By this time, you should know what to do if you can do it - pull out your Burst Beam and counter.
This should put Great Thing out of its misery, rewarding you with an ending for all your hard work.
Dariusburst Another Chronicle/Chronicle Saviours
There are three variants of Great Thing: the regular Great Thing, G.T.V (Violet) and G.T.B (Black). G.T.V was introduced in Unlock A, and G.T.B was introduced in Unlock B. Compared to Great Thing from the original Dariusburst and Second Prologue, G.T. and its variants all have an additional spread of 10 red bullets during their main attack pattern, fired from the side "horn". When either of the two variants faces its right flank to the player ship, the horn also fires pink curving homing lasers. In addition, the orange lasers during the main attack pattern have been replaced by dark blue 90º homing lasers that will track twice. Finally, the two variants have significantly more health than their original counterpart, enough that the boss fights against these two can last up to seven minutes with one player.
The original Great Thing plays much like its Dariusburst counterpart, except for the minor alterations to the attack pattern, also carried on to its variants. In addition, its health has become high enough that the rest of its attack pattern now poses a significant threat.
After Bursting, Great Thing flips so that it is upside down and facing the left. The horn now fires pairs of pink curvy homing lasers and sets of 6 arrow drones. When the drones stop firing, Great Thing will fire another purple laser straight across the screen, then another one sweeping from top to bottom in an arc. This is followed by 2 sets of purple homing lasers and one drill missile. Great Thing then shoots one more laser sweeping from bottom to top in an arc, again followed by 2 sets of purple homing lasers and one drill missile. Finally, all other attacks will stop, and Great Thing fires one last laser sweeping from top to bottom in an arc.
Great Thing will then continue with the pink homing lasers and drones, then pull away to the right while firing three drill missiles. Ignore the last two - they don't pose a threat even if they explode.
When Great Thing reappears again, it will move down to expose its top, whose turrets unload all their orange lasers, cube shots and purple homing lasers at you, then moves downwards to leave its minions, this time in a horizontal line.
After a while, Great Thing will come back facing the right. All top-mounted turrets continue unloading their respective shots, while the three rear turrets will fire purple non-Burst lasers at an angle in sequence, then sweep them downwards. Great Thing will be slowly moving further to the right during this phase, so watch out!
Great Thing will then expose its six-segmented underbelly, which fires a HUMONGOUS amount of yellow lasers. If your ship can Burst, use it now to protect yourself from the bullet hell which awaits. Finally, the tail will fire two purple multi-homing lasers before the attack pattern repeats from the start.
Trivia
- Great Thing's name is derived from how big whales are in general.
- G.T could be a prototype of the current Great Thing line produced by Belsar forces since in the ending of Zone Omicron, G.T's wreckage was salvaged by a Belsar spaceship.
- G.T.V and G.T.B are direct references to G.T's variants in Area U' and V' of Zone Omicron.
- Like King Fossil, Fatty Glutton, the Coronatus and the Shell family bosses, Great Thing has appeared in almost all Darius games excluding Darius Force, where its relative Great Force took its place instead. Super Darius II is the only game where Great Thing appeared as a captain.
- Great Thing appears to be smaller than its other counterparts in Darius Gaiden.
- All marine mammal bosses in Darius share something in common: they start with the name Great in it.
Gallery
