Darius alpha is by far the rarest commercial release for the PC Engine (short of rumored prototypes, it is the rarest title for the PCE, period). Approximately 800 copies of this HuCard were given away to Japanese consumers who purchased the CD game "Super Darius" and the hybrid Super Grafx / PCE HuCard "Darius Plus." A few additional copies were distributed as promotional items (this number is thought to be no more than 200).

The current street price in Japan is US$375; that is, if you can actually find a copy. Although only about 1000 copies of the game were ever made, it is not known how many are still alive today.

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The Darius alpha HuCard has two modes on it. Both are "Boss Modes." From the title screen, pressing RUN will take you on the Boss Conquest. In this mode you battle each of the different bosses from "Super Darius." After you beat a boss, your weaponry and shields are increased, if you die before your next level of upgrade, you have to start over from scratch. To experience this mode on your copy of Super Darius, consult the "cheats" file from the Turbo List file server

Pressing SELECT at the title screen will take you on a timed Boss Conquest. This is just like the regular Boss Conquest mode, but you are limited to 4 minutes (ala the timed modes for Soldier Blade, Super Star Soldier, etc).