King of Demons
Super Nintendo
Nostalgia Factor:
This is the first time I've ever questioned what name I should file a game review under. King of Demons was never officially released outside of Japan, where it is known as Majuu Ou. The copy I played for this review was an English translation found on my Retropie. Majuu Ou = King of Demons. I decided that for consistency's sake, because all my other game reviews have English titles, I'd go with King of Demons. Plus, I know that if I was a casual reader and I saw the title Majuu Ou, I'd figure this was some Mah-Jongg game or something and keep scrolling.
I didn't know much about this game when I decided to fire it up. I only became aware of the game because I'm in a retro gaming Facebook group, and I saw a discussion thread about this title. I thought it looked cool from the screenshots, and I'm always looking to try something new, so I fired it up blind.
What would my impressions of the game be? Let's find out.
This is one of those games where the story doesn't really matter. There are no cutscenes at the beginning of the game, no text that explains what's going on. You're just tossed right into the action. I'm sure if I had the manual, it would explain things in there. But I don't.
There are some story sequences later in the game, but not much is explained. As you make your way through each stage of the game, your human character gets more and more demonic. You find out that he is trying to save his daughter from Satan, or something similarly outlandish.
The gameplay is the real winner here, so let's move onto that.
Gameplay:
I've heard this game described as "Castlevania with a gun", and I have to say that this description is not entirely inaccurate. This a pretty straightforward side-scrolling 2D shooter. It's not hectic or fast paced like Contra. It is definitely more slow and deliberate, like Castlevania. Even the player movements and the theme are similar.
You start out as a very human character who fires a gun. You can hold the shoot button to charge up an extra powerful attack. You'll need to do this for some of the game's tough boss characters. This is a linear game. Each stage, you start on the left side of the screen and essentially make your way to the exit on the right, fighting enemies and jumping over obstacles the entire way through. There are lots of mini bosses in this game. Each stage ends with a big boss fight.
These boss fights are one of the more memorable things about the game. The bosses have distinct patterns you have to recognize in order to defeat them. Some are pretty easy, while others require some trial and error. As you get deeper into the game, they begin to get a little frustrating - especially when you reach the final level, which contains a massive boss gauntlet. You have to make it through all of them with one life, or you start the level over again. It fucking sucks.
After each stage your character becomes a little more demonic in appearance. This changes the gameplay because it opens up more powerful attacks and more maneuverability, like the ability to double jump. Or could you double jump before? I don't remember.
Anyway, the game constantly keeps you on your toes, because the differences in your character from stage to stage result in you, the player, having to adjust your gameplay style to match the strengths and weaknesses of these different demonic forms. It definitely keeps the game fresh and interesting.
On the whole, this is a very challenging game. I used save states as I played (I know, I know), so I was able to make it through the entire game with a little finagling. I can only imagine how tough it must be to make it through the game without being able to save at any point you want. I died dozens of times regardless. I bet it would have been a very different, very much less pleasant time playing this game "honestly". I bet if I had played this as a kid, I would have mastered it - if only because I had unlimited free time and I played my NES and Genesis games to death. When I added a new game to my collection, I mastered it. Unfortunately, King of Demons never made it stateside. I'd try to master it now, but time is not as limitless anymore as an adult, and there is a whole lifetime of games out there that I've never played before. I can only dedicate so much time to one title before I have to move on.
I beat this twice, and I think I'm done with it for a while.
Graphics:
This is a great looking game. I would have been absolutely floored if I had played this back in 1995 when it first came out. It looks so much better than everything else I'd been playing at the time. The levels are very atmospheric and carry this sense of otherworldly dread with them. They are also extremely beautiful and very well-designed. Just look at the light and the clouds in the screenshot above. Freaking epic.
This whole game looks great: the backgrounds, the stage design, the characters, the colors. The enemies are terrifying and the boss creations are pulled straight from the wildest imaginations out there. Definitely one of the most impressive 16 bit games I have ever played. It looks really stunning.
Sound:
This game has some really good music that matches the otherworldly weirdness of the game's tone. Other songs are oddly upbeat and completely clash with what is happening on screen. But hey - at least I can remember the game's music, which is more than I can say about a lot of retro games I play.
Sound effects are good too. Nothing particularly special, but they fit perfectly with the visuals, the music, and the tone of the game. This is an atmospheric title you should play with headphones on.
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Overall:
For a game I played on a complete whim, King of Demons is a real winner. I always like to think in my mind that I've played every great retro game out there, when in reality that isn't even remotely true. I had never even heard of this game before, and it delivered to me one of the best experiences I've had on the Super Nintendo. It's better than Super Castlevania IV. It's better than a lot of things I've played.
I'm so very glad I played this. I have a feeling this will become a go-to game for me that I can pop on at any time when I'm feeling bored - similar to things like Contra, Mario, the original Castlevania, Vectorman, etc. All this being said, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. This is a good game, yes. It's a surprising game, too, considering its beautiful graphics and presentation quality.
But it's not an all-time great. Not even close. It does have a lot of flaws, mainly its story and its difficulty. And it just doesn't seem to have that universal appeal that a lot of games of its time seemed to have. Putting on this game for a group of friends is not the same as putting on Super Mario World. While they may play Mario World for hours, I have a feeling they'd get bored with this - especially considering the difficulty. Even though I personally prefer this game, I understand it isn't for everybody.
If you have the means to play this game, I'd recommend doing so. You'll probably know within the first five minutes of playing if this game is for you or not. It grabbed my attention right off the bat. I'm curious to see what it does for you.
THE GRADE:
B+
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