"Devil World" - NES/Famicom

I recently got my hands on some PC-6001 and PC-88 games and was thinking about tackling those on this blog.

The two problems I have with this are that they both have a butt-load of porn/hentai games on them, and no matter how much censoring I put on them, I don't think anybody really wants to read those articles-- the other problem is that most of these games are terrible.

It might be my bias towards the "Famicom polish" that Nintendo checked for before allowing games on their system, but the individually created games on the NEC computers often play and especially sound like crap (though the FM synthesizer is inherently cool).

Anyway, I'm thinking of maybe choosing instead to do the PC-98, if I touch these computers at all on this blog. What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments, if anyone is reading this at all, yet (unlikely).

----- Introduction -----

Two games I already know I like in a row? The Famicom release schedule will probably never be this kind to me again...

This one's Devil World! Probably the most well-known and oft-repeated factoid about this game is its non-release in the US, whereas the UK got it. This is due simply to the fact that the name of the game is Devil World, and just the mere mention of The Devil in American polite society in the 80s and 90s caused middle-class white people's collective metaphorical testicles to explode up into their metaphorical bodies with the force of a rocket launch.

Enter not into our blessed country, Father of Lies!

... I'm allowed to joke about this because I was raised in it, don't look at me like that.

Some lesser known facts about Devil World: this is Shigeru Miyamoto's first console-only game as director and designer. This also is the first Nintendo project of Takashi Tezuka, the man who would go onto help Miyamoto design games like Super Mario Bros. and Legend of Zelda. Perhaps you've heard of them.

By the way, Koji Kondo composed the music in this game (along with Akito Nakatsuka, the composer for Zelda II). I don't think the man needs any introduction.

Anyway, let's look at Devil World.

^W^

----- Playing the Game -----

Devil World is kind of like Pac-Man, but more complicated (another interesting factoid is that apparently Tezuka had never even played Pac-Man until after he helped design this game... weird).

Anyway, so now that you have that comparison in your head, let's talk about how it's not like Pac-Man that much at all. You go around collecting dots in the first level of each round, however to collect the dots you first have to collect crosses, scattered around the level. The crosses also give you the ability to shoot fireballs at enemies, which for the pink ones, will turn them into little eyeballs (or maybe fried eggs...) which your main character can then eat to remove them from the game temporarily.

Those satanic dots sure look delicious-- I think I'm becoming a Devil Worshipper.

The other twist is that Mr. Devil randomly does a little dance once in awhile and points in some direction. Whichever direction he points to, the screen begins scrolling that way. If you're caught between an outside wall and a level wall, you'll be crushed to death.

Once you collect all the dots in the first level, you're taken to the second portion of the round, where your main character (he's called Tamagon, incidentally) must wander around and collect 4 Bibles to slot into some altar thing, which causes the devil to shield his face in terror, turn into a bat, and fly away to the second maze.

No! Don't flip to the hymns in the back! Your singing is terrible! Aaaiiiiieeeee!

In-between rounds, you're given a quick bonus round, with mystery boxes to collect. You can sometimes collect all 6, but your goal really is to find the one that will reward you with an extra life. The other 5 just give you points. It's just luck though, so it doesn't really matter-- your ideal situation is getting as many of the 6 as you can to increase your chances.

Or you can just get one, if you're lucky. I wasn't born with that gift, which is why I had to make a deal with Satan.

----- Review -----

Innovation: Yes

Does the game show anything not yet seen on this system/ever before?

Devil World expands on the Pac-Man formula with quite a few new ideas: the moving walls that squish you, collecting things for some reason rather than just to collect. It keeps some of the ideas from Pac-Man as well (eating enemies, eating pellets), but it introduces as much as it takes.

Spitting Rage: Only a little

Does the game make you want to tear your own organs out of your body?

Probably the most frustrating thing this game will sometimes do is spawning you right in-front of an enemy you have no time to avoid. This happened to me once while playing and I raised my hands in protest, but surprisingly, the game didn't even apologize to me.

Intuitive Design: Good

How easy is it to intuitively understand the game?

The pellet levels are self-explanatory enough, and if you're willing to go so far as to experimentally press the buttons on the controller, it should be obvious why you can shoot fireballs when holding the crosses. On the Bible collecting stages, there are helpful flashing arrows guiding you to put them in the altar. This is an easy enough game to pick up and play.

I don't want to alarm you but if you're confused you might be... a dumb person.

Satisfying Gameplay: Somewhat

How rewarding does playing the game feel?

I don't really find the whole Pac-Man type game (the maze game genre) to be very fun, and I have to admit there aren't many "satisfying" moments in this game, as far as doing something and getting an immediate pay-off that feels good. The game is mostly just fun to play in a more slow-burn kind of a way.

Game Depth: Ankle deep

How deep/long is the game?

I like that this game introduces some variety into what's otherwise the arcade formula-- just replaying the same levels over and over. There's that here too, but at least there's a couple different types of levels with different objectives.

Sound Design: Pretty good

How's the sound?

There's not a ton here. I like the little tune when the game starts, it's good fun. The bonus stage theme also really does it for me. The sounds in the game are pretty bare bones and bleepy-bloopy type sounds. 

Graphics: Good

How's it look?

Now we're starting to get into the Famicom games that are actually expressive, and have interesting graphics and sprites. Maybe I'm jumping the gun a little, but I Devil World feels like a nice departure from the "colored blocks on black backgrounds" aesthetic we've mostly seen so far.

Personal Chord: Yes

Does the game have that undefinable "something" for me?

This is the first game that I didn't get to play as an adult that I think really does match my aesthetic as an adult. I'd definitely wear this one on a t-shirt; I really like the cover art as well. Tamagon looks like he's seen some serious shit on there.

MINE EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY 
OF THE COMING OF THE LORD

Play or Don't: Play

Should you waste your precious time?

I say yes. It's a fun, if a little quaint by comparison to later titles, Famicom game. It's definitely cool to see Miyamoto and Tezuka's first console outing as a team. But far from just being worthy of seeing for gaming history reasons, this game's actually fun. Check it out!

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Sorry, this one was my favorite so it's in here twice.