Game: Devil World
Genre: Action
Is this Nintendo's response to
Pac-Man? It sure seems to be. After all, both games feature cute-as-buttons protagonists (especially in the case of
Devil World) who are tasked with clearing labyrinthine levels of pellet-like items while avoiding meandering baddies. In that context, this Shigeru Miyamoto-designed title doesn't fare so well--Namco's arcade classic wins the competition, hands down. Taken on its own merits, though,
Devil World is an enjoyable little diversion from the bevy of arcade ports (
Donkey Kong,
Mario Bros.) Nintendo released alongside it at the beginning of the Famicom's lifetime. So, what keeps
Devil World from stacking up positively against
Pac-Man? It certainly isn't its graphics or soundtrack, both of which are better, arguably, than its Tōru Iwatani-designed counterpart. No, what holds
Devil World back are the overabundance of ideas that Miyamoto shoves into the game, seemingly to differentiate his creation from Iwatani's. Although some of them--the multi-scrolling stages, especially--are interesting, most of them just seem to get in the way of what should have been a simple affair.
See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts
6 comments:
I've been way interested to see what you thought of this one for a long time. I'm a little disappointed, though. I was hoping you'd say it was great! But hey, the game speaks for itself, I guess...I might have to track a ROM of this one down.
Don't get me wrong, Justin, it's a good enough game, but it's not as accessible or even as enjoyable as, say, Donkey Kong or Pac-Man (its main counterpart). Some of those innovations alluded to in my review/post make it less fun than it could have been.
To put it another way: I tend to pick up this game, play it for a few levels and then turn it off. I rarely play it more than that -- unlike, say, Donkey Kong or Ms. Pac-Man or other games of the era, which I often get lost in for hours.
That said, I think you definitely should try it at some point. I'd love to hear what *you* think about it -- esp. if your opinion differs from mine in any way.
The best thing about Devil World is the music. At least, in terms of the remixes it got on that DSiWare game. I forget what it's called. Bit, something something. That puzzler that based on Famicom era games. I can't be bothered looking it up right now but I love it anyway.
I think you're talking about Picopict/PiCTOBiTS/PiCTOPiCT, Suika. I haven't played the game, sadly, but I wish I had!
Here's a link to info it, in case anyone's interested -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Style:_PiCOPiCT
Anyway, yes, the music in this game is rather nice!
A very good summation of this game. Good enough to play every once in a while, but not as good as Pac Man or Donkey Kong.
If memory serves, this one wasn't released for the NES, which has always been a puzzle as its probably one of the best Famicom games never to make it to North America. I assume its because of the "devil" reference and the fact that playing this game would inevitably have led to some mass satanic uprising among middle America's youth in the mid-80s. Makes perfect sense.
Thanks, Sean!
You're right, by the way, it was never released in the US -- likely because it had the word devil in the title and included "religious imagery."
It was released in Europe, though, and I believe it's currently available in the US via the Wii Virtual Console.
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