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Devil World(JP) is a game that was released on the Famicom and NES only in Japan and Europe. The game was released on the Virtual Console for Japan on the 22nd of January. The game takes place in Devil World, a kingdom run by The Devil. You play as Tamagon, a green dragon-like creature who decides he will attack the Devil's World. The game resembles Pac-Man, an arcade game where you must collect dots. Devil World is the first Famicom game created by Shigeru Miyamoto.
Because of the religious icons, it was initially not released in America, but was released in Europe. It would later get an American release decades later on Halloween of 2023 as part of the NES component of the online service of the Nintendo Switch.
Plot[]
Gameplay[]
Screenshot of the game.
In the game, Tamagon (and in the multiplayer mode, a red Tamagon) navigates several mazes where he must collect dots, bibles and Crosses. Without the Crosses, Tamagon has no power and is unable to complete the maze. However, when Tamagon is carrying a cross he can breathe fire at the monsters (who will otherwise harm him if he touches them) and collect the dots. However, the Cross will eventually wear out and Tamagon will be powerless once more until he picks up a new one.
Once all the dots are collected, four bibles appear. The bibles, much like Crosses, will grant Tamagon the power to breath fire balls. The red skull block then has four slots in it where you place the bibles. After doing so, the devil will flee the maze and a bonus maze will appear.
However, while Tamagon is navigating the maze, the devil is at the top of the screen controlling the camera. He will point in a certain direction and his two minions at the bottom of the screen will spin wheels in that direction, thus moving the frame in the opposite direction. For example, if the devil points to the left, the wheels will turn left thus causing the camera to pan right. This makes the maze deadly for if Tamagon is between a wall and the frame and the frame moves toward the wall, Tamagon will be squished and shall die.
In the event that Tamagon dies, he will restart as an egg near the middle of the screen and will hatch. However, if Tamagon has no lives left he will not be able to do so.
In the bonus maze, several boxes marked with question marks will appear and you are given 30 seconds to collect them. The boxes will always stay within the frame. Because the devil is not present during the bonus maze, Tamagon will be able to step on arrows that will change the direction of the camera, For example, stepping on a right arrow will cause the camera to move to the left much like if the devil had pointed right.
In the game, there was a two player co-op mode. In this mode, a second, red Tamagon will appear.
Development[]
This was the first Famicom game that Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka were involved with. It was Tezuka's first game as a full-time employee at Nintendo. According to him, despite the similarities to Pac-Man he had never actually heard of or played it prior to the development of Devil World. After playing Pac-Man, he was able to use what he learned in Devil World (apparently he thought the Namco classic was very enjoyable after playing it for the first time). On Devil World, Tezuka helped design the sprites for the game. Tezuka also suggested ideas for the game that ultimately never made it in the final version. One of his ideas was to have holes scattered throughout the stages that would result in a lost life if Tamagon fell into one. After testing the idea he was told by the other designers that it felt a "bit flat."
Reception[]
In other games[]
The Devil appeared as an Assist Trophy in Brawl.
Through hacking or use of Action Replay, a trophy of Tamagon can be seen in Super Smash Bros. Melee. However, the name of the game is changed to "Demon World" in the description. In Tetris DS, one of the many classic NES themes found in the classic mode is Devil World, which will play when the player has destroyed 170 (level 17) lines and will be replaced by Urban Champion when they reach 180 lines (level 18). One of the themes in the DSiWare game Art Style: PiCTOBiTS is Devil World.
The game's antagonist, the devil, makes an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as an Assist Trophy and has been in every game since. He functions like he did in his game and points in a direction causing the camera to move in the opposite direction. The Devil also appeared as a prominent character in Captain Rainbow for the Wii along with a host of other neglected Nintendo characters.
External links[]
- Devil World at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Devil World at GameFAQs
- Devil World at MobyGames