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Demon's Crest/Demon's Blazon Makaimura Monshou-hen (SNES, 1994)

Demon's Crest/Demon's Blazon Makaimura Monshou-hen (SNES, 1994)

Subgenre: Zelda II-ish Zelda II-ish (no exp point leveling, no overworld encounters or obstacles and less exploration - like having the airship in an FF game, more backtracking to previous areas to progress unless you're going for the bad or normal ending, one town w/ some shops (also connects to a hostile area leading up to a boss))


Perspective: Bird's eye or TP view (overworld exploration)/SV (location exploration) Hybrid


Movement Mechanics: Unlimited flight, Upwards flight, Swimming and slightly faster horizontal swimming, Dash jumping


Other: Sequel to Gargoyle's Quest 2, Mode 7 overworld/hub map (flight-based exploration in bird's eye TP view here), One mini-game (background whack-a-mole), Two hidden mini-game locations

  • Partially non-linear structure (can visit three new levels including the town plus one mini-game and one shop location right after the intro level - some of the levels are rather tough and most can't be fully explored yet however, three more levels open up after beating a boss in each of these - including the final level if you want to go for the worst ending; mostly straightforward areas but with some branching paths within them)

  • Can replay levels but not bosses, Can't exit even a beaten level from where you entered it - however you can simply kill yourself and a menu pops up letting you retry from the beginning of the current segment or go back to the world map without any money or gained items lost (only used potions are lost) so this can be used instead of one of the teleportation potions

  • There's a connecting path between area 3 and 5 but for some reason it's a one-way underwater path from the former and you get the water form in the latter (if you try it from the other side then you just get teleported back to where you entered the connecting room)

  • Four different endings (don't get all crests=bad ending, get all crests besides the ultimate gargoyle one=mid-tier, get all items=good ending, all items+use the special password after the third ending to face the true final boss=best ending)

  • Transform into different gargoyle forms (similar to Wonder Boy III) and use alternate shots as the default form to reach new areas and optional items (these are re-used from GQ2)

  • Warp to world map and warp to beginning of level potions

  • Some minor sequence breaking possible (for one talisman, one life orb and two potion bottles), The air form trivializes some levels if you get it early

  • "God form" is obtainable but only after beating everything but the tru final boss

  • No area maps (mostly straightforward areas though)

  • Password save only (fairly long too)

  • Healing potions, Resurrection potions (Zelda 3) but they're too weak to be worth using over the healing potions

  • Two of the potions you can buy let you teleport (mercury=back to beginning of level, sulfur=back to world map) however the sulfur one is not really needed since you can teleport back to the beginning of the segment or to the world map by dying)

  • Off screen enemy respawning+they keep dropping money and health

  • Single entry points to levels makes going back and collecting found items more tedious. Also can't go back to a previous segment while in a level without using a potion. Also can't stay in a level after taking out a boss in it - get thrown back into the overworld

  • Improvement/alternate take hack (Imp): https://www.romhacking.net/reviews/7976/#review


Playthrough - Video Review/Retrospective - Mini-Review



Influenced by: Gargoyle's Quest 1-2, probably Zelda II, possibly Final Fantasy IV, Wonder Boy III, Legacy of the Wizard, SMB3, CV3


Influenced: Possibly Powerslave/Exhumed, 

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