A competent action platformer that feels like an amalgamation of many different NES franchises: Rygar, Catlevania and Mega Man come to mind first. It's good in just about every aspect, but it just doesn't build that particularly special world or unique gameplay mechanic to make it a true gem.
false advertising Envy Adams does not show up ONCE
Perfect example of a game that is very rough around the edges and not very polished but makes up for all that with its charm and soul.
Very memorable game that seems oddly ahead of its time with its writing. This gives me similar vibes to something like OK K.O., where it feels like it is very inspired by 80s cheesiness but also makes fun of it. The difference is that this is an actual 80s game. Same goes with some of the official artwork. It looks right out of a 2010s Cartoon. The vibe of this game inspired the creator of Scott Pilgrim who then to some degree inspired modern cartoons so it all makes sense in a way.
My favourite line in the game is "BANG! We've captured your Girlfriend Mary! Surrender!" I love that.
Very memorable game that seems oddly ahead of its time with its writing. This gives me similar vibes to something like OK K.O., where it feels like it is very inspired by 80s cheesiness but also makes fun of it. The difference is that this is an actual 80s game. Same goes with some of the official artwork. It looks right out of a 2010s Cartoon. The vibe of this game inspired the creator of Scott Pilgrim who then to some degree inspired modern cartoons so it all makes sense in a way.
My favourite line in the game is "BANG! We've captured your Girlfriend Mary! Surrender!" I love that.
I suspect the reason everyone mentions Scott Pilgrim is because this game simply isn't that memorable outside of the bizarre place it now occupies in pop culture. In fact, developer Vic Tokai probably owes Bryan Lee O'Malley a debt for keeping this game from suffering its second death.
Mechanically speaking, there's nothing to write home about. It's a game so painfully so-so that it's a wonder any of it stuck with me. You can take on levels almost in any order you wish, with 40 total routes available. Sure, this may not be as impressive as Shadow the Hedgehog's 326 possible routes, but it's almost a bit unfair to compare Clash at Demonhead to one of the most beloved games of all time. Nevertheless, it's a good point of reference for how far games have come. Billy similarly uses guns as a primary means of attacking enemies, though the gunplay in this game never really registers with the sort of oomph you want. You can, however, upgrade your gun over the course of the game, and its non-linear nature does provide plenty of secrets and hidden areas if you can stand scouring the world for them.
Really, it's this games sense of humor that left the biggest impression on me. You play as Billy "Big Bang" Blitz, which is one of the all time great video game character names. The cast of characters are wacky as hell and their designs really shine in dialog portraits,. Though in-world sprites are a bit restricted and lack some of that personality, just enough of it shines through that the game is never lacking in its own unique charm.
While I may find Demonhead to be mechanically mediocre, I do wish it found a second life outside of a wink and a nod in a manga. It's a game deserving of a second pass, preferably on more powerful hardware that could've allowed Vic Tokai to explore the aesthetic and humor of Demonhead with more vibrancy, and (one can hope) refine gameplay and make it equally as resonate with the player. Unfortunately, that will never come to pass, and as it stands today the fact that more Scott Pilgrim art shows up in a google image search for Clash at Demonhead really tells you all you need to know about how good the game is.
Mechanically speaking, there's nothing to write home about. It's a game so painfully so-so that it's a wonder any of it stuck with me. You can take on levels almost in any order you wish, with 40 total routes available. Sure, this may not be as impressive as Shadow the Hedgehog's 326 possible routes, but it's almost a bit unfair to compare Clash at Demonhead to one of the most beloved games of all time. Nevertheless, it's a good point of reference for how far games have come. Billy similarly uses guns as a primary means of attacking enemies, though the gunplay in this game never really registers with the sort of oomph you want. You can, however, upgrade your gun over the course of the game, and its non-linear nature does provide plenty of secrets and hidden areas if you can stand scouring the world for them.
Really, it's this games sense of humor that left the biggest impression on me. You play as Billy "Big Bang" Blitz, which is one of the all time great video game character names. The cast of characters are wacky as hell and their designs really shine in dialog portraits,. Though in-world sprites are a bit restricted and lack some of that personality, just enough of it shines through that the game is never lacking in its own unique charm.
While I may find Demonhead to be mechanically mediocre, I do wish it found a second life outside of a wink and a nod in a manga. It's a game deserving of a second pass, preferably on more powerful hardware that could've allowed Vic Tokai to explore the aesthetic and humor of Demonhead with more vibrancy, and (one can hope) refine gameplay and make it equally as resonate with the player. Unfortunately, that will never come to pass, and as it stands today the fact that more Scott Pilgrim art shows up in a google image search for Clash at Demonhead really tells you all you need to know about how good the game is.
The only thing most people know about this game is that it gets referenced in Scott Pilgrim but it’s also pretty fun.
This was good enough, so "better than I really thought it would be," so incredibly not bad, so remarkably "at least worth a look, I guess," that I'm going to go through this whole review without mentioning Scott Pilgrim EVEN ONCE. It deserves at least that much.
It's just as good as Rygar and better than Faxanadu, if that means anything to you, and it has a nice goofy anime from like the late-70's feel to it that belies its sci-fi pulp cover. Baddies have big bug-eyes and bounce around, and the main character is a big himbo who whimpers when he hits his head on the ceiling Mario-like. I like it! Sure it's hard, and it's pretty impossible to navigate without a guide, but that's like every NES game. If "difficult and obtuse" were actual barriers that one could never hope to surpass without save states and a YouTube play through from a channel literally called "U Can Beat Games," then what NES games are left? Besides, it's well known that I'm a big stupid dumdum idiot and I need a walkthrough for everything. I probably needed a walkthrough for the first Castlevania.
I was almost going to play what purported to be a patched version of the original Japanese game, Dengeki Big Bang!, only to find that it was localized like ah, this. Guys, YOU'RE the ones fan-translating it. If you can't do it right the first time, well then, you're the only one making you translate an old NES game.
It's just as good as Rygar and better than Faxanadu, if that means anything to you, and it has a nice goofy anime from like the late-70's feel to it that belies its sci-fi pulp cover. Baddies have big bug-eyes and bounce around, and the main character is a big himbo who whimpers when he hits his head on the ceiling Mario-like. I like it! Sure it's hard, and it's pretty impossible to navigate without a guide, but that's like every NES game. If "difficult and obtuse" were actual barriers that one could never hope to surpass without save states and a YouTube play through from a channel literally called "U Can Beat Games," then what NES games are left? Besides, it's well known that I'm a big stupid dumdum idiot and I need a walkthrough for everything. I probably needed a walkthrough for the first Castlevania.
I was almost going to play what purported to be a patched version of the original Japanese game, Dengeki Big Bang!, only to find that it was localized like ah, this. Guys, YOU'RE the ones fan-translating it. If you can't do it right the first time, well then, you're the only one making you translate an old NES game.
This was interesting, but wow was it hard, especially for a kid. Not to be confused with the band in Scott Pilgrim.
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Obtusely difficult, but fun game. Also, writing this so I can tag a friend and let them know that band name from the Scott Pilgrim movie really was a callback to this.