Demon's Crest!

It's funny how certain great games fly completely under the radar. Capcom's Demon's Crest is one such game. I'm not really sure why this one was never bigger, though! It had great, challenging gameplay, lots of secrets to delve into, and a fairly interesting story. But yet, it was never a huge hit. And that's why we're playing horribly dialogued girly men instead of shape-shifting gargoyles(!). Alas!

Gameplay: 9
Demon's Crest is an action platformer somewhere between the bouncy exploring of Donkey Kong Country, and the shooty killfest of Contra. Fans of Metroid will be familiar with the concept of going back over your previously beaten levels with new upgrades to reach new areas. Firebrand's different forms function quite differently, and figuring out when to use earthbound, charging speedy Ground Gargoyle as opposed to pterodactyl-esque Aerial Gargoyle is fun. Level hazards demand frequent switching, and while some bosses can be trumped with just one form, a good number require that you switch at the right time. The game's pseudo-final boss (confession: I STILL HAVEN'T BEATEN HIM) demands several transformations. The game also leaves plenty of opportunity to use your default form, which I think is great. My only prominent issue is that swapping forms requires you to pause the game. Why not add that functionality to L or R? It's a bit flow-breaking, but in no way crippling. Be aware, the game is hard. If you're a big enough nerd for this comparison to mean anything, it's harder than Panzer Dragoon Orta on hard, but easier than Gradius 3. Firebrand is one slow mofo (this is especially vexing on the wolf in stage 6. Expect to yell at your screen a lot of you go at him without the Crest of time), and enemies aren't very forgiving.




Presentation: 7
Graphically, Demon's Crest is great. Characters and enemies are good-looking and clear, and animations are very smooth. The level backgrounds in particular are very detailed. The overworld map (which has you flying above the landscape and swooping down to enter levels) will look kinda iffy to today's eyes, I think... But really, look at other 3D offerings on the SNES, like Vortex, and the original Starfox. Yeah. It's not bad. Sound is good, but not amazing. I enjoyed the very moody music a lot, but sound effects quickly grow repetitive.