Great post, null. I have a copy of
The Goonies II, but I've been holding off as I want to play part one on Famicom first. I'll make it a priority.
1. Antarctic Adventure (Famicom)
2. Nuts & Milk (Famicom)
3. Commando (Atari 2600)
4. Binary Land (Famicom)
5. Devil World (Famicom)
Shigeru Miyamoto: the man is essentially synonymous with "early Nintendo." He is, after all, the individual responsible for all Famicom launch titles, not to mention the
Mario and
Zelda juggernauts that would follow. While most of the master's games are well-known (to put it lightly) classics, there is one oddball entry that never reached the shores of North America. Titled
Devil World, it was deemed too controversial for sensitive Westerners due to the fact that it's knee-deep in religious symbolism. Each level is adorned with crucifixes including a giant one center stage, and the primary antagonist is Literally Satan who is also joined by a merry bunch of demons. To this day, the game has still not received an official release stateside, via the Virtual Console or other means. It did, however, end up in on the NES in godless Europe back in '87.
So, is this some long-buried hidden gem that every retro gaming fanatic should rush to import? Well, no. It isn't.

It is an
interesting game, I'll give it that much.
Devil World's unorthodox (heh) structure is immediately apparent. There are three different (and alternating) styles of play; essentially every round is broken up into a trio of "sub-rounds." And the explicit goal for our hero, some proto-Yoshi creature named Tamagon, varies based on whatever sub-round he finds himself in.
First, there are the dot-nomming sections (cue the
Pac-Man comparisons). Here Tamagon is tasked with eating(?) all dots within a maze. Malicious demons give chase but can be vanquished by blowing fire in their faces. Such a feat is only possible if Tamagon is first in possession of a crucifix. These are numerous, though the granted effect is temporary. Strangely, the crucifixes never vanish from the board, they're merely icons that Tamagon walks over, so there's always an ample supply of firepower available.
After the dot-nomming comes, what else, Bible-collecting. In these stages Tamagon must head to each of the four corners of the maze, grab the Bibles, and return them to the center. Bibles can also be used for offensive purposes, obviously.
Lastly comes the bonus rounds. Here Tamagon runs around consuming eggs. One lucky egg grants a one-up but most contain the ever-useless prize of "more points." These are the only segments of the game that have a time limit. Think it's possible to grab every egg? No. It isn't.
Complicating everything in Tamagon's (under)world is the addition of The Wall. Yeah, The Wall. The Devil is placed at the top of the screen barking orders at a couple of minions who continually move a large square border in one of the four cardinal directions. Thus,
Devil World is continuously scrolling and Tamagon can get caught (and killed) between the moving wall and a rigid segment of maze. The Devil is always pointing in the direction the border moves. No wait, he's pointing in the
opposite direction. Ever-helpful, that Satan.

It's a mechanic that could have conceivably added some sense of urgency to the game, but it instead just slows everything down. Oftentimes there's nothing to do as the wall boundaries can temporarily place dots and Bibles outside of Tamagon's reach. In one specific Bible-collecting area I desperately needed the stage to scroll right or left, as Tamagon was holding the final Bible and needed access to the Bible depository. But Satan thought it would be humorous to instead have the screen scroll upwards. Four times. Additionally, everything else in the game is comparably glacial. Tamagon moves like he's wearing lead boots and so do the foes that "chase" him. Most deaths are caused by the distraction that's birthed from boredom, not from being caught by a wily adversary.
The game does look legitimately cool. It's not 80% blackness, which is a nice change of pace from most ancient Famicom titles. The enemy sprites are adorable, and The Devil himself looks more goofy than scary. There's a light-hearted jovial theme throughout, though mid-80s Middle America would have perhaps thought differently. There are no superfluous "A and B" types of "modes" present, though there is some decent two-player co-op should one wish to speed things up a wee bit. I can't recall a single lick of music, unfortunately.
Devil World is really more of a fascinating historical oddity than a "good game." Worth checking out should one wish to explore the early Famicom scene; just don't expect an obscure treasure. Oh, and don't bother with the PAL release. It's incredibly pricey, and like many old carts the Japanese original is in English.
That's enough sin for one day. Now where's my copy of
Megami Tensei...