Demon's Crest

"I wish I could find this game in cart form..."

Demon’s Crest came out in the early nineties, the third installment of the Gargoyle’s Quest series.

Gameplay: The gameplay is wonderful. Gone is the annoying wing meter from the previous two games, so you don’t have to worry about running out of flying time at a critical moment ; that does take away from the challenge, but it’s very convenient in my opinion. In this game there are things called Crests, each representing an element (Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, Time, and Heaven). When one of these crests is equipped, Firebrand changes into a different form and gains a special power; however, each of them have their distinct advantages and disadvantages. The Fire Crest is broken into five pieces. The first piece gives you Firebrand’s good ole Fiery Breath, the weapon you start with; the Buster, which breaks apart certain walls; Claw, which sticks to spikes so you can cling to them; Tornado, which makes a sort of temporary platform; and Demon Fire, the strongest Fire attack. All of these can be used as weapons. The stages in this game are pretty long, and there are a lot of hidden things to find. The difficulty is well balanced.

Story: A long time ago, there was a world where humans and demons lived together in peace. Unfortunately, one day six magical stones fell into the Demon Realm. A war was started over who would possess these stones, named Crests. The Red Gargoyle, Firebrand, emerged victorious, and possessed the Crests of Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and Time. He was not satisfied, and fought the Demon Dragon for the Crest of Heaven, and won, of course. But, after the battle, Firebrand was exhausted, and his arch nemesis Phalanx attacked him and stole the crests. Phalanxes then separated the crests throughout the realm, lest someone kills him and get them all at once. Firebrand swore that he would take back the Crests and destroy Phalanx.

Music: The music is beautiful. A lot of it is creepy-sounding organ music, which fits the game very well. My favorite piece is the music for the first level. The boss music is easy to fight to.

Graphics: The graphics are great; they really compliment the dark music. Firebrand’s different forms are very detailed, and the bosses are well animated. The backgrounds are reminiscent of the Castlevanyia series: gothic landscapes and leafless trees (the cemetery at the beginning is very cool), and high mountains.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/16/01, Updated 04/16/01