Well, it's been a good while since I last wrote a review. However, I do believe I've found the perfect subject for one, a game that I've been playing quite a bit recently on which I would like to share my thoughts: Majuu Ou (or King of Demons), a Japan-only game for the Super Nintendo (or more fittingly, the Japanese Super Famicom). While by no means a perfect game, it still provides a great gaming experience and can be considered worthy of "hidden gem" status.

The story revolves around a man named Abel (biblical symbolism FTW) and the kidnapping of his wife and daughter by Bayer, his former friend who sold his soul to the devil, for the purpose of sacrificing them in order to revive the King of Demons. After giving Bayer the old one-two at the beginning, Abel discovers that his wife did not make it, but her spirit decides to assist him on his journey (acting as somewhat of an option until she buzzes right off after you lose all of your health for the first time) to rescue his daughter. Upon defeating the first stage, Abel comes across a crystal that is capable of transforming him into one of three monsters, each one with different capabilities.

The graphics and sound are quite good, though nothing the system couldn't handle. With the exception of the mini-boss music with a rock 'n roll sort of style that sticks out like a sore thumb, the music seems to convey the dark, foreboding mood of the game quite well. The visuals, even with their vibrant color pallet, also seem to contribute to this mood. The sprites seem relatively small in comparison with other games on the system, especially Abel's. This works in your favor, though, by making him a smaller target.

The gameplay take the form of a side-scrolling shooter as well as a platformer. Each form of your character has a double jump, a regular attack, and a special attack that can be initiated by charging up the regular one. Your three monster forms include a red harpy-like creature that attacks with wide-range boomerangs, a green lizard creatures that attacks with lasers, and a
blue dragon which attacks with a powerful breath attack. Certain monsters tend to have more of a tactical advantage than others in certain stages, so to beat the game efficiently you'll have to find out which monster is best for which stage by watching the World of Longplays playthrough extensive trial and error. This leads me to bring up the game's biggest shortcoming, which is the fact that there is no way to toggle between the monsters; once you get one, you're stuck with it until you either reach the end of the stage or reset the game, and unlimited continues means that there's no password/save feature, not to mention that it doesn't go away when you lose a life. Essentially, if you choose a monster and it ends up not being your best pick for that stage, you're kind of screwed. That's where the aforementioned trial and error comes into play. This isn't to say that the stage is impossible to beat if you happen to choose the wrong monster; if you find yourself in that situation (which you certainly will if you're a newcomer), you can still soldier through it and hope for better luck in the next stage. As a matter of fact, using the same monster three times in a row will unlock a powered-up version of it, and using all three monsters at least once will unlock Abel's ultimate form, a black demon (necessary to unlock in order to get the best ending).

Once you overcome the challenge of picking the right monsters, the game is extremely beatable, dare I say a little bit on the easy side. Some of the bosses might be a pain at first, but they become fairly easy once you nail their patterns. If you really want to challenge yourself, you can resist the urge to become a monster and remain in your human form for the duration of the game, as long as you're okay with not getting the best ending. No matter, how you experience Majuu Ou for the SNES/Super Famicom, though, you'll likely find yourself having a good time.