Dark Adventure

For the unrelated Nintendo Entertainment System game, see Devil World.

Devil World (World version) / Dark Adventure (US version)
Developer(s)	Konami
Publisher(s)	Konami
Platform(s)	Arcade
Release date(s)	May 22, 1987
Genre(s)	Action-adventure game
Mode(s)	Up to 3 players simultaneously
Cabinet	Standard upright
Arcade system	CPU: 2 Motorola 68000s
Display	Raster

Dark Adventure, released as Majū no Ōkoku (魔獣の王国^?, "The Devil's Kingdom") in Japan and as Devil World in Europe, Oceania and Asia, is a fantasy-themed, dimetric action adventure game produced by Konami that was released for the arcades in 1987.

Gameplay

The player characters are transported into another dimension after opening an ancient relic. In order to return to their world, they must embark on a quest to defeat the evil ruler of the Devil World. There are over 40 stages or worlds in the game, including boss battles. The objective in the majority of these stages is to find a key that will allow the player to open the entrance to the next world.

Arcade screenshot

The player can choose between Labryna, a female reporter equipped with a bowgun, and Condor, an archeologist armed with a pistol. The controls consists of an eight directional joystick and three action buttons (power-up, jump, shoot) for each player, as well as a map button which will briefly displays the player's current location in the stage, as well as the location to the key and exit. Much like Konami's Gradius series, each player has a level meter which can determine what kinds of weapons the player can choose. By picking up power orbs, the cursor on the level meter will move forward by one space. When the cursor is on a desired power-up, the player can confirmed their choice by pressing the power-up button. The available weapons includes a machine gun, a laser gun, a shot gun, a flamethrower, and a bazooka. The player can also increase the walking speed of their character or accompany each gunshot with a dynamite toss. The player can also pick up food items such as soft drinks to replenish energy. If the player remains idle for too long, they will gradually lose energy. The final power-up on the level meter, represented by a question mark (?), is a force field similar to the Gradius series.

There are three endings, depending on whether the player defeated the Demon King with Labryna, Condor, or both. While fighting the Demon King, the player cannot continue or be joined by another.

Version differences

The Dark Adventure version differs from the Devil World in various ways. The game introduces a third player character, another archeologist named Zorlock, allowing the game to be played by up to three player. The main characters' default long-ranged weapons has been replaced with short-ranged ones, with a sword for Labryna, a whip for Condor, and a spear for Zorlock. The level meter system has been replaced with instant power-ups, although the machine gun, shotgun, and bazooka were removed from this version. The player's life gauge is depleted faster in Dark Adventure and the worlds feature a less linear designs with multiple exits. Unlike the Devil World version, Dark Adventure only features one ending.

External links

• Majū no Ōkoku leaftlet at The Arcade Flyers Archive
• Dark Adventure leaflet at The Arcade Flyers Archive