Total Game Boy
28th February 2000
Publisher: Atlus
Machine: Game Boy Color
Published in Total Game Boy Issue 05
By the power of Greyskull...
Revelations: The Demon Slayer
Ever fancied yourself as a bit of an adventurer? Have you ever pretended to be your favourite Saturday morning cartoon hero (or heroine) and ran around your house wielding a broomstick as if it were a monster-killing sword? You haven't? Really? Ahem! Maybe it's just me, then...
Ah, well, if you do like to dabble in adventuring then you will love Revelations: The Demon Slayer. Its appearance marks the return of the over-looked RPG genre on the Game Boy. "What's an RPG?" shouted someone at the back of the class. Well, it stands for Role-Playing Game. Put simply, it places you in control of a game's hero, and allows you to pretend you are that character on-screen, righting wrongs, saving the locals, killing monsters, finding treasure, and generally doing all that kind of guff you see on Hercules or Xena.
Tell Us A Story
Revelations has a great story, which sets up your adventure, and it goes somethng like this... On the fifth planet in a galaxy far, far away (wait a minute! That sounds familiar), there lives a race of human-like people with strange, mystical powers. This power is called Gaia, and the good people of this planet used their Gaia-harnessing ability to create a magical orb that would spread peace throughout the land. Sounds okay, doesn't it? However, the forces of evil on the planet were none too chuffed with the idea of peace - but then they are evil, aren't they? - and decided to kick hippie butt! That's where you come in.
Where Is Buffy?
By taking on the role of hero, it's up to you to restore peace to the land, by creating an adventure party and defeating the monster hordes. Whilst at first glance, Revelations may look similar to Zelda: Link's Awakening, there is a lot more depth in this game than in the otherwise excellent adventure starring Nintendo's famous pointy-eared hero.
Your heroic character earns experience points every time he fights, and this allows you to achieve new levels. The higher the level your character reaches, the harder he becomes, physically and magically. Ah, yes! As well as being a dab hand with a sword, you can also cast spells like a regular Sabrina.
You need to explore your environment, talking to the people you meet as you go, and build up an adventure party that will bring justice back to this mystical realm. There are a number of objectives that need to be completed as well, so there is stacks to do. The game's creators, Atlus, told Total Game Boy Color that there are over 100 different kinds of weapons, armour and magical spells for you to discover and use. As well as there being over 100 monsters for you to fight, or - if you are feeling particularly friendly - get to join your band of adventurers. If you fancy a break from adventuring on your own, Revelations has thoughtfully included a versus option. Meaning that you and a friend - with the aid of a Game Boy Link Cable - can have a swordfight against each other. Nice one!
Second Opinion
For fans of monster breeding games who long for something other than Pokemon and his fluffy chums then Demon Slayer could be the one for you.
With nearly as many monsters to breed as Pokemon, the game has a darker feel to it which is quite satisfying.
I found some of the monster breed aspects a little too simple though, especially when you have to win monsters over to your way of thinking through a series of questions.
It won't last as long as Pokemon but the RPG elements will still please fans looking for a change.
Verdict
Graphics 80%
Bright and breezy.
Sound 60%
Cute ditties for each location.
Playability 100%
Easy to pick up, hard to put down.
Lastability 100%
Plenty of demon-slaying depth.
Overall 91%
RPG fans will find this a revelation!