There were a lot of rumours that certain Famicom games never made it to the NES because they were deemed too difficult for Western audiences. I don’t know if this is always entirely true – for instance the NES versions of Ninja Gaiden III and Castlevania III have some changes that make their NES versions more difficult in ways. And there’s also the publishing limitations imposed on the NES to consider. But there are definitely some Famicom exclusives that are very challenging, and you do have to wonder if the difficulty is part of the reason that they were held back. I’d say Holy Diver fits the bill.
Holy Diver (named for DIO’s Holy Diver) is one of those games that has earned notoriety in two ways – the first for being difficult, and the second for never arriving on the NES. It’s one of those games that Famicom enthusiasts seek out – it was one of the games that convinced me to get a dedicated machine for my Fami games in fact. But like any hard game, it begs the question “is it difficult for the right reasons?”
The game itself resembles Castlevania, a Castlevania with the cruelty dialed up a tad. You attack with a magic shot, which you can toss almost as quickly as you can press the button. The range is about as long as a Belmont’s whip, as well. However, in lieu of sub weapons you have access to a range of magical spells, earning a new spell after most levels. These range from circling blades to a time stop to long range attacks. Interestingly enough, some enemies are immune to the freeze, and some seem resilient to certain spells. So you will always be switching your equipped magic and it keeps things interesting.
Levels are generally straightforward, though some have branches and there are items to find in others. At the end of each level is a boss that must be defeated, sometimes easier said than done, and then you move on. These six levels might be straightforward, but that doesn’t make them any less intense or trying – especially the latter half of the game.
Holy Diver is an Irem game, and as you may know Irem is also responsible for R-Type which is not always super accessible to shmup initiates. Now like R-Type, and even Ninja Gaiden, there is a certain level of memorization required in Holy Diver. You will get further and further in the game and begin to switch your magic for what’s up ahead. You will know which blocks produce refills for your health and magic, and you will zone in and out to grind back to full. You will realize ways to avoid enemies altogether and save yourself from potential deadly encounters. You will realize that oh – there can only be three of this kind of enemy on the screen at one time so I’d better make my move before spawning new ones. Like any game with a reputation for difficulty, familiarity is a great mediator.
However, like R-Type there is a certain level of skill and reflex also required. The bosses are all very much equipped to deal with you, and some of the enemy onslaughts will really test your reflexes and spatial recognition. And while you will become familiar with the levels, this game keeps you on your toes and one slip-up can be very costly.
I would say that levels 1-4 are challenging but manageable. The fourth boss and levels 5-6 are when the game decides to pull out all of the stops and take you for a real ride. There are some particularly frustrating spots, especially when you get knocked back into a bottomless pit – not really a big danger up until this point. But even these scenarios will give way if you immerse yourself and learn how enemies react.
Looking beyond that, Holy Diver is a wonderful game with a horror theme. Monsters have a classic horror look in some instances, and are quite strange in others. But it’s cohesive. Levels have monsters that are excusive to that environment. Each level, despite being relatively straightforward, has its own flavour and unique obstacles to plough through. If this game had been released on the NES I guarantee it would have achieved cult classic status. It’s just a pleasure.
It’s maybe a little unfair to compare Holy Diver to Castlevania’s NES run because, of course, Castlevania had multiple entries and are generally more accessible games. However, where Akumajou Densetsu (Dracula’s Curse) and Holy Diver were released the same time I can see where Holy Diver’s lesser aesthetic presentation (imo of course) and strikingly Castlevania aspects would have held it back in competition with Castlevania III (which is a serious contender indeed). I will say that while it is completely obvious that there is some Castlevania influence in Holy Diver, it should be seen that it’s not actually trying to be a Castlevania game. It’s similar, sure. But it’s something of its own. A tough, streamlined action game that offers no quarter.
Does Holy Diver hold up? I believe so. I’ve said in the past that I feel “NES hard” gets tossed around too much. Is Holy Diver “NES hard?” Well, it’s challenging is what it is. And a challenging game is one that is easy to learn, difficult to master. But also compelling enough to make you want to master it in the first place. A challenging game is one where you can learn from your deaths and adjust and do better. And while there are indeed a few spots in Holy Diver that approach the realm of bad design they can all be overcome if you can learn the game. So to answer my question of “Is it difficult for the right reasons?” Yes, mostly.
But it’s not for everyone. People who are familiar with similar games – Castlevania or Ninja Gaiden or 8 Eyes or what have you – they will have a considerable leg up. But Holy Diver is not completely inaccessible to newbies either – the difficulty ramps up steadily and the uses for your magic are intuitive. But if you are easily frustrated then it’s not for you. Because it starts throwing stuff at you pretty early and it only increases from there. Not to say Holy Diver is impossible – far from it – but it does have a certain audience in mind.
It makes me wonder where Holy Diver would be if Irem continued the saga. I think a 16-bit iteration would have been phenomenal. To overcome some of Holy Diver’s sketchier moments and keep a high challenge, high octane action game. But since it’s a singleton, we have a real jewel of the Famicom that I am still jealous wasn’t part of my childhood. I have to wonder what it would have been called if it landed in North America? Radical Randy’s Kooky Quest? Metal Dudes? Are you a Metal enough Dude to defeat Black Slayer?
But it wasn’t released here, and so it has become a favourite of Famicom collectors. It’s not super cheap, not terribly expensive either. It’s possible to score a cart in the mid 20’s if you watch the auctions. And it’s worth it, too, as long as you know what you’re getting yourself into. Because between the velvet lies, there’s a game that’s hard as steel.
“Radical Randy’s Kooky Quest” lol, that’s an awesome name.
Personally, I don’t buy the difficulty reason for Famicom games not coming out here. There are definitely some NES games that are harder than their counterparts and the difficulty aspect could easily be tweaked. It might have been just lack of interest in bringing the games out here or most likely some kind of publishing issue.
I could swear I tried this for around a minute years ago. I’ll give this another try, though since I consider myself still pretty easily frustrated at constantly doing stages over, I think I would give this a pass on trying to legitily beat it. 😉
Even though I haven’t really played it, an SNES HD does sound appealing and could be pretty awesome. The game’s tunes don’t compare to Castlevania’s though, do they? Besides, RIP Irem? I think they went defunct after that notorious tradgey.
You may have tried this out because I’ve likely been spouting off about it for a long time :P. It took me a long time to legitimately beat it myself because of the time required and unfortunately because it’s my glitchiest fami cart.
Nah, the music definitely doesn’t compare to Castlevania. I think CV definitely has the upper hand in presentation.
Irem did dissolve their games division after the tsunami, they’re still a company but they’re focusing on slots and pachnikos apparently. I imagine they retain their properties though, and could outsource them (as dangerous as that can be). I’m reading now that they pulled all of their titles from the Wii VC though? For no public reason? Weird.
Hm, maybe. Ah.
Yeah, that’s what I thought. I guess it’s pretty forgettable. :/
Lame. I think there are quite a few old ones that are still around but do nothing in terms of games. The only ones offhand that come to mind are Jaleco and Sunsoft.
Yeah, I noticed that they were pulled. Something else weird is the TMNT games are listed as removed. The only thing that I can figure is something to do with Nickelodeon taking over the brand but that still doesn’t make sense to me.
I wouldn’t say it’s completely forgettable – hell you’ll hear some of the songs enough times over anyways ;). But yeah, they aren’t songs I can listen to out of context like Castlevania. I _almost_ wrote about Castlevania IV this year, actually, but I felt it was overdone. Holy Diver’s been done too, but much less so.
Too bad about the TMNT games. Have you played Reshelled? That looks like a pretty bad update but of course I haven’t played it to comment.
Ah.
Nope. It does seem bad so I never bothered. I’m good if they never do a game based on the new Nickelodeon one. 😉
I had been watching speedrun practice and other streams of Holy Diver for what seems like the past two years. It seems it is one of those games that is regarded to be quite difficult but loved for the same reason. To me, it never looked like anything incredibly special, but it seems people do have a fondness for the title. The strange enemies and almost spooky stages do leave their mark on the mind, though. Any game that bases its name off of a band has something going for it, usually. It means there’s some kind of love there. I think that is the case with Holy Diver.
Part of it is the reference to DIO, for sure.
But the other part is the combination of difficulty and Japan only release. This is one of the most sought after Famicom games for a reason. It’s like, this is really hard so now you need to prove your grit with a completion, heh.
I will agree that it could have a bit more flash. I think if they had continued this as a series, it would have reached the richness similar titles did.
Dang! I should have played this over xmas break while I had the chance :/ Sounds like I would have had to invest a few sessions to get very far tho 🙂 Big ups on rolling it!