A demon themed side-scroller for the hardcore.
This game is set in a world of demons where 7 crests on day fell from the sky, each of them holding a different power. The demons then started a war for control of these quests. The protagonist, Firebrand, manages to acquire all of them. After a grueling battle for the last crest with a dragon he gets ambushed by Phalanx who steals all the crests and breaks the fire crest to pieces leaving you to start the game with a pissed off dragon and one piece of the fire crest. The story only really helps explain the visual feel of the game as the game itself isn't very story-driven except for a few lines of dialogue in three of the game's numerous boss battles. The game is fairly lengthy. The game starts of with two levels unlocked on a Final Fantasy type world map and you unlock more as you progress. Every level has a tons of hidden collectible items and bosses. The weird thing about this game is that halfway through the game the last bosse's castle opens at one point and you can go in and face an easier version of him. I f you continue with the normal levels though it disappears and only reappears once you've completed all the remaining levels. To get to the true final boss you will need to get 100% of the collectible items in the game. This boss is unbelievably hard. Most bosses in the game offer a challenge but the last one is nothing short of insane. Beating him reveals another boss with just as much challenge so those looking for a hard game won't be disapointed.
Controls are simple and work well. You can shoot your equipped you equipped firepower (picking up new crests or pieces of the fire crest will give you new powers and firepower) with one button, jump with another and use you crest-related abilities with another. Doing a double jump will actually get your character to use his wings and levitate indefinitely.
The graphics are crisp and convey the dark atmosphere of demon world almost perfectly.
Sounds are somewhat repetitive as most enemies sound alike and the same music is reused almost throughout the entire game.
This is a hard to find game nowadays but if you have a chance to find it, pick it up and you won't be dissapointed.