Dark Adventure
Konami's first three-player arcade action-adventure.
Dark Adventure, known in Japan as *Majū no Ōkoku* and in PAL regions as *Devil World*, is a 1987 action-adventure arcade game from Konami. It hit North American arcades on May 22, 1987, and Japanese ones on October 14, 1987. This title holds the distinction of being Konami’s first arcade game to allow three players simultaneously, though that feature was only present in the North American release. In August 2023, Hamster Corporation brought the game to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 as part of their Arcade Archives series. The story follows archaeologist Dr. Condor, who uncovers a demon’s coffin in ancient ruins. During a press conference, he opens the coffin for the first time, and he, along with reporter Labryna and fellow archaeologist Zorlock, is pulled into another world. The trio must fight through the Devil World to defeat the evil Demon King and return home. Up to three players can join in, each assigned a character with a unique starting weapon: Labryna (leftmost) uses a sword, Condor (center) a whip, and Zorlock (rightmost) a spear. Each player controls their character with an eight-way joystick and three action buttons for jumping, attacking, and throwing dynamite—the latter only works after picking up the required power-up. A map button, usable by any player, pauses the game and shows the locations of keys and exits in areas already explored, though not in every zone. The goal is to collect keys and unlock exits across 40 areas until reaching the final boss. Enemies include minotaurs, skeleton warriors, swamp monsters, man-eating trees, giant spiders, and rats. The game uses both limited lives and a health gauge. Health gradually drains over time, even without enemy damage, so players must collect soft drink cans to keep it full. If a player runs out of lives, they drop all keys and their current weapon, allowing another player to pick them up. Extra lives can be added by inserting more credits into the corresponding coin slot. Besides default weapons, players can find a flamethrower or laser gun for safer ranged attacks. Other power-ups include a crystal ball (enhances melee weapons), a necklace (increases walking speed), a shield (reduces damage), and a magic orb (destroys all on-screen enemies).
Quick Facts
- Title
- Dark Adventure
- Developer
- Konami
- Genre
- Action-adventure
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- Arcade
- Released
- NA · May 22, 1987 · JP · October 14, 1987
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The plot follows archaeologist Dr. Condor, who discovers a demon's coffin in ancient ruins. During a press conference, he opens the coffin and is transported to another world alongside reporter Labryna and fellow archaeologist Zorlock. The three heroes must fight through the Devil World to defeat the Demon King and return home. Each character starts with a unique default weapon: Labryna wields a sword, Condor uses a whip, and Zorlock carries a spear. Controls include an eight-way joystick and three buttons for jumping, attacking, and throwing dynamite (only when the power-up is obtained). A map button pauses the game to show key and exit locations in explored areas, though not in every area. The objective is to collect keys and unlock exits across 40 areas.
Reader's Guide
Dark Adventure holds significance as Konami's first arcade title to allow three-player simultaneous play, though this feature was limited to the North American release. Outside North America, the game was released as a two-player conversion kit under the titles Majū no Ōkoku (Japan) and Devil World (Europe and Australia), with the third character Zorlock cut. These versions featured completely readjusted gameplay mechanics: each player starts with a firearm (bowgun for Labryna, pistol for Condor) instead of melee weapons, a power-up selection meter similar to Gradius, a slower health drain, and a linear stage structure with 19 stages (including boss battles against a two-headed draconic monster every fourth stage). The map button in these versions displays the entire area. Continues are limited to three times and unavailable on the final stage. Endings vary, with one showing the player atop the Statue of Liberty (the only ending in Dark Adventure) and another stranding them on a raft at sea. In Japan, Game Machine listed Dark Adventure as the fifteenth most successful table arcade unit of November 1987. Hamster Corporation released the game as part of their Arcade Archives series for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in August 2023.
Did You Know?
- Dark Adventure was Konami's first arcade game to support up to three players, but only in the North American version.
- The game has 40 areas in its original version, while the two-player conversion kits have only 19 stages.
- The player's health gradually drains over time even without enemy damage, requiring soft drink cans to refill.
- In the two-player versions, the map button displays the entire area rather than only explored portions.
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