The act of being a snobbish, elite game collector often requires one to reach outside of his or her boundaries in hopes of snagging that precious jem to which no mortal has bore witness.  For most of us, that mysterious realm is Japan.  For decades, what we did and did not play was largely decided on by what a few men in suits felt a totally foreign culture was more likely to buy.  Sometimes, a game just did not sell well enough in Japan to warrant sending over to us.  Some were deemed "too difficult" for the average ADHD-stricken American.  Whatever the reason, there’s a gold mine of pearls for the pretentious to be had from the land of the rising sun, and you know Retro Obscurus has to go there.

Today’s game comes back at us from the east like a boomerang with big hair.  Say hello to Holy Diver.

In Holy Diver, you play the part of Ranay, a holy warrior, as you traverse the realms of evil in his quest to defeat the Black Slayer.

If the name sounds familiar, congratulations.  You were a metal head back in the ’80s.  Holy Diver is the name of the first album by the band Dio, created by Ronnie (Ranay?) James Dio, an ex-vocalist for Black Sabbeth.  The game and music share a medieval, gothic atmosphere, and the main character strikingly resembles the character from the Holy Diver music video.

Holy Diver is quickly prosecuted for being a Castlevania clone.  In many respects, the areas, sprites, characters and play "feel" like Castlevania.  You certainly look like Simon Belmont with a snazzier outfit.  Still, this game does plenty to build off of a successful formula, and still be its own game.

Ranay can hurl fireballs as his main attack.  They fly a limited distance out in front of him, or he can aim them straight up (a very useful feature).  I couldn’t shake the feeling that Ranay was hurling the fireballs faster than I was pressing the button.  OCD-like testing proved this not to be the case, but he still dumps them out at a dizzying pace.  The jump mechanics are nothing like the 8-bit Castlevania games, unless you maybe want to compare it to Grant from Castlevania 3.  Ranay gets pretty good air, hangtime, and in-air maneuverability.  He’s no Mario, but if you must compare him to the Belmonts, he flies by comparison, especially once you find the Jump Boots in level 3.

In the top corner of the screen, you’ll notice a life bar and a magic counter.  Yes, you only get three life points.  Some hits only take out part of a block, some more.  However it stacks up and you can’t be abused very much before taking a dirt nap (accompanied by a flashy explosion, like you’re Mega Man).  You get three lives, and then it’s back to the beginning of the level for three more tries.  This game is hard, and like in Ninja Gaiden, you’ll quickly find that the generous, unlimited continue system is no where near enough to get the casual gamer to the end.

Ranay’s Blizzard spell freezes over a lava pit and stops an enemy in mid air.

The magic system is enjoyable.  You begin the game with a "Twin Fire" spell.  By pressing Select, Ranay turns purple, and every attack fires a spiraling double-fireball attack that reaches the full length of the screen and covers more vertical area, however at the cost of 2 magic points.  As you defeat level bosses, you’ll unlock new spells such as powerful blizzards capable of freezing lava and massive mana blasts.  An assortment of equipment type items are scattered from level to level to further your physical and magical exploits, as well.  They’re a nice touch, though they’re usually just placed along the linear path as a reward for your progress.  For example, the bracelet that makes it so you can blast away blocks with your fireballs can be found at the bottom of the stairwell leading to a barrier of blocks.  Since you don’t face any blocks prior to this point, you’re left just sort of wondering what exactly the item was good for.

The average player won’t get to enjoy the pretty spells and cool items, however.  I said it before, and I’ll say it again.  This game is hard.  Very hard.  I don’t mean like cheap deaths or bad controls hard.  I mean the game barrages you with enemies and situations requiring hairpin timing and reflexes.  Your character is good, but the game is just better.  There’s a few mechanical frustrations, such as the fact that Ranay seems to throw his fireballs past enemies when at point blank range, but for the most part, it’s a true skill challenge.  In that respect, I compare this game heavily to Ninja Gaiden, though I dare say Holy Diver is probably harder.

I beat the level one boss, a deceptively easy Satyr, and am rewarded with the Blizzard spell. Don’t expect to ever see me get much further.

The graphics manage to be colorful and detailed, while still being Gothic and dark.  Somewhere along the line, developers decided that Gothic meant drab, gray and brown.  Even for an 8-bit title, Holy Diver shows how it’s done with detailed backdrops (crosses, skulls, stained glass windows, textured stone) that are all atmosphere, without making the foreground action difficult to make out.  The music isn’t hugely memorable.  I mean, the main character is one of the gods of heavy metal.  You would expect a little better, but it isn’t complaint worthy either, and their are some toe tappers among the soundtrack.

All in all, I consider Holy Diver a must own for any 8-bit import collection, even though no sane human will ever beat it.  Despite the jarring difficulty, the game is both beautiful and fun.  It’s not necessarily innovative, but still good, dark, platforming enjoyment.  Why we never got it outside of Japan is anyone’s guess.  I found clips of the ending, and it was even in English.  I guess fate just saw to be cruel to us.  Until next week, Night’s out… but um… maybe with the night light on, just in case.

• Holy Diver, the game, is copyrighted 1989, irem corp.
• Holy Diver, the album, is copyrighted 1983, Warner Bros. Records.
• If you noticed a severe lack of Axel patented smart assness, it must be because he likes this game a lot.

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