Clash at Demonhead is another in the long line of random NES games I rented over the summer many many years ago, back when I lived within convenient biking distance of a rental place with a huge selection of Nintendo software and a fortunate tendency to send out coupons for free rentals in their weekly ad circulars. Unlike so many of those random NES games, Clash wasn’t just good — it was great. Weird, quirky, sometimes surreal, and totally unique in the NES library… not only for its oddball ’70s-anime-inspired vibe, but also for its fast-and-loose open-world design and the curious little details invested in the most unlikely places.
Look, here’s my recommendation: Once you finish reading Nich’s article, check out his beautifully in-depth Let’s Play of the game. It explains everything you could ever want to know about Clash at Demonhead, and that is great.
I love this game so much, especially because of the crazy designs for the Governors. A skeleton with cape and skeleton suit, a mushroom caveman, an androgynous blue person with skirted armor and piranha hands…Clash at Demonhead has the best villain designs ever. =D
So has anybody been able to get that coupon code in the last post to work? It tells me I can’t use it on books I didn’t author…
Demonhead was probably the least well-known game in my NES collection (which was otherwise dominated by Mario and Mega Man and Disney Afternoon), and I’ve always had a special fondness for it. Definitely check out the LP, people, it’s aces.