Character RETROspect

Billy “Big Bang” Blitz

Hey guys, do you remember Vic Tokai, a video game developer from the late 1980’s through most of the 1990’s? Well, you might remember them for their more notable NES releases: the two Golgo 13 games and Amagon, but their best game (in my opinion) was Clash at Demonhead.

This week in Character RETROspect, we will be looking at the main protagonist from Clash at Demonhead, Billy “Big Bang” Blitz, the most manly of men to ever grace the NES. Grab your Aqua Lung because we’re going deep into some NES history!

Chapter 9: Bring on the BLITZ!

On a Bangin’ Sidenote

I would like to start off by saying that if you’ve never played Clash at Demonhead,  do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. As I am writing this article, the game is currently going for a median price of about $15 between all of the cheaper listings on eBay and Amazon. Sure, you can test your luck by trying to find a copy of it at a flea market or a yard sale, but from my personal retro game hunting experience, I have seen this game only about a handful of times in the wild. Trust me, if you’re looking for a quirky lil’ experience on your NES, this game delivers tenfold.

Let The Bang Begin

Let me bang out a few points:

• Plot: ludicrous.
• Gameplay: original and thought provoking
• Characters: magnificent!

Clash at Demonhead starts off with a cutscene revealing the characters of Bang and his girlfriend, Mary, who on are vacation at the beach when suddenly Bang is thrust back into secret agent action. Bang is tasked with saving Professor Plum, the inventor of the Doomsday Bomb, who is being held hostage by Tom Guycot.

Tom Guycot is essentially a skeleton who wears a red cape, and is the chief of the Seven Governors. These Seven Governors each hold a medallion that Bang must collect in his journey through Mt. Demonhead to help him destroy the Doomsday Bomb. Along the way, Bang meets Michael, who is later used by the demon trapped beneath the mountain’s northern end in a plot to steal Bang’s medallions. The possession of Michael by the demon happens after the demon attempts to take control of Bang’s mind, which causes Bang a great deal of mental discomfort. The demon is freed after Michael, now possessed, convinces Bang that he must use the “Magic Stone” in his journey, but in actuality the stone frees the demon from its eternal damnation in the bowels of the mountain.

After the demon achieves freedom, it seeks out Tom Guycot… and we’ll stop with the plot here.

I wouldn’t normally shy away from spoilers in a game, especially one over twenty years of age, but I feel that if you’re going to eventually have a crack at Clash at Demonhead, you’ll want to enjoy the crazy plot as it unfolds in the later sections of the game.

A Smorgasbord of Abilities and Weapons

Throughout the course of the game, Bang acquires weapon upgrades and abilities that are downright fantastic. There is: levitation, teleportation, an “aqua lung” for deep water exploration, a jet pack (self explanatory), and the “super suit.” All of these abilities and weapons add up to one thing: Bang is a man’s man.

Bang is on a mission to save the world, AND nothing is going to stop him.

Wrapping It Up With a Bang

Clash at Demonhead is, without a doubt, one of those games that went severely unnoticed by the general public when it first came out, but it demands every retro gamer’s attention for its preposterous plot and unique style of gameplay. While some people may not enjoy this game, I believe the core group of retro gamers out there that haven’t played this gem yet would appreciate this title.

Billy “Big Bang” Blitz is a character that will always make me check my own manliness and ask the question, “What Would Bang Do?“