Originally created for the Macintosh (System 7) back in 1996, Bill the Demon is an action adventure platformer with a very nice old-school flair to it. This version was recreated in Flash by the author, James Burton, following Apple's decision to stop supporting older applications.
In the game you play as Bill, a lowly demon with a voracious appetite for human souls. To prove himself worthy to his peers, Bill sets out on a mission to the Ninth Circle of Hell to fetch the devil's autograph.
Use the keyboard for control: [left] and [right] arrows, [up] to jump. Press [space] to scream. A scream is important as it will allow you to eat a human soul (if close enough), and it will also break down some walls and stun some monsters temporarily. Alternatively, you may use the [A] and [D] keys for left and right, [W] to jump, and [shift] to scream. Suit yourself.
As you move about each circle, Bill's hunger will increase. Eat souls wisely as they will help you move deeper into hell. If Bill gets too hungry, you will lose a life and have to start back from the last checkpoint you reached. Lose all your lives and you'll have to restart the game from the beginning. Luckily, once you complete each circle you will be given a passcode with which to load the game from there.
Analysis: Bill the Demon is a great game that is a lot of fun. It certainly brings back memories of the old 8-bit scrolling platformers. The levels have been designed well and they present a challenge that will keep you entertained for hours. There really isn't much to dislike about the game other than the being set back from time to time when dying or running out of lives. Still, for anyone with even a remote interest in old-school platformers, or in demon-themed games to get into the Halloween spirit, you could do much worse than this charming little game. Click.
Cheers to Bob and Mango for suggesting Bill. =)
Hmm... What tripped me up in the beginning, is that there are two types of jumps.
One is a high jump; you must press jump without pressing left or right, although you may press left and right while in the air. It can go up three spaces, but not very far.
The second is a long jump. You have to press left or right, and while you're pressing it, press jump. It can only go up two spaces, but can go a reasonable distance sideways.
Some of the gameplay is deciding when to jump high, and when to jump long. I lost several lives by choosing wrong.
Also, you can walk onto spikes. You just can't land on them. I think the game would be easier if the intructions mentioned these two issues, but it was fun discovering them.
I give it:
9.5 for gameplay
7.7 for difficulty (I can only get to circle two!)
and 9.9 for origionality.
I'm first to comment! yay!
It's a cute game...except I having one problem devouring souls...I wonder if that just because I'm a Firefox user. Over all its a nice game... >.>
Yes, you have to be up very close to the humans to devour them. It would be nice if the threshold for eating souls were a bit more forgiving.
I love this game! I have a couple of issues using Firefox on Ubuntu. At first I couldn't move, but if I right click, and look at the flash settings, then close the settings everything works. I also can't see the passwords at the end of each ring, but I'm sure one of my friends at JIG will post them soon...
Oh wow this is a classic, I remember playing this in middle school on an ANCIENT macintosh.
Well, Jay, I'm glad you liked the game as much as I did. Yeah, lopsidation, thats part of the original challenge of the game is discovering the jumps. And kate, the password is different every single time because it is dependent on how many lives you have left and how many souls you have devoured. I suggest just trying a different browser.
also if you eat 25 souls you get an extra life.
Here they are then, a set of passwords for maximum lives (obtained by an evil little bit of disassembly):
Each password has the form *00*08*704. The stars should be replaced depending on the level:
circle 1: C H B
bonus 1: D 5 D
circle 2: E 6 F
bonus 2: F 7 2
circle 3: 0 X 4
bonus 3: Q 8 5
circle 4: 1 9 7
bonus 4: 4 A 8
circle 5: H B A
bonus 5: 5 C C
circle 6: 6 D E
bonus 6: 7 E J
circle 7: X F R
bonus 7: 8 J 3
circle 8: 9 2 Z
bonus 8: A R Q
circle 9: B V 4
endgame: C 3 5
Mmmm, maybe I am missing something simple. This seems like a nice game, but I am stranded at the third "reincarnation altar". There's spikes all around, and no matter what I do, I always die in the spikes. Lopsidation said that you can walk onto spikes, but no luck like that at this place.
How am I supposed to get further here?
Rene, you can walk into spikes, but not onto them. You will die everytime you try to jump or walk onto the top of the spikes.
Ok, am I just really supid or what? I get stuck in the maze type thingy in the third circle. How in the heck do I find an exit? What do I do? I'm totally lost.
Weeeee... finally finished it (without cheating!)
So satisfying... i almost killed myself at the end while waiting for something to happen (which would have sucked seeing as i was on my last life)...
Yay
Awesome game
Hey guys,
Love this game but having some problems with the final stage - what do I do at the beginning after i've fallen to get past the spikes and tall demon things?
Firstly, help please? Fourth circle,
invisible maze after the arrow pointing/pushing right. I can't seem to find a way out.
Also, BobSmith-
I wouldn't *really* consider this a spoiler, but just in case:
go up and right.
It took me several tries and deaths to figure that out.
Help. How do I get past the devil in circle 2? The flying eyes keep killing me before I can kill him. Kan you kill the eyes?
Steve-
If you mean the tall standing devil, you have to scream at his head (i.e. jump) and then you can walk by him like all the other nasties. Stun the eyes first if need be.
I can't get out of circle 6.....
im stuck at circle 7... when the purple stones start going away and then i see the bonus level it won't let me down cause there are uparrow keyss!! HELP!
Wow. here I was, just sitting here, wandering through JIG, and what do I see in one of the little square buttons? One of the few remaining reasons I run a Classic OS box.
Seriously. all we need now is Flash Versions of all the old WorldBuilder games, and that thing is even ancienter history.
well, the last level seems unbeatable b/c of those damn demons and spikes. Anyone knows how to beat that?
Oh, now I know, the 'endgame' is really an movie so just wait and watch the Great Satan shows himself.
I can highly recommend another of James's games, available in the Windows download section of his site. I played it more than a decade ago on the Mac, and it remains one of my favourite games from that era or any other. I'd forgotten it until I heard some of the sound effects in Bill the Demon again.
The name is Stardust. It's a well-paced spatial puzzler of the sort that rewards a lack of assumption. Not exceptionally difficult, but satisfying.
It seems you can still get the original Mac version, if you have a Mac that supports Classic (pre-Intel and pre-Leopard). It plays well, if slightly choppier than on an original mostly-singletasking Mac.
http://www.downloadfreemacgames.com/Download_Mac_Freeware_Games/Freeware_Puzzle_Games/free_stardust.html
Perhaps I'll suggest he port this one to Flash too - it's an even better candidate than Bill the Demon. OTOH it's probably a lot of work.
I am stuck on 6 the spikes and the arrows dont work for me is there a nother way please help i want to finish the game its driving me crazy but i love it
Hello all. Found JayIsGames back when I needed hints on another game. Great site.
On THIS game.. I'm stuck in the maze on Lvl 3 also.
Up and Right
doesn't help much as the only thing that way is a Tall Demon that you can't scream at. Other than that, it only leads to unscreamable brick walls. Did you have to break some bricks somewhere? I've been to the four corners and haven't found my way out yet.
There's 2 dead ends at the bottom, but they don't lead anywhere either.
Thoughts?
wow i absolutely love the face he makes right after he eats a soul
It's actually up and LEFT on circle 3
Hello, i'm stuck on level 6, any hints anyone?
Update