Play Akuma-kun - Makai no Wana (Japan) Online

Akuma-kun: Makai no Wana came out for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990, developed by TOSE and published by Bandai. It's based on a manga and anime series, and it fits right in with the kind of experimental, story-driven platformers that showed up on the NES toward the end of its life. You don't see many games like this one, even among the console's vast library.

You control Shingo Yamada, a young demon researcher who explores haunted environments screen by screen. Your main goal is to solve puzzles and defeat enemies by summoning different demons, each with a unique ability like freezing foes or breaking barriers. The pacing is deliberate, with careful movement and timing required to avoid traps and enemy attacks. It feels like a slow, thoughtful puzzle game wrapped in a spooky adventure.