So in 1989, when the Famicom was still a thing that was used and talked about (in Japan mainly), there existed a Ronnie James Dio video game that also included Slayer, King Crimson, Ozzy Osbourne and Randy Rhoads. What the hell?
Seriously. The game was called Holy Diver and was brought to my attention via Hardcoregaming101. The writer of the article linked there managed to grab a text excerpt from the game, which reads:
It is the 666th year of the world of magic. The Black Slayer, Demon King of the Underground Dark Empire, has extended the world of darkness and weakened the power of King Crimson whose wisdom has guided the world of magic for generations.
The 16th Crimson Emperor Ronnie 4th entrusted his two infant sons, Randy and Zack, to his faithful servant Ozzy. The three escaped the forces from another dimension in the hope to bring light back into the world.
The next 17 years were difficult but Randy, Zack, and Ozzy devoted themselves to the cause of Holy Magic Justice. The Black Slayer had further extended his empire over the countryside and the interdimensional forces were even more powerful. Randy needed to find the Royal Coat Of Arms of the Crimson to battle the demons. He set out alone to carry out the will of his surrogate father Ozzy who had passed away. Thus begins the Legend Of The Holy Magic King's Justice.
Cheesy? Hell yeah. Totally worth trying to find in some capacity or another because playing it would be cool? You betcha. The author compares the game to Castlevania, and says that it's essentially your basic side-scroller that requires you to get to the end of levels, defeat bosses, and stuff like that. But you're totally Dio and you totally get references to classic metal stuff when it wasn't classic. As for why this game never made it to America?
…the word "Holy" in the title was an affront to Nintendo of America's "no religious references" policy.
Someone find an emulator rom for this game!
Update: Thanks to "Deadline247" in the comments for finding a video of gameplay:
