Play Jigoku Meguri Online

Summary

Bonze Adventure, known in Japan as Jigoku Meguri (literally “Hell Tour”), drops you into a nightmarish version of the Buddhist‑Shinto underworld where a lone monk battles swarms of demons and yokai. Armed only with his mala—prayer beads that bounce outward like ricocheting projectiles—he can even power them up to a size that rivals his own frame, turning a simple rosary into a formidable weapon.

The game’s timer is a visual twist: instead of a ticking clock, melting candles shrink as you scramble through stages such as the Dilapidated Backyard Cemetery, the Burning Inferno, and the eerie Lose‑Your‑Way‑Maze. When the odds look bleak, a benevolent deva swoops in with power‑ups, giving the monk a brief edge against the relentless onslaught.

Originally an arcade release in 1988, the title received a Japan‑only PC Engine port on August 3, 1990, preserving its eerie atmosphere for home consoles. The monk’s quirky legacy even resurfaced years later when Bonze Kackremboh cameoed in the Let’s! TV Play Classic series alongside Kiki Kaikai.

Storyline

In the TurboGrafx‑16 title Jigoku Meguri, the ruler of the Underworld, Emma the King, has lost his senses, throwing his domain into chaos and allowing malevolent spirits to roam unchecked. The player assumes the role of Bonze Kackremboh, a Buddhist priest and the son of the Divine Dragon, who must trek through the disordered realm to locate and confront Emma. Along the way, Kackremboh battles relentless hordes of yokai—including snakes, giant eyeballs, ghosts, kitsune, spiders, and will‑o‑the‑wisp‑like hitodama—while striving to restore order to the underworld.