波麗佳音（Pony Canyon）於 1988 年 9 月 21 日在任天堂 Famicom（紅白機）上推出《孔雀王》，改編自荻野真同名超人氣暗黑奇幻漫畫。雖然它在風格上與之前的《靈幻道士》略有相似，但將密教神話與現代驚悚結合得更深，使得當年的許多小朋友在遊玩時既害怕又充滿好奇心。這是一款結合文字冒險與指令式戰鬥的遊戲，強調劇情推進與策略思考。

技術表現上，成功營造出陰森、壓抑且神祕的氛圍。視覺設計以大量第一人稱靜態畫面呈現，敵人造型細緻而充滿獵奇感，完美還原漫畫中扭曲的魔族與神靈形象。音效則帶有沉重的宗教感與詭異電子合成器頻率，當進入 Boss 戰或恐怖場景時，音效立即拉滿緊張感，展現 8 位元遊戲少有的沉浸效果。

並非傳統動作遊戲，而是以指令式冒險的形式運作，類似於《港口鎮連續殺人事件》。必須透過「看」、「拿」、「說」或「使用符咒」等命令來推動劇情，細心觀察場景中每個細節十分關鍵。

故事緊扣漫畫初期內容：黑暗勢力「六道眾」企圖復活魔王，將世界帶向毀滅。玩家扮演裏高野的降魔師孔雀，從調查神秘連續殺人案開始，逐步揭開龐大的宗教陰謀，並與阿修羅、慈空阿闍黎等經典角色相遇。劇情圍繞血脈、背叛與最終審判展開，最終目標是阻止大日如來對立面——大魔王孔雀王的甦醒。

操作上，強調情報收集與法術策略。在選單中選擇命令，觀察畫面細節尋找線索，並在戰鬥中使用密教的九字真言施法。不同的魔物對不同的真言有抗性或弱點，多線索解謎和正確取得關鍵道具是推進遊戲的必要條件，對玩家的日文閱讀能力和耐性都是極大考驗。

市場評價方面，因為完美還原原作氣氛、成人傾向濃厚而受到讚譽。評論家認為，它在 8 位元平台上仍能呈現漫畫中血腥與神祕主義交織的視覺效果，風格成熟，極具震撼力。遊戲需要大量閱讀與邏輯推理，使其對海外玩家的難度不亞於動作遊戲。

歷史地位上，《孔雀王》是該漫畫電玩化的起點，後續在 Sega Mark III 與 Super Famicom 上推出更華麗的續作。它成功展現「驅魔」不只是打打殺殺，更包含解開詛咒與探究神話背後的真相。許多玩家最深刻的回憶，是在靜止畫面中突然出現恐怖魔族臉孔的瞬間，以及為了尋找下一個目的地，在密密麻麻的日文攻略本或詢問朋友間翻找的焦急心情。

Pony Canyon released Kujaku Ou (孔雀王) on September 21, 1988, for the Nintendo Famicom. The game is adapted from Makoto Ogino’s wildly popular dark fantasy manga of the same name. While it shares some stylistic similarities with Mr. Vampire, Kujaku Ou dives even deeper into esoteric mythology and modern horror, making it a title that many children of the era found simultaneously frightening and irresistible. It combines text-based adventure elements with command-driven combat, creating a tense and immersive narrative experience.

Technically, the game successfully conveys a dark, oppressive, and mysterious atmosphere. Visually, it relies heavily on first-person static screens, and the enemy designs are meticulous and grotesque, perfectly recreating the twisted demons and divine beings from the manga. The soundtrack enhances this feeling with heavy, ritualistic tones and eerie electronic frequencies. Entering a boss fight or a terrifying scene immediately heightens the tension, demonstrating a sophisticated use of sound for an 8-bit game.

Unlike traditional action games, Kujaku Ou is structured as a command-driven adventure similar to Port Town Serial Murder Case. Players advance the story by selecting commands such as “Look,” “Take,” “Talk,” or “Use talisman,” requiring careful observation of even minor details in the environment.

The plot closely follows the early chapters of the manga. The dark forces known as the “Six Paths” aim to resurrect the Demon King and bring the world to ruin. Players assume the role of Kujaku, the exorcist of Rikuo, and begin by investigating mysterious serial killings. The narrative gradually unveils a vast religious conspiracy, and along the way, players encounter iconic characters such as Asura and Jiku Ajari. The story explores themes of bloodlines, betrayal, and ultimate judgment, with the ultimate goal of preventing the awakening of the Demon King Kujaku Ou, the antithesis of Dainichi Nyorai.

Gameplay revolves around information gathering and the strategic use of esoteric spells. The command selection system requires players to carefully observe the environment, as crucial clues may be hidden in a single stone or painting. In combat, players must employ the Nine Syllables of esoteric Buddhism (臨・兵・闘・者 …) to counter enemies, each of which has resistances or vulnerabilities to specific syllables. Multi-step puzzles and key item retrieval often demand conversations with the correct NPCs, requiring both patience and proficiency in Japanese.

Critics praised Kujaku Ou for faithfully recreating the manga’s atmosphere and for its mature, adult-oriented themes. The game’s visual impact is striking, managing to portray blood, mystery, and occult symbolism within the constraints of an 8-bit console. At the same time, its heavy reliance on Japanese text and logical reasoning made it almost as challenging as many action titles for non-Japanese-speaking players.

Historically, Kujaku Ou marked the beginning of the manga’s video game adaptations. Later sequels on the Sega Mark III and Super Famicom would expand the presentation and mechanics, but this Famicom version laid the foundation, showing that demon exorcism in games could be as much about uncovering curses and mythological secrets as it was about combat. Perhaps the most iconic and terrifying memory for players is encountering a horrifying demon’s face suddenly appear on a static screen—a moment that made searching through Japanese strategy guides or asking friends for hints both necessary and nerve-wracking.