It is the Summer of Anu, and a hapless Guardian, Jil, has joined his older brother and 3 other adventures to climb the Tower of Druaga. It has been 60 years since King Gilgamesh defeated the evil power of Druaga. The demon has returned and with the Sumer of Anu, a time when the demonic powers are at their weakest, brings with it a drive by both the Army and the crazy climbers to try and take on the tower. This has only happened 3 times since King Gilgamesh conquered the Tower. Our hero does not have a good start and is fired by his brother on the first day. Jil does find another group to travel with and the quest is back on. They all want to defeat the evil Druaga and win the Blue Crystal Rod and get their one wish granted. 

Highlights

The first episode sets the stage for the entire first half of the series. The major characters die off in quick session and Jil defeats Druaga with the help of an unknown temptress. Within 5 minutes the first dies in a rather uneventful series of events and Jil manages to forge ahead. The humor is over the top and every time there was a slight turn of events another main character dies. The ultimate evil was a simple innkeeper with two large butcher knifes. Then all the sudden Jil wakes up and finds himself with all his partners trying to get away from a large pack of demons. The local arm saves them and Jil is fired by his brother. 

The rest of part one is spent climbing the tower and the next best episode is when they come across the first tower and Jil is tricked to into entering it to seek a magic stone table to save Kaaya (his team's oracle). This ends up being an arcade game and the ones outside the tower must control Jil to get to the top and defeat the evil Druaga to gain the magic tablet. There is a serious play on the whole arcade scene of the 1980s and as the episode played out more of the climbers showed up and wanted to play the game. Luckily they had enough coins to get Jil to the top, but he must have died 100 times or more. There is also a funny little snack prize shop next to the game and it becomes a place to party for all the weary climbers. They eventually get bored and move on just as the band of hapless heros finally get Jil to the top.

Overall

Going into this I thought I was going to be treated to a weak, serious homage to an 1984 arcade game. The first episode put me off guard and kept me laughing. I was not sure what to expect and moved on with some measure of reserve. Although the first episode was just a delusional dream of Jil's, the next stretch of episodes did not disappoint. The level of slapstick humor was not at such a breakneck pace, but the quality and level of development was more than enough to keep me coming back for more. 

The real strength to this series is by far its tongue-in-cheek approach to itself. It may have been a popular Namco/Bandai game in the 1980s, but there is no reverence taken toward the franchise and in fact they even take a few great pokes at the game play and the labyrinth/maze platform of the game itself. I was pleased with most of the artwork but found that the CG used in some of the larger Demons could have used more attention to detail, as it was rather weak. 

There is one extra worth mentioning: the alternative first episode. It was not an alternate dream, but the events that were happening while Jil was passed out and it is a plus to the package. It was almost as funny as the episode used, but it is clear why the choice was made to use the one they did. 

I would have to say that The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk part 1 is a wild ride of action, adventure and comedy that is well worth your time. If you are an old gamer and familiar with the franchise you might get more out of the humor, but you do not have to be a gamer to enjoy this. I am looking forward to part 2 and want to find out what will happen next.

ComicsOnline gives The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk part 1 4.5 out of 5 slimy demon dances.