In Japan, "Deadly Towers" was titled Mashō (魔鐘), literally meaning "Evil Bell". It is a pun of the word "mashō" (魔性), meaning "devilishness", and in keeping with this theme, the Japanese cartridge contained a red LED at the top which illuminated when turned on. Irem intended the game's English-language title to be "Hell's Bells", but Nintendo of America refused to issue the game a Nintendo Seal of Quality unless Broderbund changed the name. In North America, it was one of Irem's first titles on the NES, alongside "Spelunker" and "Sqoon".