Castlevania

Voices of: N/A
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Designer: Akihiko Nagata
Rating: E
Genre: Action-Adventure Platformer
System: NES
1987

Times Completed:
Tim: 1

Summary: Simon Belmont embarks on a dangerous quest to destroy Dracula after the vampire returns 100 years after Simon's ancestors defeated him.

Review:
Tim: I played Castlevania a few times in my youth, but the game was challenging, bordering on unforgiving. I never completed the game. As an adult, I wanted to play through the series- more for understanding the lore and the characters than anything else. Of course, I started with the original NES game. I have to say, it's impressive that Konami started such a tremendous franchise here- so much of the atmosphere, the characters, and the gameplay were present in this first installment.

Now, as I was more interested in experiencing the game than in repeatedly perfecting my skills here, I used multiple saves to advance the game. I've done this in other places and I always want to be transparent. Basically, I'd play a single screen repeatedly, until I finished it with no damage. This game is challenging, but this was the way I approached it. I know it didn't require me to run long stretches perfectly, but I did need to master each individual moment. When I completed the screen flawlessly (or near-flawlessly in some cases), I'd save and continue. This allowed me to actually play the game but progressively move forward. I have no qualms- "true" gamers might not love this approach, but I still played the game and had to do each thing by myself.

For the actual game, it's tough but fun. You play as Simon Belmont, one of the cooler video game characters created. His ancestors in the Belmont clan defeated Dracula 100 years ago, but now the horrifying vampire has returned. So, Simon goes into action. There's 18 different stages you play through. You face a series of monsters- running, flying, causing all kinds of mayhem. The controls themselves are simple yet not especially well-designed. There's a slight delay when you hit a button- it's not a huge adjustment, but you have to learn to preempt the monsters and strike with your whip a half second before you'd normally attack. The levels are really well designed and challenge the player to jump, fight, and search around for food to heal your health. The jumping mechanics are some of the most challenging- a few times I had to restart a dozen or so times to make one tough jump.

The bosses are definitely a treat to play- and some of them are quite challenging. You fight against a giant Vampire Bat, Medusa, several Mummies, Frankenstein's Monster (which was tough!), and the brutally hard Death. I had to try numerous times to defeat the last two bosses. Not easy at all! As I said in the beginning, the game can be truly hard and the bosses really put your skills to the test.

This all leads to the final boss, as you'd expect- Dracula. The King of the Vampires is a real challenge. He has two forms. The game gives you powerful Holy Water right before you start, so having that weapon is critical. Now, when I faced off against Drac, I beat his first form, but I accidentally used up my Holy Water. I was pretty frustrated, because I had to face his more powerful second form. The whole point is that you're supposed to hit him with the Holy Water, he gets stunned, then you go crazy on his head. I wasn't able to do that. I had to play repeatedly to learn his moves, and then defeat him nearly perfectly. That was a crazy battle, but I did it. It felt like a good compromise- I might have "Save Scummed" through the game, but I defeated Dracula's final form without Holy Water! I finished with a final score of 184,800.

Overall, Castlevania is a wonderful game. It's very tough and occasionally frustrating. It throws so much at the players and requires you to really refine your skills. The graphics for the time are great, though. Perhaps the biggest success, though, is that Konami creates a creepy, atmospheric game that is crammed full of monsters and horror icons. Simon Belmont is an amazing character and he faces so much throughout this game. Stepping into his shoes and whipping the heck of out villains is a lot of fun. The music is excellent throughout. This is a well-made game and one of the better-designed ones for the NES.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Game, We Recommend: Castlevania II: Simon's Quest