Platform: NES
Published: 1986
REVIEW BY RICHARD FOX (Admin)
Castlevania was released before I was even born so I probably do get a little bit of slack for not playing it at the time. There is a real tragedy that I waited so long though as it truly is a masterpiece, I love it.
The Game
The game basically is you playing as Simon Belmont, you begin the game entering Dracula's castle gate and you jump straight into the action. You walk through the gates and through the courtyard and as the drawbridge hits shut, you know that shit is about to go down!
You are greeted immediately by ghouls running towards you but you luckily have Simon's trademark whip to fend them off, the initial part of the game is a nice introduction to get used to a couple of easy enemies but I did take a few hits by some crazy, big, black cats when they started charging at me.
You collect power ups to increase the power and length of your whip and also can obtain a secondary weapon as the game progresses.
Now I don't want to go through scene by scene as it would take forever but each level is easily identifiable from the last but at the same time remains consistent with the overall design of it being Dracula's castle.
The Experience
The initial boss is a great, huge bat that you think is the initial incarnation of Dracula but the game wouldn't let you have it that easy, it is simply just that, a great, big, massive bat. Other bosses include Medusa, a couple of Mummies, Frankenstein's Monster, The Grim Reaper and finally, Dracula.
There were a couple of parts that really were insanely hard, for example when you are on your way to fight The Reaper, there is just so much shit you have to deal with, things are flying at you from all over the place and you need to get yourself a good rhythm going or you are well and truly done for. When you do finally get to The Reaper himself, he will definitely take a few of your lives off you. The other bosses before him were fairly beatable but to me, this is the first proper challenge, the build up and the boss here almost make you want to give up, but perseverance and that rhythm are key.
Dracula himself is an absolute menace. He caned me countless times but I finally knocked that bastard's head clean off... game over... nope! He came back as a giant white hairy beast and absolutely destroyed me. This one boss must have taken me at least an hour to beat, luckily I stocked up on plenty of hearts (ammunition) for my holy water (secondary weapon) and was able to put him away.
The last scene see's you watching on as the castle crumbles into rubble. Leaving you with a great feeling of accomplishment.
Overall
As I said above, loved it. It is somewhat bittersweet because the game was great but I think it will be the benchmark going forward and I will need to try and refrain from making it my basis of comparison on future looks.
The graphics for the time would have been superb, I still enjoy them now, you really get that gloomy feel of the castle and the controls are pretty good. Stairs are a bit of a bugger to master however and the knockback when you get hit makes the game much harder. In closing, if you haven't already, play it.
8.5/10
The Game
The game basically is you playing as Simon Belmont, you begin the game entering Dracula's castle gate and you jump straight into the action. You walk through the gates and through the courtyard and as the drawbridge hits shut, you know that shit is about to go down!
You are greeted immediately by ghouls running towards you but you luckily have Simon's trademark whip to fend them off, the initial part of the game is a nice introduction to get used to a couple of easy enemies but I did take a few hits by some crazy, big, black cats when they started charging at me.
You collect power ups to increase the power and length of your whip and also can obtain a secondary weapon as the game progresses.
Now I don't want to go through scene by scene as it would take forever but each level is easily identifiable from the last but at the same time remains consistent with the overall design of it being Dracula's castle.
The Experience
The initial boss is a great, huge bat that you think is the initial incarnation of Dracula but the game wouldn't let you have it that easy, it is simply just that, a great, big, massive bat. Other bosses include Medusa, a couple of Mummies, Frankenstein's Monster, The Grim Reaper and finally, Dracula.
There were a couple of parts that really were insanely hard, for example when you are on your way to fight The Reaper, there is just so much shit you have to deal with, things are flying at you from all over the place and you need to get yourself a good rhythm going or you are well and truly done for. When you do finally get to The Reaper himself, he will definitely take a few of your lives off you. The other bosses before him were fairly beatable but to me, this is the first proper challenge, the build up and the boss here almost make you want to give up, but perseverance and that rhythm are key.
Dracula himself is an absolute menace. He caned me countless times but I finally knocked that bastard's head clean off... game over... nope! He came back as a giant white hairy beast and absolutely destroyed me. This one boss must have taken me at least an hour to beat, luckily I stocked up on plenty of hearts (ammunition) for my holy water (secondary weapon) and was able to put him away.
You know the story,
Dracula turns into a mental
beast when beheaded!
The last scene see's you watching on as the castle crumbles into rubble. Leaving you with a great feeling of accomplishment.
Overall
As I said above, loved it. It is somewhat bittersweet because the game was great but I think it will be the benchmark going forward and I will need to try and refrain from making it my basis of comparison on future looks.
The graphics for the time would have been superb, I still enjoy them now, you really get that gloomy feel of the castle and the controls are pretty good. Stairs are a bit of a bugger to master however and the knockback when you get hit makes the game much harder. In closing, if you haven't already, play it.
8.5/10
I played this at 13 and back then it was one of the best games I've ever seen. And it comes with proper music, not just beeps and blurps. Music that eventually became signature tunes of the gaming world.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, one of the best soundtracks of it's time. Still fondly remembered and, as you said, has quite rightly become a signature tune to many.
DeleteMany thanks for your comment. Much appreciated - RF