Castlevania
System: NES
Release Date: May 1987
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Genre: Platformer
Big time thanks to Konami for releasing Castlevania on NES! Here’s a great game that I have plenty of memories of as a kid. You are Simon Belmont and your quest is to destroy the Curse of the Evil Count Dracula. Always at your side is your trusty magic whip, which upgrades into a morningstar. Crack your way through 18 stages of undead enemies as you make your way to the Master of the Castle.
Simon can walk left or right. He can also jump up, left, or right with the A Button. He can also crack his whip in either direction with the B Button. Simon’s greatest weapons, however, are the special weapons he can find on each level and unleash with up + the B Button. The dagger flies straight ahead to eliminate enemies at a distance further than the whip can provide. The axe is a powerful weapon that shoots in an arc. The watch stops time for three seconds, so you can pass a tough area. The fire bomb (holy water) that burns enemies and leaves a fire on the ground for a moment. And the cross boomerang, that flies forward, then comes back toward Simon.
In order to use your special weapons, you need to collect hearts. Hearts, as well as weapons, money bags, and other items, are hidden in wall lamps strewn about each stage. You can also occasionally get drops from killing enemies, which can make all the difference. A couple powerups that you think would be helpful, but aren’t, are the invisibility potion, which gives you a few seconds of invincibility, and the cross pendant, which clears the screen of enemies. Unfortunately, they are placed in lamps that are in less than useful places. A couple super helpful powerups are the double and triple shot. These allow you to use multiple special weapons. And don’t forget the pot roast! Healing life is always helpful when you find them.
Simon starts stage 1 outside Dracula’s Castle and works his way through the castle. Every three stages is a boss. The Phantom Bat guards the entrance to the castle, he’s easy with the axe.. You then move onto the Chapel, which introduces everyone’s least favorite enemy, the flying Medusa Head. These constantly spawning flying heads will be the bane of your existence. Until you figure out not to panic, they’ll knock you back at the worst time, typically into a pit. The boss here is the Queen Medusa.
Next up is the castle’s Skywalk featuring the annoying flea enemy, crows, and plenty of jumping over bottomless pits. The stage ends with a fight against two mummies. These guys are a pushover if you have the holy water. You can stand on the platform and rain fire down. Then you get dumped into the catacombs of the castle and have to fight your way up. The eagles that carry fleas can be quite annoying and you have to watch out for the skeletal dragons connected to walls. You finish this stage grouping off against Frankenstein & Igor. Again, these guys are super easy if you still have the holy water.
You’re on to the last two stage groupings. The first looks to be the Castle’s dungeon, with corroded cell doors and skeletons. Next, you have to worry about black knights, who throw axes and take several hits to kill and red skeletons, who crumble when you whip them, but quickly come back to life. The boss here is Dracula’s good friend, Death. I had a ton of trouble with him, apparently I was bad with the holy water. I tried later with the axe and was finally able to kill him right away. The last area takes you through Dracula’s clock tower. Lots of eagles carrying fleas in close quarters to annoy you.
The final battle is against Dracula himself. He has two forms. The first appears around randomly and you only have a quick moment to attack his head before he throws a few fireballs. This first fight took me forever, until I decided to stop relying on the special weapons, take my time, and whip him, then the fireballs. He hits you for a quarter of your health, so you don’t have a lot of room to make mistakes. The second form was a pushover with the holy water that is provided for you in the left lamp. You stun him with the holy water and then whip him to death.
Then the castle collapses and you’re treated to the credits. Great play! Want to keep going? You start again and can keep going!
Graphics: 3.5
The graphics are great, if a bit dull on the color front. That’s the only knock I can give.
Sound: 4.0
The first 4.0! Konami really knew how to craft great sound very early on in their NES development.
Gameplay: 3.0
The gameplay is great, but has room for improvement. If Simon could turn around in a jump and whip behind him, that would be amazing. As well as whipping up, down, and diagonally.
Difficulty: 3.5
This is a great level of difficulty for a game. My only real knocks are the medusa heads, which are incredibly cheap, especially when you’re young.
Fun Factor: 4.0
This is a game that you can go back to time and time again.
Overall Grade: 3.6
Castlevania earns an A- and is the best game on NES up until this point. It’s going to take awhile for this to be dethroned, I think. Go play this now!