dracula Archives • The Lifecast Network

31 Nights of Castlevania: Castlevania Legends

October 12, 2017 colin

Castlevania Legends Screenshot

The third and final Game Boy game, Castlevania Legends is an attempt by Konami to tell the true origin of the Belmont family and their first battle against Dracula. The story is arguably the strongest part of the game, but it has some unique gameplay elements.

As far as where it ranks in the Castlevania library? It’s easily one of the better games in the franchise. Being released late into the Game Boy’s lifespan, there are some technical setbacks that keep it from achieving legitimate greatness. Castlevania Legends looks great on a Super Game Boy, though.

Castlevania Legends Screenshot

Castlevania Legends stars Sonia Belmont, the first (and only) female Belmont

Castlevania Legends starts out with a text crawl about a young woman named Sonia Belmont and how she is on a quest to defeat the ultimate evil…problematic protagonist tropes in Castlevania! And Count Dracula.

Castlevania Legends Screenshot

Joking aside, it is great to see a female protagonist in the series and be the (at the time) first Belmont to defeat the Count. The game also does not harp on the fact that she’s a woman either. And for longtime fans of the franchise, Alucard also makes an appearance.

Castlevania Legends Screenshot

Sidebar: there is a fan theory going around about the ending (scroll to #4, but spoiler warning), that could have been fodder for future titles.

How’s the rest of Castlevania Legends?

Castlevania Legends is quite a lot of fun to play. Controls are simple and responsive and luckily, the slowdown is minimal. The whip-based combat is back, as is the ability to upgrade it to shoot fire out of it.

One of Sonia’s abilities is the ability to absorb the souls of bosses, called Soul Weapons. The Soul Weapons allow her to heal herself, increase attack power, or hit every enemy on screen. Sonia can also enter Burning Mode where, at the cost of some hearts, she can become indestructible and have can deal heavy damage. Combined with these abilities, Sonia is a total badass. It also makes the game much easier than most.

Castlevania Legends Screenshot

On the other hand, the game’s graphics are very “meh”. Backgrounds aren’t as detailed as they were in Belmont’s Revenge. Playing it on the Super Game Boy is needed because at least some color is given to the game.

Castlevania Legends Screenshot

It doesn’t help the levels aren’t super well-designed either. While the branching paths are a nice addition, there just isn’t much worth exploring when it all looks the same after a while.

Castlevania Legends stands as a solid 3-star entry to the long-running series about killing Dracula. Sonia Belmont’s abilities are truly unique amongst her successors, and it’s a shame she never returned for a sequel. As far as action handheld games go, you can do a whole lot worse than Castlevania Legends.

Castlevania Legends Screenshot

31 Nights of Castlevania: Castlevania: Dracula X

October 10, 2017 colin

Castlevania: Dracula X Screenshot

Castlevania: Dracula X is another red-headed stepchild in the series. It is often unfavorably compared to Rondo of Blood, and to be fair, Dracula X takes a lot from it including characters, music, etc. When the game was announced, fans expected it to be a SNES port of the PC Engine game.

Sadly, we ended up with a flawed, but overall good, Castlevania title. A lot of what made Rondo of Blood great is still in the package, but there’s more than a few cons that bring it down.

Castlevania: Dracula X Screenshot

Castlevania: Dracula X isn’t exactly a port or a remake…

Dracula X stars Richter Belmont (Author’s Note: My personal favorite out of all the Belmonts, to be honest…) once again, as Dracula has risen again and has taken over Transylvania and has kidnapped his girlfriend…blah blah blah. The story is an all too well-traveled road. However, that is just the beginning of the issues.

The game doesn’t have anime-inspired cut scenes and characters are completely cut from the story. Level design, while pretty good in the sense that it focuses on platforming rather than straightforward combat, is very OK. There is also a complete lack of open-ended levels and you cannot play as Maria. Much of this can be chopped up to the SNES’ limitations, though.

Castlevania: Dracula X Screenshot

Worse yet, Richter doesn’t have the same mobility he did in Rondo of Blood making this game rather slow. However, it’s not all bad.

Dracula X takes parts of Rondo of Blood and makes it a whole new experience. There are different levels and bosses and the remixed music sounds fantastic.

Castlevania: Dracula X Screenshot

The SNES doesn’t have the graphics or sound capabilities the PC Engine does, but Dracula X does hold its own against a superior console. Seriously, the fire effects in the first stage are nice to look at. The whip sounds are also, strangely enough, nice to hear. Dracula X might have some of the best sound design in the entire series.

Gameplay is simplistic but still as satisfying as ever. Ritcher’s whip gets the job done, as well as his Item Crash technique. The Item Crash now takes up hearts instead of health and it’s much easier to pull off.

Castlevania: Dracula X turns up the difficulty to 11

Castlevania: Dracula X’s biggest flaw is its monstrous difficulty. Richter’s backflip, which was previously useful in Rondo of Blood, now has a huge emphasis placed on it. Getting hearts from candles almost becomes a chore because some are placed high above Richter’s head. Boss fights also focus on it, which is strange considering how sluggish the game can be.

Count Dracula is also a significantly difficult boss fight, but more so than usual. Instead of one plane to fight on, Richter has to constantly jump all over the place in order to avoid Drac’s attacks. Oh, this game also reintroduces the infamous “knock-back” from the first game.

Castlevania: Dracula X Screenshot

If fans were to rank Dracula X in the whole series, it would probably be head-and-shoulders above the “bad” titles of the series, but fall just short underneath Bloodlines and other 16-bit entries. By all means, not a terrible game, but a very, very generic Castlevania experience.

31 Nights of Castlevania: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

October 9, 2017 colin

Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo Screenshot

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood is the only Castlevania to be released for the PC Engine CD. It was also a Japanese only release until the compilation the Dracula X Chronicles for the PSP and the official release on the Nintendo Wii’s Virtual Console.

It was worth the wait, because what a game Rondo of Blood is. Konami took full advantage of the system’s sound capabilities and managed to show off some stylish cutscenes as well. Rondo of Blood may not have the graphical tricks and whip controls of Super Castlevania IV, but the overall package is a fantastic one.

Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo Screenshot

A new Belmont takes on Dracula in Rondo of Blood
Players will take control of Richter Belmont, the latest member of the Belmont clan to wield the Vampire Killer whip. One aspect of Rondo of Blood players will take note are the graphics. Not just with the creepy intro and anime-styled cutscenes, but with the game itself. It’s a well-animated game, as backgrounds will also have a life to them.

Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo Screenshot

Enemies won’t have just one walk cycle, but will sometimes disintegrate or break down after being attacked. Richter himself is also animated in his confident idle pose. There is just as much color as seen in the SNES games, but the graphics are not quite as crisp. Regardless, Rondo of Blood is a nice game to look at.

Richter is not the only playable character, as the little girl Maria Renard joins him. Maria uses cutesy animals as weapons and is actually pretty fun to play as. Their initial meeting is actually pretty humorous.

Controls are back to the usual two-button format and the awkward jumps are back. Not to mention, Richter doesn’t know how to whip in all different directions. However, he does know a backflip which helps dodge enemies. He also has the Item Crash attack in which, at the cost of a few hearts, he will create a super attack based on a particular item.

Level design is not just linear, as each stage has more than a few exploration options. Richter is not only looking to defeat Dracula, but also rescue is girlfriend and other maidens. Rondo of Blood’s levels are huge and has a similar branching path system seen in Dracula’s Curse, except done in a more organic manner.

Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo Screenshot

Every stage is well designed too. The opening stage in the burning village, the clock tower, and rest of the castle are actually fun to play in. There is a lack of adventure feeling, but it’s still a great experience.

Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo Screenshot

To complete this phenomenal game, the soundtrack is superb. The addictive sounds of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood are a unique mix of original music and classic Castlevania tunes. Combined with some crisp voice work from the characters, and this is easily one of the best sounding games.

Challenge is a bit high but does not bring down Rondo of Blood
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood brings the controls brought back to basics, which actually creates a lot of challenge in the game. Enemy’s attacks will send Richter flying back and precision jumping is a lot more difficult. His backflip may not help too much in certain situations as well.

Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo Screenshot

Enemies and bosses are also in complete defense mode and are borderline merciless in some stages. For example, the knights in the clock tower and dragon heads take a lot of hits, regardless if the player is using Maria or Richter. It’s nowhere near as brutal as its SNES counterpart Dracula X, but it will cause a few broken controllers. Especially in the later stages.

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood succeeds in being a fantastic Castlevania game because of its impressive levels and gameplay. It also manages to capture the horror atmosphere well with the soundtrack and graphics, despite being on a unique system. Its bizarre spikes in difficulty may turn players off and the true lack of any major gameplay changes may turn fans off. However, sticking through it, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood stands head and shoulders above many entries in the series and can be considered one of the best.

31 Nights of Castlevania: Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse

October 5, 2017 colin

Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse is the series’ triumphant return to form. Instead of the adventure/RPG format, it’s back to platforming. Konami added a few twists and features to make this particular vampire-slaying adventure feel fresh. The majority of Dracula’s Curse is fantastic, carrying on the series’ trademark style and difficulty.

Although, the difficulty gets way too carried away in Dracula’s Curse. It gets to the point where the game comes off as an arduous, mind-numbing chore rather than a challenging video game. If you’re willing to accept the difficulty, then Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse is easily one of the best in the series and one of the NES’ best action platformers.

Castlevania III pulls a George Lucas and is a prequel to the series
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse stars Simon’s predecessor Trevor Belmont and his quest to stop the evil Count Dracula. The intro to the game starts out with scrolling text, detailing the evil Dracula brings to Transylvania. It’s a great way to start, and there’s even a brief cutscene of Trevor getting ready to fight evil.

The presentation of Dracula’s Curse is first-rate. Konami pushed the limits of the NES hardware, making the third game the most diverse, in terms of graphics. The colors really stand out, but keeping in line with the spooky atmosphere.

For most of the game, Trevor must travel to the castle where Dracula is living, by going through graveyards, clock towers, forests and pirate ships. Besides the variety of interesting settings, Dracula’s Curse introduces a branching path system. Players are given a choice to go a certain way in the game.

Players are also given the option of recruiting secondary characters. Grant is a pirate who can walk on walls. Sypha, a mage who can wield magic and is also the first female playable Castlevania character. Finally, there is Alucard, Dracula’s own son. Alucard can turn into a bat and fly over enemies.

These elements, combined with tight and masterful gameplay, top notch level design, boss fights with classic monsters and a near-perfect soundtrack, it’s not hard to see why many gamers consider Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse to be the best of the NES trilogy. However, it has one major flaw.

The difficulty spike is a stake right to the heart of the player
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse has a difficulty curve resembling a 90-degree angle. The regular levels are difficult but still fair.

Once Trevor and the Isle of Misfit Vampire Hunters reach Dracula’s castle, it feels like the player just ran into a brick wall. Head first. Repeatedly. Floors will crumble beneath you and enemies are out in full force. If the player has not recruited Alucard than the game is just about over at this point. The boss fight against Dracula is borderline impossible, cheap and unfair. Not to mention, he has three grotesque forms this time around. The player has to not be touched once by his two previous forms to even stand the slightest chance against him. It’s common to cheat and use the infamous HELPME code.

It’s an enormously unnecessary quick bend in difficulty that brings Dracula’s Curse down from legitimate greatness. It’s still a solid game, almost a total package. However, any gamer should be prepared for one of the most frustrating final thirds of any game in the NES library.

31 Nights of Castlevania: Vampire Killer

October 2, 2017 colin

Released not too far off from the first game, Vampire Killer is not just a port of Castlevania to the Japanese MSX2 computer. Instead, Vampire Killer is a different interpretation by taking on a non-linear approach. Vampire Killer is also a great game to look at, as the MSX2 had more powerful graphics capabilities.

Starring Simon Belmont on his one of many quests to defeat Dracula, Vampire Killer is an “okay” to the long-running series. There are more than a few major shortcomings that make Vampire Killer mostly known by Castlevania purists.

And it was only released in Japan and Europe.

But first… the good stuff about Vampire Killer
Booting up Vampire Killer (Author’s note: or emulating it in my case…) the first thing players will notice are the graphics. There is a great mix of colors and textures. For example, the trees look like trees and the castle’s architecture is well-detailed. It’s a nice lookin’ Castlevania game.

There is also a focus on exploration and, shockingly enough, melee combat. There are seven stages in the game, and each of them are non-linear. Simon can wield swords, shields, and maces to help combat zombies and other monsters. Since there are several weapons that need to be found, it gives the player a chance to see the game from a different point of view. In a strange way, Vampire Killer has more in common with Metroid than the first game.

Now…the bad stuff of Vampire Killer
Exploring seems pretty cool, right? Unfortunately, Vampire Killer’s exploration schtick is that: a gimmick. Once the player knows where everything is, it’s no longer fun. Plus, the levels aren’t that big to really be explorable. Also, since the MSX does not have the scrolling features of the NES, Vampire Killer moves at a sluggish pace.

This has the game varying in difficulty, as Simon does not have any real momentum to combat his enemies. Also, Dracula is almost a joke of a final boss fight with how painstakingly slow he moves.

Dracula does look pretty cool though…
Image courtesy of the Castlevania Dungeon.

Also, the music is downright awful. The chintzy rendition of “Vampire Killer” is not terrible, but it is skin-crawling. And considering how the MSX produced classic tunes from the early Metal Gear games, it’s not like the computer couldn’t not create some decent music.

By all means, Vampire Killer is not a bad game. It does, however, suffer from incredibly awkward controls and a difficulty curve that resembles a person’s nervous system. Also, it’s biggest difference is only skin-deep. However, much like Simon’s Quest, Vampire Killer is almost like a precursor to the Metroidvania phase of Castlevania.