Dylan Del Rio
Castlevania Anniversary Collection: Whip It Good
In 1986 Konami released Castlevania on the Nintendo Entertainment system. The game was a 2-D platformer following the vampire hunter Simon Belmont traveling through the titular castle in order to find and kill Dracula, the Lord of the vampires. It was a big hit when it came out and it spawned multiple sequels and spin offs. In fact given the series long history it is actually rather weird that it took this long for a collection to be released. But on May 16, 2019 Konami finally released the Castlevania Anniversary Collection a digital compilation containing eight games from the early days of the series. All of the games in the series are the same mechanically, 2d platformers where the goal is (usually) to get to the end of each stage and beat the boss. The collection adds several little features like save states, borders for each game, and a little e-book detailing the history of the series including original artwork and interviews with some of the people involved. I figured the best way to go over this collection would be to dedicated a paragraph to each game
The original Castlevania is divided into six levels. The main character Simon Belmont is armed with a whip known as the vampire killer which can be upgraded by finding power ups in the level to make it stronger. Each level is littered with candles which can be whipped to receive hearts, whip upgrades, and sub weapons. The sub-weapons consist of a throwing dagger, holy water, an ax, a cross that functions like a boomerang, and a stopwatch that can freeze time for a few seconds. Unlike many other platfomers you have a life bar that can be replenished by finding pot roast in the walls of the castle. The main challenge of the game comes from three things. First off is how Simon controls, for the most part he controls fine with a decent walking speed and wide attack range, the problem comes with jumping. When you jump you are committed to that arc until you hit the ground. So if you jump right into a bone a skeleton throw at you you won’t be able to move or turn in mid air to avoid it. Next there is the knockback. Whenever you get hit, Simon throws himself in the opposite direction and in most situations it will send you plummeting off a pit behind you. The final thing is some of the enemies that move in fast irregular patterns like the medusa heads or the hunchbacks, they move so fast and so sporadically that it’s borderline infuriating. It is a short, hard, but overall fun game that will test your patience at times.
Castlevaina 2: Simon’s Quest follows after Dracula’s defeat in the first game. In his final moments he casted a curse on Simon that would slowly kill him unless he revived him. So Simon set’s out to explore Transylvania to find Dracula’s scattered body parts in order to resurrect him and rid himself of the curse. Gameplay wise Castlevaina 2: Simon’s Quest is rather different from the original. While it controls the same the overall structure is different with Simon traveling from town to town to learn about the location of Dracula’s body parts. Despite being ambitious for the time it falters because of a general lack of direction. Most of the NPCs in the game give advice ranging from not very helpful to borderline gibberish. As a result using a guide is pretty much required if you want to make any progress. There is some fun in the challenges but overall it is hampered with how you are given no clear directions within the game itself.
Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse is a prequel that follows one of Simon’s ancestors, Trevor Belmont on his quest to kill Dracula. Gameplay wise it is similar to the first game with straightforward levels and a variety of sub weapons. Two major changes are the option to choose certain levels and being able to find and recruit three different playable characters to assist Trevor. These three are Grant Danasty, an acrobatic thief who fights with daggers, Sypha Belnades a witch who is a master of magic, and Alucard, Dracula’s estranged son with the ability to transform into a bat and fly. Each of these characters have their own unique abilities and one of the best parts of the game is using a different character to tackle a level. The game is still incredibly difficult and frustrating but the addition of new playable characters also increases the games replayability as each partner has a unique ending.
Despite the title Super Castlevania 4 is less of a sequel and more a retelling of Simon Belmont’s first fight with Dracula. The game is still rather difficult but the control is much more fluid. You can control Simon’s mid air arch and you can whip in multiple directions. Another new gameplay element is the ability to swing around by grappling onto floating rings scattered throughout the castle. The improved control and mechanics are a huge plus and while knockback is still a massive pain the game overall is much more fair in it’s difficulty. This is personally my favorite game in the collection because of all the improvements.
Castlevania: The Adventure follows Christopher Belmont, Simon’s great grandfather setting out to fight Dracula. The game is only four levels long, there are no sub weapons and many of the classic enemies have been replaced by more generic design. The main problem with the game is how slow Christopher moves. This becomes especially annoying when you have to jump across a series of narrow platforms and every time you miss it takes a good ten seconds to start over. While that doesn’t sound bad it stacks over time and becomes borderline rage inducing. Despite the short length it’s a clunky slog with the only positive being the music.
Castlevania II: Belmont’s revenge takes place fifteen years after the events of Castlevania: The Adventure and once again follows Christopher who is thrown back into action after Dracula’s minions kidnap his son. The biggest difference from the other games in the series is you are able to chose which level you want to tackle first, kind of like the Mega Man games. Unlike the first Gameboy Castlevania game Christopher has access to a few subweapons, the holy water and the axes. While the game as a whole is still short it is much better than The Adventure mainly because Christopher moves at a faster pace and the level’s are less focused on jumping on narrow platforms and more long decaying hallways like the mainline games. It isn’t amazing but it is a pleasant surprise compared to the last game.
Castlevania: Bloodlines takes place in Europe during 1917. It follows John Morris and Eric Lecarde, distant relatives to the Belmont family journey across the country to stop Elizabeth Bartley, the niece of Count Dracula who plans on reviving her dead uncle. At the start of the game you are given a choice between the two main characters. John controls exactly like Simon and Trevor in the NES games but is less fluid than Simon in Super Castlevaina 4 he can whip straight up, down in midair, and up diagonally but that’s about it. He is also able to swing from walls by whipping them. Eric fights with a spear which he can also aim above him. He also has the ability to super jump which lets him reach areas John cannot. Another new mechanic is the third weapon upgrade. In all of the other games you could upgrade your weapon twice by finding special items, that is still the case here but there is also a third upgrade which greatly increases your attack and adds a projectile to it as well. However if you are hit once while at maximum power you will lose it and revert to the secondary upgrade. Control wise Bloodlines is between the NES games and Super Castlevania. John and Eric control closer the NES era but a few of the improvements from four are added like more mid air control. One thing very noticeable about the game is the gore. Nearly every enemy that has any skin pours out blood after they die. The first mini boss is a rotting zombie wolf who is reducing to a convulsing mush once he’s killed, there are torture chambers with body parts littered around the room, and harpies get their heads ripped off when they die. It can be rather off-putting but at the same time it helps give the game it’s own identity. It is a rather unique entry in the series and while the frustration of the NES games run through it I think it is one of the highpoints of the collection.
Kid Dracula is a bizarre spin-off of the Castlevania franchise. It takes place thousands of years after the events of the original games and focuses on the titular character waking up from his slumber to fight the demon king Galamoth who threatens to take over the world. The game has a chibi art style and many of the enemies in the game are childlike versions of Castlevania staples like knights and zombies, as well as odd new enemies like chickens and jet powered turtles. The levels are just as odd, ranging from the standard haunted castle, a series of pirate ships, a robot factory, and even New York City complete with the Statue of Liberty. Kid Dracula controls more like Mega man than Simon Belmont and his associates. He can shoot a fireball out of his hand and holding it down will release a charged shot which will kill most enemies and turn them into coins that Kid Dracula can collect. He can use these coins in mini-games that pop up between levels to get extra lives. As you get farther Kid Dracula also gains new abilities from explosive firebombs, the ability to turn into a bat, and being able to walk on the ceiling. It’s an odd game but one I find incredibly enjoyable. It feels like something someone made for fun but at the same time put in as much time and care as most of the other Castlevania games. It is truly a hidden gem of the series.