Castlevania Appreciation Thread

[Jontendo]

The Angry Video Game Nerd really gave that game the scarlet letter...

I don't know if it's just his fault. He actually said Zelda II was a pretty good game, but that hasn't stopped people on the internet from still shitting on that one.

Nor should it. While generally more trustworthy than a "Seal of Quality", his reviews are far from the final word.

[Flake]

People have been shitting on Zelda II since long before the AVGN touched it. Hell, before it was even released people were skeptical of it. When it got delayed and Nintendo blamed a chip shortage in Canada, criticism began to mount.

Zelda II has always been a game with problems.

[Rurouni_Fencer]

So has anybody been playing any 'Vania lately??

During the holidays, I added this little guy to my collection...


If you're familiar with the Parodius series of shooters, you'll recognize little ol' Kid Dracula there! But you might have been a little unfamiliar with his true origins..

In 1990, Konami Japan released a side-scroller on the Famicom named 'Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun', or 'Demon Castle Special: Kid Dracula'. The story is very basic and involves Dracula's son - Kid Dracula, (or Alucard - if you want to attempt to include this niche title into Castlevania canon,) awoken of a long sleep by a demon named Garamoth who wants to rule the world. Kid Dracula decides to take his father's magical cloak and defeat Garamoth himself.



Does the demon's name sound familiar to you? It shouldn't - if you've played through Symphony of the Night. In that game, Galamoth is the large, two-screen-tall dinosaur creature clad in gold armor that battles Alucard while wielding a scepter. This was an intentional ode to Kid Dracula, and was largely missed by American and European audiences, as gamers outside of Japan didn't officially get a chance to experience this lost NES "Castlevania" title. Konami attempted to expose Western audiences to the Kid in 1993 with a Gameboy remake/sequel simply titled 'Kid Dracula'. But due to a lack of any Castlevania branding whatsoever, the game was largely passed over - and it's a shame!
Kid Dracula is an incredibly fun mix of classic NES platforming, with a heavy dose of MegaMan gameplay for good measure, (charge shots are a-plenty here, as are new attacks/abilities after boss fights!) Add to that Konami's notorious sound effects, visuals, and difficulty curve, and you've got yourself a game that begs the question "Why wasn't this released on the Western NES?!"



I've never really given much thought to collecting Reproduction carts.. But once I saw that they finally translated and made available a physical cart of this game - I'm definitely impressed with the possibilities for my game collection! This gem looks awesome among my other Castlevania titles! Even though, technically, Kid Dracula is to Castlevania what Parodius is to Gradius - a parody series!




Cart - RetroZone
Box - Uncle Tusk at Wal R' Us Games

[Zing]

I have always had in my mind that Super Castlevania IV was the overall best in the series. However, I am playing through it again after not touching it since probably 1994, and I am not as blown away as I remember.

I can see why I was so impressed in the past, but for some reason, the game play just doesn't feel as satisfying as in the NES games. I see the detailed graphics with parallax scrolling, transparencies, and mode 7 tricks. I hear the awesome music. But it just isn't as I remember.

It may just be that the game is so insanely easy. As I said, I haven't touched it in 16 years, yet I was able to get near the end without losing a single life. Then I hit level 8-1 and I remember that this was always the level that ruined my mission to complete the game with no continues. It's filled with cheap one-hit deaths and pits.

[brunoafh]

^ I felt the same way about CV IV after going back to it, but then again, I was never that blown away by it to begin with. CV IV is good, but I think Rondo and Bloodlines are much better 16-bit CV titles.

edit: Nice write-up there Rurouni_Fencer. I've always had interest in that game but have yet to give it a shot.

[Rurouni_Fencer]

I can see why I was so impressed in the past, but for some reason, the game play just doesn't feel as satisfying as in the NES games.

I can understand why a lot of people say this in the 2010+ years.. But everytime I play this game I can't help but remember seeing this game for the first time in 1992 and being blown away..

edit: Nice write-up there Rurouni_Fencer. I've always had interest in that game but have yet to give it a shot.

Thanks brunoafh.. I'd highly recommend it to anyone remotely interested in it.. At least emulate it and give it a try. It's nothing mind-blowing, but as far as forgotten Famicom games go, it's awesome!

[noiseredux]

I've only played the GB port of Kid Dracula myself. But it's so awesome.

[Zing]

I can understand why a lot of people say this in the 2010+ years.. But everytime I play this game I can't help but remember seeing this game for the first time in 1992 and being blown away..

I was still impressed with the level where you can see horses standing in a field through the windows. I always loved the parallax scrolling in this game. The first few moments in the first level when the fence rises from the ground is also awesome.

[Stark]

So has anybody been playing any 'Vania lately?? Picked up I'm Kid Dracula...

Ok, that is awesome! I'm jealous.

[Ziggy]

Yeah, I got Kid Dracula a while back when I picked up a Famicom. It's pretty fun. And IIRC the translated version works on the PowerPak.