Castlevania: The Retrospective Part 2

Exploring Konami's horrific legacy from Belmont's Revenge to Dracula X!

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» Part 5

Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge (released in 1991 for the Game Boy)

The Story

In 1591, fifteen years after Christopher Belmont defeated Dracula in Castlevania: The Adventure (also for the Game Boy), the vampire hunter prepares to pass the clan’s legacy on to his young son Soleiyu.  But Dracula’s essence has survived the last battle, and he spirits Soleiyu away to use him as a means for his unholy rebirth.  At the same time, four castles appear that Christopher must conquer if he is to save his son from the vile Count.

The Game

Belmont’s Revenge took the elements that defined The Adventure and refined many of them to make a much more balanced game.  Power-ups still upgraded your whip to shoot fireballs.  This time, however, only certain enemies’ attacks downgraded your weapon, making it more of a challenge than a constant headache.  The axe and holy water sub-weapons made a triumphant return after being absent from The Adventure, adding volumes to gameplay.  Ropes still took the place of stairs, but this time you could whip while hanging on and quickly slide down them.  Overall your speed and mobility seemed much improved.  The four castles (Cloud, Plant, Rock, and Crystal) could be taken in any order, and each presented its own unique set of challenges.  Only after defeating all four could you enter Castlevania for the final showdown.  A password feature was also a friendly addition.

In My Opinion

This is an improvement over The Adventure in every way.  While much easier, the action is still solid and the game is simply way more fun.  There is a wealth of creative gameplay.  The rope mechanic is used in very cool ways, like traversing a series of ropes attached to spiked pulleys that regularly switch direction.  Each castle has its own obstacles, from crumbling crystal platforms, to walls of spikes that move in to crush you, to enemy-riddled areas where knocking out candles plunges you into darkness.  As before, the music is stellar, really pushing the Game Boy’s audio capabilities to their limits.  Despite its “primitive” black and white graphics and simple dressings, it’s a wonderful addition to the series with much to enjoy.

Super Castlevania IV (released in 1991 for the SNES, 2006 for the Wii)

The Story

When Count Dracula is resurrected by a cult of evil followers in 1691, Simon Belmont goes forth to destroy him and return peace to Transylvania.  Though the levels and bosses are completely different, this is essentially a retelling of the original Castlevania for the NES.

The Game

Super Castlevania IV really showed off the SNES’s 16-bit capabilities with vastly improved graphics and sound, and with much larger character sprites than previously possible.  Simon could now crack his whip in eight directions, flip it loosely in any direction pressed on the control pad, or simply let it hang as a shield.  The whip-swinging technique also made its first appearance, a central mechanic to the platforming gameplay.   Further adding to your mobility, you could now jump on and off of stairs and crawl under low obstacles.  The game took full advantage of the SNES’s Mode 7 abilities, with such startling effects as huge swinging chandeliers, warping backgrounds, and even an entire room rotating with spiked walls becoming deadly pits below.

In My Opinion

When it comes down to it, Castlevania III had better overall gameplay with its multiple characters, branching pathways, and greater challenge.  That being said, Super Castlevania IV remains a highlight of the series.  The whip-swinging is a fantastic feature that’s a blast to pull off; one wonders why it wasn’t utilized more in the many games to follow.  The 8-directional whipping is also extremely cool, though it makes the game much easier than it probably should be (also not fully utilized later in the series).  Super Castlevania IV oozes atmosphere with superbly gothic visuals, eerie sound effects, and a hypnotizing soundtrack.  The aforementioned Mode 7 sequences, as well as creepy enemies such as translucent ghost dancers and camouflaged leaf spirits, add volumes to the experience.  You almost feel transported to another realm as you stalk through the rivers, graveyards and caves of medieval Transylvania.  This is one entry not to be missed.