For today's Retro Review I've decided to dig up an old classic that holds an important place in my gaming history. At the time of it's release this was unlike anything I'd ever seen before, and it went on to spark an entire franchise that fans all around the world still love to this day. The original Castlevania embraced everything spooky, presenting it in a serious manor. From the gothic aesthetic of the levels, to the incredibly catchy music and of course all the creepy enemies that were inspired from old school horror movies. Despite the limitations of the 8-bit hardware the game managed to cultivate a chilling atmosphere, coupled with some solid gameplay, and it certainly struck a chord with me that still resonates. But, does it hold up after all these years? Grab your whip and holy water and let's get into it.
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Castlevania is an action platformer game, developed by Konami, that was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1987. You play as Simon Belmont, a legendary vampire hunter, who's on a mission to destroy the deadly Count Dracula once and for all. This means you'll need to make your way through his castle and defeat all of his minions in order to finally face off against the dark prince. Equipped with Simon's signature whip, and a handful of sub-weapons, it's no easy climb to the top of Castlevania, but on this dark and foggy night you set out to do just that. As with most games on the NES the story here is pretty bare bones. You basically just keep walking to the right until it's time to fight a boss, then move on to the next level.
Later sequels would help to flesh out the overall storyline, adding new characters and gameplay mechanics to build upon this original formula. Castlevania 1 is pretty straightforward though, with very little backstory or dialog. The game is broken down into six levels that each have three stages, making a total of eighteen stages you'll need to get through. It's a very linear experience with no branching paths or alternate routes and at the end of each level there's a boss you must contend with. The enemies and bosses were always a major highlight for me. I thought it was so cool to be fighting against Zombies, Mummies, Frankenstein's Monster and even Death himself in an NES game.
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Each stage is swarming with various enemies that will usually keep respawning if you don't continuously move forward. In the early stages it's not too bad, but it quickly ramps up the difficulty with some tricky platforming sections and some really tough boss fights that can be brutal the first time you encounter them. The first wall you'll probably hit is the fight against Frankenstein's Monster. Then, if you can make it past him, you'll eventually have to deal with the infamous flying medusa head hallway with the armored knights that throw axes at you. Your next challenge will be the fight against Death, one that can be incredibly frustrating, before you finally get to face off with Count Dracula, who's no slouch himself.
These difficulty spikes can feel unfair at first, but overcoming each tough area will fill you with the determination to keep going. This is not an easy game by any means and it requires some practice to get good enough to actually beat it. You can finish Castlevania in a few hours if you know what you're doing, but it will probably take a lot longer to figure it all out the first time through.
Gameplay is fairly basic, which is to be expected from an early NES title, but it's very fun nonetheless. Simon can move left or right, jump, climb stairs and swing his whip straight ahead in whatever direction he's facing. You start off with a leather whip that can be upgraded twice by finding certain items hidden in breakable candles throughout each stage. You also get a handful of sub-weapons that can be thrown at enemies like the holy water, knife, axe and cross. If you can make it to the end of the stage without losing all of your health meter then you move on to the next one, with a boss fight at the end of each level.
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So, in conclusion, does Castlevania still hold up as retro classic? That's an easy question to answer. Yes, of course it does, but it also has some flaws that hold it back from being at the same level as some of the sequels. There's a simplicity with this original game that makes it feel accessible at first, teaching you how the mechanics work, immersing you with fantastic music and atmosphere. Then things gradually ramp up and you're faced with some extremely tough moments that truly test your willpower. The lack of story, difficulty spikes and limited controls definitely make it feel a little dated at times, but this is still an amazingly fun game that laid the groundwork of this beloved series. If you're up for the challenge than I highly recommend giving this a try, especially with Halloween coming up soon. I'm going to give Castlevania a grade of.......
B
Thank you for reading my Retro Review of Castlevania for the NES, I hope you enjoyed it!