Nostalgia Game Review: Castlevania

In this installment of Nostalgia Game Review, I'm going to review another game in a series I've never tried before: Castlevania. It takes Simon Belmont on a journey to abolish Dracula and his castle for good. Along the way, he collects sub-weapons and fights monsters such as Frankenstein, mummies, and Medusa. Simon also collects hearts to fuel his sub-weapons and wall meat (you read that right) to fuel his health.

The premiere game of the series was quite fun, packing a variety of sub-weapons to use and enemies to fight. They range from a cross that acts as a boomerang to holy water that can stun enemies and bosses (it is very helpful in this game). The game is also challenging, which is a hallmark among Konami games. This is especially true when you get to Dracula himself and his second form. The game will truly test everything you got, leaving you cussing like a sailor. The gothic feel of this game gives it that perfect feel of classical horror, which is apparent in the boss music.

There are some gripes that I have with this game. One, there are certain things you can't do in this game (which has been mentioned in the Nintendo Life review of Castlevania). For example, you can only whip from the front and you can only climb up the stairs by pressing up. Granted, that isn't a bad thing in some cases. However, not pressing up to climb the stairs can lead you to aimlessly wander off the ledge to your death. You also cannot change your jump in mid-air. Once you have made your jump, you're committed to that jump. That can be problematic, especially when you're in a heated boss fight. This is also true for the controls, which can stick at times.

Overall, the game is a great challenge to try. You may have a few problems with the mechanics of the game and the insane difficulty. However, don't let that deter you from giving Castlevania a go!