NoJoTo sorry for not cooperating exactly. hopefully it’s ok, I want to take part and post here, but I’m not really following the rules at all aside for the fact I’m playing spooky ones this month. I have beaten a different castlevania game every day or two, in chronological order. Japanese version on original hardware.
Akumajou Dracula - everything has already been said about this one. I like it the most of all the 8-bit games. I’ve been playing it and practicing for years, but never beat Dracula until now.
Dracula II - skipped this one
Akumajou Densetsu - a lot of people consider this to be the best, and it’s a lot of fun for sure but it can sometimes feel more like Wai Wai World 2 with the extra characters and sometimes more goofy looking enemies. Music was great, still a great game. I wanted to only use Belmont and Alucard, and it became pretty not fun at times. also introduces a peeve of mine, which is that I only have so much patience for the lead-up journey to the castle. In this game, 2/3rds is the journey to the castle. I play these games for the castle, give me the castle. It was cool that you can dip into the clock tower at the very beginning, but disappointing that it disconnects from the castle keep.
So I’ll admit I didn’t actually beat Akumajou Densetsu. I got to the last boss and felt screwed for using belmont to fight it. Feels like you practically need to use Sypha. It also bothers me that it’s not the classic style dracula fight. I worked so hard to get here, just let me kill dracula the predictable way, with a new twist!! I may come back to it, but it’s not my favorite….
Akumajou Dracula (Super Famicom) - I’d never played this one much, but I’d listened to the soundtrack a lot. I’d been saving it to play when I was ready. It’s a great example of a AAA release of the 16-bit era and the first year of the SNES, giving gamers exactly what they wanted at the time and breaking new ground graphically. I noticed it has a lot in common with Ganbare Goemon 1. The Super Metroid comparison is apt, I wish there was a full nonlinear explorative game with this engine. The controls took some getting used to but it’s very satisfying to pull off diagonal whips. Had no idea that the first boss in symphony of the night originally was the penultimate boss in this game.
Akumajou Dracula X68000 - I’ve played this one a whole lot in the past, so I was ready. It makes more sense coming off the heels of Super Castlevania. I began to see how each successive installment in the series at this time was trying to one up the last one, and by a different team each time. Well X68000 is my favorite linear castlevania game. You start right out at the castle gates, just how I like it. It has one of my favorite soundtracks and makes great use of every main theme from the previous four games.
The castle is true to the original architecturally but also includes way more details, variances, and expansions upon the original that make sense and are a blast to play through. The playroom, hall of mirrors, army barracks, clock tower were all really cool. The worst stage and only one I complain about is the one with Bloody Tears playing. The fact Frankenstein isn’t a full boss but a single unique and imposing enemy was really cool. Tons of graphical eye candy and cool effects.
I think one is the most underrated. The controls are much tighter than Super Castlevania, you won’t be accidentally flailing your whip around, but it’s just as satisfying to whip diagonally and straight downward in the air– arguably even more useful here too! Enjoying this game has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had with an action game.
It seemed really difficult at first, but there’s a trick to everything, maybe I just got really good though, because it doesn’t seem so hard to me anymore, I even played through Original Mode difficulty! I actually did three playthroughs, one with each of the three original x68000 soundtracks. Having an FM soundtrack on top of the others is the best of both worlds! Again, people tend to complain about this one, but I think it’s among the most beautiful and just as much of a precursor to symphony of the night as Dracula X is. The castle is just so beautiful and intricately designed!
Reviews of Akumajou Dracula X Chii no Rondo, Vampire Killer, and Nocturne in the Moonlight will come later
other games from your spooky list I may get around to playing in no particular order:
- Makai Mura series & Red Arremer: Makaimura Gaiden
- Splatterhouse & Wanpaku Graffiti
- Fester’s Quest fan patch that makes it more fair
- Genpei Touma Den
- Pocky & Rocky
