Let’s talk about Simon’s Quest‘s NPCs. Long story short, Transylvania is populated by a bunch of jerks. I get that living in the shadow of a cyclical undead horror bent on conquering the world by transforming humanity into a race of snack-pack slaves can be pretty harrowing, but that’s exactly why you’d assume these guys […]
By far, Mansions represent the point at which Simon’s Quest‘s reach exceeds its grasp. They’re an interesting attempt at spicing up the Castlevania style with something new and different, but they fall short of the mark due to poor design and sheer monotony. If Simon’s Quest mimics the shape of an RPG, Mansions play the […]
So, towns. Simon’s Quest breaks its world, effectively, into three play spaces: Towns, the Transylvanian countryside, and Mansions. Each operates by its own rules, although the general means by which Simon navigates them remains consistent. It’s not like a tactical RPG where you have battlefields, towns, and a world map, each of which you deal […]
Simon’s Quest works, by and large, like Castlevania. You control Simon Belmont. He walks (hobbles) along, whips stuff, uses subweapons, jumps, gets knocked back into pits when he collides with enemies, and seeks to destroy Dracula. The general details are almost indistinguishable at a glance, except now Simon wears dark armor instead of leather. Take […]
Konami tried something bold with Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest. Where the original Castlevania hailed from classic arcade roots, escalating the form with its sensible construction design, beautifully realized sense of space, and logical architectural progression, Simon’s Quest pushed for something more akin to a role-playing game. This approach wasn’t without antecedent! Around the same time […]
GameSpite Journal 12 may be the biggest Donkey Kong rip-off this side of Monkey Donkey. Nevertheless, the coupon code WONDERFUL will net you 15% off through August 31 on our Blurb store. Congo Bongo certainly wears its influences on its sleeve; I would be hard pressed to tell you that’s not Donkey Kong on the cabinet art if it […]
I was reading Tomato’s Super Mario Bros. Legends of Localization series when I suffered a random memory. Back when I was a kid, a friend of mine bought The Legend of Zelda, and we’d hang out and play it together from time to time. Midway through the game you begin encountering dungeon monsters called Bubbles. […]
This is the end, my friend. Funnily enough, the last level of Castlevania turn out to be less difficult than you’d expect — certainly much less difficult than it would seem on paper. Or maybe these stages just seem that way, since you only have to make it through two stages, and the boss doesn’t […]
After the unevenness of the fourth area, Castlevania‘s fifth set of stages picks up the pace with a challenging level trio that make use of all the skills a player has acquired to date and tells a concrete visual narrative in the process. After having re-entered the castle through the catacombs (or whatever) and defeating […]
I’m sorry to say it, but the fourth area of Castlevania is easily the game’s low point, both literally and metaphorically. After spending the entirety of stages 07 through 09 making a precarious walk over high, crumbling bridges and desperately trying to avoid allowing Simon to be knocked to his death by falling, you begin […]
So this is where Castlevania gets mean. The Medusa Heads seemed maddening, but they were really just a warm-up for what’s to come. After the first two level sets, you’ve come to terms with the core mechanics of the game and hopefully found the “rhythm” by which Castlevania works. So, now the game completely destroys […]
I just realized that in writing about the level design of Castlevania, I have inadvertently ripped off Glass Knuckle’s A Critical Look At Mega Man Stages thread. I am a talentless hack. But you already knew that, I assume. Image cropped from neoseeker.com With its second set of stages — each level in Castlevania comes divided […]