My review for this week is:
Castlevania
July 1, 2002
Week 3
Okay, it's ANOTHER side-scrolling platform game, but Castlevania
is one of the better titles among this saturated genre. This title
spawned a host of sequels for numerous systems, but the original
is still a fun diversion here in 1998.
The plot is simple -- kill Dracula -- but at least we're not being
asked to save yet another princess. As the brave Simon, you must
battle your way through the halls of Dracula's castle, whip in hand,
fighting bats, zombies, fishmen, floating medusa heads, and numerous
other baddies. Along the way you will discover a variety of weapon
power-ups, as well as heart-energy tokens needed to activate some of
them.
Graphics 8 out of 10
There were too many side scrollers for the NES, and it's hard to give
too
much praise to a game which uses the same perspective we've all seen
a hundred times before. Still, the characters in Castlevania are all
well
animated and fairly detailed, and the Gothic backgrounds create an
excellent sense of mood. Most levels scroll horizontally, and the scenery
is diverse enough that it doesn't become monotonous. The monsters
generally look pretty good; the fishmen look nicely Lovecraftian, and
the shambling undead look reasonably scary. Everything just seems to
fit into the mood nicely.
Sound 7 out of 10
Above-average music; catchy, upbeat tunes add an air of tension and
excitement to the game. A more somber, darkly ambient soundtrack
might have suited the game better, but what's there still works
nicely - it just aims towards being exciting rather than scary.
Control 8 out of 10
A big part of the fun of this title comes from the flawless, responsive
control of the title character. Simon can duck, jump, climb stairs,
whip,
and use one of several special items (Up + B) ranging from thrown axes
to a magic stopwatch which freezes enemies in their tracks.
Gameplay 8 out of 10
Castlevania definitely excels in this area; it is easy to get into
the game, yet there is enough diversity to keep it fresh over time.
Numerous secrets encourage careful exploration of the levels. The
variety of special weapons makes a lot of interesting strategies
possible (should Simon try to dart through a quickly moving trap, or
find the time-stop power which will make it easier to pass?)
From level to level, the focus changes from fighting to jumping to
exploring, so it's not always the same thing all the time. The bosses
are pretty easy (at least the first few - I haven't finished the entire
game) but still challenging. The difficulty curve is nicely paced,
so
you are always challenged, yet rarely overwhelmed. Even if you've
mastered an area, there's still secrets to go and find.
Overall 8 out of 10
A very solid, well designed platformer with lots of variety and a
nicely consistent sense of mood. It's just fun to move Simon around
and use his whip. There's enough variety of scenery and gameplay to
keep fans of this type of game interested for quite a while.
