UNITED STATES—The gaming chronicles with the Super Nintendo system continues this week, but this time as we turn our focus on a game that involves a whip, Dracula, a full moon and got its start on the NES better known as the Nintendo game system. Any clues? I’m referring to “Castlevania,” but in this case “Super Castlevania.” The 1986 version of “Castlevania” was one hard as game people. I remember going weeks trying to defeat this game and when I finally did, I screamed to the heavens because I was so happy.
We had that dreadful sequel, “Simon’s Quest” and “Castlevania III” was quite fun before the big jump to SNES. I love “Super Castlevania” because while NOT the hardest game it is visually one of the best entries into the franchise, just below “Symphony of the Night.” Let’s stop talking about that one right now, because that is literally my top 3 video games of all times and we don’t have enough time to chat about it.
Back to “Super Castlevania,” the game allows our hero to whip his whip around. Yes, it doesn’t just go straight forward. It moves around which is a ton of fun for this fourth entry. This game has some epic visuals and the levels are indeed challenging. As we all know, spikes are our whip-slayers weakest and the mere touching of it will end your demise right away. The biggest challenge of this game is staying alive long enough to face the big bad at the end of each level, there’s about 13 levels to be honest. They get a bit harder when you get to level 11. Yes that stage with that wheel chasing after you as you make your trek to the top of Dracula’s castle can be a challenge to say the least. You have classic villains like Medusa, Frankenstein, the Mummy and a few ferocious others. Be on the lookout for Stage 4 which delivers a challenging stage where the power of that whip is showcased in its entirety America.
There is an opportunity to remember passwords throughout your journey if you want to halt the gameplay and continue later. However, if we’re being honest the game is fairly easy and you should be able to start and finish the game in an hour tops if you’re a true gamer, maybe sooner based on your memory of the ins and outs of each level.
When it comes to villains there are not actual standouts of annoyance beyond the Mummy who you face at the top of the clock tower and that pesky diamond bat. Who knew a bat would be so annoying and difficult to be victorious. Dracula himself is the easiest out of all the “Castlevania” games I have played.
That is the thing that makes “Super Castlevania” so joyful; it’s nostalgic. It brings those memories of your childhood or fun video games flooding back to you as if they never transpired to begin with and an elevated version with spectacular graphics doesn’t hurt either.
Written By Davy Jones
