Castlevania on NES. It was a great game. And it goes to prove, that just because a game is hard, that doesn't mean it's bad. But then came its unholy successor, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. Consisting of a bunch of riddles that you have a snowball's chance in a fire of solving, constant grinding for hearts, outrageous platforming, three ultra-easy bosses, and a castle with nothing in it. The only upside to that waste of plastic was the music. Then came the real Castlevania II, Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. This game was full of innovative features like character swapping, and being able to choose your own path that made it better than the first game without alienating the series at all. This marked the end of a remarkable trilogy of games. But believe it or not, we weren't done with these games. No, there was yet another game in the series, now on Super Nintendo. And it wasn't just "Castlevania IV", no, it was SUPER Castlevania IV, and well deserving of that name.Why am I telling you stuff that you already know? I have no idea. Probably just to build up suspense, I guess. *sigh* Let's just start the game already.Story
There really isn't much to say about the story. It's exactly the same for most of the series. Dracula has been resurrected, and Simon has to stop him. However, this category does gain some amount of points for having an awesome cutscene at the beginning. But still, this stays at a six, for lack of originality. This would be a little more understandable if this were NES, but this is SUPER NES! This is 16-bit we're talking about!
GameplayFor me, gameplay always trumps story. These are video GAMES. If I can't enjoy PLAYING them, then they have failed their purpose. Well, that's what stage 5 of the first game was: Irritatingly difficult, and not fun to play. Don't get me wrong, the first game was good, but it had no idea when enough was enough. Gameplay was greatly improved with this game. You were restricted to whipping in front of you previously, and there was no going back when you jumped. Here, however, you can whip in five different directions! Eight in the air. If you hold the attack button and move the d-pad in all directions, you can use your whip as a shield, sort of. They still need to fix the issue with the hearts, though.Graphics and Sound
Even for a game on the Super Nintendo, Super Castlevania IV was very well designed. The graphics really catch that Castlevania atmosphere, and if you look closely, you can see just how much detail they put into it, right down to the first screen. The music is among the best I've heard on SNES, even rivaling Chrono Trigger and Super Metroid. I love the sound effects. It's so realistic. Listen to the leather whip sound. Sounds pretty weak, doesn't it? Well, that's what it is! Weak! But upgrade to the chain whip, and listen to its sound. That really captures how much more powerful it is than the leather whip.
Addictiveness
*plays Castlevania*
Grrrrr...! I will beat this game if it's the last thing I ever do!
*plays Castlevania II: Simon's Quest*
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
*plays Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse*
Ugh! This game is impossible! I give up!
*plays Super Castlevania IV*
I don't believe what I'm seeing! A Castlevania game that's fun to play, for extended periods of time!
Depth
^^^ That's how much more work was put into it. It follows a really linear style, so there's not much to do except follow the path. But this game is still pretty long, so you definitely can't beat it in one sitting (unless somehow you're even more obsessed with video games than I am).
Difficulty
Okay, that statement just now was definitely true. Because a Castlevania game is always known for having a massive amount of difficulty. You'll die so much from falling, that you'll eventually forget that the game has a LIFE BAR. Don't worry, it's easier than the NES games. But it's still pretty hard. But no more cheap shots from those Medusa Heads and Ravens. If you die, you can't say that the game is cheating. You know, come to think of it, Konami games tend to be pretty difficult. There's Castlevania, Contra, Gradius, and Metal Gear Solid. For a company whose name translates to "little south beauty", these certainly don't seem like beautiful games to me! At least, not in terms of difficulty.
Conclusion
There is lots to get from this game. Although it's extremely linear, it's well worth the 15 Viz it costs in the Retro Game Room. It's incredibly detailed. It's atmospheric. It plays well. And it's even fairly challenging. If you're looking for a hard game, but want it to be fun, this is a game for you. Castlevania on NES. It was a great game. And it goes to prove, that just because a game is hard, that doesn't mean it's bad. But then came its unholy successor, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. Consisting of a bunch of riddles that you have a snowball's chance in a fire of solving, constant grinding for hearts, outrageous platforming, three ultra-easy bosses, and a castle with nothing in it. The only upside to that waste of plastic was the music. Then came the real Castlevania II, Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. This game was full of innovative features like character swapping, and being able to choose your own path that made it better than the first game without alienating the series at all. This marked the end of a remarkable trilogy of games. But believe it or not, we weren't done with these games. No, there was yet another game in the series, now on Super Nintendo. And it wasn't just "Castlevania IV", no, it was SUPER Castlevania IV, and well deserving of that name.
Why am I telling you stuff that you already know? I have no idea. Probably just to build up suspense, I guess. *sigh* Let's just start the game already.
Story
There really isn't much to say about the story. It's exactly the same for most of the series. Dracula has been resurrected, and Simon has to stop him. However, this category does gain some amount of points for having an awesome cutscene at the beginning. But still, this stays at a six, for lack of originality. This would be a little more understandable if this were NES, but this is SUPER NES! This is 16-bit we're talking about!
Gameplay
For me, gameplay always trumps story. These are video GAMES. If I can't enjoy PLAYING them, then they have failed their purpose. Well, that's what stage 5 of the first game was: Irritatingly difficult, and not fun to play. Don't get me wrong, the first game was good, but it had no idea when enough was enough. Gameplay was greatly improved with this game. You were restricted to whipping in front of you previously, and there was no going back when you jumped. Here, however, you can whip in five different directions! Eight in the air. If you hold the attack button and move the d-pad in all directions, you can use your whip as a shield, sort of. They still need to fix the issue with the hearts, though.
Graphics and Sound
Even for a game on the Super Nintendo, Super Castlevania IV was very well designed. The graphics really catch that Castlevania atmosphere, and if you look closely, you can see just how much detail they put into it, right down to the first screen. The music is among the best I've heard on SNES, even rivaling Chrono Trigger and Super Metroid. I love the sound effects. It's so realistic. Listen to the leather whip sound. Sounds pretty weak, doesn't it? Well, that's what it is! Weak! But upgrade to the chain whip, and listen to its sound. That really captures how much more powerful it is than the leather whip.
Addictiveness
*plays Castlevania*
Grrrrr...! I will beat this game if it's the last thing I ever do!
*plays Castlevania II: Simon's Quest*
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
*plays Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse*
Ugh! This game is impossible! I give up!
*plays Super Castlevania IV*
I don't believe what I'm seeing! A Castlevania game that's fun to play, for extended periods of time!
Depth
^^^ That's how much more work was put into it. It follows a really linear style, so there's not much to do except follow the path. But this game is still pretty long, so you definitely can't beat it in one sitting (unless somehow you're even more obsessed with video games than I am).
Difficulty
Okay, that statement just now was definitely true. Because a Castlevania game is always known for having a massive amount of difficulty. You'll die so much from falling, that you'll eventually forget that the game has a LIFE BAR. Don't worry, it's easier than the NES games. But it's still pretty hard. But no more cheap shots from those Medusa Heads and Ravens. If you die, you can't say that the game is cheating. You know, come to think of it, Konami games tend to be pretty difficult. There's Castlevania, Contra, Gradius, and Metal Gear Solid. For a company whose name translates to "little south beauty", these certainly don't seem like beautiful games to me! At least, not in terms of difficulty.
Conclusion
There is lots to get from this game. Although it's extremely linear, it's well worth the 15 Viz it costs in the Retro Game Room. It's incredibly detailed. It's atmospheric. It plays well. And it's even fairly challenging. If you're looking for a hard game, but want it to be fun, this is a game for you. |
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| ID: 678936 | 23 Words
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