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Castlevania's Portable Past
Written by Louise Yang on Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Games like Super Castlevania IV on the SNES or Symphony of the Night on the PSOne might get most of the attention, but the Konami franchise actually has a storied handheld history...
If you're any type of gamer, you may have heard of a little game that was released recently called Castlevania Portrait of Ruin. While fans of the franchise are busy slashing away at candelabras and jumping into paintings in this latest adventure, I felt this was the perfect time to take a look back at previous portable Castlevanias. Games like Super Castlevania IV on the SNES or Symphony of the Night on the PSOne might get most of the attention, but the Konami franchise actually has a storied handheld history...
Castlevania (GBA 1986)
Ah, the game that started it all. In this port of the classic NES Castlevania, players are introduced to the protagonist Simon Belmont in all his whip-cracking glory. The port is almost exactly like the original except for an enhanced save system that lets you keep the save point even after the game is turned off. The graphics may not be much to look at by today's standards, but upgrading whips and collecting weapons is still as engaging as ever. The tunes are also pretty catchy in an 8-bit blip bloop way.
The classic Castlevania pits Simon Belmont against a never-ending parade of enemies in preparation to face Dracula. Simon faces ghosts, mummies, more bats than you can shake a whip at, and flying heads. Those familiar with the modern Castlevanias might notice something different about this one. Instead of Metroid-like exploration, the first Castlevania had more of an emphasis on platforming. After a few poorly executed jumps, it's easy to realize that the enemy is not only Dracula, but also the cruelest enemy of all: gravity.
Castlevania: The Adventure (GB 1989)
I knew it was a bad sign when I couldn't figure out what the proper name for this game was. Is it 'Castlevania: The Adventure' or 'The Castlevania Adventure?' Either way, this game was... not fun. The developers must have exhausted themselves coming up with a title because they forgot to put in a story. Sure, the first game wasn't exactly Bram Stoker, but this one had no plot at all. All I knew from the time I started this game to the time I put it down was that the player controls Christopher Belmont. Christopher must have been the lame Belmont because he moved at a sluggish pace compared to Simon's brisk walk. The platforming might have been fun except it was hampered by the fact that Christopher moves about as fast as a tortoise with food coma. The game was made more frustrating by weakening Christopher's weapon each time he gets damaged.
I usually don't complain about a character's speed, but one particular part of the game made me quit. Those who have played this game will know what I'm talking about. In one practically impossible stage, the player had to not only climb a series of ladders and whip at enemies, but must execute flawless jumps from platform to platform while being chased by spiked walls. I, like most people, put the game down at that point. No one should have to be subjected to being chased by spiked walls.
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge (GB 1991)
I guess Christopher Belmont survived the spiked walls of terror from the Castlevania: The Adventure, because he's back in this one and he even brought a story. Belmont's Revenge is a touching tale about a father's love for his son -- Christopher's son was kidnapped by Dracula so he has to enter Dracula's castle once again to rescue his son. Fortunately for the players, Christopher's slow pace was fixed and the addition of wielding sub-weapons was added.
This game is a lot better than the first Game Boy Castlevania even though that's not saying much. Players had a choice of the order to tackle four differently themed castles. Once those castles where destroyed, Dracula's castle could be accessed, which gave players 2 more stages to go through.
Castlevania Legends (1991)
Finally, a story that has substance. This last installment of Castlevania on Game Boy features Sonia Belmont as the main character and Alucard as an important NPC. The story goes basically like this: Sonia takes on the task of destroying Dracula and meets Alucard, Dracula's son, who believes destroying Dracula is his responsibility and not hers. Without delving into too many spoilers, drama unfolds.
Unlike the Belmonts of previous games Sonia has the ability to go into Burning Mode, which gives her invincibility for a short amount of time. She can also collect soul weapon abilities from defeated bosses, which give her different skills such as health replenishment or vanquishing all non-boss enemies on screen. It's a wonder that Castlevania Legends was built on the same engine as Castlevania: The Adventure but is about 10 times more playable.
posted March 2, 2007