Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, like its predecessor, places you in the shoes of Simon Belmont, the legendary vampire killer. After killing Dracula in the first game, Simon has been placed under a curse, and the only way to break the curse is to assemble the pieces of Dracula that are hidden in five mansions, and to kill Dracula again.
Castlevania II is the oddball of the NES Castlevanias. While Castlevania and Castlevania III were each action-platformers, Castlevania II deemphasized the action in favor of adding RPG elements. There are no “levels” per se, just a large map with certain areas being inaccessible until a particular item is acquired. This structure foreshadowed the “Metroidvania” style that would eventually come to dominate the series beginning with Symphony of the Night on the Playstation. Simon is also able to carry more than one subweapon, as well as other items, and Simon’s whip is upgradeable. Many of the items, subweapons and whip upgrades may be purchased in the various towns you come across. The enemies you defeat will occasionally drop hearts, which serve as the currency in the game. The towns also have locals with whom you can speak to get clues about where to go and what you need to do to progress. Finally, Simon can level up, resulting in a longer health bar (although this is not a key element in the game).
Unfortunately, the innovations do not quite fit together properly. Due in part to a poor translation from the original Japanese and in part to poor design, it is nearly impossible to progress in the game without a walkthrough. Some of the actions you must take (kneeling down in certain spots for a few seconds, equipping a certain item when you meet the ferryman, etc.) are neither intuitive nor adequately hinted at by the townsfolk. Using a walkthrough, though, removes all of the challenge from the game, as the combat itself is quite easy. Dying is not a problem, as you begin again exactly where you left off. When you “continue” after losing all three lives, you also begin exactly where you left off; the only penalty is losing any hearts you had accumulated. There are only three bosses in the entire game, including Dracula himself, and each is incredibly simple to defeat. The five mansions containing pieces of Dracula are very short and simple to navigate. The only real challenge in the game comes from some tricky jumping sequences. As a result, the quest simply is not very compelling. If not for my love of the series as a whole, I would not have bothered to finish the game.
There are bright spots in the game, though. The music is excellent, as is typical for the Castlevania games. Several of the musical pieces that originated in the game have reappeared in later games in the series. The graphics are solid for an NES title, although the game is plagued by slowdown. Additionally, the controls are responsive and have that distinctive Castlevania feel.
Unless you are a fan of the series, you can safely skip Castlevania II. If you want a good Castlevania game on the NES, pick up Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse instead. It is one of my all-time favorite games, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Graphics: 7/10
Sound: 9/10
Controls: 8/10
Gameplay: 5/10
Overall: 6/10
Castlevania II is the oddball of the NES Castlevanias. While Castlevania and Castlevania III were each action-platformers, Castlevania II deemphasized the action in favor of adding RPG elements. There are no “levels” per se, just a large map with certain areas being inaccessible until a particular item is acquired. This structure foreshadowed the “Metroidvania” style that would eventually come to dominate the series beginning with Symphony of the Night on the Playstation. Simon is also able to carry more than one subweapon, as well as other items, and Simon’s whip is upgradeable. Many of the items, subweapons and whip upgrades may be purchased in the various towns you come across. The enemies you defeat will occasionally drop hearts, which serve as the currency in the game. The towns also have locals with whom you can speak to get clues about where to go and what you need to do to progress. Finally, Simon can level up, resulting in a longer health bar (although this is not a key element in the game).
Unfortunately, the innovations do not quite fit together properly. Due in part to a poor translation from the original Japanese and in part to poor design, it is nearly impossible to progress in the game without a walkthrough. Some of the actions you must take (kneeling down in certain spots for a few seconds, equipping a certain item when you meet the ferryman, etc.) are neither intuitive nor adequately hinted at by the townsfolk. Using a walkthrough, though, removes all of the challenge from the game, as the combat itself is quite easy. Dying is not a problem, as you begin again exactly where you left off. When you “continue” after losing all three lives, you also begin exactly where you left off; the only penalty is losing any hearts you had accumulated. There are only three bosses in the entire game, including Dracula himself, and each is incredibly simple to defeat. The five mansions containing pieces of Dracula are very short and simple to navigate. The only real challenge in the game comes from some tricky jumping sequences. As a result, the quest simply is not very compelling. If not for my love of the series as a whole, I would not have bothered to finish the game.
There are bright spots in the game, though. The music is excellent, as is typical for the Castlevania games. Several of the musical pieces that originated in the game have reappeared in later games in the series. The graphics are solid for an NES title, although the game is plagued by slowdown. Additionally, the controls are responsive and have that distinctive Castlevania feel.Unless you are a fan of the series, you can safely skip Castlevania II. If you want a good Castlevania game on the NES, pick up Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse instead. It is one of my all-time favorite games, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Graphics: 7/10
Sound: 9/10
Controls: 8/10
Gameplay: 5/10
Overall: 6/10
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