Classic Nintendo Review: Castlevania

In another article I wrote I talked about castles. There has always been something about castles that I really enjoy. Any time you see a castle you know something bad is about to go down. Castles can only mean one of two things. Either there are going to be monsters or there are going to be soldiers, dragons and probably war. This setting wouldn't make a great setting for a romantic comedy, but it makes an awesome setting for a video game. That is why one of the most beloved classic Nintendo games is Castlevania.

Castlevania is set in the year 1691. Every one hundred years the Prince of Darkness, Dracula, returns to Transylvania to wreak havoc. Every time Dracula returns it is up to the Belmont family to take care of Dracula. In Castlevania the Belmont that steps forward is Simon Belmont. Simon Belmont in Castlevania might not have ever reached the popularity level of Mario or Link, but he'd probably kick both their butts.

Simon Belmont is equipped with a whip called the Vampire Killer and that is your weapon for most of Castlevania as you travel through different parts of the castle to find Dracula. As you search through Castlevania you will come across many minion characters like bats and skeletons. At the end of each level you will fight a boss in order to move on. The bosses in Castlevania are great because they include some of the legendary monsters in literature and film.

Level 1: At the end of Level 1 in Castlevania you fight a Vampire Bat. I'm not sure why they call it a Vampire Bat though; it never actually turns into a vampire. It's just a regular bat only bigger.

Level 2: The second Level of Castlevania has the mythological Medusa. Medusa of course has snakes for hair! The snakes crawl around and try attack you. Thankfully you've got holy water.

Level 3: At the end of Level 3 you are attacked by two Mummies (please refrain from lesbian jokes). The Mummies are a mighty, mighty creature. Fortunately for Simon Belmont the Mummies are also a mighty, mighty stupid creature.

Level 4: It's bad enough that huge freak Frankenstein is trying to pound your head in but at the end of Level 4 you also have to avoid Egor hopping around attacking you too.