Castlevania

The Short

Pros

- Beautiful NES graphics with a strong art design

- Killer soundtrack

- Near-perfect level design that accommodates (intentional) control limitation

- Holds up extremely well, even to this day

Cons

- Can be incredibly difficult

- Stairs. Screw stairs. 

- Losing your cross sub-weapon for a knife PISSES ME OFF

We're revisiting a classic. 

The Long

Castlevania is easily one of my favorite NES games. Since spawning a massive franchise (that has "rebooted" with the recent Lords of Shadow) and even invented it's own genre with Symphony of the Night (Metroid-vania or Castle-troid, depending on who you ask) the series has gone a long way since it's humble arcade and NES roots. But looking back, is Castlevania still as awesome as it was in 1987? 

Actually, yes. Unlike many NES games, Castlevania has passed the test of time and still is an exceptionally fun play today, even without the rose-tinted glasses.

The intro is just as compelling, fifteen years later.

The reason Castlevania still works is its nearly flawless gameplay mechanics, as well as crafting levels around these mechanics. While you feel powerful and strong whipping guys as Simon Belmont, there are plenty of things that you have to learn that differentiate Castlevania from other platformers. Unlike Mario, Simon can't change direction mid-jump (as Egoraptor put it, you have to "buy a f***ing engagement ring" for every jump) so you'd better know exactly where you are going. Attacking with the whip isn't immediate; there's a slight "wind up" delay meaning if an enemy is right next to you you can't hit them in time; you have to prepare.

That's actually a major theme of the game and why it still works so well: preparation is key. Unlike many platformers where you can just blitz through the game, Castlevania has to be taken slow, even if you have the levels memorized. As every hit has the potential to knock you back and down a pit (instant death), or one miss-timed jump could send you falling, or mis-timing a whip swing can leave you exposed, you absolutely have to be careful. Each inch is earned, and especially in the later levels one minor mistake can mean starting a stage over. 

The game uses color contrasts extremely well with the limited NES pallet.

These control hindrances would be a massive problem if Konami didn't design the entire game around them. If you are careful and plan ahead, the minor control niggles actually fit in perfectly with what the game is making you do. I'm still amazed that, all the way back when these types of games were essentially being invented, that Konami proved its mastery on the first try. The blend of mechanics and levels here is absolutely unrivaled, even in subsequent games.

In addition to the good design is a solid difficulty curve. Now, I'm not saying Castlevania is easy (except maybe the first two stages) because...it isn't. Even though it has six stages and can essentially be beaten in 45 minutes without tricks, Castlevania is a tough game. This mostly boils down to what I mentioned before: working around the controls, the enemy placement, and the levels until you've mastered the art of patience and precise attacks and jumps. It actually is probably the best balanced of any of these linear style Castlevania games (Castlevania 3 is considerably more difficult, Super Castlevania IV was too easy, and while Rondo of Blood was a moderate difficulty it had an impossible final boss, and Bloodlines on the Genesis pounded you into the ground) with a mix of satisfaction and frustration. It's still fun to this day, which says a lot about the original programmers.

The game's soundtrack is a standout. Also, 5:07. 

In addition to the rock-solid gameplay, you have some gorgeous graphics. The first time you walk forward and into the castle you'll be stunned at how good everything looks. From enemies to backgrounds, the game is sharp and beautiful. This is mostly due to a strong use of contrasting colors: oranges with blues (and some grays) make Simon and the enemies "pop" in a clever use of the limited color choices. It's memorable and still looks good today.

The music is also absolutely incredible. It's easily one of my favorite NES soundtracks, with memorable tunes that combine a gothic sound with kickin bass beats (a tradition that would continue all the way up to the Lords of Shadow reboot). I love getting to new stages if only to see the dramatic scenery shift and music changes, which is also a motivator to move forward. 

Each stage has a unique color theme that makes it memorable. 

As it stands, Castlevania is a game that you should play, even today. Is it hard to the point of frustrating? Yes. Will you die a lot on the first two stages until you figure them out? Probably. But this concept of game mastery while still being "difficult but fair" is something games (and especially this series) have lost over the years. Available on both a GBA re-release (where I honestly spent most of my time with it) as well as on the Wiishop for a cheap sum of $5, Castlevania is a game begging to be played. Whether on the original NES cart (which is how I roll these days) or on some form of re-release, check Castlevania out. It's a classic for the reason, and easily one of the highlights of the decade-spanning series.

Five out of five stars.

Plus it's crazy some of this stuff made it on the NES.