Castlevania (Konami 1987)

One of my favorite games of all time is Castlevania : Symphony of the Night on Playstation. This however is where it all began, the very first Castlevania. Castlevania is one of those great games that has had countless sequels on almost every platform available and is one of the few games that has managed to be stand the test of time and still remain a classic series. In the games it's up to you to take on Castlevania, the evil castle of Count Dracula that appears once every 1000 years to spread its evil.

The castle is infested with all kinds of evil creatures like skeletons, zombies and bats. Throughout the 18 stages you'll also have to take on a few bosses like a giant bat, mummy, Reaper and eventually the Count himself. You only have you're trusty whip at first which can be extended and even upgraded into a chain. You can also pick up some powerups that will give you secondary items such as throwing knifes, axes, holy water or crosses. These are powered by the hearts that you pick up by smashing the candles found throughout the castle, but once your supply of hearts run out you can no longer use the items until you restock. You can also only carry one type of item at a time.

The castle is quite huge and getting through it in one piece is a daunting task. Fortunately, you get to see your progress on a map after each boss you defeat and also get a life refill. Other than that it's up to you to try and find health which is quite scarce. The gameplay is very cool and each stage throws new enemies at you. If there are any gripes it's that the controls feel a bit stiff and taking a hit knocks you backwards. This can be a pain on the many platforms that hover over bottomless pits, but it's something you learn to live with.

The graphics for the game is not what you would call eye candy, but seeing as this game came out in 1987 it's hardly a surprise. Luckily this doesn't detract from the gameplay in any way and true gamers won't mind the retro look. The sound however is quite a different matter. This has to be some of the coolest NES tunes I have ever heard. Makes you wonder why so many other NES games have such mediocre soundtracks. If you're up to the challenge I urge you to step into the shoes of Simon Belmond and take on the evil Count Dracula. It is one adventure that you won't want to miss out on.

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