Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1987)

After beating the evil Count Dracula back in Catlevania, the last thing Simon Belmond wanted to do is yet another quest. Unfortunately for him he finds that he has been cursed by Dracula and has to destroy the Counts five remaining body parts if he wants to be free. With only the words of a friendly spirit, Simon must now travel across the vast Transylvanian countryside, visiting towns and gathering items for his quest. Along the way you'll chat to locals, stock up on vampire slaying goodies and raise your levels. Each part of the Count you recover also gives you some new powers and if you're lucky you might just survive long enough for the final showdown.

Castlevania was an excellent game and it's no surprise that Konami decided to do a sequel. What is surprising is that they chose to make quite a few changes to the format and Castlevania II now plays much more like a role playing game than a platform title. The majority of the game is still that platform jumping ghoul slaying action that made the original such a hit but this time around instead of stages you have one big area to travel around and play through. This can be quite daunting and some areas also cannot be accesses without first solving some puzzles and getting the correct items. Towns are dotted along the way with churches to heal you and shops to stock up on garlic and holy water. You can also chat to the villagers for some handy clues, although some of them seem to like leading you down false paths. The English translation also appears to be quite dodgy which can make puzzle solving almost impossible at times.

The graphics hasn't improved that much over the original but some interesting new ideas has been incorporated. The most noticeable is that since large parts of the game takes place in the countryside and swamps you now have a day/night cycle to contend with. During daylight you can visit the towns and talk to villagers but during the night the monsters are out in full force and are even more powerful. The cycles are quite fast and it's sometimes annoying to wait around towns for morning before you can be healed or buy items. It also means that Simon never sleeps during his epic quest, a part of his cures perhaps? There are loads of locations but the main areas to look out for are the mansions where the body parts are stored. I found myself stuck way too often for my liking just because I couldn't find a location or couldn't unravel a cryptic clue.

 

The game is much easier than the original and even new players should have no problem getting into it. You can continue as much as you like and you even restart from the same spot that you died. The only penalty is that you lose all the hearts and experience you've collected but this is hardly a problem. The game also has passwords if you choose not to continue so the emphasis has switched from challenging arcade reflexes to more cerebral challenges. If you like the original though you'll still have fun with this one but if you like your platform games as a straightforward test of your reflexes you might want to reconsider.

The music is the usual excellent stuff from Konami and lives up to the great legacy of the original. The same spooky tunes and haunting melodies are present and there are quite a few memorable tracks. Sound effects are nothing special but in light of the excellent music this can be overlooked. The controls are exactly the same as the original with the same problems that the original had. You still get knocked backwards when touched by enemies so plummeting down bottomless pits is still a regular occurrence. The fact that you can continue eases the burden considerable though. Controls can occasionally still feel a bit stiff especially while jumping but if you are a fan of Castlevania you should be used to it by now.

With the new gameplay elements Castlevania can at times get a bit boring most noticeable when you stroll around not able to find the next path. The basic gameplay isn't that difficult but some of the more obscure puzzles will have you stumped. The gameplay at times feels a lot like Metroid and thus suffers from the same problems that such nonlinear gameplay emphasizes. If you're up to a huge quest though then give Castlevania II a try by all means just don't expect to breeze through it on your reflexes alone. Gripping gameplay and cool elements makes it a classic despite some of its more annoying features.

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Kid Icarus (Nintendo 1987)

In Kid Icarus, you take control of the angel Pit who has to save to goddess of light. It would appear that her evil sister Medusa has taken over Angel Land. Armed with only a bow, you have to make your way up from the underworld where you have been imprisoned, over the surface, through the clouds and finally onto Angel Land for the final showdown. Kid Icarus (together with Metroid) was one of the first games to use the then "new" password system and this made for a much longer quest through larger levels.

The game is pretty old so don't expect great graphics, but it does have lots of enemy sprites and enough variety to keep you interested. Some levels have you making your way upwards through platforms, while other features the more traditional left to right scrolling. You also get to fly in a side scrolling shooter like level in one part and each boss stage is set up like a maze where you have to explore lots of rooms to reach the boss. As I've said the game is pretty long, not to mention tough and you won't be completing it in a hurry. There is a large variety of enemies out to stop you not to mention traps and natural hazards like falling off platforms.

Controls are responsive enough and your character can shoot upwards as well as crouch. There are some doors scattered about that lead to shops where you can buy health and maps. The former which is essential, seeing as your health does not get replenished after each level. Kid Icarus also feature some bizarre elements like being turned into an eggplant by certain enemies which means you can't attack until you've found a hospital to restore you. The sound in the game is pretty average and far from the best that the NES has to offer but I guess it is not surprising for such an early title. Kid Icarus does offer enough variety and innovation to make it worth the effort though and the tough levels will test your skills. It is in my opinion one of the better games of the era.

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Elevator Action (Taito 1987)

Elevator Action first came out in the arcades back in 1983 and set itself apart with its original and addictive gameplay. You play as agent 17, codename "Otto" whose job it is to infiltrate some enemy buildings and steal top secret documents. After gaining access from the roof, you fight your way through 30 floors of doors, elevators, escalators and enemies to the getaway car down below. With only your pistol and a lethal jump kick you must avoid or eliminate all enemy agents that are out to get you.

Considering its age, it is no surprise that Elevator Action looks pretty basic but overall I'd say the graphics aren't too shabby. Buildings basically consist of the different floors, each packed with doors. Behind the red doors are the documents you must find while all the other doors might hold enemy agents that could pop out at any time and shoot you. The elevators also don't run through all floors so sometimes you have to take the stairs to get down. Shooting out the lights in the building causes a blackout for a short time and giving your more points for your kills. You can also jump the elevator shafts or ride on top of the elevators. Another fun thing to try is crushing enemy agents walking around below the elevator or sneaking around on top of it.

The odds in Elevator Action is very much against you and by stage two things start getting seriously unfair. It only takes one hit to kill you and there are no upgrades or power-ups to help you. You can jump and crouch to avoid enemy fire but the enemies attack in hordes and can have rapid fire weapons. They can also lie down on the ground making them almost impossible to hit, all while they are shooting out a string of undodgeable bullets your way. To make things worse the game has no continue feature making you restart from scratch every time you lose all your lives.

The audio in the game is nothing special but at least the one tune that plays in the background isn't too annoying. There are also some sound effects but nothing really worth mentioning. The controls can feel a bit stuff at times but you get used to it and will soon be jump kicking enemy agents and leaping over elevator shafts. It sucks that you can only crouch while enemies can lie down but that's just something you have to get used to. The game has a two-player mode but the second player has to wait for player one to die to get their chance.

I haven't really played the arcade original that much so I can't really comment on how accurate a translation this one is. What I can say is that Elevator Action is a fun and addictive game that is spoiled somewhat by the high difficulty level and unfair bad guys. The game can seem almost impossible at times and can also get quite repetitive because you have to restart from scratch every time you lose all your lives. It's still very entertaining but not really something that will keep you coming back for more and is more suitable for playing in short bursts.

[7]

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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