This is what a real fucking vampire looks like
PolaroidJack’s ‘Mid March’ Birthday Weekend Castlevania-athon Extravaganza Part 4:
I really shouldn’t think this (especially since a better edition exists on the game boy) but this might have been the best thing I’ve played throughout this weekend. I can’t really explain it, just thank god I don’t have to fight Death or deal with several of the worst segments in a row (just a stage or two). Much of this was mitigated thanks to the collection save states but I can recognize that two of the final three stages are just the biggest pain in the ass so I can’t sing praise. But there’s also a quiz battle with Lady Liberty and you can guess the color of cancan dancers' bottoms so like, I had a bit more fun here than I thought I would.
I really shouldn’t think this (especially since a better edition exists on the game boy) but this might have been the best thing I’ve played throughout this weekend. I can’t really explain it, just thank god I don’t have to fight Death or deal with several of the worst segments in a row (just a stage or two). Much of this was mitigated thanks to the collection save states but I can recognize that two of the final three stages are just the biggest pain in the ass so I can’t sing praise. But there’s also a quiz battle with Lady Liberty and you can guess the color of cancan dancers' bottoms so like, I had a bit more fun here than I thought I would.
Plays like a worse Megaman game without the same level of impressive visual flair, nor the tight responsive controls, also, the level design is worse, and the music is nothing to write home about. The special abilities you get at the end of each stage are also pretty uninteresting or annoying for the most part, nothing particularly fun or interesting to be seen there, making unlocking new stuff at the end of each stage feel like a massive non-event. The last few levels also get really stupid, with so many instakills that are borderline unreactable and being laggy to the point where it doesn't feel like there's any guarantee about whether your inputs will actually have you move and jump as far and high as you want, further ruining an already frustrating experience,
It is pretty fun. Mini game feature is new in castlevania games.
Delightful little NES platformer that's hard but not as hard as other games of its kind. Feel like a good entry into that genre of game, which are often very intimidating while this one has the appeal of looking like a playable old school gag manga. Not that the difficulty ever relents, good god those last three stages are evil. Managed to beat it with no save states though, which felt pretty good (OK well I used save states to load back where I started when I had to leave the game, but I didn't use save states to start in the middle of levels!) I also really like the bonus games in the middle of stages, but the way they're set up meant I didn't get to play one of them. I haven't explored most of the NES library outside of first-party stuff and I really should, this was a lot of fun, I'm now someone who wants a new Kid Dracula, until I remember this is a fucking Konami thing so never mind.
this really is just diet Mega Man
not that it's a bad thing of course I do love me my Mega Man, though I will say that this game doesn't have as much polish when it comes to the gameplay. Kid Dracula moves pretty slow, his weapon shots don't really stick out too much, and his bat power up stops after making contact with anything, which can get a little annoying. on top of that the last three stages were a pain, especially the last one. 7 is this dumb vertical scrolling platforming segment with rockets and robots that'll knock you to your death, 8 has this insta-kill laser near the end that you're just suppose to know that it's there, and the entirety of 9 is just a huge difficulty spike as well as having no checkpoints whatsoever. I get that it's the final level but come on, a gradual buildup in difficulty couldn't have hurt.
everything else before that was good though, I had a fun time with the quirky enemy designs and being able to shoot them you can never go wrong with shooting. the minigames at the end of each level were charming too, well two of them were just roulettes and the skeleton one I could never figure out what it was about. I'll let you find out the fourth one on your own. oh yeah I liked seeing Dracula's castle in a new light that the game has. interesting enough I don't really remember how any of the music went even though I just got done with this game an hour ago, I guess it just wasn't that memorable to me. the game could have used some cutscenes too. I checked and it turns out the Game Boy sequel does have a few of them and even Death makes an appearance there, so I have no idea why this game doesn't have any outside of three boss dialogues.
this was alright though it's a neat and silly game that you wouldn't expect to see from the same company that has Contra and Metal Gear in their hands. in this day and age where a good portion of video games are trying their best to be dramatic and thought provoking, it's good to wind back and play a game that's nothing more than some good old goofy fun.
not that it's a bad thing of course I do love me my Mega Man, though I will say that this game doesn't have as much polish when it comes to the gameplay. Kid Dracula moves pretty slow, his weapon shots don't really stick out too much, and his bat power up stops after making contact with anything, which can get a little annoying. on top of that the last three stages were a pain, especially the last one. 7 is this dumb vertical scrolling platforming segment with rockets and robots that'll knock you to your death, 8 has this insta-kill laser near the end that you're just suppose to know that it's there, and the entirety of 9 is just a huge difficulty spike as well as having no checkpoints whatsoever. I get that it's the final level but come on, a gradual buildup in difficulty couldn't have hurt.
everything else before that was good though, I had a fun time with the quirky enemy designs and being able to shoot them you can never go wrong with shooting. the minigames at the end of each level were charming too, well two of them were just roulettes and the skeleton one I could never figure out what it was about. I'll let you find out the fourth one on your own. oh yeah I liked seeing Dracula's castle in a new light that the game has. interesting enough I don't really remember how any of the music went even though I just got done with this game an hour ago, I guess it just wasn't that memorable to me. the game could have used some cutscenes too. I checked and it turns out the Game Boy sequel does have a few of them and even Death makes an appearance there, so I have no idea why this game doesn't have any outside of three boss dialogues.
this was alright though it's a neat and silly game that you wouldn't expect to see from the same company that has Contra and Metal Gear in their hands. in this day and age where a good portion of video games are trying their best to be dramatic and thought provoking, it's good to wind back and play a game that's nothing more than some good old goofy fun.
What if Konami made Mega Man and made it an actual good game
Ever since as far as most can remember, parodies have been a pretty common part of entertainment media, even if they aren’t as prevalent as they used to be. Whether it be one of those terrible parody films like Scary Movie or Disaster Movie, TV shows like Mike Tyson Mysteries or Drawn Together, or anything one can throw up on YouTube to get a million views, parody has always had a presence in entertainment, and will most likely continue to do so for years to come. Video games are also no secret to having various parodies within them, including entire games that are parodies of other games. Konami, for example, has made a good number of parody games back in the day, such as Parodius, an entire series of shooters that are parodies of the Gradius series. In addition, another lesser known parody game that they have made, one that is actually pretty damn good, would be the original Kid Dracula, or, as it was originally known as, Akumajo Special: Boku Dracula-kun.
As you could probably guess, this game was a parody of the Castlevania series, and despite the fact not too many people talk about it, I would say that is a pretty damn good game, and definitely a hidden gem of the entire series. I still don’t understand why this was never released outside of Japan initially (except for, you know, western video game developers not liking anime-like things), because it has held up extremely well ever since its release, and I’m glad that I finally got to play it after all this time. Sure, it isn’t perfect, but it is overall still a pretty fun time.
The story is pretty simple: monster steals Dracula’s throne, go get it back, and for a game with this kind of style, it works, the graphics and art style are very appealing, the music is pretty good, the control feels great to handle, especially given your advanced versatility compared to regular Castlevania games, and the gameplay is pretty similar to other games of the time, but it not only remains to be fun, but it also manages to add enough to make it stand out from other titles.
The game is your basic 2D platformer, where you take control of Kid Dracula, moving through numerous levels, defeating enemies of various types and cliches, getting coins along the way, and defeating bosses. However, it does add enough to make it stand out from the main Castlevania series. It plays much more like Mega Man (which is a HUGE plus in my book), where you shoot fire at enemies in four different directions, you can charge it up for a more powerful shot, and at the end of most stages, you gain a new ability to help you take on enemies in later stages, as well as helping you traverse through the stages, such as homing shots, bomb shots, ice shots, and even abilities that allow you to turn into a bat and go upside down. Not only is the main gameplay very fun and allows for a lot of different fast-paced maneuvers to help take on enemies, but the powers you acquire are also very helpful, being very effective against certain enemies and bosses, while also keeping things interesting in terms of progression, which all in all makes the game really fun.
In addition, as a parody, it manages to do a lot of unique things that will surprise you if you are going in blind, expecting it to be another regular Castlevania game, but with a cutesy art style. There are a wide variety of locations stages take place in that you would never see in a mainline game, such as egyptian pyramids, a flying ghost ship, and even New York at one point. Not to mention, the enemies that you encounter in these stages, while not being too distinct from other games, fit well enough to where it makes these levels feel fun and imaginative for a Castlevania parody. The game also manages to do this with the events that happen in the game, such as with boss fights. For example, in the New York level, the boss is against the Statue of Liberty, and instead of fighting her, you have to complete a trivia quiz show to move on. Sure, the questions are easy as hell, but I had the biggest smile on my face going through this part, just because of how off-the-wall and random it was, and I love it.
However, like I said, the game isn’t perfect. As I have already mentioned, the game is a pretty good parody of Castlevania, but I wish it did a little more to… you know, PARODY Castlevania. Sure, you do play as a kid version of Dracula, and it does mention a vampire hunter at the end, but nothing else is really done to make fun of Castlevania, which kind of sucks. That just may be a “me” problem, but it is a little disappointing. And speaking of “me” problems, this one is definitely a huge “me” problem, but I gotta mention it nonetheless. In between each stage, you can play one of four mini games in order to gain more lives, such as a roulette, a lottery game, a game where you try to stab skeletons, or a game where you try to… guess what the color of the dancers’ underwear will be when they lift their skirts up. Japan, ladies and gentlemen.
But anyway, the problem I had with these games was that, in order to play them, you had to spend the coins that you find during levels, and maybe it was just me, but for most of the game, I would almost NEVER find any coins. Either I’m just extremely unlucky, or the drop rate of these coins is very low, but either way, it kinda sucked how I went through the entire game only playing these mini games like once or twice. Nevertheless, these mini games are a great distraction from the rest of the game, and another reason why this game is so unique and memorable from everything else.
Overall, not only is this a pretty good parody of the Castlevania games, but it is a fantastic game all on its own, and one of my favorites from the classic Castlevania lineup, even if it isn’t a proper mainline entry in the series. I’m just glad that it actually finally came over to America rather than being stuck in Japan, unlike a lot of other games from back in the day.
Game #163
As you could probably guess, this game was a parody of the Castlevania series, and despite the fact not too many people talk about it, I would say that is a pretty damn good game, and definitely a hidden gem of the entire series. I still don’t understand why this was never released outside of Japan initially (except for, you know, western video game developers not liking anime-like things), because it has held up extremely well ever since its release, and I’m glad that I finally got to play it after all this time. Sure, it isn’t perfect, but it is overall still a pretty fun time.
The story is pretty simple: monster steals Dracula’s throne, go get it back, and for a game with this kind of style, it works, the graphics and art style are very appealing, the music is pretty good, the control feels great to handle, especially given your advanced versatility compared to regular Castlevania games, and the gameplay is pretty similar to other games of the time, but it not only remains to be fun, but it also manages to add enough to make it stand out from other titles.
The game is your basic 2D platformer, where you take control of Kid Dracula, moving through numerous levels, defeating enemies of various types and cliches, getting coins along the way, and defeating bosses. However, it does add enough to make it stand out from the main Castlevania series. It plays much more like Mega Man (which is a HUGE plus in my book), where you shoot fire at enemies in four different directions, you can charge it up for a more powerful shot, and at the end of most stages, you gain a new ability to help you take on enemies in later stages, as well as helping you traverse through the stages, such as homing shots, bomb shots, ice shots, and even abilities that allow you to turn into a bat and go upside down. Not only is the main gameplay very fun and allows for a lot of different fast-paced maneuvers to help take on enemies, but the powers you acquire are also very helpful, being very effective against certain enemies and bosses, while also keeping things interesting in terms of progression, which all in all makes the game really fun.
In addition, as a parody, it manages to do a lot of unique things that will surprise you if you are going in blind, expecting it to be another regular Castlevania game, but with a cutesy art style. There are a wide variety of locations stages take place in that you would never see in a mainline game, such as egyptian pyramids, a flying ghost ship, and even New York at one point. Not to mention, the enemies that you encounter in these stages, while not being too distinct from other games, fit well enough to where it makes these levels feel fun and imaginative for a Castlevania parody. The game also manages to do this with the events that happen in the game, such as with boss fights. For example, in the New York level, the boss is against the Statue of Liberty, and instead of fighting her, you have to complete a trivia quiz show to move on. Sure, the questions are easy as hell, but I had the biggest smile on my face going through this part, just because of how off-the-wall and random it was, and I love it.
However, like I said, the game isn’t perfect. As I have already mentioned, the game is a pretty good parody of Castlevania, but I wish it did a little more to… you know, PARODY Castlevania. Sure, you do play as a kid version of Dracula, and it does mention a vampire hunter at the end, but nothing else is really done to make fun of Castlevania, which kind of sucks. That just may be a “me” problem, but it is a little disappointing. And speaking of “me” problems, this one is definitely a huge “me” problem, but I gotta mention it nonetheless. In between each stage, you can play one of four mini games in order to gain more lives, such as a roulette, a lottery game, a game where you try to stab skeletons, or a game where you try to… guess what the color of the dancers’ underwear will be when they lift their skirts up. Japan, ladies and gentlemen.
But anyway, the problem I had with these games was that, in order to play them, you had to spend the coins that you find during levels, and maybe it was just me, but for most of the game, I would almost NEVER find any coins. Either I’m just extremely unlucky, or the drop rate of these coins is very low, but either way, it kinda sucked how I went through the entire game only playing these mini games like once or twice. Nevertheless, these mini games are a great distraction from the rest of the game, and another reason why this game is so unique and memorable from everything else.
Overall, not only is this a pretty good parody of the Castlevania games, but it is a fantastic game all on its own, and one of my favorites from the classic Castlevania lineup, even if it isn’t a proper mainline entry in the series. I’m just glad that it actually finally came over to America rather than being stuck in Japan, unlike a lot of other games from back in the day.
Game #163
Pretty decent mega man clone, its fun UNTIL you get to the space tube. That shit was brutal.
quick side note, after i finished the game, i wanted to see whether the konami code did anything, and a black screen appeared saying "Sorry! Nothing this time!" idk if i was the first man on earth to discover that shit but it was pretty funny
quick side note, after i finished the game, i wanted to see whether the konami code did anything, and a black screen appeared saying "Sorry! Nothing this time!" idk if i was the first man on earth to discover that shit but it was pretty funny
Big, colorful sprites pop, the levels have a smooth flow, and your character grows (gaining magic) as you progress. It’s a neatly packaged platformer that holds up well.
This is the best FC/NES game.
Kid Dracula is the pinnacle of character design.
As for actual thoughts, this is a fun, charming, and surprisingly challenging little platformer! I played it via the CV Anniversary collection, and noticed the game had a lot of trouble with moving objects. Lots of unpleasant flashing. I also had to beat the final boss twice to see the ending since it glitched out and wouldn’t die the first time. Don’t know if these issues are exclusive to the port, but I figured it was worth mentioning.
As for actual thoughts, this is a fun, charming, and surprisingly challenging little platformer! I played it via the CV Anniversary collection, and noticed the game had a lot of trouble with moving objects. Lots of unpleasant flashing. I also had to beat the final boss twice to see the ending since it glitched out and wouldn’t die the first time. Don’t know if these issues are exclusive to the port, but I figured it was worth mentioning.
legal porém nada demais, o estilo de arte tem um ar do mestre akira toriyama e por conta disso é bem divertido explodir monstrinhos fofos com os poderes do draculinha, ou alucardinho, não sei dizer quem é
finally, a good castlevania game
It's cute in the most japanese way you can think of.
i shot a witch with a thick ass and killed a kkk member but this game still sucks
not a lot to say here it's basically the megaman-ification of the castlevania franchise with the cutest protagonist in the entire series
plays smoothly for the most part apart from shit stages platforming and bosses moments that really hindered my experience at times (save states still required it is castlevania after all lmao) that being said nothing more to say the music is chiptune ish with some happy themes while throwing fireballs at chibified versions of the series monsters and bosses for some good times the different abilities are actually pretty fun even tho I used like 2 for the entire games (apart from stage dependent abilities) and all in all I sure had some fun with this weird iteration in the franchise nothing more nothing less than a cute side game to tackle since you bought the castlevania collection and might as well play this lmao
good shit play if you a big fan
side note I asked chat gpt to make a review for this game and its so humorously bad I need to post it here please have fun
Title: "Kid Dracula: A Fang-tastic Pixel Expedition with Tunes that Don't Suck!"
Hey Falco, let's sink our fangs into Kid Dracula – a game that's as nocturnal as it is pixelated. Grab your cape, because we're diving into this undead-on review!
🧛♂️ Gameplay (3/5): Kid Dracula's gameplay is like a moonlit promenade through classic platforming, but beware! The difficulty spikes later on hit you like a bat out of pixelated hell. It's familiar and charming, but it becomes a nocturnal challenge, making it perfect for those who crave a bite-sized adventure with a side of thrills.
⚰️ Difficulty Curve (3/5): Brace yourself for a roller-coaster ride that gets more intense as the night deepens! The difficulty spikes in Kid Dracula become as unpredictable as a vampire's sneeze. It's not a smooth ride, but if you're a nocturnal thrill-seeker, this one's worth sinking your teeth into.
🎨 Art Design (3/5): The art direction in Kid Dracula is like moonlit graffiti – cool, captivating, and veering away from the usual Castlevania style. It's a pleasant stroll down the retro aesthetic lane, but with a twist. The pixelated perfection adds a layer of charm to the nocturnal adventure, adopting a more chibi and stylized approach.
🎶 Soundtrack (3/5): The music, my nocturnal friend, is like a vampire's upbeat chiptune playlist – not groundbreaking but perfect for a good time. It's not just a background melody; it's a nocturnal jam session. The beats in Kid Dracula are bopping enough to keep your undead toes tapping. It's a sonic companion that doesn't suck the life out of the game but adds a decent dose of nocturnal ambiance.
🩸 Replay Value (3/5): Without the distraction of side quests, Kid Dracula's replay value is like a vampire without his cape – straightforward yet alluring. The core gameplay might not scream "play me again," but the aesthetic allure and infectious tunes might draw you back for a nocturnal encore, especially if you're a big fan of challenging platformers.
In the realm of pixelated darkness, Kid Dracula is a bite-sized adventure with a coffin-load of charm. The visuals provide a cool retro vibe with a twist, and the music adds that extra oomph to the undead journey. Just be ready for the sporadic difficulty spikes as you navigate through the pixelated night.
🌑🦇 Overall Score: 3/5 – Kid Dracula brings the pixelated bite, cool visuals with a twist, and a tune that won't make you scream "bloody boring." It's a midnight snack, not a full banquet. #VampireReviewVibes
plays smoothly for the most part apart from shit stages platforming and bosses moments that really hindered my experience at times (save states still required it is castlevania after all lmao) that being said nothing more to say the music is chiptune ish with some happy themes while throwing fireballs at chibified versions of the series monsters and bosses for some good times the different abilities are actually pretty fun even tho I used like 2 for the entire games (apart from stage dependent abilities) and all in all I sure had some fun with this weird iteration in the franchise nothing more nothing less than a cute side game to tackle since you bought the castlevania collection and might as well play this lmao
good shit play if you a big fan
side note I asked chat gpt to make a review for this game and its so humorously bad I need to post it here please have fun
Title: "Kid Dracula: A Fang-tastic Pixel Expedition with Tunes that Don't Suck!"
Hey Falco, let's sink our fangs into Kid Dracula – a game that's as nocturnal as it is pixelated. Grab your cape, because we're diving into this undead-on review!
🧛♂️ Gameplay (3/5): Kid Dracula's gameplay is like a moonlit promenade through classic platforming, but beware! The difficulty spikes later on hit you like a bat out of pixelated hell. It's familiar and charming, but it becomes a nocturnal challenge, making it perfect for those who crave a bite-sized adventure with a side of thrills.
⚰️ Difficulty Curve (3/5): Brace yourself for a roller-coaster ride that gets more intense as the night deepens! The difficulty spikes in Kid Dracula become as unpredictable as a vampire's sneeze. It's not a smooth ride, but if you're a nocturnal thrill-seeker, this one's worth sinking your teeth into.
🎨 Art Design (3/5): The art direction in Kid Dracula is like moonlit graffiti – cool, captivating, and veering away from the usual Castlevania style. It's a pleasant stroll down the retro aesthetic lane, but with a twist. The pixelated perfection adds a layer of charm to the nocturnal adventure, adopting a more chibi and stylized approach.
🎶 Soundtrack (3/5): The music, my nocturnal friend, is like a vampire's upbeat chiptune playlist – not groundbreaking but perfect for a good time. It's not just a background melody; it's a nocturnal jam session. The beats in Kid Dracula are bopping enough to keep your undead toes tapping. It's a sonic companion that doesn't suck the life out of the game but adds a decent dose of nocturnal ambiance.
🩸 Replay Value (3/5): Without the distraction of side quests, Kid Dracula's replay value is like a vampire without his cape – straightforward yet alluring. The core gameplay might not scream "play me again," but the aesthetic allure and infectious tunes might draw you back for a nocturnal encore, especially if you're a big fan of challenging platformers.
In the realm of pixelated darkness, Kid Dracula is a bite-sized adventure with a coffin-load of charm. The visuals provide a cool retro vibe with a twist, and the music adds that extra oomph to the undead journey. Just be ready for the sporadic difficulty spikes as you navigate through the pixelated night.
🌑🦇 Overall Score: 3/5 – Kid Dracula brings the pixelated bite, cool visuals with a twist, and a tune that won't make you scream "bloody boring." It's a midnight snack, not a full banquet. #VampireReviewVibes
e se você
e se você é a konami e diz: vou fazer um mega man
é basicamente isso mas todo fofinho cheio de referencias a monstros de castlevania e sei la é um joguinho adoravel demais que pega bem onde gosto que é joguinho de comédia que faz piadinha visual durante o jogo inteiro. cada fase era eu ansiosa pra saber quais inimigos chibis lindinhos iam aparecer. varias tematicas diferentes pra cada fase também!!
ele fica um pouco dificil demais la pro final mas ainda assim é divertido além da conta
e se você é a konami e diz: vou fazer um mega man
é basicamente isso mas todo fofinho cheio de referencias a monstros de castlevania e sei la é um joguinho adoravel demais que pega bem onde gosto que é joguinho de comédia que faz piadinha visual durante o jogo inteiro. cada fase era eu ansiosa pra saber quais inimigos chibis lindinhos iam aparecer. varias tematicas diferentes pra cada fase também!!
ele fica um pouco dificil demais la pro final mas ainda assim é divertido além da conta
actually a perfect little tongue-in-cheek homage to the orignal Castlevania because the platforming in this game also makes me feel like i’ve been cursed to an eternal hell and this is my torture.
As a Mega Man copycat, it gets the job done. You get a new special ability after completing each stage, some of which are necessary to traverse certain obstacles and make some bosses easier (most of which are easy enough as is, though). You can also find heart containers to increase your hit points from 3 to a maximum of 5. The game overall is fairly easy until you get to Stage 7, and that's where you really start to notice the cracks in the level design and mechanics.
Stage 7 is straight up broken. A vertically scrolling level of platform jumping that seems longer than it actually is because of annoyingly difficult it is. Like with a lot of other platformers of this era, there is a knockback effect when you take damage, which basically requires you to get through this level without getting hit because that knockback will just knock you off the platform and out of bounds. Trying to hit enemies while making some of these jumps is way harder than it should be. To add insult to injury, they later add these rockets that come from below which explode and also damage you. If you somehow manage to make it to the top without save states, prepare to do it all over again, because the boss will probably destroy you on your first few attempts as you try to learn its attack patterns. There's a password system, but it only takes you to level 7, so good luck trying to beat this game legit. Losing to the final boss in Stage 9 just takes you back to the start of the level, which is probably the second hardest stage in the game. So yeah, fun... But what about lives?
This game has a very strange way of earning lives. Instead of having them placed in certain spots in each level like Mega Man, you have to win them in these mini games at the end of each stage. Sounds simple in concept, but you can only take a crack at these mini games if you have enough coins. These coins can only be earned from defeating enemies with a charged shot. You basically just gotta play each stage holding that fire button waiting for an enemy to pop up. And playing these mini games doesn't guarantee that you will win anything. It's just a gambling system and it sucks. I only ever managed to play any of these mini games three times. The first two times won me nothing. Then I got 6 lives on my third attempt. I would have had more coins to try more times, but I was too busy trying to survive by spamming my attack sometimes that I didn't want to risk trying to land charged shots on most enemies.
Also tangent, but why in the unholy mother of Alucard does touching any surface when in bat form cause you to revert back? I can't tell you how many times I died just trying to fly over some obstacles only to touch a wall and fall to my death because bat form controls like you're on invisible ice. Also, would have been nice to select abilities from a pause menu like Mega Man, because sometimes you want to switch in the middle of battle, and you'll take damage trying to scroll through it.
At least levels 1-6 are mostly fair. Some still have some annoying sections, but nothing too bad. I would say I enjoyed these levels. They're not great, but they're competent enough. But all the issues I had with its design, along with the rage factor that comes with the stages afterwards, downgrades this game from what would otherwise be a solid Mega Man clone to a mediocre platformer.
Stage 7 is straight up broken. A vertically scrolling level of platform jumping that seems longer than it actually is because of annoyingly difficult it is. Like with a lot of other platformers of this era, there is a knockback effect when you take damage, which basically requires you to get through this level without getting hit because that knockback will just knock you off the platform and out of bounds. Trying to hit enemies while making some of these jumps is way harder than it should be. To add insult to injury, they later add these rockets that come from below which explode and also damage you. If you somehow manage to make it to the top without save states, prepare to do it all over again, because the boss will probably destroy you on your first few attempts as you try to learn its attack patterns. There's a password system, but it only takes you to level 7, so good luck trying to beat this game legit. Losing to the final boss in Stage 9 just takes you back to the start of the level, which is probably the second hardest stage in the game. So yeah, fun... But what about lives?
This game has a very strange way of earning lives. Instead of having them placed in certain spots in each level like Mega Man, you have to win them in these mini games at the end of each stage. Sounds simple in concept, but you can only take a crack at these mini games if you have enough coins. These coins can only be earned from defeating enemies with a charged shot. You basically just gotta play each stage holding that fire button waiting for an enemy to pop up. And playing these mini games doesn't guarantee that you will win anything. It's just a gambling system and it sucks. I only ever managed to play any of these mini games three times. The first two times won me nothing. Then I got 6 lives on my third attempt. I would have had more coins to try more times, but I was too busy trying to survive by spamming my attack sometimes that I didn't want to risk trying to land charged shots on most enemies.
Also tangent, but why in the unholy mother of Alucard does touching any surface when in bat form cause you to revert back? I can't tell you how many times I died just trying to fly over some obstacles only to touch a wall and fall to my death because bat form controls like you're on invisible ice. Also, would have been nice to select abilities from a pause menu like Mega Man, because sometimes you want to switch in the middle of battle, and you'll take damage trying to scroll through it.
At least levels 1-6 are mostly fair. Some still have some annoying sections, but nothing too bad. I would say I enjoyed these levels. They're not great, but they're competent enough. But all the issues I had with its design, along with the rage factor that comes with the stages afterwards, downgrades this game from what would otherwise be a solid Mega Man clone to a mediocre platformer.
I've played a lot of Castlevania this year, played Adventure Rebirth, Bloodlines, Circle of the Moon, and Legends. I thought why not, let's try out the Famicom game called Akumajou Special: Boku Dracula-Kun. This is basically a parody game similar to when they would make Parodius which was a parody on Gradius. I'm not too sure why they made this? Maybe it was because Akumajou Densetsu (Castlevania III) supposedly did poorly in Japan? Well regardless of that, how is the game? Well, it exists.
This game is is your simple action game with some themes you would never really expect from the series. It's even got some high action thrills which again is something that is pretty different for the series. Sadly that's about as interesting as the game gets. Don't get me wrong, it is fun but it's not like amazing fun.
You can also get new powers after the first 6 stages but a lot of them are situational and the only one I got a lot of use from was the homing orbs ability. Maybe I just wasn't testing them enough. I really want to like the bat ability but it feels too situational. There's also bonus stages at the end of each stage with stuff like doing the lottery and guessing the girls...shorts? Are they shorts? You can get a lot of extra lives doing this like I had 12 lives at the beginning of Stage 2.
The bosses are nothing to write home about (wait is that how you say that?) They are just your standard hit them till they go down and avoid easy to dodge patterns. Even the final boss is a joke, why is he so easy? Also whatever you do, do not play the game without knowing japanese unless you're playing a translated version because one of the bosses is a quiz section and it's all in Japanese. Though if you don't feel bad you could just spam save states too if you have the option.
This game looks fine but Idk I'm not really impressed by it either if I'm being honest. I like a lot of the cute sprites but none of the environments do it for me. The music is also your typical Konami polish but far from their best work. I do like the remix of Beginning for the first Stage.
While this game won't amaze you in any way, it's still good and not something to pass up. There is also a GB game though idk how different it is so maybe I'll play it someday. Sadly he never caught on though maybe that was never intended, who knows. Maybe casuals could get into this more but I think there are better games to play. It's hard to compete with the polish the other games in the series had.
This game is is your simple action game with some themes you would never really expect from the series. It's even got some high action thrills which again is something that is pretty different for the series. Sadly that's about as interesting as the game gets. Don't get me wrong, it is fun but it's not like amazing fun.
You can also get new powers after the first 6 stages but a lot of them are situational and the only one I got a lot of use from was the homing orbs ability. Maybe I just wasn't testing them enough. I really want to like the bat ability but it feels too situational. There's also bonus stages at the end of each stage with stuff like doing the lottery and guessing the girls...shorts? Are they shorts? You can get a lot of extra lives doing this like I had 12 lives at the beginning of Stage 2.
The bosses are nothing to write home about (wait is that how you say that?) They are just your standard hit them till they go down and avoid easy to dodge patterns. Even the final boss is a joke, why is he so easy? Also whatever you do, do not play the game without knowing japanese unless you're playing a translated version because one of the bosses is a quiz section and it's all in Japanese. Though if you don't feel bad you could just spam save states too if you have the option.
This game looks fine but Idk I'm not really impressed by it either if I'm being honest. I like a lot of the cute sprites but none of the environments do it for me. The music is also your typical Konami polish but far from their best work. I do like the remix of Beginning for the first Stage.
While this game won't amaze you in any way, it's still good and not something to pass up. There is also a GB game though idk how different it is so maybe I'll play it someday. Sadly he never caught on though maybe that was never intended, who knows. Maybe casuals could get into this more but I think there are better games to play. It's hard to compete with the polish the other games in the series had.
Truly the Megaman of Castlevania games.
Really cute and really fun! Last few levels were a bit ruthless but that wasn't enough to ruin what is a super charming game. I shouldn't have to toggle weapons to use the Bat transformation tho orz
Kinda wish we got more games like this! Kid Dracula on the SNES! Kid Dracula 64! Over time, the Castlevania games got a bit grittier; that's not a bad thing, of course, but Kid Dracula as a spinoff series could've easily taken things to the opposite extreme. Alas...
(Lady Liberty lookin fine also 👀)
Really cute and really fun! Last few levels were a bit ruthless but that wasn't enough to ruin what is a super charming game. I shouldn't have to toggle weapons to use the Bat transformation tho orz
Kinda wish we got more games like this! Kid Dracula on the SNES! Kid Dracula 64! Over time, the Castlevania games got a bit grittier; that's not a bad thing, of course, but Kid Dracula as a spinoff series could've easily taken things to the opposite extreme. Alas...
(Lady Liberty lookin fine also 👀)
I think the next Castlevania series adaptation should be based on this game
without save states this would be like a 1 star game, but played on the collection with save states this game is oozing with charm. i'd honestly rate it higher but i feel like no save states being as bullshit as it is prevents me from doing so. looks great for nes, has some of the cutest and most fun character designs i've seen honestly like ever! it's much more mega man than it is castlevania but it works really well. there's lots of cool and unique stage gimmicks. the new york one which has spider-man and jason vorhees references ending in a trivia game show with lady liberty itself was my favorite, it was so silly and fun! i just love silly goofy games!!! again, no save states would be kinda miserable but with save states i had a really fun time!
You know, sometimes a game just needs to be cute and charming to be memorable, and that's exactly what Kid Dracula is. The gameplay isn't the most difficult or in depth, but for a silly parody game it's still quite fun, and you unlock a nice variety of powers to use, my favorite being the amazingly OP homing balls. In fact it's actually quite refreshing to play in the midst of other Castlevania games because of how frustrating they can be. More games should have quiz shows for boss fights.
Went into this title knowing nothing beyond its status as never having been released outside of Japan, so I wasn't expecting this to be baby's first Mega Man, but I'm happy to say I came out of it pretty pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
Short Mega Man Clone.
Stay with Castlevania instead. It's a fine enough game, just nothing remarkable.
Stay with Castlevania instead. It's a fine enough game, just nothing remarkable.
Requires save states or a lot of patience.
(played on PC Castlevania collection)
(played on PC Castlevania collection)
Kid Dracula for the Famicom is a weird and light-hearted spinoff of the Castlevania series, and it's cool that we finally got this localized inside the Castlevania Anniversary Collection back in 2019, which is where I'll be reviewing
Kid Dracula stars, well, Kid Dracula (obviously) as he traverses through nine wacky levels to defeat the almighty Galamoth. Kid Dracula is sort of akin to Mega Man. At every level you clear, you'll get a new power-up that can be used throughout your journey. My favorite is the homing attack, which sends multiple balls of destruction to enemies and deals crazy damage. Unlike Mega Man, Kid Dracula can shoot fireballs from his finger in four directions. The music and bosses are decent enough; my favorite boss is the Statue of Liberty. Seriously, we need more trivia-based bosses in video games instead of resorting to violence
I wouldn't call this game an excellent platformer for a few reasons. First off, most platforms have tricky and quite finicky platforming sections that sometimes leave me feeling frustrated. An infamous example is Level 7, where you're supposed to climb to the tower with platforms descending, but you have to be early to make it, or else you die. The final level is easily the worst because there are no checkpoints, meaning you must do the two mini-bosses and make your way to Galamoth again. Thankfully I restarted the game to get more lives instead of using the save state feature
Overall, Kid Dracula is a decent platformer with lots of charm behind it. It won't be anything amazing, but it's something worth checking out if you're a Castlevania fan
Kid Dracula stars, well, Kid Dracula (obviously) as he traverses through nine wacky levels to defeat the almighty Galamoth. Kid Dracula is sort of akin to Mega Man. At every level you clear, you'll get a new power-up that can be used throughout your journey. My favorite is the homing attack, which sends multiple balls of destruction to enemies and deals crazy damage. Unlike Mega Man, Kid Dracula can shoot fireballs from his finger in four directions. The music and bosses are decent enough; my favorite boss is the Statue of Liberty. Seriously, we need more trivia-based bosses in video games instead of resorting to violence
I wouldn't call this game an excellent platformer for a few reasons. First off, most platforms have tricky and quite finicky platforming sections that sometimes leave me feeling frustrated. An infamous example is Level 7, where you're supposed to climb to the tower with platforms descending, but you have to be early to make it, or else you die. The final level is easily the worst because there are no checkpoints, meaning you must do the two mini-bosses and make your way to Galamoth again. Thankfully I restarted the game to get more lives instead of using the save state feature
Overall, Kid Dracula is a decent platformer with lots of charm behind it. It won't be anything amazing, but it's something worth checking out if you're a Castlevania fan