As a Mega Man fan who is playing through the Castlevania franchise, this was a nice little surprise. A parody spinoff of Castlevania puts you in the shoes of the long time antagonist, Dracula, when he was a child has you jumpn' and shootn' Mega Man style through levels with a boss usually waiting at the end.

Other comparisons to Mega Man is the fact when you defeat a boss at the end of a level you get a new weapon in the form of a charge blast, that you are able to switch. Some of these charge blasts are homing attacks, explosions or even the ability to turn you into a bat for a short period. The only other thing the gameplay does to really differentiate itself from Mega Man is the ability to shoot up (which if Mega Man could do, he would be so OP).

I do wish this game had the structure of a Mega Man game where you could choose your level order, considering bosses do give you weapons this time around, it would have been cool to find an order that gives you your favorite weapons first.

Level wise, the design is more focused on shooting enemies then platforming. There are a handful platforming sections but nothing too hard or stressful. You won't get the disappearing blocks over a bottomless pit type of challenge. Some of the level themes are cool as they take some of the designs from Castlevania and "kidify" them in artsyle. The first level itself is a straight up recreation of Dracula's castle from the original title and it was so cool reliving it. Other levels are more typical levels you'd see in a platformer like the Ice stage or Desert stage - not bad but nothing too great and original either.

The game difficulty is very fair for a NES game and Castlevania game nonetheless. Someone with decent experience with NES platformers should be able to beat this in one sitting with a good level of challenge.

I liked this little fun break from the rage inducing early Castlevania titles, especially as a fan of Mega Man this is a solid MM clone and treat.

Kid Dracula is a spin-off of the Castlevania series, starring a chibi version of the Prince of Darkness himself.
It's clear why, initially, this didn't get a worldwide release. Not only because it has a very chibi art-style, something that the USA of old probably wouldn't accept, but it also contains some stuff related to Japanese culture.

In terms of gameplay, this one feels more like a Mega Man game than a Castlevania one, as Kid Dracula's main attack is a projectible very similar to that of the Blue Bomber's. After you beat a stage, you get a new ability to choose from, whether that'd be a homing projectible or an ice attack.

I did feel like the level design only really asked for some of these abilities to be used in some ocassions. There are some interesting set-pieces in the levels themselves, though, and I really liked the variety of environments Kid Dracula goes through.

It wasn't all perfect though, since I did some frustrating times with some of the bosses and some parts of the levels. Stage 6's boss can go suck it, because he constantly summons bubbles at you, but you have little room to avoid them, so you'll most likely get knocked back from them and die.

What doesn't help is that you're sent all the way back towards the middle of the level, and that really grinded my gears. I did use plenty of save-states for this one, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Gotta be honest, even with the game's cute aesthetic, I didn't really find this game to be all that interesting. If it wasn't frustrating, then it was just leaving me indifferent.
Again, there were things about this game that I liked, like the overall presentation and some parts of the soundtrack, but it really doesn't feel like anything special.

Overall, Kid Dracula is a fine 2D platformer that sometimes left me frustrated, but other times left me with the feeling that I just wanted this to be done, so I could finish all of the games of the Castlevania Anniversary Collection.

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

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 👀)

It's a realy cute game. I found it fun magical and whimsical. The game had great controls that made it quite enjoyable. It's filled with many different weapons but under utilizes the need to switch them making it feel uninovative. The last level is a bit obnoxious and ruins the pacing. Probably the worst thing about the game is the sound effects in the final boss. The boss isn't to difficult but the sound makes the experience unbearable. As fun and cute as the game is it's not great objectively.
I have a personal doc with some notes that I am working on refining my game reviews this is the first on this system. I pro will start versioning them and adding that to them.

pretty fun to play, for the most part the game isnt too difficult and feels pretty fair. its cool that there are multiple different weapons but also some just make others obsolete or some just have no use except for in parts when the game deliberately wants you to use them. for some reason though the final level just has like a big difficulty spike?? the previous levels have some obstacles that will just kill you and it feels like you have to die first before you even know theyre there but the game hands out lives often and has checkpoints, the levels themselves really arent that long either. but then last level just like 3 bosses and an annoying platforming segment and if you die you get sent all the way back to the beginning of the level which was so ass

So, this game is in the Castlevania Anniversary Collection.

It is a game.

It is horrible.

Maybe consider skipping it.

O filho bastardo da senhora Castlevania com o senhor Mega Man.

É um jogo muito simpático, mas o que ele tem de fofo, ele também tem de limitado. A ideia das habilidades especiais é legal, mas fora as habilidades necessárias pra passar de uma parte ou outra, vc vai acabar usando só a habilidade que dá mais dano msm (que é a explosão). Outra ideia interessante dele é a de conseguir moedas ao longo da fase pra conseguir 1Up's em minigames entre fases - dependendo do minigame e da sorte, dá pra conseguir uma quantidade bem boa de vidas pra se manter vivo na gameplay.

Mas no geral, Kid Dracula cai na mesma casa de Castlevania: The Adventure no sentido de ser uma base bruta com ideias muito boas mas que só foram melhor trabalhadas e polidas na sua sequência.

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

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,

I am honestly glad Kid Dracula exists... simply because is a great reminder that Konami once cared about being a videogame company, so much so that it was willing to make a silly spin off of a beloved franchise regarding the son of Dracula

This has the same charm of Cpacom's Pocket Fighters: it's just a silly idea to make fun of the castlevania series while also adding a unique twist to a classic game of the same kinda.

Instead of a belmont, you are a little scrinklo vampire, and as such you got vampire powers: shooting fireballs and tricky projectiles but also turning into a bat or switching the gravity to climb through walls. This is already a really cool moveset for a 2D platformer, that makes this game simple but fun to go through.

While the levels are nothing that complicated, they just ooze personality. the first one is a rendition of the classic dracula castle, with giant pendulums, stairs, candles and giant climbable gears, and a remix of the classic team but not witha more upbeat and cheesy tone.

Then you proceed through a desert, space, snow, flygin ariship a city and you fight the STATUE OF LIBERTY... on a quiz show??? And at the end of each stage you have the chance to play slot machines or to spend money on like sexy dencing witches or something.

It is clear this was like a little side prpject made with love by a team in the company, and the fact that it came out in a solid way is really awesome.

Still, not a great videogame, it's kinda short and especially the last levels ahave a weird difficulty spike, especially for the final bosses, but honestly it was worth my time

Kid Dracula is based. THe fact he appears in the SMash Bros stage is so cool. Now he just need to show up in the netflix series or something

Honestly, this game is really rough. The first stage is pretty great. A cute little homage to the original Castlevana.

But after this the game just gets worse and the system obviously can't handle whatever this game has, since it has massive slowdowns.

RG35XX

Kid Dracula is an odd inclusion in the Castlevania Anniversary Collection. This game does not play like the other games in the collection. It is more like a Mega Man game with you shooting and gaining new power-ups or magic in this game’s case. The level design is reminiscent of a Mega Man game.

The game is average. Some of the magic powers are good and some are situational. The best magic powers are the homing and bomb powers when charged up. I rarely used the bat or upside down powers unless the level design required me to use them. There is some cheap enemy placement here and there. Some bosses were easy and some were frustrating like the Sphinx boss where you are fighting him above a bottomless pit.

Kid Dracula is slow. His running speed is pathetic. After I beat the game, I went and loaded up the Mega Man Legacy Collection and played a stage in Mega Man 2, the game I am familiar with. Mega Man is faster than Kid Dracula. K.D., catch up to that blue boy.

I do like the music and how the game looks. It is a shame there is slowdown and sprite flickering.

Kid Dracula makes me want to play through all the Mega Man games. I only played and finished the second Mega Man game and I thought that was good. Kid Dracula is average.