Years of playing Simon in Smash Ultimate and defeating that game’s Dracula have led to this… to my ass-beating being even more shameful.
Castlevania is the type of work I both dread and utterly love to talk about: it’s a game that has been around even before I was even a thought, the type of game that has been spoken and discussed about to no end and one that I myself I’m at risk of misunderstanding or simply not being able to add more from what many others have said, but it’s because of those same reasons that I yearned to finally embark on it. It has built up such a legacy that I’m kinda surprised I didn’t make the slightest effort to at least try, like I did for other series like good ol’ Mario or Doom, it’s the 8-bit monster killing adventure, but defining it like that, while accurate at the most literal sense, would make me fall into that lack of understanding that I wanted to avoid so badly.
There’s this change of outlook that I always inadvertently take when analyzing older media, which it isn’t a bad thing, I always attempt to view things considering the broader scene at the time, and many go even beyond trying to view the historical context behind certain videogames, something that is simply amazing and leads to some fantastic reads on works that at face value don’t seem to have much depth, but this change of mind also comes with a more uglier side, the act of trying to reduce an aspect of a game to ‘’oh yeah, that was the jank of the time’’. Things like ‘’This game has this terrible stage, but it’s from the NES, so obviously it has aged poorly!’’ or ‘’Of course there’s a shit ton of enemies in this area, it’s an arcade game, they had to find a way to suck the quarters out of you!’’ are trails of thought that while are not misguided and they have chunks of truth (I’m not trying to imply that some Arcade games’ sections are NOT designed to be coin-eaters, some certainly are), some people see them as unequivocal facts that apply to ALL games equally or as completely valid indicators when thinking about a game… by some people I mean me. I like to think I push aside those generalisms when talking more in depth about games, but I’d lie if I said that they didn’t cross my mind as an immediate justification to myself for why I was getting frustrated or I couldn’t get past a certain level, and it’s when those thoughts cross my mind the I stop seeing the game as a work of art to be understood and analyzed, and more as a inconvenience to put up with and get over with, basically what I’m trying to say is that I’m a bit of a goofus, shocker I know.
Castlevania should be yet another victim to this, I should see its forever spawning enemies, their extremely cruel placements, its tough as nails platforming and its both battles as nothing more as things that just aged badly, as a consequence of it being a NES game from the 80’s… and yet, I can’t see everything about it, including its quirks, as anything except as clear marks of identity that separate it beyond other members of its ilk, especially as I’m writing this.
The castle of Dracula that gives name to game is one of the most identifiable and incredible sets I had the chance to traverse through in the entirety of the 8-Bit console catalogue; you are not simply thrown into levels with a strong thematic, even if that alone would be pretty cool considering gothic motifs, but you are actually going through the Castlevania, going past the entrance into the maws of the castle, exploring the catacombs and dashing through the roof-tops, even getting to traverse the gears and machinery that give power to the clock tower. Each set of three stages has a strong sense of purpose, playing a clear part in this impossible building that cannot be, certain enemies guarding certain areas, and with always a unique boss capping off each of the sections, something that only gets re-affirmed with every set of stages beaten and a chance to look at the map once again, to see your progress reflected and your new objective mark. You are in constant movement, constantly going forward, and constantly being mesmerized by the new sights.
For a game that tries so hard to be creepy and drab looking, it’s utterly beautiful, the sprite-work is captivating like few I’ve seeing, nothing lacks that grimmey details, but at the same time everything is instantly recognizable, both enemies and backdrops; the colors paint a beautiful picture of a dreadful world lighted by the pale moonlight, darkness still takes a hold of every corner, but Simon always oozes light, and the reds and blues of the enemies turn this into even more of a colorful festival while still being quiet like the night… quick reminder that this is all happening on a NES. It’s a striking world to whip through, and doing that while monsters surround you, bosses overwhelm you, and death is around every corner and specifically in one room, the music accompanies you with every step taken, with ladder climbed, with each obstacle overcome and god. DAMN. Castlevania’s OST could have been normal spooky-ass music and I doubt many would have complaint, but instead it has to open with ‘’Vampire Killer’’ and it just keeps getting grander and grander, reflecting your never ending progress to Dracula while being absolute BANGERS, this castle may be going down, but it’s doing it with style.
Even tho the enemy variety is not that big, it certainly feels like it: enemies and divided into clear and specific areas, with the Fishmen being more common in the basement of the castle and the armored Knights guarding the areas closest to their lord, and even with the enemies that are common across the board, like the skeletons or the Medusa heads, they never become visually tiring or get too old, they are used the right amount of times... and almost always in cruel ways. Dracula is a bit of sick bastard with its minion placement, and hey I get it, if I revived after 100 years and saw the descendant of the guy that killed me came to invade my home I’d be pretty pissed too, can’t blame the guy that much honestly. But even still… endless armies Medusa heads constantly going to attack you, flea-men attacking you in impossible patterns and being dropped onto you and giant bats appearing just when you are jumping before you are even able to see them and throwing you down to your death it’s uh… a bit of a dick move honestly.
Castlevania doesn’t seem to show compassion at any points, some stages and levels may be easier than others, but it’s never simple, and when it gets cruel as all hell, it gets fucking cruel as hell. There are moments that drove to the verge of madness, parts that made me wish that I didn’t bother to pick up the controller, and my mind wanted to whisper that same thoughts whose arrival seemed inevitable… and yet, even at the darkest of times, I kept being… enthralled by it. The moments that I once saw as unfair, like the barrage of fleas being dropped on you, took a whole new perspective once I realize they fell jut far away enough so I could hit them with my whip; the horrible patterns of the medusa heads that seemed endless and unpredictable and made me fall a thousand times became more readable, more fun to avoid than to kill, turning into a monster dance of sorts (HAH! GET IT? DO YOU GE-) ; bosses that I simply didn’t know how to fight against became clear as water when I used the right extra weapons and tools. It never became easier, in fact it only got more maddening difficult as it went along, but it all had a point, a rhyme and reason to be the way it was, there was a purpose and a clear intention even in the most of frustrating moments, and in a way that captivated me, compelled me to move forward and get the vampire killing done, to see Simon keep. Moving. Forward.
And talking about the man itself, he couldn’t be more prepared for the task and less capable of it at the same time if he wanted. Simon is extremely prone to falls and takes its sweet time to throw that whip forward, he really can’t be trusted to immediately react to a threat, but he certainly can be when it comes to analyze and anticipate one; he’s surprisingly momentum based, and while jumping you either move or you don’t, you have to commit to one of the two, and it’s that necessity to commitment, that heaviness and that feeling of strength that sells you fully the idea what kind of game this is: one where you do. Or you don’t. Simon can either be the most thrown around guy in all of the castle or an absolute unstoppable machine, but it always feels amazing to control and feels fair to play with, ‘cause the way he moves and plays, in a way, is Castlevania.
Still, even when realizing this, there are some sections that feel a but too cruel, mostly caused by the cramped spaces or tight platforming, especially near the final stretch, and I’m also not that convinced by the bosses; they are memorable encounters for sure, but mainly ‘cause they are the most different thing compared to the rest of the game, they don’t feel particularly interesting, some are easily cheesed if you have a certain weapon or find a specific spot, and then there’s some like Dracula himself who just feels fucking terrible to fight against and he and even Death are the only things about the game I could say feel ‘’janky’’. Having said all this, I’ll say that I love Igor and Frankenstein (I don’t know if they are really called that but oh well), once I realized how they worked, it was easily the most fun boss to take down and the one that felt the most satisfying, loved those two so much.
Castlevania is flawed, but by its own merits, and not by a general statement that could be applied to many games. From beginning to end, even at the most infuriating of moments, I never stop seeing for what it was: an incredible game, fascinating in a ton of ways and interesting in so many others, it has reaffirmed things I already knew and even made me learn more, and I’ll be sure to take those same lessons when I play future experiences.
A simple quest that would lead to so, so many more, a short adventure that it goes beyond its simplicity, a true legend.
Go forth and onward, Simon Belmont
Castlevania is the type of work I both dread and utterly love to talk about: it’s a game that has been around even before I was even a thought, the type of game that has been spoken and discussed about to no end and one that I myself I’m at risk of misunderstanding or simply not being able to add more from what many others have said, but it’s because of those same reasons that I yearned to finally embark on it. It has built up such a legacy that I’m kinda surprised I didn’t make the slightest effort to at least try, like I did for other series like good ol’ Mario or Doom, it’s the 8-bit monster killing adventure, but defining it like that, while accurate at the most literal sense, would make me fall into that lack of understanding that I wanted to avoid so badly.
There’s this change of outlook that I always inadvertently take when analyzing older media, which it isn’t a bad thing, I always attempt to view things considering the broader scene at the time, and many go even beyond trying to view the historical context behind certain videogames, something that is simply amazing and leads to some fantastic reads on works that at face value don’t seem to have much depth, but this change of mind also comes with a more uglier side, the act of trying to reduce an aspect of a game to ‘’oh yeah, that was the jank of the time’’. Things like ‘’This game has this terrible stage, but it’s from the NES, so obviously it has aged poorly!’’ or ‘’Of course there’s a shit ton of enemies in this area, it’s an arcade game, they had to find a way to suck the quarters out of you!’’ are trails of thought that while are not misguided and they have chunks of truth (I’m not trying to imply that some Arcade games’ sections are NOT designed to be coin-eaters, some certainly are), some people see them as unequivocal facts that apply to ALL games equally or as completely valid indicators when thinking about a game… by some people I mean me. I like to think I push aside those generalisms when talking more in depth about games, but I’d lie if I said that they didn’t cross my mind as an immediate justification to myself for why I was getting frustrated or I couldn’t get past a certain level, and it’s when those thoughts cross my mind the I stop seeing the game as a work of art to be understood and analyzed, and more as a inconvenience to put up with and get over with, basically what I’m trying to say is that I’m a bit of a goofus, shocker I know.
Castlevania should be yet another victim to this, I should see its forever spawning enemies, their extremely cruel placements, its tough as nails platforming and its both battles as nothing more as things that just aged badly, as a consequence of it being a NES game from the 80’s… and yet, I can’t see everything about it, including its quirks, as anything except as clear marks of identity that separate it beyond other members of its ilk, especially as I’m writing this.
The castle of Dracula that gives name to game is one of the most identifiable and incredible sets I had the chance to traverse through in the entirety of the 8-Bit console catalogue; you are not simply thrown into levels with a strong thematic, even if that alone would be pretty cool considering gothic motifs, but you are actually going through the Castlevania, going past the entrance into the maws of the castle, exploring the catacombs and dashing through the roof-tops, even getting to traverse the gears and machinery that give power to the clock tower. Each set of three stages has a strong sense of purpose, playing a clear part in this impossible building that cannot be, certain enemies guarding certain areas, and with always a unique boss capping off each of the sections, something that only gets re-affirmed with every set of stages beaten and a chance to look at the map once again, to see your progress reflected and your new objective mark. You are in constant movement, constantly going forward, and constantly being mesmerized by the new sights.
For a game that tries so hard to be creepy and drab looking, it’s utterly beautiful, the sprite-work is captivating like few I’ve seeing, nothing lacks that grimmey details, but at the same time everything is instantly recognizable, both enemies and backdrops; the colors paint a beautiful picture of a dreadful world lighted by the pale moonlight, darkness still takes a hold of every corner, but Simon always oozes light, and the reds and blues of the enemies turn this into even more of a colorful festival while still being quiet like the night… quick reminder that this is all happening on a NES. It’s a striking world to whip through, and doing that while monsters surround you, bosses overwhelm you, and death is around every corner and specifically in one room, the music accompanies you with every step taken, with ladder climbed, with each obstacle overcome and god. DAMN. Castlevania’s OST could have been normal spooky-ass music and I doubt many would have complaint, but instead it has to open with ‘’Vampire Killer’’ and it just keeps getting grander and grander, reflecting your never ending progress to Dracula while being absolute BANGERS, this castle may be going down, but it’s doing it with style.
Even tho the enemy variety is not that big, it certainly feels like it: enemies and divided into clear and specific areas, with the Fishmen being more common in the basement of the castle and the armored Knights guarding the areas closest to their lord, and even with the enemies that are common across the board, like the skeletons or the Medusa heads, they never become visually tiring or get too old, they are used the right amount of times... and almost always in cruel ways. Dracula is a bit of sick bastard with its minion placement, and hey I get it, if I revived after 100 years and saw the descendant of the guy that killed me came to invade my home I’d be pretty pissed too, can’t blame the guy that much honestly. But even still… endless armies Medusa heads constantly going to attack you, flea-men attacking you in impossible patterns and being dropped onto you and giant bats appearing just when you are jumping before you are even able to see them and throwing you down to your death it’s uh… a bit of a dick move honestly.
Castlevania doesn’t seem to show compassion at any points, some stages and levels may be easier than others, but it’s never simple, and when it gets cruel as all hell, it gets fucking cruel as hell. There are moments that drove to the verge of madness, parts that made me wish that I didn’t bother to pick up the controller, and my mind wanted to whisper that same thoughts whose arrival seemed inevitable… and yet, even at the darkest of times, I kept being… enthralled by it. The moments that I once saw as unfair, like the barrage of fleas being dropped on you, took a whole new perspective once I realize they fell jut far away enough so I could hit them with my whip; the horrible patterns of the medusa heads that seemed endless and unpredictable and made me fall a thousand times became more readable, more fun to avoid than to kill, turning into a monster dance of sorts (HAH! GET IT? DO YOU GE-) ; bosses that I simply didn’t know how to fight against became clear as water when I used the right extra weapons and tools. It never became easier, in fact it only got more maddening difficult as it went along, but it all had a point, a rhyme and reason to be the way it was, there was a purpose and a clear intention even in the most of frustrating moments, and in a way that captivated me, compelled me to move forward and get the vampire killing done, to see Simon keep. Moving. Forward.
And talking about the man itself, he couldn’t be more prepared for the task and less capable of it at the same time if he wanted. Simon is extremely prone to falls and takes its sweet time to throw that whip forward, he really can’t be trusted to immediately react to a threat, but he certainly can be when it comes to analyze and anticipate one; he’s surprisingly momentum based, and while jumping you either move or you don’t, you have to commit to one of the two, and it’s that necessity to commitment, that heaviness and that feeling of strength that sells you fully the idea what kind of game this is: one where you do. Or you don’t. Simon can either be the most thrown around guy in all of the castle or an absolute unstoppable machine, but it always feels amazing to control and feels fair to play with, ‘cause the way he moves and plays, in a way, is Castlevania.
Still, even when realizing this, there are some sections that feel a but too cruel, mostly caused by the cramped spaces or tight platforming, especially near the final stretch, and I’m also not that convinced by the bosses; they are memorable encounters for sure, but mainly ‘cause they are the most different thing compared to the rest of the game, they don’t feel particularly interesting, some are easily cheesed if you have a certain weapon or find a specific spot, and then there’s some like Dracula himself who just feels fucking terrible to fight against and he and even Death are the only things about the game I could say feel ‘’janky’’. Having said all this, I’ll say that I love Igor and Frankenstein (I don’t know if they are really called that but oh well), once I realized how they worked, it was easily the most fun boss to take down and the one that felt the most satisfying, loved those two so much.
Castlevania is flawed, but by its own merits, and not by a general statement that could be applied to many games. From beginning to end, even at the most infuriating of moments, I never stop seeing for what it was: an incredible game, fascinating in a ton of ways and interesting in so many others, it has reaffirmed things I already knew and even made me learn more, and I’ll be sure to take those same lessons when I play future experiences.
A simple quest that would lead to so, so many more, a short adventure that it goes beyond its simplicity, a true legend.
Go forth and onward, Simon Belmont