Castlevania (Akumajou Dracula in Japan) is the first game of the Castlevania series created by Konami. The game was originally developed for the Famicom Disk System and later ported to many home consoles and computers.
Story[ | ]
It is the year 1691...The land of Transylvania has been at peace for one-hundred years now, thanks to the efforts of Trevor Belmont. The peasants and villagers have begun to purge their minds of the memories of the times when the lands were dominated by chaos and shadows, times when the undead walked the earth...However, there are those that remember that the evil Count Dracula returns every one-hundred years to plague the land, bringing with him the forces of Hell...Thus, one evening, the Prince of Darkness rises and returns to Castlevania, his ancestral home, calling forth his minions to purge the world of human flesh.
The people cry out for a hero — someone to defend them from the evil desires of the Count. Thankfully, they don't have to look very far, for within the land of Transylvania the Belmont line still lives, as Simon Belmont, great-grandson of Solieyu Belmont, takes up the legendary whip called the Vampire Killer, and sets forth on his journey through the darkened countryside to the dark lord's castle...
Upon arrival, the young man fights his way through legions of zombies, gigantic bats, and even faces Death himself, but in the end, he makes it to the Count and in a battle to end all battles, he comes out the victor...
The price? The evil master places a curse of death upon Simon, which will lead him into a long and dangerous journey in the very near future...
Gameplay[ | ]
Castlevania is a typical 2D platform game in which the player controls Simon Belmont, a member of the Belmont clan, chosen to defeat Count Dracula. He fights with a whip as his primary weapon. His whip (called the Vampire Killer) can be upgraded with special items found in candelabras spread throughout the castle. In these, Simon can also find food (to recover energy), sub-weapons (dagger, holy water, axe, stop watch, and boomerang), and hearts (consumable for the sub-weapons).
Taking a sub-weapon will automatically replace the one Simon already has. Collectibles also include: the Doubleshot (a block with a II on it that allows the player to throw two subweapons at a time), the Tripleshot (a block with a III on it that allows the player to throw three subweapons at a time), a crucifix (which destroys all enemies on screen), Gold Fluid (which makes Simon invincible for a period of time), and moneybags (which simply increase the score). Simon has to go through 6 stages, each concluding with a boss fight, the last boss being Count Dracula himself.
Although Castlevania had very good gameplay for its time, many modern gamers have criticized it for frustrating limitations, such as Simon not being able to change the direction of a jump in mid-air or not being able to jump on or off stairs.
Presentation[ | ]
Music[ | ]
The music was composed by Kinuyo Yamashita, the soundtrack has been reused and remixed in almost all Castlevania games. It includes some famous tracks such as Vampire Killer, Stalker, Wicked Child, Walking on the Edge, Heart of Fire, Out of Time, Nothing to Lose, Poison Mind, and may more.
Gallery[ | ]
Famicom Boxart
NES Boxart
NES European Boxart
Famicom Disk System Boxart
