"Meh... It's decent enough to waste some time on."

For some reason, I always believed Castlevania was a one-time only deal. I mean, sure it's basically a platformer, but I've never seen any games trying to directly COPY it. Well, this game threw that idea out the window.

8 Eyes is indeed a game fashioned SOLELY after Castlevania. Even the Skeletons look the same. The blocky walls, floors, ceilings, and the stairs all look like something out of Castlevania. Heck, it even uses the special item system that Castlevania has. Unfortunately, it's not really up to par with Castlevania as far as quality goes. Never-the-less, it's a mediocre game you can waste a few hours on.

Gameplay:

What's to say that wasn't said in the introductory paragraphs? This game is a blatant ripoff of Castlevania. You move, in a platforming fashion, across various levels while you swing your sword at bad guys (made up of demons, animated knight statues, bats, skeletons, flaming skull heads, and pig humans with spears). You also get various special items(weapons) to help you along with your adventure.

If that doesn't sum up Castlevania, then I don't know what does. Heck, to use one of your special items you have to press up + jump and there she blows. Instead of hearts(Castlevania) you'll find crosses to replenish your special item bar (so you can use more).

Oh yeah, don't expect the hero's weapon to work that well. Newbies to this type of game are going to have a hell of a time beating the enemies. Once you realize they stall after they try to attack you'll be able to stand back, then move forward to attack, then get back again. But at first glance, the hero's weapon is extremely short and pointless. You'll get the hang of it though.

In its only attempt at not being a direct Castlevania rip, it has a special gameplay function in which you can use your Falcon buddy to go attack stuff, be a shield, or retrieve items. You basically just press up + attack and it'll fly off into the air and float around waiting for you to issue it commands. During this time, you can still attack with your sword and/or special weapons but you can also press down + attack to make it do a dive move where it'll do damage to whatever is in its way.

The game is made up of 8 levels (8 Eyes... get it? Heh heh.) Each level contains some form of a puzzle, although trivial (basically you just have to use your Falcon to hit a switch to open the next door). You'll find scrolls hidden in walls that hint to what your ultimate goal is. At the end of each level you'll find a boss. This boss will drop a jewel and you'll eventually end up with 8 (Again... 8 Eyes... Heh).

Only two levels really add any sort of puzzles that might require thinking. These two levels are created in a maze fashion. Think of Super Mario 1 and that 4th(or was it 5th?) castle level where the area kept repeating itself. That's basically what this game uses as a "maze" except it goes up and down for the levels instead of left and right.

While the bosses add a fair element of difficulty to the game, you'll soon find out that mastering the art of ONE special weapon will allow you to usually win with ease. And once that one trick is found, the whole game becomes something a child could master.

Cosmetics:

The graphics in this game are pretty decent. Again, it looks basically like Castlevania. Even the sprites are resemblant of the fan favorite game. For a NES game, it doesn't look too bad though.

Like was said earlier, it's a side view platform game so nothing needs to be said anymore about how you'll view the game. Just think Castlevania! (Getting tired of hearing that yet?)

The music is actually pretty decent. I was amazed it held me through the game. Most of it matches the levels in which you'll be fighting in. Each level has a certain theme (Arabia, Germany, Egypt, India, Italy, Spain) and the music supports it well.

Storyline:

While it does have a storyline, it's nothing to get all googly-eyed over. Nothing's really explained all that well and it probably would have been more cosier to just not have a storyline at all.

You're Orin and you're searching for these 8 jewels that are spread across the world. Why you're looking for them and how they ended up in these areas is a bit of a mystery (hence, not explained) and therefore doesn't really thrill me.

Apparently, once you beat a boss they'll become friendly and have a drink with you at the end of the levels. That doesn't explain why they come back to harass you during the last level though... The main boss at the end isn't explained and I can't fathom who she's supposed to be or why I'm even fighting at all. Who cares about these 8 jewels? What the heck do they even do besides finish the game for me?

In an educated guess, I'd say I'm a treasure hunter looking for these 8 jewels to prove that I'm the best. Now, as much as that guess is probably right, no one can be 100% certain. And that's because the storyline is crappy.

Overall/Explanation/Recommendation:

There's a few reasons this game loses points. One would be that it's a low-key ripoff of Castlevania. The next would be the stupid storyline that doesn't really add up at the end.

While the game didn't have any major flaws (save the storyline) it isn't something that anyone should really care about playing unless you're bored and want more of something like Castlevania. The only recommendation I can give is to play it if you're bored.

Of course, you're unlikely to find it anywhere for rent unless you know a place that sports itself on vintage. So I guess if you want to play it you're going to have to buy it. I wouldn't spend more than 1$ on it though. -_- You can find better ways to waste your time.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 05/17/06