Castlevania II: Simon's Quest

"Simon, you are a Vampire Killa. Congratulations!"

All too often in the world of videogames, sequels are not always made like their predecessor. Super Mario Brothers spawned a sequel, Super Mario Brothers 2, that was completely different from the original in all aspects except for main characters. The Legend of Zelda had a sequel called Zelda II: The Adventures of Link, that couldn't be farther from the mold that made The Legend of Zelda a great game.

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest is the sequel to the NES megahit Castlevania. While not as different from its original as the two Mario games or the two Zelda games I mentioned above, it's not the same format as the original. While this could be a good thing or a bad thing (that'll be ultimately up to you to decide), Castlevania II's formula mixes elements of different genres of gaming to make a most enjoyable playing experience. Get ready for a little RPG mixed with some action/adventure, and some platformer to boot. That's what Castlevania II: Simon's Quest is all about.

Storyline/Plot - 8/10

A big step up from the storyline of the original Castlevania, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest boasts a nicely devised storyline, derived from the original, as more of a continuation. After Simon defeated Dracula in the original Castlevania and rid Transylvania of the Prince of Darkness for awhile, Dracula's curse still reigns over the land. As bizarre as it sounds, to you, and probably to Simon (^_^), the only way to rid the lands of this curse is to revive Dracula and slay him again. This, in essence, is ''Simon's Quest.''

It's actually a very cool storyline, because you have to travel to various parts of the land, getting items, weapons, et cetera (hence the RPG elements), all to advance to the part of the game where you'll return to Dracula's destroyed Castle (that crumbled after Simon defeated Dracula in the original game), revive the evil man himself with the five body parts you got from various parts of the Transylvanian landscape, which were once Dracula's, and then kill him once more. It's really that simple, and the storyline remains functional to this day, whether or not it seems simple, or even a little lame. I enjoy the continuation effect from one game to another, and enjoy when game companies realize that with one successful game, it's okay, and sometimes expected, to bring the storyline out of one game, and continue it or add on to it in newer games of the same namesake and series.

Gameplay - 9/10

This is where Castlevania II: Simon's Quest truly stands out. As I mentioned in the introduction, the sequel to Castlevania takes the entire way the first game was played, and adds RPG elements all over the game. Mix that with a little difficulty and a lot of length, and Castlevania II: Simon's Quest is a high caliber game that adds up in the gameplay department.

If you've played any Castlevania game, whether it be the first one, the third one, the Game Boy ones, or even the newer Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Playstation), and Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (Game Boy Advance), you'll pick up and be familiar with the style of play found in this game. Truth be told, the game has a really good gameplay quality. Although I'll discuss this more in the control section of the review, the game's control is tight, and adds multiple dimensions to your game playing experience.

As far as in-game play, you control Simon, much like you did in the original Castlevania game. He moves in his 2D environment with his trusty whip. Throughout the game, you can find and purchase multiple items, whip upgrades, and additional weapons to add to your arsenal. There's not much else you can really say about the gameplay aspects of the game... except that it plays more like an RPG than a traditional Castlevania game of the early years. The Playstation and Game Boy Advance Castlevania games take what this game was all about and give fans today a new type of Castlevania - yet people today don't realize that those games are just fixed up, longer, better graphically, and souped up versions of this game. In that respect, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest get's no respect at all, and is all too often overlooked.

Fighting enemies is identical to the way it was in the original however, and the environments are very similar to the original as well. The 2D fighting style remains in tact, and is a welcome feature to the game, as it brings back that Castlevania feel. Ever notice how the only Castlevania games that stray from this 2D fighting style (and 2D style period) are the only sub-par Castlevania titles? Yes, I'm talking about the Nintendo64 Castlevania games. While I own both of them, beat both of them, and enjoyed both of them, to say they felt like a Castlevania game is to say playing Chess is like playing Monopoly. Two different games, correct? Hence, the traditional gameplay elements are a nice touch to this, the Castlevania sequel, and keep the Castlevania title meaningful while attached to the game.

Graphics - 7/10

Graphically, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest is almost identical to the original Castlevania game. With the exception of some darker colors, and a better looking Simon Belmont, the environments and backgrounds are very Castlevania-esque, and again, there's nothing wrong with that element of familiarity. The graphics are very gothic, the enemies are well animated and drawn (and a lot are recycled from the original game), and the backgrounds are nicely drawn. I especially like the backgrounds in the mansions, with the hanging people in the background. It's a nice, eerie touch. As far as animation goes, same old bag from the original Castlevania game. Not greatly animated, but not too choppy either. I suppose it's in the middle somewhere, and can be titled as ''functional.'' Functionality is a good thing, though, so don't worry.

Sound - 10/10

As far as NES games go, the Castlevania series has killer music. VAMPIRE KILLER MUSIC! Okay, that was corny. Anyway, the music in Castlevania II is UNREAL. Even better than the original, and on an equal par with Castlevania III. The daylight track is awesome, the nighttime track is awesome, the town track is awesome, the Mansion track is awesome. What ISN'T awesome about the music in this game? I have no idea, but I'm telling you, every MIDI found in this game is more than enjoyable. The best music in the game? The intro music, and the password screen music. Check those joints out and tell me that doesn't strike a little fear in your heart before you play through your quest in Transylvania.

As far as generic sounds, nothing too grande. Simon still has the infamous ''Simon Grunt,'' a nice touch when he gets hit by an enemy. None of the enemies make any noise, and there's no noise with environment interaction, but it doesn't detract from the fact that the music in this game is stellar, and then some.

Control - 8/10

Your generic Castlevania fare. The control of Castlevania II is identical to that of its predecessor, as well as the Castlevania to come after it. A is to jump, B is to whip, and up and B is to use your special weapon. However, the control gets an 8 instead of the 7 I gave the original Castlevania in this category because with the RPG elements of the game comes some RPG elements to the control of the game. You have to navigate through some menus to get to certain items and weapons you want to use, and the control on these menus is just as tight and easy to learn as is the regular in-game controls themselves. All in all, the control is above average for an NES game, and for that, we can be thankful.

Replay Value - 5/10

Replay value is where Castlevania II falls short, just like the original Castlevania. Once you beat this rather lengthy and difficult game, there's much doubt that you'll ever want to go back and beat it again for a few years, at least. I know I wrote a FAQ for it back in 2000, and haven't played it since. It's a fun, exciting, well made game to play, but the fact of the matter is, it's linear, and you can only do so much and have so much fun in replay value with a linear game, case closed. The only reason you'd want to play the game again is for speed. There are three different endings you can get in the game, and to get each of them, you have to beat the game within certain time parameters. It might not be reason enough for you to want to beat the game again, however. The crappy, black and white ending might suffice enough for you as is. Who needs color anyway?

OVERALL - 8/10

Overall, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest is a great title for the NES, and is still fun to play today. Often over-looked by people of a new gaming era, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest deserves to be looked at more as a game that spawned an RPG-action/adventure hybrid genre that strives today, and should also be more appreciated for the role it played in the upward progression of videogame history. Hats off to Konami for taking a chance with a new type of game, instead of making it like the original Castlevania. They did the right thing. It's worth the $5 it's going for on eBay, and should be in any gamer's NES collection. You'll be glad you have it, it's worth every cent you pay for it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/01/02, Updated 06/01/02