Akumajou Dracula X: Gekka no Yasoukyoku

"Truly an amazing game... but it's import only!!!"

I must have been living under a rock for the past 16 years, because this was the very first Castlvania game I picked up. However, I'm very glad I was able to find this on import, for it truly is a phenomenal game.

Most people will be lucky enough to have played the PSX version. I was in the unfortunate position of not having played it before, but my misfortune was replaced by the joy of first booting up the game.

So how is this different from its translated cousin?

There are now three playable characters from the word go - Alucard, Richter, and Maria. Alucard's game is the main bulk of the adventure, and is considered the proper story game. Richter's and Maria's are much more basic, since neither of them can pick up the items Alucard can. However, I found this to be no big downer - Maria's got some absolutely cracking abilities, and magic which I found to be even better than Alucard's, while Richter's whipping talents give the game that classic Castlevania feel.

Two new areas have been added - the Cursed Prison and the Underground Garden. Neither of them are that difficult to find. Both contain new enemies for you to trash. These stages are pretty okay, but not very big.

There's some new stuff dotted around the castle. The best of these is the Swift Boots, that let Alucard run at the same speed as Richter and Maria. No more slow trudges through the castle then!

I've heard the graphics have lost some of their sheen in being ported, but this doesn't really bother me. This game looks an absolute treat, with fantastic imagination in the enemies, and some utterly impressive bosses. The whole gothic style is absolutely breathtaking, and the animation for the most part is slick.

The real star of the show is the music. This game contains possibly the greatest videogame soundtrack ever created - it really does sound like it's been crafted by the greatest orchestra in the world. As an extra treat, Konami have remixed tunes from older Castlevania games just for Saturn owners. For the most part they're pretty darned cool, but the rest of it is still utterly, completely fantastic.

All in all, this is a truly brilliant game, proving that 3D doesn't necessarily mean better. It's such a shame that it's so hard to find though, you'll have to be fast to get a copy. Still, this is quite possibly my all-time favourite videogame. I absolutely adore it.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/17/03, Updated 02/17/03