Saturday, October 5, 2013

Analyzing Pre-1990 Videogames: Castlevania



Developer: Konami
Platform:  Famicom Disk System/ NES
Release Date: September 26, 1986 (JP)/ May 1, 1987 (NA)
Genre: Platforming


Castlevania is the first game in the Castlevania series. It follow the story of Simon Belmont, a vampire hunter who is on the hunt for the lord of vampires himself, Dracula. Simon's tools of trade are holy daggers, holy water and his trusty whip...which has become iconic for the series. In Dracula's castle, he faces enemies from the undead, witches, and werewolves. The game itself is a platformer, comprised of six levels in a linear progression.  The player controls Simon Belmont throughout the game. The A button allows Simon Belmont to jump just like other platformer games, like in super mario bros ., but he can only jump straight up, left, or right; there is no midair control. 

There are many stairs located throughout the levels, but rather than simply pressing left or right to step up them, the player must initially press up on the directional pad. His primary mode of attack is via his whip by pressing the B button, which can be upgraded twice by obtaining special items throughout the course of the game which change it into a chain whip and extend its length. In addition, various "sub-weapons" can be obtained which provide different means of attack. By breaking chandelier and certain other items located throughout the castle, Simon collects "'hearts," which are then used as ammunition for the sub-weapon that he possesses.  Simon can carry only one sub-weapon at a time. The player can use a sub-weapon by simultaneously pressing "up" and B on the controller. 

The game operates on a mixture of a health and lives system, meaning unlike game such as Ghost 'n Goblins and Super Mario Bros. you won't die from one hit. Instead when you get hit, you take damage...however whenever you receives damage, he is knocked back a distance, increasing the challenge as this may lead to him falling down into a pit below which instantly kill you. He is not knocked back when on stairs. Each of Castlevania's six levels conclude with a boss battle: and as you might have guessed these bosses are generally taken from horror literature or legend, for example you can fight Igor, Frankenstein's Monster or even Medusa. 

GAMEPLAY VIDEO
Castlevania

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