Castlevania is the initial entry in the hugely popular Konami series

Castlevania, starring Simon Belmont as he travels into Dracula's castle to kill

the man himself. Armed with only a whip and the clothes on his back, Simon must

travel through six extensive levels and fight through hordes of enemies to

defeat the head vampire.

The first thing one notices when one starts Castlevania is how seemingly

clunky the controls are. The whip doesn't attack instantly, there's a slight

delay between button press and attack. The jump is extremely weird, as you can

only jump forward, backward, or straight up, with no control over speed or

direction after the action is commanded. This seems dreadful at first, but the

use of subweapons in the game reveals the purpose of this strange scheme. The

whip is not the preferable item of killing in this game. Subweapons like the

knife, the axe, or the boomerang, all perform the task of killing your enemies

far better than your whip could. Much like the modern game Dark Souls, this is a

game of methodical planning, where you are sure to die should you simply go

straight in with no rhyme or reason. Examining your surroundings, taking your

time, knowing the weapons are all incredibly valuable skills to have, especially

considering how difficult this game is. The game is very fair, though, it simply

expects more of the player than most games.

The graphics are very pretty, particularly for an NES game, featuring

lots of bright, complimentary colors as well as detailed sprites and

environments. Everything pops very well, and the environments convey story in an

interesting way. The music is haunting, beautiful, and perfect in every use.