Castlevania

Castlevania: My but this one is old!

Castlevania 1 came out in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was a remake of 1986's Vampire Killer, for the MSX Home Computer. ( I never had one either ) CV 1 was when gamers first started to take major notice of Dracula and Simon Belmont, and Konami knew they had a hit. CV 1 also introduced the traditional style of whip upgrades and sub-weapons that carried on to many of the other games in the series. Here's a look at the moldy oldie we love, Castlevania 1.

The Weapons:

The Leather Whip

The Chain Whip (Short Morning Star)

The Vampire Killer (Morning Star)

This was the first Castlevania where 2 whip upgrades could be readily grabbed from a candle. In Haunted Castle weapons were found, and in Vampire Killer only one upgrade, to a chain whip, could be gotten from a candle.

Sub-Weapons:

The Dagger: The weak but fast, straight in front throwing dagger. Always the first sub-weapon available. Uses 1 heart.

The Battle Axe: The overhead throwing axe, powerful and perfect against flying enemies. Uses 1 heart.

The Cross Boomerang: The powerful and returning cross boomerang, great against any foe. Uses 1 heart.

The Holy Water: The flame producing vial of holy water, always good for taking out multiple foes in a line with it's fire. Uses 1 heart.

The Stop Watch: The time-stopping clock which freezes normal enemy movement on screen and works against some bosses. Uses 5 hearts.

Castlevania 1 introduced easily accessible sub-weapons, and these are the 5 that appear in the most games.

There are also to be found:

Laurels: These make you invisible for a short period of time.

Money bags: Add up the points for extra lives.

Crowns: These are alot of money, for extra lives. You find them by ducking in certain areas.

And of course, there are hearts, 1 count and 5 counters.

Some Bosses And Enemies:

Castlevania 1 had us fighting mummies, Medusa, Frankenstein and Igor (bastards!), Death, huge bats and of course Dracula. On the foot soldier front, the endless armies of zombies, skeletons, mermen, flea men, bats, ravens, bone pillars, medusa heads, axe knights and spear guards assaulted us. And boy were they frustrating when they were still new to us!

Overall: Castlevania 1 is great and all that, but it's on the hard side because it comes from the time when games were always pretty hard- the 80's. You probably own this one if you are reading this, but if you don't you could download a ROM of it, or buy it used for about 10 bucks. It's a classic though, and that's where it stands.