Castlevania ReVamped

Review by Mike Finkelstein

The urge is strong to revisit the classics and find new interpretations for the material. We’re not just talking fanworks as Konami has felt their own need to remake their games, again and again. From all the different versions of the original CastlevaniaThe game that started the series, the original Castlevania was hailed for its combination of action and platforming, all wrapped in Gothic style, to create one of Konami's earliest Million Sellers., to an SNES version of Castlevania Dracula X: Rondo of BloodThe first adventure for Rochter Belmont, this game didn't originally make it to the West (instead seeing a SNES remake to replace it) as was considered something of a prized collector's item by fans., on into the more modern remakes of Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirthA loose remake of the Game Boy game for the Wii, taking inspiration from many of the later games in the series. and Haunted Castle Revisited, the franchise has seen its fair share of redos, some of which became timeless classics in their own right.

Usually fangame remakes of Konami’s original works are fun but are unable to rise above their fan made roots. It’s hard to compete with a title that had a whole team of people working on it when, by comparison, you’re one person making a labor of love out of a game they’ve treasures. Once in a while, though, a fan is able to rise above even what Konami could manage, making a game so good, so rich in content, and so complete in its experience that it’s hard to believe this isn’t a proper, official title. Such is the case of Castlevania ReVamped.

The basic idea of Castlevania ReVamped is simple: what if the original Castlevania was a MetroidvaniaAt the intersection of Metroid and Castlevania lies the exploration platforming genre, the game style with heroes wandering expansive worlds, looking for items to expand their quest, know as Metroidvania. instead. The idea isn’t as strange as it might sound as Konami had, for years, been exploring the exploration platformer (aka, proto-Metroidvania titles) before, during, and after the NES run of Castlevania games. Two titles in the franchise even had exploration platforming influence exerted upon them, with both Vampire KillerA loose port of Castlevania for the MSX2, this plaforming adventure took the bones of the original game but blended in minor exploration elements to create something different and interesting. and Castlevania II: Simon's QuestThe first true sequel in the franchise, and one of the few direct sequels ever released. It was the first game in the series to introduce players to the concepts that would eventually become the Metroidvania genre. being clear early steps for the Metroidvania titles that would come to define the franchise for many years under IGA’s tenure. This fangame simply goes back and says, “maybe even the original game could benefit from a little extra exploration.” But, you know, not in a Vampire Killer way, of course.

You are Simon BelmontThe first hero of the Castlevania series (by release date), he's been featured in more games, and referenced more times, than almost any other character in the series., heir to the Belmont clan and vampire hunter tasked with heading into Castle Dracula to take on the evil master vampire at the top of the castle. To do so you must traverse through the expected stages – the Grand Hallway, the Catacombs, the Clock Tower, and more – all while fighting and besting the various monsters, tricks, and traps that await you across these various zones. And it all seems to be going along swimmingly right up until you’re blocked by a wall you can’t get past and realize that somewhere along the way there was a side path you had to explore to make progress.

Castlevania ReVamped is a fully, proper, detailed and fleshed out Metroidvania experience. You’ll catch sight of this almost from the very beginning as you’re traversing the Grand Hallway and see an item hidden under a row of bricks that you just can’t get into. What will let you in? How do you get that item? Well, eventually you’ll find the slide boots and suddenly one-block-tall passages become open to you. You’ll find various whips that have different elemental effects attached to them, and when you find blocks corresponding to those elements, you can break them. You’ll gain the double-jump and, later, the air dash and new passages higher and deeper will grant you access. All you have to do is explore.

The castle is built such that doubling back and exploring new areas is an expected part of the experience. Save stations are located around the castle and these not only save your progress but also allow you to warp around the castle… for a fee. Yes, all that money you collect in Castlevania games is needed now because you’ll need your spare change to use the warp modules. Don’t have the cash? Well then you’re taking the long way to get where you need to go (or you’ll just grind out some cash on a candle nearby).

But you’ll also want to save some of your cash for the shopkeepers hidden around the castle. They’ll sell special cards you can use to boost attacks for your sub-weapons, add additional abilities, or take curses that will weaken aspects of Simon’s character but also grant you certain bonuses as well (to make these curses worthwhile). You can turn these cards on and off at will, letting you pick and choose the effects you want, although you are limited in how many you can have on at once. It adds surprising depths and makes the cash you collect all the more valuable.

Which, naturally, means that when you die you lose a hefty chunk of your cash. And you will die as this game isn’t easy. While enemies will drop meat regularly enough that you can find a way to heal when you often need it, there are still a ton of bad guys in the game and they are all out for blood. On top of this, the bosses in the game are positively relentless, taking the monsters we know from the classic game (and, in some cases, the sequels) and giving them new abilities, new patterns, and a number of attacks cranked all the way up to eleven.

And, honestly, it’s a lot of fun. The game plays really well, with smooth and responsive controls. A lot of fun of the game comes from the exploration, in enjoying the feel of Simon as you’re cruising around the castle, building up powers and seeing where else you can go and what else you can find. The game splits open early, with a passage leading into an underground watery area that requires certain abilities to explore, and each time you get a new item you end up wanting to go back and test it out in areas to see if you can find the next way forward, the next cool power-up. It’s really masterfully done.

Yes, it’s hard, and at times pretty rough, but it’s also fair. The game never puts you in situations where you feel like it’s cheating, never sets up a challenge that can’t be defeated. Yes, you will likely die, and die often, as you learn the game, and you’re going to find that the challenge can be punishing, especially on the bosses. But it’s never cruel. It’s never designed to beat you permanently. It just wants you to know that it came to the party to play so you’re going to have to bring your A-game to keep up.

It’s also incredibly good looking, with a soundtrack to match. The game is designed to mirror the classic 8-bit graphics, even when it’s introducing new areas, new monsters, and new bosses. It all has a very polished look and feel, never breaking the illusion that you’re playing a throwback, retro game. It has the kind of spit and polish to its 8-bit-inspired graphics that remind me of Shovel Knight, one of the greats of the throwback genre. And like that game, Castlevania ReVamped is packed with awesome, retro-inspired tunes, all of which take inspiration from classic Castlevania tracks, bringing them into this game with all the toe-tapping love you’d expect.

There is no other way to put it: Castlevania ReVamped is a masterpiece. It’s a well made, awesomely designed game that takes the original Castlevania and fleshes it out in every way you could think. It has style and substance for days and could easily stand up against anything Konami has made for the franchise in the last thirty years. The fact that it’s a fangame just makes the achievement all the more impressive.

Seriously, Konami, when you’re making new games, maybe bring the Castlevania ReVamped team on board. They clearly know what they’re doing, creating one of the greats not just of the Castlevania fangame scene, but of the actual franchise as a whole.