Pachislot Castlevania II

Game Overview

Konami apparently had a hit on their hands with Pachislot CastlevaniaThe first of Konami's pachislot games for the Castlevania series, this game features Trevor Belmont on his quest around the time of Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, as well as, of course, lots of gambling. (insofar as gambling machines can be considered hits). Thus, within a few months of release they already had a "sequel" out, Pachislot Castlevania II (titled Pachislot Akumajo Dracula II in Japan, with the "Akumajo Dracula" translating as "Demon Castle Dracula"). Same basic machine, just with new art and animatics.

As we discussed over on the overview for the first Pachislot game, this game is basically a three-reel slot machine where the big innovation is allowing the player to control each of the reels with a button press. Line up the symbols on the reels and you win more credits in the game. As a bonus, if you line up the Lucky 7s you open up a bonus mission on the top screen of the game where the player gets to watch a special cut-scene. Winning or losing in the cut-scene is random and controlled by the game, but there was enough variety to keep players shoving in tokens to try for the bonus rounds.

The game this time is focused on hero Trevor BelmontThe third Belmont revealed in the release history of the franchise, Trevor's clout among fans has grown. Between love for his first game, and his starring role in the Castlevania anime, Trevor is perhaps even more popular now than even Simon. (assisted once again by Church warrior AngelaAdded into the series via the Castlevania Pachislot games, Angela is a mage (and dancer) who aids Trevor in his quest to find and defeat Dracula.) taking on three of the minions of DraculaThe lead antagonist of the Castlevania series and most famous vampire character in all media, all thanks to Bram Stoker. Based on the historical figure Vlad the Impaler, a vicious ruler of Wallachia in the mid-1500s. -- DullahanA creature of Irish folklore, often depicted as a headless rider on a black horse. Castlevania generally keeps the headless part (although the head usually floats around the body) but frequently ditches the horse when using Dullahan as a boss., SuccubusThe demon of dreams. Succubi are not unlike vampires, feeding on the energies of their victims, although in the case of succubi (and their male counterparts, incubi) they do so through dreams... often erotic ones., and WyvernA small dragon or dragonette, although generally wyverns are differentiated from dragons by only have two limbs (plus wings) compared to a dragon's four. Wyverns can be considered a symbol of Dracula, aka "The Dragon", explaining their inclusion within the series. -- before fighting DeathThe Grim Reaper who, in the series, is Dracula's right hand man and most reliable supporter (although the Netflix series changes this some). He comes for the souls of the living, especially those of the Belmont clan. and, eventually, the Dark Lord himself. As there's no actual end in the game, the point being to keep the player shoving in tokens and playing the reels, Dracula is never truly defeated, the battle just goes on.

As before, the basic game play of Pachislot Castlevania II probably seems pretty shallow. But for Japanese audiences these kinds of games are quite popular. Popular enough, in fact, to rate a third direct game in this series that came out later the same year.