I love the Castlevania series. OK, “love” might be a bit much. “Great joy from playing” is a better way to say it. I’ve played the majority of the games over the years. Some were awesome to play through. Others were good for a short, fun romp. Few were painful. Of course, some of the older games have not aged very well. As much as I love Castlevania II, many gamers will probably find it difficult to play due to the obscure clues and stiff gameplay. Most gamers are not aware of the best legacy console Castlevania game. That game belongs to the ol’ Super Nintendo Entertainment System and is aptly titled Super Castlevania IV, which is available via the Wii’s Virtual Console.
In case you did not know, every Castlevania game features someone related to the Belmont clan on a quest to destroy Dracula. Dracula comes back about every century or so. This installment isn’t any different. In fact, even though this is the fourth Castlevania game, this is a remake of the original game. This means that you’re guiding Simon Belmont through his first adventure.
The story doesn’t really matter for one reason: Gameplay is wonderful. This is a traditional action platformer, and you’ll rely on Simon’s Morningstar Whip to destroy enemies. You have your choice of five different subweapons: dagger, axe, cross (boomerang), holy water and stopwatch. Each of them has their own tactical use. The dagger is fast but practically worthless in the damage department. The axe goes in an upward arc, perfect for flying enemies. The cross flies across the screen and returns to Simon. Holy water is a firebomb. The stopwatch freezes regular enemies in their steps. You can choose your favorite subweapon and stick with it through the entire game, or you can rely completely on the whip.
In fact, the latter isn’t a bad option at all. It’s an excellent choice because you can aim the whip in any of the eight directions. If a monster is coming at an angle, you can whip it while standing still. You can also whip downward as Simon jumps. You can fire it straight up to hit a candle above his head. It’s intuitive and makes perfect sense to me. This combat system has spoiled me! I remember this game whenever I play a new installment in the series. It saddens me that future installments don’t take advantage of this awesome weapon.
Furthermore, you’ve never seen traps like those in Super Castlevania IV before. They start simple enough: Plan your jumps and avoid the falling stones. It gets progressively worse and, the tension quickly increases. Spinners move whenever you jump on them. Spikes fall from the ceiling and could result in a life lost. Mud sucks Simon down into its grimy depths. Stones quickly fly upwards, aiming to squash Simon. Giant chandeliers swing back and forth as Simon traverses across them. Platforms made out of gold disintegrate into dust when Simon walks on them. The craziest part for me is ascending the clock tower: A giant gear races to slice Simon as he races up the stairs. I look back at my childhood, and I wonder how in the world I was able to play this game.
Super Castlevania IV looks great for a 16-bit game. Forests are rich in detail as leaves fall when a leaf golem drops down. Portraits move and may even lower their hands. Skeletons and zombies roam the hall of the corrupted castle. Medusa heads float forward in a wave motion. Waterfalls splash realistic water. Bosses are large and ominous, such as the skeletal horse rider, the two-headed viper that breathes fire, and a giant bat made of gold that glitters and breaks apart as you destroy it. Even more ominous is the Count, who has three different faces. I can summarize the graphics in two words: creepy atmosphere.
The music in Super Castlevania IV emphasizes the atmosphere. Organs and horns loudly mix with strings for stage one. A march-worthy drumbeat sets the tone while a watery feel comes from the organ. There is also an intense string solo. A guitar solo darkly strums during the map screen. For something that is synthesized, it sounds like a full orchestra. It’s creepy and awesome. It was completely stuck in my head after playing it. I loved it.
Do you have 800 Wii points to spare? If yes, you owe it to yourself to pick up Super Castlevania IV. This is one of the games that set the standard for 2-D platform and action games. Presentation sets this game above and beyond most SNES games and even a few modern games. Experience the elements that inspired future installments of the series. Oh, and learn why the heck I’m so obsessed with this game!
