Alone among my friends, I liked Simon’s Quest more than the original Castlevania, and not just because it was much easier. Like Zelda II and Super Mario Brothers 2, Castlevania II took the series in a completely different direction. It’s my understanding that at the time, companies were still unsure how to deliver sequels—whether gamers were attracted to the style of game itself or to the characters and setting, and so many of these early sequels diverged mightily from their predecessors.
The plot was a direct continuation of the first game. After killing Dracula, Simon Belmont discovers that the power of Dracula is still alive and well throughout Transylvania. It just so happened that Dracula put a curse on Simon with his dying breath, a kind of vampire failsafe if you will, that if Dracula died Simon, along with all of Transylvania, would fall ill and die. The only way to break the curse? Resurrect Dracula and kill him again! So Simon sets off on a quest (get it?) to collect the scattered remains of Dracula, put him back together, and kill him once and for all (or until the next game in the chronology.)
Castlevania II was the first game I ever played without levels. Instead of progressing through a six-stage castle, Simon had the whole Transylvanian countryside to explore. There were forests, caves, villages, swamps, haunted mansions, deserted cliffs, and, only at the end, the ruins of Dracula’s castle. This time around there were more adventure and RPG elements in the mix. You had to figure out where to go and what to do (not a simple task, and almost impossible without a good Nintendo Power at your side. God Bless the marketing geniuses at Nintendo Power, huh?). The actual gameplay might not have been as hard, but figuring out where to go next sure was. The pathetic translation didn’t help either. Townspeople were supposed to give you clues, but they ended up referring to things that aren’t even in the game, when they make sense at all.
But this game had a lot going for it that often gets overlooked by people put off by the change in style. I loved exploring a haunted, storybook version of 17th century Romania. With a little imagination, it was easy to transfer the confusing 2d game map into a full scale world. When you’re a kid, the best games are the ones that provide a great jumping off point for imaginary elaboration. The game had a day night cycle, and every time it switched the music changed and the enemies got tougher. Even the towns were no longer safe, as the once friendly and poorly translated villagers were replaced with putrid zombies. (As a child, I thought the townspeople transformed into zombies, making the game all the more creepy, but it turns out they’re meant to be hiding in their homes while unrelated zombies ravage the city.) Part of the strategy was getting through the game in a set number of game dies. If you took too long, Simon could actually die of his wounds in one of the first instances of a game having multiple endings.
The game had a very limited soundtrack, but it did introduce “Bloody Tears” one of my favorite Castlevania tracks. The graphics are a bit more generic than in Castlevania—all of the mansions look the same, but the forests and mountains of the countryside are appropriately atmospheric. Simon himself has gotten a nice visual upgrade, with a svelte red suit and a new black hairstyle. (Although on the game box he’s a blond, after appearing to have brown hair on the first Castlevania’s box. The series has never been big on consistency. I think in his latest appearance his hair was bright red).
Castlevania II is often considered the black sheep of the NES Castlevanias, but it’s one of my favorites. I love the time factor, the giant world map, and the challenge of having to figure out where to go next. It’s one of the main contributing factors to my love of vampires and Dracula in particular. It might feel quaint now, but at the time this game laid out a huge, haunted, and mysterious world, and left the player free to go where they wanted. It was a design ahead of its time, and though it is quite popular now, Castlevania would return to a more traditional style for Castlevania III.
To be continued. . .
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