Lately, I’ve been thinking about replaying the original Castlevania for NES. I’ve played the game years ago, eventually reaching the final boss, but I never beat the game. So I decided to pick up the game today and give it another try. It was like a trip down memory lane, seeing familiar levels and familiar enemies. And of course, I remembered to check the walls for hidden items and food. It’s a good thing that whoever built this castle remembered to hide food in the walls! Hey! It’s still warm!
It isn’t long into the game when the challenge picks up. I’ll get reacquainted with a certain type of enemy and I’ll think “Oh, I remember them…I hate them!” Whether it’s those pesky bats with the irregular flight patterns, those evil jumping hunchbacks, or the notoriously heinous Medusa heads, they make certain parts of the game frustrating.
The worst part is when you have to jump from tiny platforms while avoiding flying enemies at the same time.
But despite some initially frustrating areas, I was able to make pretty good progress. Even though Castlevania doesn’t have a save/password feature, it does have unlimited continues. So it’s easy to keep giving it another go.
I made it up to level 15 or so. But after several tries, my game froze up. I had no choice but to turn the game off and lose my progress. I had a good time playing the game though. It may be old, but the gameplay still stands up well and it’s quite fun to play. I didn’t beat the game today, but I’m going to give it another try soon. Once I do, I’ll be sure to write up a review.
Update: My game continued to crash on level 15, and I eventually had to buy a replacement cartridge. It worked better, and I beat the game in February 2014. My review is here.
