Castlevania Anniversary Collection

Drac is back… in a retro pack!

The Castlevania Anniversary Collection includes the following games:
Castlevania (NES), Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest (NES), Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse (NES), Super Castlevania IV (SNES), Castlevania: The Adventure (Gameboy), Castlevania 2: Belmont’s Revenge (Gameboy), Castlevania Bloodlines (Genesis), and Kid Dracula (NES).

Breaking it down:

Castlevania (NES) – The game that started it all is still fun to play today.  Yeah, the graphics are dated, and the sound is a bit bloopy, but if you like 8-bit games, it’s excellent.

Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest (NES) – Unlike the more linear first game, Simon’s Quest is more like Metroid - you have to explore the world and find upgraded equipment to unlock new areas.  I actually really enjoyed this game when it first came out.  A friend and I spent a weekend playing our way through it, and it’s one of my better childhood memories.  But… honestly?  It’s not a very good game.  Some of the puzzles are almost impossible without a guide, the translation is terrible, and there’s some coding issues that have always bothered me – the way you can walk past certain bosses, for instance.  It’s an important piece of video game history, but I can’t say it’s all that fun to play.

Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse (NES) – I never got to play this when it was new.  I've only played a little bit of it so far, and it seems just like more levels for Castlevania 1.  I'm glad it goes back to the more linear levels, though, instead of RPG elements.  I'll probably play more of this one when I'm done with Bloodlines.

Super Castlevania IV (SNES) – This is still one of my all-time favorite games.  I already owned it on two other consoles, but it’s still nice to see here.  The soundtrack is excellent, the controls are perfect, and I love the (now cheesey) Mode 7 effects.  That chandelier level is still awesome.  The only problem I have is that it lacks personality somehow, compared to the other Castlevania games.  But overall, this is a game worth owning, and possibly the shiniest jewel in this collection.

Castlevania: The Adventure (Gameboy) – This doesn’t age well, though to be honest, it wasn’t that great when it was new.  It’s short, the controls aren’t as forgiving as the NES versions, it’s difficult, and there’s no sub-weapons.  The graphics and sound were pretty good at the time, considering the system it was designed for, but there’s no reason to be playing this game on a modern console.

Castlevania 2: Belmont’s Revenge (Gameboy) – This is slightly better than the first Gameboy title, but honestly, Gameboy games just don’t age well.  I do like the fact that you can play the stages in any order, like Mega Man.  But it’s short and you walk slow.  Pass.

Castlevania Bloodlines (Genesis) – Being a SNES fanboy, I never got to play Bloodlines until now.  I just tried it, and wow, it's awesome.  It's every bit as good as Super Castlevania IV.  I'll keep returning to this one, at least until I've beaten it.  It's worth playing even today.

Kid Dracula (NES) – Another new experience, since this one wasn’t even released in America until now.  From what I've played, it's definitely a kid's game, with charming graphics and goofy monsters.  I'm glad I finally got to play it, even if I probably wont play it much.

So, is this collection worth your $20?  I’d say yes.  The SNES and Genesis games are the real standouts here, but the NES games are still fun too.  I’ve found the Gameboy games to be a waste of space, and really wish they’d put something else in those slots.  But the rest of the games are still strong enough entries to make the collection worth it.  If you like retrogaming, buy it.  It’s the second most fun you can have with a whip.