Remake of the first Castlevania on the NES, this was the first time I experienced the series as a kid, renting it back in the 90's at a video store, which seem to be almost extinct nowadays. The fondest memory I have is of the first stage song, introducing it greatly.
As you go through the variety of levels, which each have very different settings and colors, you must face off against Dracula's minions such as Frankenstein's monster or the Mummy. Simon Belmont is the first hero and most recognizable of his bloodline, and he kicks ass.
His vampire killer whip is a powerful tool which lets you swing in 8 directions. It can be upgraded in order to become more powerful and longer, and it even lets you hang onto steel rings so that you can cross over large pits.
The difficulty is challenging but fair. Memorizing level and boss patterns will be vital to learn. Along the way, sub weapons such as the axe or the crucifix will substantially make your journey easier, as will be scattered pieces of meat, sometimes found even inside hidden wall fragments, a classic tradition.
In overall, Super Castlevania IV is the best classic 2D platformer of the series for me, it oozes with great atmosphere and immersive music, supreme control over your whip, the environments and enemies are diversive and it's highly replayable.
Rating: 8.3
The only new Castlevania to be released for the Genesis, Bloodlines is a familiar concept where you go through stages in order to reach Dracula at the end while inbetween facing of against all kinds of gothic and demonic monsters.
You can play as John Morris and Eric Lecarde here, the former is a typical whip user while the latter uses a spear. The story is okay for it's time, it's another resurrection attempt at reviving Dracula by Elizabeth Bathory.
The special effects as seen in the stages are fun, such as climbing up or jumping up the tower of Pisa, and the water scenario in Athens. The final stage took me quite a while to beat, it's simply a matter of remembering the patterns of the final 3 bosses and their forms.
Rating: 7.4
This was long considered the obscure holy grail of the classic style of Castlevania, but in recent years it got more accessible. Rondo of Blood is your typical sequel which got enhanced by it's platform system.
It features multiple paths to Dracula like Castlevania III, and it is also the game in which all of the future Metroidvania titles would borrow the enemy and even the boss sprites to death. It's interesting to see the many familiar sprites seeing their original enhanced introduction here. I'm mixed about the OST as it feels more like a "best of" compilation of the past games. In any case Rondo of Blood is any fan's time worth grabbing.
The faithful remake of the original version inside Dracula X Chronicles on the PSP is also fine, but I simply prefer the PC Engine version for being more fastpaced and prettier to look at. This version has a metallic soundtrack and is easier to play through. In essence, it's hard to ignore this celebration release, including both the original Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night as great extra bonuses.
Rating: 7.5
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