Barring any of James Rolfes comments this game isn't as bad as many people say. This is one of the first games I ever got (Metal Gear was the other). The bad points to this game really have to do with the fact that most of the time you never know what the hell you are supposed to do or go. The plot is like this... Simon defeated Dracula in the first game and now must find each of the pieces of Dracula that have been scattered about the countryside kept in mansions guarded by the evil minions of the Prince of Darkness. Along the way you must buy items to fight enemies and solve odd puzzles to figure out how to get to places that you need to go. This latter part is really where the game fails in my book. Now this is similar to other games in the genre and it should be noted that although it doesn't make the game unplayable figuring out how the hell to get anywhere is next to impossible. The odd Riddles that you find all over the place hidden in walls and floors can sometimes point you in the right direction but more often sometimes mean nothing at all. The townspeople that you run into do the same thing. You can try to remember everything they say and try to play batman with what is a useful clue and what is bull but other than going everywhere and holy watering and crystal kneeling everywhere will you figure it out. The graphics are good. Better than Castlevania but they have a redundant quality to them that is really brought on by the "you have to backtrack" aspect of the game. The bosses well There are maybe three in the game counting Dracula and none of them really present much of a threat. This seems to be in stark contrast to the other games in the series where most bosses posse at least some challenge. The Night to day transition is interesting but gets old quick. The enemies are cooler at night and you will find yourself waiting outside of a mansion to not find yourself going in to a house full of stronger than usual enemies. The Weapons and power ups are nice; from the various daggers to the bouncing crystal and pillar of flames. The aspect of buying the power ups for your whip is annoying when compared to the other games in the series up to Symphony but once you get the flame whip you don't have to buy anymore. The music is good but with only a handful of tracks it gets old quick. The last thing to talk about is the password system. It's not amusing and takes forever to put in. To further insult you it seemed to be really easy to take down the wrong password which after a few times made you take down the password twice and check it four times doubting yourself. This led to me once leaving the game on overnight to get up early on a monday morning before school because I didn't want to lose all my hearts before buying items and end up taking down the wrong password on top of it. Another annoyance with the password is that regardless of where you were when you died you start at the beginning of the game without your hearts. So if you want a game that a challenge but for all the wrong reasons I recommend this game to you. Just don't take it out on my if you get mad (keep in mind in my day there was no strategy guide or internet to do my work for me so...).
Other Helpful Reviews for Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
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