After the 3 NES versions which started it all, then came 2 SNES versions wich increased Castlevanias overall supremacy. Now, we are treated to another 2D version, only this time on the Playstation and its a RPG. At first, I'm thinking great! a Castlevania RPG, what I didnt expect was it to be better then great. You play as Alucard, Dracula's son, instead of a Belmont. And your weapon is not the enchanted whip like previous games, its a Sword. You work your way through the castle as in previous games but this time you start out relatively weak and you have to battle countless enemies in order to build up your level to get stronger. As your level increases your able to fight off the stronger enemies and Boss creatures running wild. Also, instead of the usual sub-weapons, you can use magic to boost your abilities or as a weapon itself. Now comes the kicker! You think your main goal is to find out what happen to the missing belmont but instead (if you can find the goggles) you find that he was actually being controlled by Death and if you can break that control, the game continues and you get to warp to an Upside down version of Dracula's castle. (You can kill Belmont to see the "BAD" ending if you wish). Now the game gets interesting, as you explore the castle from a different point of view trying to find Death and of course, Dracula himself. The goal in the overall perspective in the game is to explore 100% combination of the 2 castles. Which means you would have found all secrets, weapons and items and would get the "BEST" ending. The idea of introducing an RPG element to the game was possible the greatest idea ever as the game took off in a new direction and hasnt coem down yet. The graphics are very good and the music is simply amazing. Gamplay is easy enough to master after playing for a while. For me it was getting the right combo of magic that took some getting used to. Overall this is one of the best Castlevania games ever made if not THE best. It gets so addicting as well, you try putting it down and you cant. I hope all future games in the series take a long hard look at the success of this game and continue to make them as good.
Other Helpful Reviews for Akumajou Dracula X: Gekka no Yasoukyoku (PSOne Books)
Overview: No other series quite conjures the atmosphere associated with Konami's Castlevania series. Hearkening back to the days of the original Castlevania on the NES, the combination of classic monsters, from Frankenst... Read Full Review
I've had this game for YEARS & still enjoy playing thru it every so often! As Alucard, you move thru the castle in an almost non-linear fashion - lots of backtracking! There's TONS of items & weaponry to be un... Read Full Review
