Of the original Castlevania NES Trilogy I actually played this one last. So therefore I had to play it with the mindset that it would probably be a step backward from CV II and CV III. And although that is true, CV still is a great game that really was ground breaking for its time. It set the stage for all the future games in the series and because of that this game is very important. You play as Simon Belmont who is going after Dracula, and that is about as much of a story as you get. This was obviously way before Konami developed the massive Castlevania storyline that exists today because this was the only CV existing at the time except for Vampire Killer, but it has the same storyline so it doesn't count. The atmosphere is your typical gothic horror Castlevania atmosphere. The game play is simple, addictive 2D platforming that is still very fun to play. The music is a mixed bag as it is brilliant in some places ("Vampire Killer" in level 1), and leaves a lot to be desired in others (Music in level 2). The graphics were good in 1987 but of course are now very dated. But as with any classic game, the dated graphics should not take away from the experience. Overall the game is actually pretty short, but you will spend so much time trying to beat the later bosses that it will feel pretty long, but I will get to that in a second. I do have a few minor problems with CV as well. First of all, there is no way to save your game (unless you are playing the GBA port). This was before Konami developed their password system and so therefore if you shut the system off you will have to start from the beginning again. As I said above, the game is pretty short so it’s not that big of a deal, but there are times where you really could use a password. The other thing is the difficulty. Many NES games back during this time were very difficult and this one is no exception. I don't mind hard games, but if they are cheaply hard then that is a different story. CV doesn't have tons of these cheaply hard moments, but there are a couple (don’t even get me started about that damn Grim Reaper). But it doesn't have enough to make it a bad game by any means. The only other thing that could be a turn off to people is the controls are kind of rusty. Now this is the first true CV game and it was made in 1987, so the rusty controls are understandable. But just don't expect the smooth controls found in some of the later 2D Castlevanias. As with CV II and III, this game is not hard to find. The original NES cart can be found pretty easily on Ebay, and it was also ported to GBA in 2004 as pat of the Classic NES Series, so there’s a safe bet you can still find it in stores. CV is very interesting to look back on to see what Konami has improved over the years and how the initial idea of Castlevania originated. For these reasons any Castlevania fan should play this game. I mean come on, it’s the first one! Although many of the later installments are superior, this game still has a certain old-school charm that has not dwindled with age. It is still a classic that should be in anybody’s game library.
Castlevania was the first game I got for the NES in the old times of gamming. I may have forgotten why I decided to get it first among other more popular games, but I will never forget that I made the best decission. ... Read Full Review
Konami really did do good during the NES era, games such as the renowned Contra series, TMNT games and Track & Field helped shape the world of gaming as we know it today. However, one game called "Vampire Killer" wou... Read Full Review
