Forget Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania is so far the toughest game I've played on the NES. This surprised me because you always hear how games like Contra and Ninja Gaiden are so tough but you never really hear anyone say the same about the original Castlevania. Perhaps it's because the game begins with quite an easy opening stage and ramps up the difficulty steadily for the next three stages. However once you hit that fourth stage the difficulty becomes murderous. Stage four starts with a very tricky cave section filled with bats that love nothing better than to knock you off platforms into bottomless pits. The Frankenstein boss is real pain unless you kept the holy water sub item handy. Stage five is infamous for its difficulty and ends with a gauntlet of two axe throwing armoured foes that have to be defeated while infuriating medusa heads harass you. To make matters worse this section ends in a boss fight with Death, one of the hardest bosses I've ever faced in a game. After that you've still got the final stage and a tough confrontation with Dracula to deal with.
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| You'll learn to hate this guy with a passion |
I'm really glad I decided to play this game to completion. I did really like the game, now I absolutely adore it. It's given me a new found appreciation for just how well designed this game is. It's up there with the likes of Megaman 2 or Super Mario Bros as having some of the best game and level design of any game. The game may be tough, tougher than even Ninja Gaiden, however the difference is that while Ninja Gaiden exploits its bad code to make the game as frustrating as possible for the player, Castlevania never resorts to such cheap tricks. Castlevania is an example of NES gaming at its absolute finest. Superb.
This was a game I didn't play at first. I actually was introduced to the series via Simon's Quest. Then I went back and rented this for the weekend. Not sure if I would say it was harder than Ninja Gaiden for me or not. I only beat them each once, and recall thinking that both were grueling but rewarding as well. I definitely concur with your final sentiment though - this was a spectacular gaming experience at the time, difficulty and all.
ReplyDeleteThis was a grueling experience for me at a tender young age when I got my NES back n the mid 80's. I finished this game out of pure spite because I wasn't going to allow those stupid medusa heads in stage five to keep me down. After all of that the Castlevania series is one of my all time favorite games franchises. After this one the series seemed to get easier and I attribute it to the addition of pass codes and/or in game saves. I will always remember finishing this game as it took place during my 'summer of pain' where I took on this, Mike Tyson's Punch Out and Ikari Warriors.
ReplyDeleteexcellent memories. :) I recall Ikari Warriors well - it took me awhile to beat that one. I actually was the first of my friends to beat Punch Out, and I never really struggled with it the way most of my friends did, but always thoroughly enjoyed it. :)
DeleteI must give Ikari Warriors a go. Also Punchout as well although after watching Arino struggle with it in Gamecentre CX I might not be finishing it as quickly!
ReplyDeletePunch Out can be punishing especially in the last few fights. And Mike Tyson was just a beast. 1:30 of dodging EVERY punch he throws before you can start counter attacking. Hit once and down you go!
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