Akumajou Dracula / Haunted Castle (Arcade) (1988)
Developer: Konami

Review by Faididi and Co.

Why people stick with the consoles instead

Story: Average

What's a man to do when an evil vampire swoops down from nowhere and kidnaps his beloved bride? Why, strap on some smelly leather armor, pack on the medieval steroids, and go kill that sucking bastard. That's what Simon Belmond does, in an old story made only slightly more meaningful thanks to the suddenly added part of the hot wife.

Gameplay: Average

Konami's arcade version of Akumajou Dracula (Haunted Castle) is a rare reversal of the arcade-to-console relationship. As a total remake of the FC/NES version of Akumajou Dracula (Castlevania), it's an action platformer featuring new graphics, new audio effects, and drastically reworked level and enemy designs for its 6 stages (plus an exported name that's less ridiculous-sounding). Simon still uses a whip as his default main weapon, and he still collects heart-shaped power-ups to fuel his subweapons, but almost everything else is changed.

That the level and enemy designs receive an overhaul is no joke. The game now begins at the graveyard outside Dracula's fortress, taking Simon through a cave before he even sets foot inside the castle proper, and the dungeons and the clocktower are completely different. The paths through most of the stages wind around in every direction, turning leftward as much as rightward, never giving off a repetitive feel. The bad guys are just as thoroughly rearranged. Familiar faces like Medusa and the bone dragons take on more vicious forms, and they're accompanied by new bosses, such as the gigantic rock golem and the bitchin' stained glass warrior. Except for common foes like the skeletons and the hunchbacked monsters, the dangers vary from stage to stage, keeping things fresh.

As fun as all that sounds, though, this game suffers from the problem of being incredibly more difficult than its FC/NES counterpart. Enemies can suddenly dart out from the edges of the screen at almost any moment, and the larger character sizes relative to the screen mean that Simon will get smacked in the face before he can even respond. The items are now dropped by enemies instead of passive candles, so nabbing easy power-ups during a quiet break is no longer possible. The lives and the credits are one and the same, too, and the checkpoints are few. The worst part is that the continues are always limited, so paying to keep retrying the later stages isn't even an option. This is lousy in light of the FC/NES version, which is also challenging but at least offers infinite continues.

Controls: Average

The controls are virtually the same as in the FC/NES version, complete with the jumping's deliberate, inertia-driven stiffness. They certainly don't compare to the super-flexible controls of Contra.

Graphics: Excellent

If this game truly excels in one regard, that is its stunning visuals. The characters are fluidly animated, right down to the swaying of Simon's hair to even the changing movements of his free hand as he swings his upgraded main weapons. The backgrounds are gorgeously textured, flush with unique tiny details, like the thick mist slowly pulling away to reveal Dracula's castle in the distance, or Dr. Frankenstein's remains serving as a silent, eerie witness to the battle between his monstrous creation and Simon. Almost no other arcade game of this era infuses such atmosphere into its graphics and refuses to repeat scenery elements to this degree. There is just one weird part, though: why is Dracula always shown appearing during the hours of broad daylight?

Audio: Excellent

The audio work is impressive indeed. The whip-lashing sounds forceful, and the characters shout and howl out loudly. The music reuses almost nothing from the FC/NES version, although enjoying the highly inspired and driving tunes can be tough under the murderous difficulty level.

Overall: Average

There's no doubt that the arcade Akumajou Dracula looks and sounds amazing, but it's needlessly difficult. The overly fast-approaching enemies and the harsh limitation on continues make the game too brutal to be enjoyable. The original FC/NES version may not be aesthetically mindblowing, but at least it provides a challenge that won't keep sucking away your quarters.