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This Brutally Unfair Castlevania Arcade Spinoff Will Drive You Insane!

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Historically, game creators often adapted their most successful arcade games for home consoles due to the financial success of arcade games and the allure of offering similar thrilling experiences in people’s homes. Games like those on Atari 2600, Colecovision, NES, and Genesis were among many that transitioned from arcades to cartridges. However, it was quite unusual when Konami chose to do the reverse, porting one of their NES games to arcades instead, which went against the usual trends in the gaming industry.

1988’s “Haunted Castle” was Konami’s attempt to cash in on the immense popularity of the NES’ “Castlevania,” offering an arcade experience instead. Rather than battling Count Dracula as Simon Belmont from home, players would venture to their local arcades and invest quarters into a machine to face off against the forces of darkness. One might expect that enhancing an NES game with top-notch graphics and music would guarantee success, but “Haunted Castle” lacked the same energy and appeal as its zombie-filled levels. Regrettably, what could have been an exciting addition to the Castlevania series turned out to be one of the most disappointing entries in the entire franchise.

Haunted Castle Is Castlevania – Just If Castlevania Was Incredibly Frustrating and Unpolished

The Music’s Great, Though

In a heart-pounding narrative, I found myself immersed in the thrilling saga of Haunted Castle, where I, as Simon Belmont, was about to embark on the most significant journey of my life – uniting with my beloved Selena. Just moments after our nuptials, tragedy struck as Dracula, swooping down from the heavens, snatched away Selena, his wicked laughter echoing through the air. With a burning rage in my heart and a determination that could not be quelled, I donned my gear to confront Dracula and rescue my bride, making it clear that he had crossed an unforgivable line.

Haunted Castle, much like its NES predecessor, leads players through chilling environments including graveyards, caves, and haunted castles. The game’s narrative deviates slightly by requiring the protagonist, Simon, to save Selena from peril. Throughout his journey, Simon encounters various ghastly creatures such as skeletons, zombies, bats, and iconic monsters like Medusa (or the Wicked Mermaid), Frankenstein’s Monster, and Dracula himself.

The standout feature of Haunted Castle lies in its ability to offer a distinct gaming experience, rather than simply replicating levels and content from the original game. However, it’s worth noting that this very characteristic, which sets it apart, also presents certain challenges. (Discussion on these challenges will follow shortly.)

Haunted Castle Plays Like a Classic Castlevania, Except It’s Difficult Beyond Description

$100 in Quarters Won’t Save Simon Here

A Castlevania game isn’t fully realized without elements of whipping and jumping, and Haunted Castle delivers ample opportunities for both. Similar to the NES version, Simon traverses from left to right, dispatching monsters with his whip and leaping over obstacles as necessary. He ascends stairs with determination, mirroring his quest in the original game. What sets this game apart is that Simon can now enhance his whip into a morning star, and eventually a sword, significantly boosting his offensive power.

In my opinion, I was thrilled when I discovered that I could acquire torches, bombs, and boomerangs for combat within the Haunted Castle. Although these new weapons function similarly to the ones used before, it would have added an extra layer of excitement if they had been more distinctly different in their application. As a fan, I appreciate the updates made to the traditional Castlevania gameplay, but I couldn’t help but feel that a bit more originality in the weapon execution could have elevated the experience even further.

Initially, Simon doesn’t have any candles to shatter for power-ups. Enemies drop all their hearts and sub-weapons instead. Additionally, health items and extra lives (1-Ups) are eliminated from the game, making Simon’s journey through the castle more dangerous than ever. Unlike the original Castlevania, where Simon had an unlimited number of continues, Haunted Castle only provides him with three for his entire quest.

Furthermore, when the term “continues” is used in this context, it essentially means restarting, as three failures or deaths within the game result in a Game Over and a return to level one, regardless of any previously accumulated credits. If you find this rule distasteful, I encourage you to continue reading, as unfortunately, Haunted Castle becomes increasingly challenging and difficult as you progress through it.

Haunted Castle Had Some Neat Ideas, But They Get Buried Beneath Widely Unbalanced Gameplay

Two Hit Deaths are Not Fun

The Haunted Castle, in essence, lacks appeal. Despite its expansive and intricate graphics, this aspect unfortunately magnifies Simon’s hitbox, making it rather challenging as enemies attack from all directions, often flinging him back and forth across the screen. Additionally, while Simon’s sprite is large, his walking animation gives an impression of urgent need to locate a restroom.

The controls feel cumbersome, the levels are uninteresting at their best, and the challenge is exceptionally high. Enemies on the initial level can instantly deplete nearly half of Simon’s health gauge with a single attack. Background hazards may catch players off guard and eliminate them in one shot. To add to the challenge, gamers have only three lives for the entire game, so good luck attempting a 1CC, hitless run.

Playing Haunted Castle can be quite aggravating because enhancing Simon’s abilities largely depends on random chance. Since sub-weapons and upgrades are dropped by enemies, a player could complete the entire first stage without receiving any items to assist them. This is not due to any error or poor strategy on the player’s part, but simply bad luck, which can negatively impact their gaming experience.

Unlike the fixed positions of items and enhancements in the original Castlevania, Haunted Castle uses a random method for item distribution, which not only amplifies its already high level of difficulty but also makes it seem unfairly challenging. The chaos that pervades Haunted Castle as a whole is due to the fact that it wasn’t initially designed as a Castlevania game. Instead, it was originally developed as an independent action game with a horror theme.

As the development of the game hit a rough patch, with visuals falling short and gameplay feeling off, the team had to reallocate developers from another Konami project to ensure its completion. The transformation of the game into a Castlevania title was made to provide it with a distinct direction and aesthetic, hence its name, Haunted Castle, rather than Castlevania. Lead Producer Masaaki Kukino explained that due to the need for debugging, there simply wasn’t time to address the balance issues related to the game’s difficulty during development.

Although it may seem like a typical Castlevania game, Haunted Castle was essentially rushed through development and lacked the full potential to live up to that title from the start. Regrettably, this is why the game feels unfinished or incomplete. It’s impressive that it was completed at all, and transforming it into a Castlevania title was an innovative choice. However, with just a bit more time spent on its development, it could have been a far superior game.

It Has Its Moments, But Haunted Castle Is Just Too Wonky To Have Much Fun With

Its Remaster Is Pretty Good, Though

Despite the challenging nature and perceived unfairness of Haunted Castle, there are several commendable aspects to it. For instance, its music is exceptionally good, with numerous tracks being featured in subsequent Castlevania games. Tracks like “Cross Your Heart”, “A Lullaby Sent to the Devils”, and “Can’t Wait Until the Night” have been rearranged, remade, and included in later titles such as Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, and others. Moreover, despite some inconsistencies in color palettes, the graphics in Haunted Castle are quite striking, particularly when it comes to the boss sprites.

The game titled “Haunted Castle” is challenging and not easy to suggest for others to play, given that Simon can be killed by just two hits in an inconsistent manner. This unpredictability makes the game incredibly frustrating. Additionally, the lack of the ability to use credits to extend gameplay feels disrespectful towards players. Fortunately, the “Haunted Castle” was included in the “Castlevania Dominus Collection,” alongside a thoroughly revised version called “Haunted Castle Revisited.

This revamped edition of the game showcases enhanced visuals and significantly adjusted game mechanics. While the initial game may not have been flawless, it’s truly exciting to witness it reaching its full potential as the game it was intended to be. Admittedly, Haunted Castle is a bit peculiar, and it does have some noticeable flaws, but now it has received the care and attention it truly needed.

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2025-04-20 02:29

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