by Bruce Bostwick

Created on: December 10, 2008   Last Updated: December 31, 2010

Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest is a game created for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a game that would be a template that would follow suit for games like Symphony of the Night and continue to this day. It was different than the first game. To find it now, the best bet would be to get the Wii and download it to the Virtual Console.

The story in this one is that it follows the events of the first one. Dracula was defeated but Simon would be cursed. He has to find Dracula’s remains, resurrect him, and then kill him before it is too late. Storyline wise, it is easy to figure out. There isn’t much else that could be added and it has a little more depth than simply Simon Belmont must kill Dracula to stop him from ruling the world.

Graphically, it isn’t bad for the NES standards. Many games for it are not full of great graphics but it isn’t the single most important aspect. Keep in mind, however, that times were different. Technology was nowhere near advanced as it is today.

The game play involves a style that would be similar to Metroid. The game play was different and there were five mansions to go in order to obtain pieces of Dracula. There is also the option of buying items. Looking at this game, it is one that would be a bit of a basic template for something like Symphony of the Night, which would duplicate that style and enhance it beyond what they thought of doing at the time.

If there is anything that would have been better and it’s not a huge deal would be the day to night transition as the box appears stopping it for a few seconds and then simply going about playing. Regarding that, it is annoying without question and is just the only thing that could have been done without. It wasn’t so much the transition but the pause in between actually. Of course, it got later years later but still, it is what it is.

Audio for the music actually is really good. The quality is good and there isn’t much else to add other than just simply saying that. The music fits the theme.

It should be mentioned that this game has three possible endings. Only one of them, however, is canon to the Castlevania universe. For this, it actually works just fine and isn’t a bad feature to have whatsoever and something just to look at and experiment. The faster the game can be completed, the better the chances are of obtaining the best ending. For the worst ending, however, it could mean dying consistently and/or not being fast enough to complete the game.

Overall, it gets a positive rating despite the challenge in place. It isn’t a bad game and might be worth playing if only being a fan of the Castlevania series. It can be found online through an auctioning web site or there is the Virtual Console for those who have the Wii.

Learn more about this author, Bruce Bostwick.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.