RetRose Tinted is a regular feature of my Cblog, in which I re-examine games that we have fond memories of and see if they still hold up. If you have suggestions for titles to be featured in the future or ideas on how I can improve the column, please let me know.

Castlevania is this month's entry into cowzilla3's Classic Game of the Month Club. Since it's such a well-known and lengthy series, I'm taking a slightly different approach to the column this week. I'd appreciate knowing what you think about this one. And, if you aren't participating in the Classic Game of the Month Club, you should really check it out. Know your roots, bitches.





When Cowzilla told us what The Classic Game of the Month was going to be for June, it lead me to do a bit of thinking about the series. What could I possibly say about this game that everyone else isn't already thinking? Probably nothing. We've watched this franchise evolve during the last twenty years as it shifted from an arcade platformer to the exploration-based action RPG we recognize it to be today. But even though we've seen over fifteen titles released in the series, Castlevania remains essentially the same game it was in 1986.

Bold statement? Depends on your point of view, I suppose. If you love the Castlevania games (and I do), you may be offended by the implication that you have plunked down cash as many as a dozen times to play the same thing over and over again. Nevertheless, replaying the first game in the series again for the first time in years (and the first time ever to completion) has shown me that Konami really knows a good thing when they've got it. The fact that they've managed to reiterate the same basic concepts so many times without making them feel stale is a testament to their wisdom in running the franchise and the strength of the game itself.





Castlevania puts you in control of Simon Belmont, a member of a lineage destined to combat the forces of Dracula throughout the ages. Armed with his trusty whip, "Vampire Killer", he enters the lord of all vampires' mystic castle and does battle with his minions. There's no doubt in my mind that you already know the story of this game, but I mention it here to point what is the most significant growth area in the franchise. I've just given you the entire back story to Castlevania. That's it. All of the mythology and memorable characters have sprung from these incredibly humble beginnings.

Simon's move set is very basic. He can swing his whip, jump over enemies and obstacles and climb stairs. In addition to these, special weapons are available in the levels and Simon can wield one of these at a time. Each of these actions leave an indelible mark on the experience of playing the game and, to a certain extent, define much of what would come later.




- The Whip: is the most obvious trademark of the series and an unlikely choice of weaponry for the task at hand. The motion is exactly what you should expect from the implement, as it requires a backwards swing to build inertia for the eventual strike. As a result, the whip is a rather slow weapon for an action game and requires careful timing to use effectively. It also has multiple levels of power, starting off as a simple, leathery thing but, by picking up whip icons, it can eventually grow to be a long, stiff instrument of pain.

- Belmonts can't jump: Simon (as well as several of his descendants and ancestors) is pretty horrible in the air when compared to many of his videogaming contemporaries. Like Arthur in Ghosts and Goblins, once you've got him in the air, you'd better hope you timed your jump correctly because inertia has his ass. Add in that there's potent knockback from enemy hits and some questionable collision detection where the ground is concerned, and you have a perfect cocktail. The platforming is by far the most irritating part of Castlevania titles until the arrival of Symphony of the Night where there's finally an acrobatic Belmont.

- The Terrible Secret of Stairs: Simon can not jump on to or off of stairs, but must rather begin at one end and either reach the other or turn back before he can disembark. This has the unpleasant effect of rendering you defenseless, save for his continued ability to swing the whip right or left, level at his head. Not only this, but stairs are utterly immaterial unless you specifically indicate (by pressing up or down) that you wish to use them. It's incredibly convenient if you're at the bottom of a flight but not so much when you're at the top. Get too close to an edge without pressing down and Simon will drop like a stone. If the stairs you fall down would lead to a lower room in the castle, he dies as if he'd fallen into a pit. This, too, doesn't change for several games and is so frustrating that I have simply quit playing the game on more than one occasion due to this.




- Item Paranoia: Simon's special weapons can be found littered throughout the game in candles or from an infrequent enemy drop. Powered by hearts, each works in a completely different manner. The dagger flies forward, giving Simon some range while the ax moves in an arc. A stopwatch can freeze enemies in their tracks for a few seconds. Holy water is tossed forward at short range but causes an eruption of flame that burns briefly and injures anything it touches. The cross works like the dagger, except for causing significantly more damage and making a return flight back to Simon. Occasionally modified in terms of their effect, these same pieces of equipment have found their way into nearly every game that followed.

Unfortunately, Simon can only carry one of them at a time and collecting a new weapon completely replaces the old. If you were fond of that cross but you accidentally grab an ax instead, you're shit out of luck. In addition to the weapons themselves, multiplier power-ups are scattered about that increase the number of these weapons that can be on-screen at any one time. These will also be lost when you replace your weapon, which leads you to be a little bit nervous about hitting candles for fear you might accidentally grab something you didn't want.





The environment is incredibly effective at setting the mood, particularly for an 8-bit title. The crumbling walls and floors provide a feeling of decay not unlike the grave itself. It's no wonder then that we've continually seen the same areas repeatedly, even going so far as to carbon copy some rooms in the castle. From the great hall to the clock tower, areas are recycled time and again. For a creature of chaos, Dracula's castle sure does seem formulaic. The ascension to his chambers is nigh identical every single time you play a Castlevania game. The same goes for the music. There isn't a lot here, but what is here is excellent and has become absolutely timeless due to the constant re-use by Konami.

Even the boss encounters have wound up being largely the same game after game. They're classic horror archetypes, such as Medusa, The Mummy and Frankenstein's Monster. While future games may relegate some of these to the equivalent of a mini-boss (in favor of more outlandish horrors), they nevertheless continue to appear. And, every single time, they drop a pulsing ball of energy which refills the protagonists health when they meet their maker.





I know it sounds like I'm complaining but that's not really the case. Castlevania is an exceptional game marred by very few flaws. Some of its challenge is derived from clunky controls but, aside from that, there's nary a negative thing I could comment on regarding it. Konami keeps producing the games because they work. All they have to do is pop in one or two new elements or variations to the form, write a new chapter in the history of the Belmont clan and they have another hit title. No longer is it just an IP or franchise but a brand all unto itself. When you play a game from this series, you know exactly what you're getting into every single time. In an era when every company is attempting to re-envision past successes to appeal to a new generation, Castlevania is the quintessential demonstration of a classic maxim: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Final Verdict: What do you expect? It's Castlevania.