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Super Castlevania IV

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Super Castlevania IV
Super Castlevania IV
North American box art
Developer(s)Konami
Publisher(s)Konami
Director(s)Masahiro Ueno (Credited as Jun Furano)
Producer(s)Kazumi Kitaue
Composer(s)Masanori Adachi (Credited as Masanori Oodachi)
Taro Kudo (Credited as Souji Taro)
SeriesCastlevania
Platform(s)Super NES
Virtual Console
ReleaseSNES
Virtual Console (Wii)
Genre(s)Platforming
Mode(s)Single-player

Super Castlevania IV (Japanese: 悪魔城ドラキュラ, Hepburn: Akumajō Dorakyura, Devil's Castle Dracula[2]) is a platform game developed and published by Konami and the first Castlevania game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was originally released in 1991 and later re-released on the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console in 2006.[3] It features expanded play control, 16-bit graphics featuring SNES Mode 7, and a soundtrack featuring brand new pieces and remixes based on previous Castlevania music. Following the same setting as Castlevania on the NES, the game takes place in 1691 Transylvania, where the vampire hunter Simon Belmont must defeat the vampire Dracula.[4][3]

Gameplay

The whip is a large part of Super Castlevania IV's gameplay.

Super Castlevania IV is a side-scrolling platform game where the player takes control of Simon through eleven levels.[5] Players begin the game with three lives, and the game results in game over once they have lost them all. The player will lose a life if all of Simon's health gauge is depleted or if they do not finish the level within the time limit.[5] The health gauge can be restored through food items that can be dropped from candles and enemies, or with the Magic Crystal, which is received after defeating the boss at end of each level.[5][6] A password can also be entered to continue the game.[7]

With Simon's whip, players can attack enemies in eight directions with the use of the control pad.[7][8] By holding down the attack button, the whip will go limp and can be waved around with the control pad, which can be used to block projectiles.[8] The length and power of the whip can be increased up to two levels by collecting an item called the Morning Star.[6] The whip is not only used for fighting, but also for latching onto rings to swing over areas that are too wide or dangerous for the player to jump across.[8] In addition to jumping, the player can control Simon to move while crouching.

Like its predecessors, players can use secondary weapons that consume Simon's "Hearts", which are dropped from candles and enemies.[9][6] The secondary weapons include an axe which can be thrown in an arc, and a watch which stops all enemy motion.[9] Collecting the items known as the Double and Triple Shots allows the player to throw secondary weapons up to three times in a row.[6]

Development

The North American and PAL Region localizations of the game contain some differences from the original Japanese version which is named Akumajō Dracula. As with many games on the Super NES, the game was censored. The statues in stage 6, which were originally topless, were redrawn wearing tunics. All instances of blood were removed or recolored. In the Japanese version of the game, there were crosses on top of some of the tombstones in the introduction.

Audio

Untitled

Super Castlevania IV's soundtrack was composed by Masanori Adachi and Taro Kudo (credited as Masanori Oodachi and Souji Taro respectively). It also includes remixes of songs from past games, including "Vampire Killer" (from Castlevania) and "Bloody Tears" (from Simon's Quest) and "Beginning", the song from stage 1 of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse.

"Simon's Theme" appears in the last stage of Castlevania Chronicles and Castlevania: Bloodlines, and as a secret music track in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin.

The music was released on Akumajō Dracula Best 2 in a compilation with Castlevania: The Adventure and Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge's music.

Track listing

Critical reception

Upon Super Castlevania IV's North American release, the game was acclaimed by critics. Nintendo Power gave the game four overall scores of 4.0, 4.0, 4.5 and 4.5 out of 5.[16] Among several items, the magazine cited the game's graphics, music, and action sequences as positives. In 2006, the game was then named by Nintendo Power as the 66th best game made on a Nintendo system. Now it has been ranked 27 according to the last issue.[17] Official Nintendo Magazine placed the game at 56 on their list of the 100 best Nintendo games ever.

Aside from Nintendo Power, in 1994, the game was reviewed by Sandy Petersen in Dragon #209's "Eye of the Monitor" column. Petersen gave the game 3 out of 5 stars.[18]

References

  1. ^ "VC 悪魔城ドラキュラ". Nintendo of Japan. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  2. ^ Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. (23 October 2007). Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles. Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. Japanese: 悪魔城の城主、邪心の神、ドラキュラ伯爵の復活であった。 Konami translation by Ken Ogasawara: Dracula, lord of darkness, master of the devil's castle, walks among us.
  3. ^ a b "Nintendo.com – Super Castlevania IV – Game Info". Nintendo. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  4. ^ Super Castlevania IV instruction booklet. Konami. 1991. pp. 4–5. SNS-AD-USA. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |origdate= (help)
  5. ^ a b c Super Castlevania IV instruction booklet. Konami. 1991. pp. 6–7. SNS-AD-USA. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |origdate= (help)
  6. ^ a b c d Super Castlevania IV instruction booklet. Konami. 1991. pp. 16–17. SNS-AD-USA. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |origdate= (help)
  7. ^ a b Super Castlevania IV instruction booklet. Konami. 1991. pp. 8–9. SNS-AD-USA. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |origdate= (help)
  8. ^ a b c Super Castlevania IV instruction booklet. Konami. 1991. pp. 10–11. SNS-AD-USA. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |origdate= (help)
  9. ^ a b Super Castlevania IV instruction booklet. Konami. 1991. pp. 14–15. SNS-AD-USA. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |origdate= (help)
  10. ^ "Super Castlevania IV for SNES - GameRankings". GameRankings. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  11. ^ "Super Castlevania IV - Overview - allgame". Allgame. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  12. ^ Damien McFerran. "Super Castlevania IV (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo) Review - Nintendo Life". NintendoLife. Retrieved 2006-12-26.
  13. ^ Lucas M. Thomas. "Super Castlevania IV VC Review - IGN". Retrieved 2007-01-07.
  14. ^ Brad Shoemaker. "Super Castlevania IV Review - GameSpot.com". Retrieved 2007-01-10.
  15. ^ "Super Castlevania IV Reviews and Articles for SNES - GameRankings". Retrieved 1992-01-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  16. ^ "Now Playing", Nintendo Power, vol. 32, p. 100, January 1992{{citation}}: CS1 maint: year (link).
  17. ^ "NP Top 200", Nintendo Power, vol. 200, pp. 58–66, February 2006{{citation}}: CS1 maint: year (link).
  18. ^ Petersen, Sandy (September 1994), "Eye of the Monitor", Dragon (209): 61–62.
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