Episode 37: Castlevania

Retro Spectives

Pat and James go back in time further than they’ve ever been before and play the original Castlevania! First released in 1986, it was the beginning of a legacy that has seen metroidvanias, 3d brawlers and most recently a hit anime series. You play as Simon Belmont, equipped with his iconic whip, as he battles through horror movie monsters to reach the top of Count Dracula’s castle and slay him like the vampire scum he is. It was a hit on release and fans loved its hard as nails gameplay and cheesy horror themes.

But how fun is Castlevania to play today? Platformers have seen more than 30 years of careful refinement. Boss fights are far more sophisticated And the NES is hardly the high point of graphical fidelity. Is Castlevania still an enjoyable experience all these years later, or was it simply a good game at the time of its release?

On this episode, we discuss:

• How important is smooth movement in a 2D platformer? Castlevania has very restricted jumping, with no air control or height/length variance. Is this intrinsically flawed, or has the game been designed around these restrictions?
• Castlevania requires a good amount of memorisation to get through it's dangerous levels. Does this reliance on memorisation versus reaction based systems lead to an equally fun experience?
• Is Castlevania too hard, or are Pat and James filthy casuals? And will Pat ever shut up about that one boss fight?

We answer these questions and many more on the 37th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

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Is Castlevania really as difficult as Pat and James claim? Are the graphics better than we give them credit for? Is there a particular song on the soundtrack we should have paid more attention to? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!