This is an entire full pack of every Classic-Vania game in the series, including GB games & a translated version of Haunted Castle.
1. Castlevania (1986) - The game that started an entire franchise, you take control of Simon Belmont as he takes up the Family Heirloom, the Vampire Killer whip, & makes his way into Dracula's Castle to once again vanquish the Vampire Lord! You can find Sub-Weapons & Hearts in Candles, along with Secrets in breakable walls, all of which continued to be staples of the series for many games to come. There is a full line-up of classic Universal monsters for Boss Fights, including the likes of Medusa, Frankenstein's Monster along with Igor, & your standard Giant Bat.
I give this game a 10/10 for obvious reasons, this game is the original & is a pure piece of art.
2. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1987) - Take control of Simon Belmont once again in a rarely-seen direct sequel to the previous game. Simon has been cursed by Dracula during their previous encounter, & after spreading his remains all around the country, he now must gather the remains once again to burn them inside Dracula's Castle, otherwise known as Castlevania. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest would be the very first game to introduce early RPG & open-world elements into the series, which wouldn't be seen again until Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for PS1 in 1997. These RPG elements include, but are not limited to: Levelling up via Enemy EXP drops, picking up ammunition from Enemy drops, finding items that open new pathways for further exploration, & even discerning between good & bad advice from the local Townspeople found throughout the many villages in Wallachia.
I give this game a 9/10, I particularly love the RPG elements mixed with such an old-school game, I am ALWAYS happy to pick up Simon's Quest & highly recommend any doubters just pick up a simple guide & follow along, it will make the game a lot more fun! Or, you can dive into a TRUE old-school RPG mystery & solve everything yourself!
3. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1989) - A prequel to the previous games, take control of Trevor Belmont, Simon's ancestor, as he returns from his family's exile to fight Dracula's freshly-unleashed minions onto Wallachia. Trevor meets up with several allies along the way while taking different branching pathways, including the Speaker, Sypha Belnades, Grant DaNasty, & Alucard, son of Dracula & future Symphony of the Night protagonist. The ending you receive is determined by which ally you finish the game with.
I give this game a 9/10, while it perfected the Classic-Vania style with as much packed in as possible, I personally find the original to be a touch more fun upon replay. Try experimenting with different endings to see what could have happened!
4. Castlevania: The Adventure (1989) - Set 100 years before the first game, Castlevania: The Adventure follows Christopher Belmont, an ancestor to Simon Belmont, who must wield his Mystic Whip to defeat Dracula's minions after Dracula swears revenge upon the Belmont Clan. The gameplay is a little more simple, being the first handheld title on the original GameBoy, but it's still that Classic-Vania style we all know & love! It's only 4 stages long, but those 4 stages are definitely going to give you some trouble!
I give this game a 6/10, while it lacks any personality in the graphics & sprite work, the classic Whip-swinging action is still intact, & you know it's Castlevania if you can destroy Candles for Hearts!
5. Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge (1991) - 15 years after Castlevania: The Adventure, Count Dracula returns to kidnap Christopher Belmont's son, Soleil, to turn him into a demon and siphon his mystical powers so that he can regain human form and rebuild his castle. In this sequel, Christopher (you) will have to conquer 4 separate Castles before you can enter Castlevania itself & conquer true evil!
I also give this game a 6/10, I think the GameBoy games are a cool little side-story that add some much-needed depth to the Belmont lineage & timeline. I definitely recommend NOT skipping these! Just use your Save States & take a deep breath!
6. Super Castlevania IV (1991) - This is essentially a Definitive Edition of the original game, you're back in Simon's shoes playing through the classic setup, HOWEVER, after Level 1, the whole game is completely redesigned & suped-up in every single way! You couldn't get a better Classic-Vania experience than this game right here! Amazing music as always (every Castlevania slaps), amazing power-ups, amazing Whip-action, amazing Boss fights, amazing level design, just amazing all-around! PLAY THIS GAME!
10/10, easiest perfect 10 I've ever given a game since SOTN lol
7. Castlevania: Bloodlines (1994) - This one is set all the way in 1917. Castlevania: Bloodlines follows vampire hunters John Morris (son of Quincy Morris from the Bram Stoker novel) and his friend Eric LeCarde as they travel across Europe. Together, they must stop Dracula's niece, Elizabeth Bartley, who has orchestrated the start of World War I to gather enough human souls to resurrect Count Dracula once again. While this game doesn't contain any Belmonts, John Morris does use the Vampire Killer whip, which was given to him by the Belmont family. Good enough for me! You can also play as Eric LeCarde (Al LeCarde?) & he has a SPEAR, which is unique for Classic-Vania games, & it has pretty good reach, too. The Boss fights in this game are really awesome, as well, they will definitely have you saying out loud "Oh, that's sick!" lol.
I give this one a 9/10, I really enjoy this game, I haven't overplayed it over the years so it always feels nice & fresh when I come back to it every 10 years or so. You definitely need to experience it at least once, & you wont find it on physical cartridge!
If you are a fan of the genre at all, then you owe it to yourself to add the games that started it all to your Library! There is definitely enough value here to get this full-price, BUT it's always on sale anyways, so definitely grab it for a few bucks & play your way through some gaming history!
10/10 Overall Rating!
