Castlevania
DOS - 1990
Also released on: Amiga - Commodore 64
| Alt names | アーケードアーカイブス VS. キャッスルヴァニア, 悪魔城ドラキュラ, Akumajō Dracula, Arcade Archives: Vs. Castlevania, Castle Vania, Vs. Castlevania |
|---|---|
| Year | 1990 |
| Platform | DOS |
| Released in | United States |
| Genre | Action |
| Theme | Fantasy, Horror, Platform, Regional differences, Vampires |
| Publisher | Konami Industry Co. Ltd. |
| Developer | Konami Industry Co. Ltd. |
| Perspectives | 2D scrolling, Side view |
| Dosbox support | Supported on current version (works best on 0.72) |
Description of Castlevania
First in a hit series that is still going strong on the Nintendo 64, Castlevania is the first and only entry that was ported to the PC.
The plot is standard kill-the-Dracula fare, but what the game lacks in plot innovation, it makes up for in spades in the sheer playability, ingenious level design, and a LOT of great atmosphere. Although the graphics in this PC version is far inferior to the NES classic, and the wonderfully eerie music is missing, the wonderful level design and very addictive gameplay are still here to glue PC gamers to the screen for hours on end.
While most other platform games feature "typical" weapons such as the rifle, and standard go-to-the-right-forever-and-climb-some-ladders level design, Castlevania gives you a cool Indiana Jones-style whip that is useful for more than plain monster-kiling. The levels are very expansive, and navigable in more than one direction: sometimes you will be walking left, then up the ladder, then over the chasm (using your trusty whip to swing from ceiling hooks), then to the right, then inside the doors and so on. This makes navigating the levels very "realistic" -- the first three levels comprise one castle, then you are tossed into the dungeons, from where you finally emerge to enter the second castle, where you are greeted by Frankenstein himself at the entrance.
In addition to great level design that is never repetitive, another hallmark of Castlevania is the numerous famous undead who stand in your way, each with his (its?) own attack style. As end-level bosses, they are extremely difficult to defeat. Frankenstein, for example, is not only very tough, but comes with his helper, little Igor who jumps around throwing fireballs at you. Dracula himself is one of the toughest bosses you'll ever find in an action game, and it'll take you a good part of the hour (if not days) to defeat him.
All in all, Castlevania is simply a must-have for every action gamer. The lack of NES' graphics and great soundtrack is more than made up for by the brilliant gameplay. Just make sure you have a high tolerance for frustration, because you'll definitely need it. This is a game that inspired countless clones and spawned numerous sequels, although none of them was ported to the PC. Highly recommended!
Review By HOTUD
External links
Captures and Snapshots
Comments and reviews
schmox 2022-09-12 0 point
The decision of the site admins does indeed make sense, since abandonware is a legal gray area. As long as the games are not monetized, it's usually fine, but as soon as a company thinks this site costs them money because it leads people to play the Amiga version of a title instead of buying it on a supported and monetized OS, they might turn to legal options, which can easily kill a site like myabandonware for good.
So stop the hate, switch on your brains, and just be thankful that a website like this with tons of free fun actually exists.
Annoyed 2021-02-05 3 points Commodore 64 version
i don't wanna pay for a version of Castlevania that i don't wanna play. Free the retro games on c64. this fuckin site makes no sense. i can understand if you wanna play dos versions. i didn't grow up with a IBM
Matthew Rease 2019-07-16 8 points
Why is this not available for download anymore? This game is NOT available for purchase, this is the DOS, C64, and Amiga version, NOT THE NES VERSION.
To make it more clear for the admins, this game is NOT available for purchase on the NES Mini, or anywhere else for that matter.
Write a comment
Share your gamer memories, give useful links or comment anything you'd like. This game is no longer abandonware, we won't put it back online.
Buy Castlevania
Castlevania is available for a small price on the following website, and is no longer abandonware. GOG.com provides the best release and does not include DRM, please buy from them! You can read our online store guide.
Other Releases
Castlevania was also released on the following systems:
Amiga
- Year: 1989
- Publisher: Konami Industry Co. Ltd.
- Developer: Konami Industry Co. Ltd.
Commodore 64
- Year: 1990
- Publisher: Konami Industry Co. Ltd.
- Developer: Konami Industry Co. Ltd.
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