GAMING DIARIES
I've been gaming since the 1980's when my dad bought our family our very first NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM a.k.a. the original NES.
I was just a little kid back then and I had no real talent for gaming.
Either that or the games were really hard! To spare my ego I'll say it
was probably a combination of the two. Anyway, we had only a few games
and I maybe beat one or two legit and the rest I used my GAME GENIE on to cheat and destroy.
Years passed and I got a hand-me-down SUPER NINTENDO (when the NINTENDO 64 and PLAYSTATION were popular). If the games on the NES were my foundation and the genesis (SEGA?) of my love of gaming, the SNES cemented that love of gaming for life. Games like SUPER METROID, SUPER CASTLEVANIA IV, and SUPER STREET FIGHTER II were directly responsible for making me the life long gamer that I am. The big difference with these games was that I was older (with slightly more talent though not much) and I could beat these games!
While falling in love with the SNES I came to know the greatness of the SEGA GENESIS! Then came the Playstation followed shortly by the PS2 (the first console system I ever bought on the very launch day) and so on and so forth. During my college years was probably the height of my gaming career, discovering and playing many of my all-time favorites and acquiring my greatest gaming achievements.
Now much older, and having acquired a somewhat decent collection of
systems and games, I am trekking back through the stacks and knocking
out some of those harder games from my childhood that kicked my ass. Not
to mention the extensive backlog of games I purchased but never had the
time to get to.
Here are the diaries of my gaming misadventures!
THE CASTLEVANIA FRANCHISE
I first came to know the Castlevania franchise with the game CASTLEVANIA II: SIMON'S QUEST on the original Nintendo Entertainment System. I was too young to really understand why this game was perfectly suited for me, or more accurately, I hadn't grown enough as a person with my own preferences and personal tastes that would align with those of Castlevania (I was a kindergartener after all circa 1988 or 1989). But it wouldn't be long before I realized that this game had everything I loved and would grow to love in it. I already had a healthy appreciation for kaiju, dragons, and dinosaurs. And a love of Gothic Horror was soon to come.
In 1990 Universal Studios had a grand celebration of their Universal Monsters properties, rereleasing all of the classic monster movies on VHS along with toys, puzzles, and various merchandise. I begged my parents for the CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON vhs tape that Christmas. And, like wonderful parents, they delivered! Then it was Frankenstein later that next year followed by toys and more (including an awesome coloring book that had brief retellings of all of the Universal Monsters' first films). That period right there cemented a life long love of these characters and Gothic horror. And naturally a life long love of Castlevania as well.
While Castlevania II: Simon's Quest was the first in the series that I ever played, it was not the first Castlevania I ever owned. My friend, Drew, owned Simon's Quest and I merely borrowed it. Strange enough though was that the first in the franchise that I would own was also a "Castlevania II." Gifted to me from my cousins, just the cartridge and nothing else, was CASTLEVANIA II: BELMONT'S REVENGE for the original gray brick GAME BOY.
THE CONTEXT
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge was released in July of 1991 in Japan, predating Super Castlevania IV by several months. It was the fifth wide released game in the franchise following after CASTLEVANIA III: DRACULA'S CURSE on the NES (it was the seventh game in the series if you include VAMPIRE KILLER and HAUNTED CASTLE). A Castlevania II coming AFTER Castlevania III? And there's another Castlevania II also?! Wait, what?! Konami made my head hurt way back then (glad to know Konami hasn't changed, right?).
Confused as to why there were two Castlevania II's? Well, this was the sequel to the first Game Boy Castlevania title, THE CASTLEVANIA ADVENTURE (check out our tour of that game too!). In Japan the titles for these games were LEGEND OF DRACULA and LEGEND OF DRACULA II, easy to distinguish from the main console series. Why in America the game wasn't called The Castlevania Adventure II is up for speculation (I suspect it was named differently to disassociate itself somewhat from the truly rough experience that was The Castlevania Adventure, a game that is only considered "fair" at best).
The Castlevania Adventure was an early game on the Game Boy and as such it was a less than perfect game offering very little in terms of gameplay to endear fans (it did have a great soundtrack and some new features for the franchise though). Yet Castlevania remained a strong and successful series on the Nintendo consoles garnering many fans. Konami refused to give up on the idea of a handheld Castlevania game. Having a foundation to build from and knowing what not to do, Konami developed a second Castlevania for the Game Boy. And they succeeded in spades.
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge was the first handheld Castlevania game I ever played and I have nothing but fond memories for it. It may in fact be the first Castlevania game I ever defeated on my own without help or needing to cheat (although that honor might belong to Super Castlevania IV as my memory is a little fuzzy on which one I beat first). Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge is just plain fun and a joy to experience, held up by many Castlevania fans as one of the finest entries in the entire franchise. And I agree. For many years this was the only handheld Castlevania game I had played. It was a decade or more since first experiencing Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge that I found and secured a copy of The Castlevania Adventure for myself.
The Castlevania Adventure is an experience about as far from Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge as you can get, one being pure joy and the other utter frustration. Now, after having played both games recently, back to back and defeating both, I have a new perspective on the great Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge. In many ways, dare I say, it feels like an over correction.
So, let's get into it!
THE STORY
In 1576 Christopher Belmont answered the call of destiny and battled Dracula's forces. Christopher emerged victorious and defeated the lord of darkness... or so he thought. Dracula was defeated but not slain. The vampire lord was severely weakened but his life force endure. He hid himself away planning his return and revenge against the Belmonts.
In 1591, fifteen years after Christopher's victory over Dracula, the latest member of the Belmonts was coming of age. Christopher's son, Soleiyu Belmont, underwent a ceremony in which the sacred role of Vampire Killer and protector of Wallachia was passed to him. That night Dracula enacted his long awaited revenge. Christopher awoke to find his son missing and four evil castles rising in the land. Evil had returned to Wallachia and had claimed his son. Through Soleiyu, Dracula was releasing his dark forces and gathering his strength once again.
Christopher Belmont set forth once more to destroy these new castles, rescue his son, and put an end to Dracula once and for all.
THE PLAYTHROUGH
Right away this game differentiates itself from The Castlevania Adventure with a detailed and original story, different from all of the previous Castlevania games in fact. And just as different is the offering of a level selection very much in the style of MEGA MAN. The player is given four different castles (levels) to choose from at the onset. You can select which ever castle you want in no particular order. Where The Castlevania Adventure was laid out in a strict linear progression (much like the original Castlevania, Super Castlevania IV, and Castlevania Chronicles), Belmont's Revenge takes a different approach.
Simon's Quest and Dracula's Curse presented variations on game progression, either being open world and nonlinear or offering branching paths to choose from. Belmont's Revenge takes a page from these games offering something similar in spirit yet uniquely its own for the franchise. No other game in the Castlevania series, before or since, offers an open level selection. The levels themselves play out in traditional Castlevania fashion though, being straight forward linear progression (with the occasional circular loop here and there). There is no advantage to picking certain levels before others. So you can begin anywhere you like.
Level 1 ~ The Crystal Castle: Selecting the default level in the upper left corner of the screen. Instantly you can notice a difference in how this game runs compared to The Castlevania Adventure. Christopher moves quicker and smoother. He's more agile and his controls are tighter. If you were just watching a video comparison the difference might seem negligible but playing him here versus there is night and day. The jumping mechanics are nicer and jumps aren't nearly as problematic as they were. The level designers also better placed the platforms, which is huge. Platforming in this game in general is a much more pleasurable experience.
Christopher Belmont's two whip upgrades are back, the final upgrade having the addition of a fireball once again. But in this game you don't lose your whip upgrades with every hit like the previous game. Sadly though the enemy Punaguchi has returned from the last game with their ricocheting fireballs and it is these jerks who can still downgrade your whip, but only them. Making their debut in the Game Boy Castlevania games here are the classic sub-weapons: the axe and holy water. That means hearts supply the ammo for your sub-weapons (instead of healing you like in The Castlevania Adventure). And thusly hidden stores of meat lay through the game to replenish your life bar.
While this game plays far better than the previous Game Boy Castlevania, it hasn't forgotten the highlights of the last game. This level has sort of a "greatest hits" assemblage of The Castlevania Adventure. After traversing a watery platformer stage (in which Christopher finally gets to whip a few mermen) we are treated to many of the standout elements for TCA such as ropes, moving spiked
walls, giant exploding eyeballs, and punaguchi enemies (these guys are NOT something from the last game I ever wanted to see again). There are multiple ropes to choose from at times, taking the wrong one will send you on a loop of previous stages eventually leading back to the fork in the road again.
This level is pretty easy save for a high jumping sword throwing (kind of a mid-boss) enemy in one stage. Once you have his pattern figured out then he's not much of a threat. Then, arriving at the boss, a black cloud forms overhead and crystal materializes in front of you. An evil wizard named Dark Side appears from out of the crystal and summons lightning down from the cloud. After that the wizard and the crystal he came from vanish only to reappear elsewhere on screen. This boss is a total cake walk, especially if you know the exact spot to stand where nothing can hit you. The music track playing throughout the level is a track called New Messiah and it is one of my all-time favorite Castlevania songs.
Level 2 ~ The Cloud Castle: Going straight across the top to the next castle takes you to the Cloud Castle. After a walk down a long corridor and two evil crows you come to a room with some ropes and walking armor. Then a hallway with many ropes and some platforming. But now the ropes retract to the ceiling where spikes wait you. Then another room with more ropes and spikes. Then a room with a single Punaguchi. Then a room with a rope. And... well, more rooms with ropes and spikes. A few enemies here and there, but mostly more ropes and spikes. That (kind of a mid-boss) enemy shows up again. Then there's a long vertical climb across many ropes, except these ropes are pulled up and down on gears. About everything the programmers can think of to do with ropes in this game, they do it here. I like the ropes more than I do the stairs in Castlevania games, but this is ridiculous.
After a long hallway of platforming you are led to the boss. The boss of this castle is a strange looking creature called the ANGEL MUMMY and it is so incredibly cool looking! The Angel Mummy is a bizarre amalgam of bones surrounding a massive face. The great Game Boy graphics really show off the wild design of this creature. The battle itself is slightly harder than the last boss... slightly. The actions that the boss goes through are pretty cool though. And done. This might as well be the "Rope Castle" instead of the Cloud Castle. Honestly, I'm surprised the programmers didn't incorporate ropes into the boss fight also. Anyway, this is a super easy and somewhat repetitive level, albeit still very enjoyable. The music playing in this level is a track called Praying Hands and... it is one stellar Castlevania track.
Level 3 ~ The Plant Castle: The opening stage here has a really cool background with giant roses looming behind you. As you pass them they bloom too! The stage is comprised of some simple platforming and some big frogs (maybe Under Moles?). Then it's onto more platforming and evil bats (which can be somewhat annoying). Then ropes and more platforming until we get to the eyeball bridges of Punaguchi County. This area and some others ahead feel like an ode to level two in The Castlevania Adventure (remember that long trek across the bridge with the giant eyeballs rolling at you? Yeah, that one). There is, of course, a vertical shaft filled with ropes again but this time there are super annoying skeleton bone-throwers that leap from rope to rope tossing femurs at you.
After another eyeball bridge stage you come to a room filled with giant spiders. You have to allow the spiders to spin their webs, then kill them, then climb across the webs like, you guessed it, ropes. Then the music changes and you begin encroaching upon the boss. There are a ton of giant eyeballs rolling in your path as well as jumps and ropes you must leap/climb across. Then you arrive at two looming statues above to your left and right: Kumulo and Nimbler. Again, the designers outdid themselves as these bosses look great. There's a rising platform in the center that you need to ride up in order to reach the bosses. They'll take turns firing triple shots of fireballs at you while you try to attack them. This boss is a little harder than the last two but not much. Wail on these guys for a while and you're done. Again, the music track playing here, Ripe Seeds, is pretty good too.
Level 4 ~ The Rock Castle: Right away you'll notice the detailed background and well rendered stage elements. This level is one of the best looking sections of the game. The level opens with another long hallway but there's a few more monsters waiting for you this time. Then more rooms with ropes. Do those black holes in the walls look familiar? Remember the Under Moles bosses from The Castlevania Adventure? Well it seems we've just entered their home castle. Just like before, numerous Under Moles leap forth from the holes in the walls to attack you. They're one hit kills like before but make sure to kill them as quickly as possible before you're overrun.
The next room is another throwback to a stage in The Castlevania Adventure, with extending spikes that you need to climb upon and scale up the stage. Then you come to yet another long corridor of Under Moles, further evidence to suggest this is their castle. Then there are several rooms with ropes and extending spikes (nothing as challenging as the previous game though). Then we come to a rather novel room where the candles actually provide the light for the room. Whipping the candles makes the light go out and you can't see where you're going. Walking over an edge to a pitfall is quite easy when the room is pitch black. Also, there are new caterpillar monsters that come to life when the room goes dark. All in all, this is a pretty inventive and unique idea to the franchise. There are two hallways like this before you make the next descent.
Then you come to yet more hold overs from The Castlevania Adventure, specifically the hydraulic press of spikes. Up and down ropes you go while sneaking underneath these crushing piercing spikes, pass the (kind of a mid-boss) enemy yet again, and eventually to the boss: The Iron Doll. The boss is a hulking mass that can barely move. It has a sword that it swings at you. Not much of a challenge until... about halfway through his life bar the boss sheds its bulk to become a skinny, quick, and agile foe. It jumps all around you and when it swings its sword a damaging wind blade flies from it. Still, it's not too hard to dodge and you can whip fast enough to make fairly short work of this boss. All in all this was a lengthy and exciting level.
All right! All four castle are defeated! VICTORY! Right?
Did you notice that after each boss that the orb that appears upon their defeat flies up? Typically in Castlevania those orbs fall down. Turns out these other castles were pawns in a greater scheme, the soul orbs being taken to resurrect Dracula and his evil castle. After defeating the four castles, Castlevania rises out of the lake. Christopher's battle isn't over yet!
Level 5 ~ The Demon Castle: As per usual, the level opens with a long corridor, platforming, evil crows, and a couple zeldos (the closest enemies we get to having Death appear in these games). This opening stage also has some amazing backgrounds too. Then there's several rooms with ropes, spikes, and platforming. Followed by even more rooms with ropes, spikes, and platforming. And then even more (seriously, you should be pros at this by now). Then there's a rope that stretches to two rooms, the wrong path takes you in a circle, the correct path takes you to the boss. The correct path at first looks suspiciously like the previous rooms you just traversed, casting doubt in you as to whether you're taking the correct path or not.
Stay the course and you'll come to one of the most unique boss battles in all of the Castlevania franchise: The Bone Dragon King. You enter into a narrow corridor and the screen starts moving to the right. Next, a massive bone dragon, bigger than any previous bone dragons in the franchise, emerges from a tunnel overhead and into a tunnel below. The screen is your enemy as its constantly moving forward. If you get trapped between the bone dragon and the back of the screen you're taking damage. You have to stay near the front of the screen, either ahead of the Bone Dragon King or just behind him near the front of the screen. He has a huge and long body but only the head takes damage. This is the first somewhat challenging moment in the game but, after a try or two to get the hang of it, you'll ace this boss. On a side note, this boss battle feels more like something you'd find in a Gradius game as opposed to a Castlevania. But that very difference is what makes this such a memorable and unique Castlevania boss.
Level 6 ~ Dracula's Keep: Platforming hallways, ropes, and spike rooms await you (nothing you're not used to by now). The Axe subweapon is super helpful for this entire level. Eventually you'll come to the ultimate rope room that'll put all your rope climbing skills to the test. Past a few more rooms and a massive platforming stage (very similar to the opening stage of this level) and you come to the epic boss fight of this level: Soleiyu Belmont!
For the first time in Castlevania history (unless you count doppelganger battles) it's Belmont versus Belmont, father against son. One of Dracula's demons has possessed Soleiyu's body and is using the young Belmont to help bring about his full power. This was the first real challenging part of the game for me. This battle is tough... as it should be being a Belmont is your enemy. I take back every bad thing I ever said about the dagger subweapon as Soleiyu wields it here to great effect (how come I can't ever be that good with the dagger 😢). Soleiyu herds you with the dagger towards his whip and you're in for a world of hurt. This battle took me a long time and many tries to complete, far more difficult than anything else in the game up till this point. But eventually I triumphed! Again, the axe is very helpful here.
Freed from Dracula's demonic influence, Soleiyu warned his father that Dracula was using the souls of the four castles to revive his full power. With Soleiyu's help Christopher heads to Dracula's sanctum where the final battle begins. There is a long straight pathway here with my favorite background in the entire game. There are no enemies but loads of candles to stock up on hearts and supplies. Then comes the final stage (you can't really call this a level by itself).
Christopher Belmont versus Dracula: Round Two! Dracula disappears and reappears all around the room. Every time he appears he unleashed eight spiraling spheres through the air, covering the entire screen, leaving only small gaps to escape being damaged. Again, this is really only the second time in the whole game where you the player are really challenged. In order to win you need to memorize where the gaps are when Dracula's spheres fly out, and at each point in which Dracula appears too because those gaps change. No big deal, right?
Luckily every time you die you restart at the previous stage. Basically you have infinite attempts to defeat Dracula. It can take a while to get the pattern down (you don't even need to know the whole pattern, just a majority of it) but, once you do, you will defeat him with no problem. And with infinite tries where you don't have retread through an entire level, it's only a matter of time and... strangely Dracula has no second form though, which is kinda disappointing. Anyway...
VICTORY!
The game ends with Soleiyu and Christopher Belmont both standing atop the cliffside watching Dracula's castle crumble. And no bat emerges this time. True victory over the lord of darkness is achieved and peace is restored. The epilogue suggests that both Soleiyu and Christopher fought and defeated Dracula together (even though you only play as Christopher) which is cool to think about: two Belmonts battling Dracula at once! The count had no chance.
THE REVIEW
Many among the Castlevania community hail Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge as one of the best entries, not only on the Game Boy, but also among the entire franchise. And indeed it should be considered as such. The game plays so smoothly and is quite fun as a result. It has incredibly well rendered backgrounds and detailed level designs for a Game Boy game. And the game boasts one of the best soundtracks of any Castlevania game. There are multiple new and unique features of the game too such as the candles actually lighting your way in the Rock Castle and the Gradius like boss battle against the Bone Dragon King. And let's not forget the first ever Belmont versus Belmont battle. The story of this game is really cool too with high stakes and the free form level selection was fresh and cool too.
The Castlevania Adventure and Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge are basically night and day when compared to each other in almost every aspect. If The Castlevania Adventure can be accused of being so difficult and rough that it is nearly unplayable then Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge can be accused of being so easy there's virtually no challenge left. Maybe it feels that way because I had just come away from playing the tough as nails The Castlevania Adventure that this game felt so incredibly easy. Perhaps, but then again this was the first Castlevania game I ever beat as a child. Yes, I still love this game dearly, but there is a case to be made for this game being "too easy." Instead of a course correction you might say this game was an over-correction into the other lane of traffic.
The only difficult parts came at the very end of the game. The game also feels repetitive in many levels with the repeated use of ropes and similar level layouts throughout the various castles. This game also borrows many elements from The Castlevania Adventure, even repeating stages almost exactly. There's almost an impression of Konami trying to validate what they had done in The Castlevania Adventure here. A few tweaks to the mechanics would've likely made The Castlevania Adventure a more enjoyable experience. Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge could be considered both a sequel as well as a validation of Konami's prior work and Castlevania's place among handheld gaming.
FINAL NOTE
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge errs on the side of playability, which is not a bad thing at all (and honestly much needed after The Castlevania Adventure). But it presents little to no challenge making it one of the easiest Castlevania games in the franchise. Comparing both games feels like Konami had a bipolar episode. As such I feel like there's still a happy medium yet to be found, a handheld Castlevania game that's challenging but still fun to play. This is just my opinion and comes from having binge played most of the series back to back. Still, I'd much rather have a game I can play versus a game I can't.
Overall Ranking: 8 out of 10
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge is far more playable than The Castlevania Adventure, offering a fun yet almost too easy gaming experience (play the two games in order, back to back, and tell me I'm wrong). It has an original presentation compared to most of the series both in terms of story and level selection. The graphics designs are truly amazing for the original Game Boy and the soundtrack is one of the best in the franchise. This game won't put you through your paces like other classic Castlevanias, but it will be immensely fun while you're playing. This game is worthy of the greats of the series.
And thus ends the saga of Christopher Belmont... or does it? Keep an eye out for The Belmont Legacy comic book review...
...but that is a tale for another time
For more Castlevania and video game appreciation please check out these other posts below!
Gaming Diaries
So, let's get into it!
 |
| Soleiyu Belmont |
THE STORY
In 1576 Christopher Belmont answered the call of destiny and battled Dracula's forces. Christopher emerged victorious and defeated the lord of darkness... or so he thought. Dracula was defeated but not slain. The vampire lord was severely weakened but his life force endure. He hid himself away planning his return and revenge against the Belmonts.
In 1591, fifteen years after Christopher's victory over Dracula, the latest member of the Belmonts was coming of age. Christopher's son, Soleiyu Belmont, underwent a ceremony in which the sacred role of Vampire Killer and protector of Wallachia was passed to him. That night Dracula enacted his long awaited revenge. Christopher awoke to find his son missing and four evil castles rising in the land. Evil had returned to Wallachia and had claimed his son. Through Soleiyu, Dracula was releasing his dark forces and gathering his strength once again.
Christopher Belmont set forth once more to destroy these new castles, rescue his son, and put an end to Dracula once and for all.
THE PLAYTHROUGH
Right away this game differentiates itself from The Castlevania Adventure with a detailed and original story, different from all of the previous Castlevania games in fact. And just as different is the offering of a level selection very much in the style of MEGA MAN. The player is given four different castles (levels) to choose from at the onset. You can select which ever castle you want in no particular order. Where The Castlevania Adventure was laid out in a strict linear progression (much like the original Castlevania, Super Castlevania IV, and Castlevania Chronicles), Belmont's Revenge takes a different approach.
Simon's Quest and Dracula's Curse presented variations on game progression, either being open world and nonlinear or offering branching paths to choose from. Belmont's Revenge takes a page from these games offering something similar in spirit yet uniquely its own for the franchise. No other game in the Castlevania series, before or since, offers an open level selection. The levels themselves play out in traditional Castlevania fashion though, being straight forward linear progression (with the occasional circular loop here and there). There is no advantage to picking certain levels before others. So you can begin anywhere you like.
Level 1 ~ The Crystal Castle: Selecting the default level in the upper left corner of the screen. Instantly you can notice a difference in how this game runs compared to The Castlevania Adventure. Christopher moves quicker and smoother. He's more agile and his controls are tighter. If you were just watching a video comparison the difference might seem negligible but playing him here versus there is night and day. The jumping mechanics are nicer and jumps aren't nearly as problematic as they were. The level designers also better placed the platforms, which is huge. Platforming in this game in general is a much more pleasurable experience.
Christopher Belmont's two whip upgrades are back, the final upgrade having the addition of a fireball once again. But in this game you don't lose your whip upgrades with every hit like the previous game. Sadly though the enemy Punaguchi has returned from the last game with their ricocheting fireballs and it is these jerks who can still downgrade your whip, but only them. Making their debut in the Game Boy Castlevania games here are the classic sub-weapons: the axe and holy water. That means hearts supply the ammo for your sub-weapons (instead of healing you like in The Castlevania Adventure). And thusly hidden stores of meat lay through the game to replenish your life bar.
While this game plays far better than the previous Game Boy Castlevania, it hasn't forgotten the highlights of the last game. This level has sort of a "greatest hits" assemblage of The Castlevania Adventure. After traversing a watery platformer stage (in which Christopher finally gets to whip a few mermen) we are treated to many of the standout elements for TCA such as ropes, moving spiked
walls, giant exploding eyeballs, and punaguchi enemies (these guys are NOT something from the last game I ever wanted to see again). There are multiple ropes to choose from at times, taking the wrong one will send you on a loop of previous stages eventually leading back to the fork in the road again.
This level is pretty easy save for a high jumping sword throwing (kind of a mid-boss) enemy in one stage. Once you have his pattern figured out then he's not much of a threat. Then, arriving at the boss, a black cloud forms overhead and crystal materializes in front of you. An evil wizard named Dark Side appears from out of the crystal and summons lightning down from the cloud. After that the wizard and the crystal he came from vanish only to reappear elsewhere on screen. This boss is a total cake walk, especially if you know the exact spot to stand where nothing can hit you. The music track playing throughout the level is a track called New Messiah and it is one of my all-time favorite Castlevania songs.
Level 2 ~ The Cloud Castle: Going straight across the top to the next castle takes you to the Cloud Castle. After a walk down a long corridor and two evil crows you come to a room with some ropes and walking armor. Then a hallway with many ropes and some platforming. But now the ropes retract to the ceiling where spikes wait you. Then another room with more ropes and spikes. Then a room with a single Punaguchi. Then a room with a rope. And... well, more rooms with ropes and spikes. A few enemies here and there, but mostly more ropes and spikes. That (kind of a mid-boss) enemy shows up again. Then there's a long vertical climb across many ropes, except these ropes are pulled up and down on gears. About everything the programmers can think of to do with ropes in this game, they do it here. I like the ropes more than I do the stairs in Castlevania games, but this is ridiculous.
 |
| The Angel Mummy |
After a long hallway of platforming you are led to the boss. The boss of this castle is a strange looking creature called the ANGEL MUMMY and it is so incredibly cool looking! The Angel Mummy is a bizarre amalgam of bones surrounding a massive face. The great Game Boy graphics really show off the wild design of this creature. The battle itself is slightly harder than the last boss... slightly. The actions that the boss goes through are pretty cool though. And done. This might as well be the "Rope Castle" instead of the Cloud Castle. Honestly, I'm surprised the programmers didn't incorporate ropes into the boss fight also. Anyway, this is a super easy and somewhat repetitive level, albeit still very enjoyable. The music playing in this level is a track called Praying Hands and... it is one stellar Castlevania track.
Level 3 ~ The Plant Castle: The opening stage here has a really cool background with giant roses looming behind you. As you pass them they bloom too! The stage is comprised of some simple platforming and some big frogs (maybe Under Moles?). Then it's onto more platforming and evil bats (which can be somewhat annoying). Then ropes and more platforming until we get to the eyeball bridges of Punaguchi County. This area and some others ahead feel like an ode to level two in The Castlevania Adventure (remember that long trek across the bridge with the giant eyeballs rolling at you? Yeah, that one). There is, of course, a vertical shaft filled with ropes again but this time there are super annoying skeleton bone-throwers that leap from rope to rope tossing femurs at you.
After another eyeball bridge stage you come to a room filled with giant spiders. You have to allow the spiders to spin their webs, then kill them, then climb across the webs like, you guessed it, ropes. Then the music changes and you begin encroaching upon the boss. There are a ton of giant eyeballs rolling in your path as well as jumps and ropes you must leap/climb across. Then you arrive at two looming statues above to your left and right: Kumulo and Nimbler. Again, the designers outdid themselves as these bosses look great. There's a rising platform in the center that you need to ride up in order to reach the bosses. They'll take turns firing triple shots of fireballs at you while you try to attack them. This boss is a little harder than the last two but not much. Wail on these guys for a while and you're done. Again, the music track playing here, Ripe Seeds, is pretty good too.
Level 4 ~ The Rock Castle: Right away you'll notice the detailed background and well rendered stage elements. This level is one of the best looking sections of the game. The level opens with another long hallway but there's a few more monsters waiting for you this time. Then more rooms with ropes. Do those black holes in the walls look familiar? Remember the Under Moles bosses from The Castlevania Adventure? Well it seems we've just entered their home castle. Just like before, numerous Under Moles leap forth from the holes in the walls to attack you. They're one hit kills like before but make sure to kill them as quickly as possible before you're overrun.
The next room is another throwback to a stage in The Castlevania Adventure, with extending spikes that you need to climb upon and scale up the stage. Then you come to yet another long corridor of Under Moles, further evidence to suggest this is their castle. Then there are several rooms with ropes and extending spikes (nothing as challenging as the previous game though). Then we come to a rather novel room where the candles actually provide the light for the room. Whipping the candles makes the light go out and you can't see where you're going. Walking over an edge to a pitfall is quite easy when the room is pitch black. Also, there are new caterpillar monsters that come to life when the room goes dark. All in all, this is a pretty inventive and unique idea to the franchise. There are two hallways like this before you make the next descent.
Then you come to yet more hold overs from The Castlevania Adventure, specifically the hydraulic press of spikes. Up and down ropes you go while sneaking underneath these crushing piercing spikes, pass the (kind of a mid-boss) enemy yet again, and eventually to the boss: The Iron Doll. The boss is a hulking mass that can barely move. It has a sword that it swings at you. Not much of a challenge until... about halfway through his life bar the boss sheds its bulk to become a skinny, quick, and agile foe. It jumps all around you and when it swings its sword a damaging wind blade flies from it. Still, it's not too hard to dodge and you can whip fast enough to make fairly short work of this boss. All in all this was a lengthy and exciting level.
All right! All four castle are defeated! VICTORY! Right?
Did you notice that after each boss that the orb that appears upon their defeat flies up? Typically in Castlevania those orbs fall down. Turns out these other castles were pawns in a greater scheme, the soul orbs being taken to resurrect Dracula and his evil castle. After defeating the four castles, Castlevania rises out of the lake. Christopher's battle isn't over yet!
Level 5 ~ The Demon Castle: As per usual, the level opens with a long corridor, platforming, evil crows, and a couple zeldos (the closest enemies we get to having Death appear in these games). This opening stage also has some amazing backgrounds too. Then there's several rooms with ropes, spikes, and platforming. Followed by even more rooms with ropes, spikes, and platforming. And then even more (seriously, you should be pros at this by now). Then there's a rope that stretches to two rooms, the wrong path takes you in a circle, the correct path takes you to the boss. The correct path at first looks suspiciously like the previous rooms you just traversed, casting doubt in you as to whether you're taking the correct path or not.
Stay the course and you'll come to one of the most unique boss battles in all of the Castlevania franchise: The Bone Dragon King. You enter into a narrow corridor and the screen starts moving to the right. Next, a massive bone dragon, bigger than any previous bone dragons in the franchise, emerges from a tunnel overhead and into a tunnel below. The screen is your enemy as its constantly moving forward. If you get trapped between the bone dragon and the back of the screen you're taking damage. You have to stay near the front of the screen, either ahead of the Bone Dragon King or just behind him near the front of the screen. He has a huge and long body but only the head takes damage. This is the first somewhat challenging moment in the game but, after a try or two to get the hang of it, you'll ace this boss. On a side note, this boss battle feels more like something you'd find in a Gradius game as opposed to a Castlevania. But that very difference is what makes this such a memorable and unique Castlevania boss.
Level 6 ~ Dracula's Keep: Platforming hallways, ropes, and spike rooms await you (nothing you're not used to by now). The Axe subweapon is super helpful for this entire level. Eventually you'll come to the ultimate rope room that'll put all your rope climbing skills to the test. Past a few more rooms and a massive platforming stage (very similar to the opening stage of this level) and you come to the epic boss fight of this level: Soleiyu Belmont!
For the first time in Castlevania history (unless you count doppelganger battles) it's Belmont versus Belmont, father against son. One of Dracula's demons has possessed Soleiyu's body and is using the young Belmont to help bring about his full power. This was the first real challenging part of the game for me. This battle is tough... as it should be being a Belmont is your enemy. I take back every bad thing I ever said about the dagger subweapon as Soleiyu wields it here to great effect (how come I can't ever be that good with the dagger 😢). Soleiyu herds you with the dagger towards his whip and you're in for a world of hurt. This battle took me a long time and many tries to complete, far more difficult than anything else in the game up till this point. But eventually I triumphed! Again, the axe is very helpful here.
Freed from Dracula's demonic influence, Soleiyu warned his father that Dracula was using the souls of the four castles to revive his full power. With Soleiyu's help Christopher heads to Dracula's sanctum where the final battle begins. There is a long straight pathway here with my favorite background in the entire game. There are no enemies but loads of candles to stock up on hearts and supplies. Then comes the final stage (you can't really call this a level by itself).
Christopher Belmont versus Dracula: Round Two! Dracula disappears and reappears all around the room. Every time he appears he unleashed eight spiraling spheres through the air, covering the entire screen, leaving only small gaps to escape being damaged. Again, this is really only the second time in the whole game where you the player are really challenged. In order to win you need to memorize where the gaps are when Dracula's spheres fly out, and at each point in which Dracula appears too because those gaps change. No big deal, right?
VICTORY!
The game ends with Soleiyu and Christopher Belmont both standing atop the cliffside watching Dracula's castle crumble. And no bat emerges this time. True victory over the lord of darkness is achieved and peace is restored. The epilogue suggests that both Soleiyu and Christopher fought and defeated Dracula together (even though you only play as Christopher) which is cool to think about: two Belmonts battling Dracula at once! The count had no chance.
THE REVIEW
Many among the Castlevania community hail Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge as one of the best entries, not only on the Game Boy, but also among the entire franchise. And indeed it should be considered as such. The game plays so smoothly and is quite fun as a result. It has incredibly well rendered backgrounds and detailed level designs for a Game Boy game. And the game boasts one of the best soundtracks of any Castlevania game. There are multiple new and unique features of the game too such as the candles actually lighting your way in the Rock Castle and the Gradius like boss battle against the Bone Dragon King. And let's not forget the first ever Belmont versus Belmont battle. The story of this game is really cool too with high stakes and the free form level selection was fresh and cool too.
The Castlevania Adventure and Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge are basically night and day when compared to each other in almost every aspect. If The Castlevania Adventure can be accused of being so difficult and rough that it is nearly unplayable then Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge can be accused of being so easy there's virtually no challenge left. Maybe it feels that way because I had just come away from playing the tough as nails The Castlevania Adventure that this game felt so incredibly easy. Perhaps, but then again this was the first Castlevania game I ever beat as a child. Yes, I still love this game dearly, but there is a case to be made for this game being "too easy." Instead of a course correction you might say this game was an over-correction into the other lane of traffic.
The only difficult parts came at the very end of the game. The game also feels repetitive in many levels with the repeated use of ropes and similar level layouts throughout the various castles. This game also borrows many elements from The Castlevania Adventure, even repeating stages almost exactly. There's almost an impression of Konami trying to validate what they had done in The Castlevania Adventure here. A few tweaks to the mechanics would've likely made The Castlevania Adventure a more enjoyable experience. Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge could be considered both a sequel as well as a validation of Konami's prior work and Castlevania's place among handheld gaming.
FINAL NOTE
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge errs on the side of playability, which is not a bad thing at all (and honestly much needed after The Castlevania Adventure). But it presents little to no challenge making it one of the easiest Castlevania games in the franchise. Comparing both games feels like Konami had a bipolar episode. As such I feel like there's still a happy medium yet to be found, a handheld Castlevania game that's challenging but still fun to play. This is just my opinion and comes from having binge played most of the series back to back. Still, I'd much rather have a game I can play versus a game I can't.
Overall Ranking: 8 out of 10
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge is far more playable than The Castlevania Adventure, offering a fun yet almost too easy gaming experience (play the two games in order, back to back, and tell me I'm wrong). It has an original presentation compared to most of the series both in terms of story and level selection. The graphics designs are truly amazing for the original Game Boy and the soundtrack is one of the best in the franchise. This game won't put you through your paces like other classic Castlevanias, but it will be immensely fun while you're playing. This game is worthy of the greats of the series.
And thus ends the saga of Christopher Belmont... or does it? Keep an eye out for The Belmont Legacy comic book review...
For more Castlevania and video game appreciation please check out these other posts below!
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