Monday, March 30, 2020

TOP TEN FAVORITE BELMONTS

TOP TEN FAVORITE CASTLEVANIA BELMONTS
From left to right: Trevor, Richter, Leon, Juste, and Simon
Castlevania is a franchise that has existed for over thirty years. It has gone through good times and bad times, prosperous times and troubled times. It has seen many transitions in the industry and gone through many incarnations itself. But just as Dracula is destined to return time and time again, so too does the Castlevania legacy endure. And while the video games may be in a state of dormancy, the arrival of the Netflix animated series has breathed new life into the franchise. Castlevania has become somewhat popular yet again, new merchandise for the property is on the rise, and in general there is renewed enthusiasm for Castlevania all around.

I myself have reaffirmed my love for the series, its many games, and many great characters. Castlevania was among my first video game obsessions alongside the likes of Ninja Gaiden and Street Fighter. As a kid in the 90's and an adult today, I have spent countless hours playing the games and studying the stories. I love digging deep into the Castlevania lore, discovering the ties that bind characters and how everything fits into place. I even have a strange obsession with genealogy within the Castlevania franchise. Which brings me to one of Castlevania's most unique and enduring traits: Legacy.

Since 1989, with the fifth game in the series, Castlevania has continually shifted to different eras and explored different characters within the saga. Very few video game franchises (or even ongoing narratives such as movies, novels, and comic books) have successfully retired their starring characters and carried on with new heroes. The degrees of successes vary but such a feat usually proves problematic with audiences. Remember when Konami (Castlevania's own company) tried to replace Solid Snake with Raiden? Or how about when Street Fighter did away with EVERY character except Ryu and Ken for SFIII? Or again with Capcom when they tried to replace Dante with Nero in Devil May Cry? Have Riri Williams, Sam Alexander, Amadeus Cho, Jane Foster, Laura Kinney, Robbie Reyes, Avril Kincaid, Miles Morales, Carol Danvers, and more firmly replaced Tony Stark, Richard Rider, Bruce Banner, Thor, Wolverine, Ghost Rider, Quasar, Peter Parker, and Captain Mar-Vell? Successes vary in degree but not really. Has Dick Grayson remained as Batman since Final Crisis? Nope.

Such a task is difficult, which makes what Castlevania has done all the more remarkable. Not only did they do it once, but they have continually done it time and time again. Yes, an argument can be made that certain characters will always be greater than others. But still they've managed to sideline key characters and replace them with all new characters to carry on the same story consistently. It is truly remarkable and rare. I'll even admit that I'm not the most accepting of "Legacy" characters, but even I come to expect a new hero with every new Castlevania now (as well as hope for my favorites to return again). I think a part of it is these new characters having earned their place and the right to carry on the legacy. Where as with other legacy attempts (not all mind you) feel forced and usurped rather than rightful.

As a result of this Legacy trend, and of the thirty plus years of existence, there are a lot of great (and not so great) characters in the Castlevania franchise. Chief among them are the heroic Belmonts, a long lineage spanning nearly thirty games and a nearly one-thousand year storyline. From Leon Belmont in 1094 A.D. to Julius Belmont in 2036 A.D.

Here is a list of my favorite Belmonts. There have been other heroes to take over in lieu of Belmonts such as the arguably most popular Castlevania character, Alucard, the youthful Soma Cruz, and the wickedly cool Shanoa. But we're leaving them for another list and choosing just to focus on the Belmont family here. I will be explaining why I like them and summarizing their respective stories.

Important Note: Konami is actually pretty terrible at connecting the dots between characters and games. There are a ton of missing pieces to the stories leaving much to be interpreted and filled in by our imaginations. To make sense of the greater plot and story, Konami has forced fans to draw their own conclusions regarding many characters. In many cases we'll be supplying a few of our own ideas here and there to fill in the blanks or make sense of certain plots. If you don't like or don't approve of our own conclusions we'd love to hear your own ideas on what these missing story elements could be.

So, without further adieu, here are our personal favorite members of the Belmont family!

Enjoy!






THE BONUSES





#12
REINHARDT SCHNEIDER

Debut Appearance: Castlevania 64 (1999)

Time Period Era: 1852 A.D.
I'm not going to lie to you, I have no love for this character. He's from the original Nintendo 64 Castlevania release, a game that has not aged well. I have played it and defeated it with both heroes, Reinhardt and Carrie Fernandez (Belnades). But I simply cannot bring myself to play this game again. The primitive 3D graphics are extremely hard to endure, while the classic 2D Castlevania games from the 80's and 90's still possess charm and playability (I'd sooner play the horrible Castlevania Adventure on Game Boy than this). Alas, I'm getting off subject here.

Reinhardt Schneider was a descendant of the Belmonts and possessed the fabled Vampire Killer whip (none of this is explained in any detail, either how he is related to the Belmonts nor how he came into possession of the whip). Presumably trained by Nathan Graves, the previous holder of the Vampire Killer whip, fate calls upon Reinhardt when Death reincarnated Dracula within a new body. Reinhardt, along with a descendant of Sypha Belnades named Carrie, enter Castlevania, defeat Death, and prevent Dracula's resurgence.

There are some good moments in Castlevania 64, I'll admit. But overall it is a sad reminder of the early days of 3D gaming. This is an example of the franchise struggling, feeling it needed to change what it was in order to stay relevant in a changing video game climate. With Reinhardt Schneider not bearing the Belmont name, perhaps not even a direct descendant but an offshoot branch of the family, he gets a slot here in the bonuses. While I don't hate the character, he is simply a flat note to me.




 

#11
GABRIEL BELMONT

Debut Appearance: Castlevania ~ Lords of Shadow (2010)

Time Period Era: 1047 A.D. (alternate timeline)

My least favorite Belmont with a bullet. Gabriel Belmont exists in an alternate timeline in the Castlevania franchise, when Konami tried to reboot the franchise with the help of the great and powerful Hideo Kojima. Metal Gear is amazing, but it is vastly different from Castlevania. The production value and effort that went into this game was tremendous and incredible, but oh so misplaced. Given all of the talent and resources that Konami poured into this game, it should've went down in history as one of the greatest video games ever produced. Instead, it'll be remembered as the strongest anyone has ever tried to not be what it was trying to be... What I mean to say is that Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is the furthest from Castlevania that the series has ever been.

LOS is actually a very impressive game in itself, but as a Castlevania game it is an abomination... Okay, I'm sorry, I got sidetracked. Gabriel Belmont is my least favorite Belmont by default, being from the LOS reboot. I actually love his design and Robert Carlyle's characterization. And having Patrick Stewart as his partner and life-narrator is awesome. But...

SPOILER ALERT!!

Gabriel Belmont is the worst Belmont in history as he was completely manipulated by his enemies to kill his own wife. And by the end of it all he becomes Dracula himself. LOS is both the Belmonts and Dracula's origin story. Who knew? So, even if the game hadn't been the farthest thing from Castlevania in the entire series, Gabriel Belmont is not a hero, but in fact history's greatest villain. That's not good if you're from a bloodline of heroes.

In Simpson's Comic Book Guy's voice, "Worst. Belmont. Ever."





THE TOP TEN





#10
DESMOND BELMONT
Debut Appearance: Castlevania ~ Order of Shadows (2007)

Time Period Era: 17th Century (not clearly defined, presumably prior to Simon Belmont)

From the one Castlevania mobile phone game! What's to say about Desmond Belmont? I kinda like his design, even with the spikey anime hair. The red hair falls in line with Ayami Kojima's red-headed redesign for Simon Belmont too (and would make sense if Desmond is Simon's father). Other than that there isn't much else about him in this mobile phone game. The gameplay is just terrible (as you'd expect from a mobile phone game in the 2000's) so playing as Desmond isn't all that great.

Desmond's story is pretty interesting though as it delves deeper into Dracula's cult of worshippers, the Order of Shadows (well before the Lords of Shadow). In particular their leader, Rohan Krause, is trying to bring about Dracula's resurrection. Desmond, along with his two sisters Zoe and Dolores (strange names for women in 17th century Romania, yes?) set about to stop the Order of Shadows, who murdered their parents, and prevent Dracula's return. It isn't specifically stated when this game takes place in the timeline, only that it occurs in the 1600's, which would make Desmond either Soleiyu Belmont's son or grandson or Simon's father or grandfather. That is unless Simon is the son of either Zoe or Dolores (God, these names! It's like if Simon or Richter were named Doug or Trayden). Anyway, delving deeper into the cult that supports Dracula from the shadows is a great idea and worth further exploration, giving lesser known Belmonts something to do between Dracula's resurrections.







#9
SOLEIYU BELMONT

Debut Appearance: Castlevania II ~ Belmont's Revenge (1991)

Time Period Era: 1576 A.D. thru 1591 A.D.

There's not a whole lot to say about this Belmont as he never headlined his own game. There isn't even much official art for him either save for one or two pieces. There are a few pieces of fan art out there and even an officially licensed comic book from IDW which... depicts his conception? You have to see it to believe it but it's there. Designwise their isn't much to Soleiyu but it's in his story where the character becomes the most interesting. Soleiyu is the son of Christopher Belmont and was involved in one of Dracula's more sinister schemes.

Upon Dracula's resurrection in 1576, the vampire lord kidnapped Christopher Belmont's newly wed wife, Illyana. Christopher and Illyana had consumated the marriage and neither had realized that Illyana was already pregnant. But Dracula sensed the new life growing inside her and fed Illyana some of his blood. Dracula had yet to bite Illyana before Christopher rescued her. Dracula's blood didn't transform Illyana or Soleiyu but it left Soleiyu susceptible to the vampire lord's influence. When Christopher defeated Dracula, the count endured, biding his time and regrowing his power for 15 years. On Soleiyu's 14th birthday Dracula made his move. He used his influence over Soleiyu and placed the young Belmont under his control. This forced Christopher to once again battle Dracula but also his own son. This marked the first time a Belmont was pitted against another Belmont.

Luckily Soleiyu's story has a happy ending. Christopher freed his son from Dracula's influence and the two battled and defeated the dark lord for good. Soleiyu survived to carry on the legacy, likely with more conviction having witnessed Dracula's insidious powers for himself. It would be cool to see Soleiyu redesigned by Ayami Kojima and learn how his story ended (hunting down the Order of Shadows perhaps?).







#8
LEON BELMONT
Debut Appearance: Castlevania ~ Lament of Innocence (2003)

Time Period Era: 1094 A.D.

In the prime Castlevania timeline Leon Belmont is the first Belmont to fight the forces of the supernatural. The game itself isn't all that great and the story is fair, presenting a few problems to the saga as a whole. Leon is given an angry and headstrong personality which is appropriate given the circumstances, but personally I don't find his character all that compelling. It is also worthy of note that Leon is one of the only Belmonts NOT to battle Dracula (although they were friends at one time ((my least favorite part of the story))). Ayami Kojima once again knocks the design out of the park, which is probably the best aspect of Leon's character. What I like most about this game and Leon's story is that it tells the origin of the Vampire Killer whip.

Leon Belmont was a french knight of the crusades along with his friend Mathias Cronqvist. Mathias returned home to find his wife dead from illness and Leon's wife kidnapped by a powerful vampire by the name of Walter Bernhard. Leon leaves the Holy Order of knights to rescue his beloved Sara from the vampire. On his way to the vampire's castle he is stopped by a man named Rinaldo Gandolfi, an alchemist, who bequeaths Leon with a mysterious whip. The whip is strong against the supernatural. With the whip in hand and his sword, Leon enters Walter's castle. After a long battle Leon rescues Sara but does not defeat Walter. They return to Rinaldo's and discover Sara has been turned into a vampire. Sara begs Leon to end her life. Using alchemy, Rinaldo takes Sara's spirit and infuses it into the whip, thereby making the whip lethal to vampires. Leon returns to Walter's castle and defeats him.

SPOILER ALERT!

Mathias, Leon's old friend, emerges from the shadows as Leon defeats Walter. Mathias reveals that it was he who orchestrated Sara's capture by Walter, all to have Leon defeat the vampire so Mathias could steal Walter's vampiric powers. After fighting God's holy wars and returning to find his wife dead, Mathias vowed to curse God and all of God's creations as vengeance. Using Walter's powers, Mathias transforms himself in the most powerful vampire the world has ever seen and eventually begins calling himself Dracula (although it is never revealed why). For this great betrayal, Leon vows to hunt Mathias and his ilk for all eternity until Mathias answers for his atrocities.

You know what, I'm cool with the Leon Belmont stuff and the origins of the Vampire Killer whip. I like that stuff, although Sara's fate is brutal and sad. And while Walter Bernhard is a weak villain and pale imitation of Dracula (with a terrible name too) I feel he fits well with this game and story. What really ruins this game for me is the Mathias Conqvist stuff, contradicting elements from Symphony of the Night as well as muddying the canon in general (the real life story of Vlad the Impaler is supposed to be a part of Castlevania's lore too and this makes that very difficult to reconcile). But this is a list about Belmonts. I'll save my big gripes about this game for another time.







#7
JULIUS BELMONT
Debut Appearance: Castlevania ~ Aria of Sorrow (2003)

Time Period Era: 1999 A.D. thru 2036 A.D.

Hero of the greatest Castlevania story NEVER told. Julius Belmont has never had a game of his own but he has been playable in two games, Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow (and a third if you count the online only release Harmony of Despair, which doesn't have a story or place in the timeline though). He's very fun to play as but mostly feels like mere window dressing (I mean, c'mon, those games are about Soma Cruz, not Julius Belmont).

Designwise he sports a silly beard/goatee thing, a scarf, a leopard-skin coat, and strange blue pants with weird black stripes over the crotch and inner thighs. He is one of the more "interesting" Belmont designs, for sure. There was a time when Japan thought this look was great as even Dante from Devil May Cry received a similar make-over in DMC2 (his alternate "Diesel" costume). I've never claimed to have any fashion sense or taste myself, but Dante's Diesel look, and subsequently Julius' design as well, are pretty laughable to me.

As a character though his story is pretty cool and potentially epic. In 1999 humanity almost ended in what became known as THE DEMON CASTLE WARS. Dracula had returned more powerful than ever and plunged the entire world into darkness and chaos. Monsters spread across the globe like a plague nearly wiping humanity from the face of the Earth. It was then that Julius Belmont embraced his destiny and, along with a group of others, defeated Dracula, finally succeeding in ending the dark lord's reign of terror for good. Dracula was truly defeated once and for all and his demon castle was sealed away in an eclipse. In the aftermath though, Julius lost the Vampire Killer whip in the castle as well as losing his memory. Years later Dracula's soul was reincarnated in a child name Soma Cruz. Later still, in the year 2035, Castle Dracula emerged from the eclipse. Soma, now a young man, and Julius reentered the castle. Julius and Soma faced off, with Julius ultimately believing in Soma's goodness and willpower to contain Dracula's evil spirit.

Sadly, Julius' finest hour happens off screen, an important piece of exposition to be sure, but ultimately just a piece of background information informing the story of Aria of Sorrow. Julius shows up again in Dawn of Sorrow, once more as a supporting character (still mere window dressing). He has a lot of potential and I'd love to see his story properly told in a game all his own someday. And as for that design... it's not really representative of modern times, especially not 2035, as it is purely an early 2000s Japanese fashion statement. It just needs some tweaking.







#6
JUSTE BELMONT

Debut Appearance: Castlevania ~ Harmony of Dissonance (2002)

Time Period Era: 1748 A.D.

Juste Belmont (pronounced "Joost") is Simon's grandson and the next Belmont to step foot inside Dracula's castle after Simon (that we know of). Famed Castlevania artist, Ayami Kojima, lends her tremendous talents once again here and the results are breathtaking. Juste's design is simply incredible and the best aspect of his character, with an aristocratic wardrobe that Alucard would approve of. Juste is a french name, once again nodding to the Belmonts french heritage. In truth it seems Juste draws a lot from his heritage, having inherited magic manipulation from his ancestor Sypha Belnades. And maybe resembles his great great great great grandpa Alucard (depending on what Belmont lineage you believe). As a character he's fairly young and his hotheaded adolescent attitude reflects that. Juste is a great combination of traits from characters of the past that have strengthened the Belmont bloodline.

For his story, fifty years have passed since Simon lifted the curse and purged Dracula's evil from the countryside. Juste's girlfriend, Lydie, has disappeared and Juste's best friend, Maxim, leads them to where she's been taken. A great fog blankets the land, parting slightly to reveal a mysterious castle. Once inside the two friends split up to find Lydie. Finding various spellbooks allows Juste to combine new magic with the magic properties of his family's subweapons to create new devastating attacks. In the castle Juste encounters Death, learning that he is in fact within Dracula's castle. Death himself is surprised to see the castle appear. Death believes someone is manipulating events to use Dracula's castle for their own ends. Juste discovers an evil spirit has possessed his friend and is using Dracula's remains to steal the vampire lord's powers.

Juste makes for a fine protagonist in a solid "Metroidvania" style entry for the series. In many ways he's not the typical Belmont, looking like a vampire himself, using magic like Sypha, with a youthful spirit. It's just these qualities that make him distinct and unique among his fellow whip-wielding heroes.







#5
CHRISTOPHER BELMONT
Debut Appearance: The Castlevania Adventure (1989)

Time Period Era: 1576 A.D. thru 1591 A.D.

I used to not think much of Christopher Belmont. In fact I used to think he was the worst Belmont of them all. This feeling was based off of my feelings toward his debut game, The Castlevania Adventure. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed his second game, he wasn't given nearly as much characterization as his son, Soleiyu. Hell, I even dismissed the Castlevania comic book from IDW once I saw it was Christopher who starred in it.

My outlook on Christopher has changed recently upon finally defeating that brutal slog that is The Castlevania Adventure. I followed that up with the vastly superior sequel, Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge and finished it all off by rereading the comic books from IDW (which I hadn't read since they first saw release). I am pleased to say that my appreciation for this Belmont has grown tremendously. The Castlevania Adventure is still the brutal slog it always was, but it brought with it new elements to the series, elements that were refined and perfected in the sequel. While that increases my fondness for the games, it was the comics from IDW that changed my whole outlook on Christopher.

Nearly one hundred years have passed since Trevor Belmont last fought the powers of darkness. All Christopher's life he's been told of the Belmont's legacy and the destiny that awaits him. And a destiny fighting against nightmarish creatures terrifies him. But it has been nearly one hundred years and the evil hasn't reared its head. Christopher begins to believe he may actually be spared his horrible destiny. On the night of Christopher's wedding Dracula is resurrected. The Belmont's family friends and fellow hunters ready themselves for battle, even Illyana, the new matriarch of the Belmonts. Everyone is ready... except Christopher. Christopher is hesitant and reluctant to accept his destined role.

Having been defeated by Sonia Belmont first and then again by her son, Trevor Belmont, the first thing on Dracula's mind upon his resurrection is to wipe out the Belmonts. Dracula taunts Christopher, desecrating the graves of Christopher's parents and kidnapping Illyana. Christopher and his close friends set out to rescue Illyana, not with anger burning in his chest, but with fear. Christopher sees Dracula for the truly terrifying figure that he is. Christopher is cautious when going into battle against the count, fearful for his wife and his friends beside him, and afraid that he will not be up to the task and fail his ancestors. Even amongst all his fears and doubts, the Belmont finds the strength of his bloodline within him and the courage to carry him onward.

Christopher has his first battle against Dracula and manages to save Illyana, but sadly loses some friends in the battle. Christopher wins the initial encounter, but Dracula regroups and raises his demon castle from ruin. With his family safe, and having discovered the truth of his legacy, Christopher sets out for Dracula's castle, making his way through, and ultimately defeating Dracula... or so he thought. Dracula was beaten but not vanquished. The vampire lord had tainted Christopher's unborn son when Illyana was captured. Biding his time until the boy was a young man, Dracula finally enacted his revenge, striking again at Christopher's loved ones. Christopher set out to fight Dracula once again, worry in his heart for his son, Soleiyu. With the power of light on his side, Soleiyu is freed from Dracula's influence and Christopher finally vanquished the dark lord.

I couldn't see how layered Christopher Belmont really was when I was younger. It was only recently with revisiting his games and the comics that I truly came to appreciate his character, his reservations, fears, and doubts making him far more three-dimensional and relatable. He is also surprisingly one of the more prolific Belmonts. If you count the digital only Wii game, Castlevania The Adventure Rebirth (2009), as its own game then Christopher stars in three games all his own plus a comic book series. Not too shabby for the Game Boy hero.






 
#4
TREVOR BELMONT
Debut Appearance: Castlevania III ~ Dracula's Curse (1989)

Time Period Era: 1476 A.D. thru 1479 A.D.

When I was younger and first played Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse I was disappointed that Simon was not in the game. Simon was my boy. I had no real fondness for Trevor. He needed the help from three others too. Simon didn't. It wasn't until later that I began to appreciate the greatness of Castlevania III, the alternate paths and multiple characters therein. Castlevania III also introduced the time jump into the series, exploring a different era in history, a story element that would become a staple of the series. Growing more obsessed with Castlevania lore and mythos, I liked how Trevor ended up with Sypha, their union resulting in the strengthening of the Belmont bloodline.

Also Trevor's ties to Alucard always kept him somewhat a part of the storyline moving forward. The fight with Trevor, Sypha, and Grant's dopplegangers in Symphony of the Night is one of my favorite parts of that game. And when I found out that Castlevania: Curse of Darkness took place in Trevor's time I was quite excited. I like Ayami Kojima's redesign of him for that game but the characterization within the game left a bit to be desired (he's kind of an arrogant douch, not how I envisioned him at all). And then there's the embarrassing Castlevania Judgement portrayal... ugh.

Needless to say, the Netflix Castlevania series is easily the best thing to happen to Trevor Belmont outside of his initial appearance. Richard Armitage is incredible as Trevor, so good in fact that the next Belmont to appear in the show (if the show decides to explore a different era in the Castlevania timeline) will have a steep climb ahead of them. I want the Netflix show to jump to other eras and explore other Belmonts, but the current cast is so good that I don't know if audiences would be accepting of a new cast of heroes.

Anyway, Trevor's story begins with his mother Sonia, the first Belmont to battle and defeat Dracula. After Sonia's victory over Dracula the people of Wallachia became fearful of her power and that of the Belmont family. During Trevor's childhood the Belmont house was burned and destroyed (either by fearful people or Dracula's remaining hordes. Konami wasn't clear on how exactly that happened). Sonia continued to raise Trevor to be a hero, teaching him how to fight the supernatural and wield the Vampire Killer whip. Twenty-six years after Sonia had defeated Dracula, the lord of darkness was resurrected by his followers. The vampire lord's first act was to kill Sonia Belmont.

note: the above paragraph is my own conclusion that bridges the gap between Sonia's game and Trevor's game. Konami never officially explained the story that occurred between games, leaving us fans to fill in the blanks ourselves.

Castlevania III opens with Trevor kneeling before Sonia's grave at the ruins of their old home, the Belmont Mansion. He rises, his mother's whip and sacred weapons in hand, and sets out to fulfill his destiny. Along the way he encounters three others who were effected by Dracula's evil, Sypha Belnades, Grant Danasty, and Alucard. The four heroes join forces and lay siege to Dracula's castle. Together their combined might is enough to defeat Dracula and his creatures of the night. But the victory is short-lived as only three years later the Devil Forgemaster Isaac attempts to raise the master of darkness from the grave. Trevor, along with another of Dracula's forgemasters named Hector, manage to put an end to these dark machinations and keep Dracula rotting in the ground for nearly a century to come.

While Simon may be the first and most prolific hero of the Castlevania franchise, Trevor's contribution has been perhaps more influential, being referenced in several other games and informing events and characters of other games as well, such as Symphony of the Night, Curse of Darkness, Castlevania Legends, and even Castlevania Judgement. I find what makes Trevor so memorable and unique are the characters that surround him. He has the best supporting cast of all of the Belmonts. And thanks to the Netflix show, Trevor Belmont may be remembered by most as the greatest Belmont of them all.








#3
SONIA BELMONT

Debut Appearance: Castlevania Legends ~ Dark Night Prelude (1997)

Time Period Era: 1450

The matriarch of the Belmont family. Leon Belmont may have been the first in the bloodline to wield the whip and battle the supernatural, but it was Sonia Belmont who first embraced destiny, who first fought and defeated the prince of darkness, and set the bar for all Belmonts after. At least according to the in-game story and lore.

Women in Castlevania as a whole are usually supporting characters. The heroines' abilities (if they have any) are almost exclusively magic based in nature, not physical like the male characters. The villainesses are pretty varied however, ranging from the monstrous to the seductive. Sonia Belmont too possesses magical characteristics, having "holy" powers of a sort, so she also fits the traditional Castlevania female archetype. Her design is a bit scantily and showing off some skin, but it's cool too. The design is actually in keeping with Simon, Trevor, and Christopher's original designs (also showing lots of skin. Simon may be less clothed in fact!), even sporting the same blonde hair as them.

Obviously being a woman makes her distinct among the other Belmonts. But what sets her apart from any other woman of Castlevania is her physicality. Despite obtaining magical items (something which nearly all Belmonts tend to do), Sonia is still a whip wielding badass like the other Belmonts. She's every bit the warrior that her kinsmen are. According to the game's story she is the first of the Belmonts to take on Dracula and defeat him. This began the Belmonts eternal feud with Dracula. Sonia fulfilled Leon Belmont's promise and passed on her training to her descendants.

Vlad Tepes Dracul's first reign over Wallachia occurred in 1448 A.D. He unleashed his nightmarish creatures upon the land and gained total dominion over Wallachia. In 1450 a mansion along the Wallachian countryside was attacked by Dracula's hordes. The mansion belonged to the aristocratic Belmont family. The youngest member of the Belmonts, 17 year old Sonia, was the lone survivor of the attack. She had been trained by her grandfather since childhood to be a warrior and vampire hunter, the legacy set down by her ancestor Leon Belmont. Destiny set its sights upon Sonia the day she was born, holy powers strongly aligning with her. The day Dracula's monsters slaughtered her family, she learned why the holy powers had chosen her.

Sometime before this, while hunting monsters in the wilderness, Sonia encountered the son of Dracula. Alucard was taken with the young woman and her he. The two fell in love and began seeing each other in secret. As Dracula's reign of terror continued, and Alucard's love for humanity grew, the son could no longer stand idly by. Each on their own, Sonia and Alucard set about to stop Dracula. Word began spreading among Dracula's minions of a human battling their way through the castle. Upon nearing the throne room Sonia again encountered Alucard. He was stunned to learn that she was the human who had filled the creatures of the castle with dread. Worried for her life, Alucard pleaded with Sonia to turn back. Sonia refused to yield, assuring him that she had the power to stop Dracula.


Alucard needed to see this power for himself. The two lovers battled, Sonia emerging the victor. Alucard was convinced and wished her luck. Sonia bid her lover farewell and continued on to Dracula's keep. The vampire and the vampire hunter were locked in a battle to the death. After fighting Dracula in his humanoid form and then in his true demonic form, Sonia triumphed. Sonia rid the land of Dracula's nightmarish plague and brought peace to Wallachia. Sometime later she bore a son whom she would pass on all she knew and train as her grandfather had trained her.

It is alluded to, but never explicitly said, that Alucard is the father of Sonia's child, making Alucard Trevor's dad. This is a source of contention among some fans of the series. To me it makes perfect sense. I always wondered how mere humans, like the Belmonts, could single handedly battle and defeat Dracula, let alone all his hordes especially when this interpretation of Dracula is so vastly powerful compared to most others. The answer lies within their bloodline. Alucard was half vampire. He possessed a vampire's strength, but much of his vampiric traits were recessive. Trevor likely inherited his father's strength, but most of the vampiric traits were absent, being only a fourth vampire. Then of course with Trevor falling in love with Sypha also further strengthened the bloodline. Alucard was in his coffin when Sonia had Trevor, never knowing Trevor was his son. This would also explain why certain Belmonts resemble Alucard (Juste Belmont for sure).

At the time of the game's release in the late 90's, anime was just starting to become really popular. I was discovering strong female characters like Motoko Kusanagi and Iria and others. Sonia came in at this same time when I couldn't get enough of characters like this. Doubtlessly this is a part of why Sonia appealed to me so much. To quote Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop, "I love a woman who can kick my ass." 😍







#2
RICHTER BELMONT

Debut Appearance: Dracula X ~ Rondo of Blood (1993)

Time Period Era: 1792 A.D. thru 1797 A.D.

There are a few kinds of Castlevania games, the best of which being those games produced in 2D. Among the 2D Castlevania games there two kinds: Classic Castlevania and what are commonly referred to as "Metroidvania." The classic type that most agree upon as the best is Rondo of Blood. The Metroidvania type that most agree on as the best is Symphony of the Night. Both games feature Richter Belmont. Coincidence? I think not.

Richter Belmont was perhaps the first protagonist in the franchise to introduce style and attitude to the series. Designwise Richter's striking blue uniform, ripped off sleeves, and white headband were beyond anything the series had produced before. The anime art style made the game feel more modern and cool. Then there's his dexterity and power beyond any of his previous kinsmen. Richter has an awesome backflip move which is quite handy. In SoTN he has a killer slid-kick, epic shoulder-ram, and super-human high-jump/uppercut punch. And to top it all off he has a super-move that would change the game forever: the Item Crash. Looking at the story as a whole it appears as if the Belmont bloodline has grown more powerful with every generation, the Holy powers that first manifested in Sonia now reappearing in Richter.

Nearly one hundred years have passed since Simon Belmont last put Dracula in the grave. Dracula's devote follower, the dark priest named Shaft, resurrected the vampire lord and set about restoring his full power. Dracula's forces once again overran the countryside, sacking villages and slaughtering the inhabitants. Upon arriving at Richter's village Shaft abducted four women to be sacrificed in rituals to bring about Dracula's full strength. Among the four women were Richter's girlfriend, Annette, and a young mystic named Maria Renard. It seemed Dracula had plans in motion to ensure his ultimate victory. But neither Dracula nor his followers could've anticipated the sheer power of Richter Belmont. With the help of Maria Renard and her magic, Richter rescued all of the captives and struck down the count.

There was no chance Dracula could stand against the overwhelming power of Richter Belmont. If the young Belmont couldn't be defeated then the master of darkness would find another way. Once more the evil priest Shaft enacted Dracula's next plan, placing a dark spell upon Richter. With Richter under their evil influence, they manipulated him into raising the ruins of Castle Dracula and assuming the role as lord of the castle. Sensing the massive shift in power, Alucard once more awakened after a three hundred year sleep. The son of Dracula allied with Maria Renard, entered the castle, and together they freed Richter from the evil enchantment. Weakened, Richter had no choice but to stand aside and watch as Alucard faced down his father one final time.

I first came to know Richter in the Super Nintendo game Castlevania: Dracula X, a largely unique port of Rondo of Blood (it's basically a different game altogether). The SNES Dracula X was a much harder game than Rondo, but at that time there was no other way to play Dracula X. Something about Dracula X called to me. After renting the game I bought it and played it endlessly. Not since Simon Belmont had I embraced a Castlevania hero like Richter. We were like brothers in arms, Richter and I, battling for hours upon hours through the game, until together we were at last able to beat the game without losing a single life. That was probably my proudest moment (or near the top at least) in my Castlevania excursions.


I know Richter disgraced the Belmont legacy in Symphony, but he is still nearly my favorite Belmont. After Rondo of Blood the whole franchise changed, both in terms of design and layout. Likely it was the arrival of Koji Igarashi to the Castlevania development team. But I like to think Richter had something to do with it too. And for the record, while Ayami Kojima's redesign of Richter is awesome, I still prefer Richter's original design by far.







#1
SIMON BELMONT
Debut Appearance: Castlevania (1986)

Time Period Era: 1691 A.D. thru 1698 A.D.

My preferences of Castlevania's heroes should be well known by now and this should come as no surprise. The original hero of the franchise, Simon Belmont was the first hero I came to know in the series, playing games like Castlevania II: Simon's Quest and Super Castlevania IV. Simon was who I cut my teeth with and forged my life long love of the series with. He's the one character (outside of the badguys) who has appeared in the most games (many of them pseudo remakes of the original game though) including the first four games Konami produced: Castlevania, Vampire Killer, Simon's Quest, and Haunted Castle. Simon was the hero when Castlevania debuted on Super Nintendo and next on the obscure Japanese system Sharp X68000 (later released in the US on Playstation as Castlevania Chronicles). And finally he headlined the grotesque Castlevania Judgement.

In terms of character the details are somewhat vague as to exactly what kind of person he is. Simon has typically been characterized as barbarian-like yet his parents (presumably Desmond Belmont or one of his sisters) were not at all. And there is a return to the Belmonts being somewhat well-off and aristocratic after him. Also, Desmond and Juste, the surrounding Belmonts, had friends and family but Simon seemed to have no one. So what happened to Simon? Since Konami hasn't explained any of this in great detail, here's Simon according to me:

SIMON'S STORY

Born in a prosperous period for the Belmonts, Simon spent his initial years being raised by his parents, told of his destiny to battle the darkness, and shown the sacred weapons that he would one day inherit. One day while Simon was still young Dracula's followers laid siege to the Belmont's home, killing Simon's family. The boy only just escaped with his life. The horror of watching his family brutally murdered in front of him galvanized him. He became the last Belmont. From that moment it ceased to be destiny and instead became sheer revenge.

Simon escaped to the north, hunted and hounded by Dracula's night creatures. There, in the wild, he met a nomadic tribe of barbarians who took him in. Spending years with them Simon trained his body and discovered the great strength of his bloodline. Growing into a strong man, Simon returned to his birth home, retrieved his family's weapons, and set out alone to destroy Dracula. Over the centuries the Belmont bloodline had grown very powerful, Simon being the most powerful Belmont yet to be with seemingly super human strength and endurance. Motivated purely by revenge, his great power was focused. After a brutal and intense trek through Dracula's lands, into Castle Dracula, and up to Dracula's throne room, Simon defeated the lord of darkness.

Simon returned to the ruins of his home and began picking up the pieces of his old life, learning more about his family and their heritage. As the years passed Simon rebuilt his home. But each year Simon felt a weight bearing down upon him and a shadow growing over the land. Seven years later Simon felt his lifeforce about to be snuffed out by an invisible hand. And Dracula's monsters were once again roaming the countryside. Meeting with a mystic it was revealed to him that a death curse had been placed upon him by Dracula. In order to lift the curse and save himself from death he had to find Dracula's remains and burn them. Dracula's followers had scattered the remains about the land. Simon quested across the countryside, gathered Dracula's body parts, returned to Castlevania, and burned them. The curse was lifted, but Simon had inadvertently resurrected the vampire lord. Now having all of his family's sacred weapons and a deeper knowledge of Dracula, Simon was able to truly defeat Dracula.

Now, depending on what you believe, Super Castlevania IV is a continuation of Simon's story, the third and final chapter of his epic. Or SC4 is merely a retelling of the original game, only more elaborate. Well, the "best" ending in Simon's Quest does show Dracula's hand rising out of the grave and that's exactly how SC4 begins so maybe...

Anyway, I've always looked at Simon as one of the strongest Belmonts, his barbarian design lending to a belief that he is a strong silent type loner hero, kind of like Guts' Black Swordsman persona in BERSERK. Guts is another of my favorite pop-culture characters and Simon having a similar personality and intensity to Guts just sounds awesome to me. It also makes Simon distinctive among the Belmonts. Anyway, a lot of my love for this character has to do with Simon being the first hero in the series I encountered and, through playing as him, I came to love the series. It was also my formative years so I was already quite impressionable.

Oh, and while I prefer Simon's original design, I actually really enjoy Ayami Kojima's redesign of him, red hair and all!

And there you have it! My favorites of the Belmont clan!
From left to right: Leon, Sonia, Trevor, Christopher, Simon, Juste, Richter, Reinhardt, and Julius

Who are your favorite Belmonts?

Let's discuss! Leave a comment below and lets gush some more over Castlevania!

For more Castlevania and video game appreciation please check out these other posts below!




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THE CASTLEVANIA ADVENTURE (GB)

Gaming Diaries


 
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Wednesday, March 18, 2020

GAMING DIARIES: CASTLEVANIA II ~ BELMONT'S REVENGE (1991)

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!

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?

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!

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