Castlevania Chronicles Review by The Successor

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ack in the day, Konami made several Castlevania games featuring Simon Belmont as the starring character. Though they kept propelling Simon into new adventures, they generally used the same story for all but one.
It is a simple story. Through what appears to be a satanic ritual, evil men resurrect Count Dracula, and Simon, an heir of the Belmont Clan, takes his whip and enters Dracula's Castle to slay him. The player either destroys Dracula and watches the Castle crumble, or they receive a game over.

It is Castlevania in its most basic unadulterated form. Though new tales with other Belmonts popped up, Simon was the definite face of the series, and Konami did not seem intent on challenging that, so players got different games depicting the same tale, since it would be fairly silly for Simon to kill Dracula about six times when the Count is only supposed to rise once a century.

Castlevania Chronicles is one of those games - a retelling of the first Castlevania. This is an interesting situation, though, and before delving deeper it would be good to know the background of this title. What North Americans and Europeans know as Castlevania Chronicles was originally released in Japan in 1993, titled Akumajou Dracula, like so many other completely different games in the series.

It was released for a Japan exclusive home computer called the Sharp X68000. This, of course, limited the audience quite a bit, since a massive chunk of Castlevania fans are American and European. Since the primary supporters of Castlevania completely missed out, Castlevania producer, Koji "IGA" Igarashi, saw fit to release it overseas years after. Thus, we have the package known as Castlevania Chronicles, released in 2001 for the Sony Playstation.

There are some big additions by way of a new Arrange Mode including a bombastic soundtrack by Sota Fujimori and new sprites for Simon and Dracula, as well as neat graphical touch ups. The original game released in 93 is left more or less intact for players to experience, too.

Though it draws many similarities to the original Castlevania on the Nintendo Entertainment system, it is hard not to compare this game to Super Castlevania IV on the Super Nintendo.

Both star Simon Belmont, tell the same story, and were released only two years apart on 16-bit platforms while offering advancements to the usual formula, like diagonal whipping. The funny thing is, as much as these two games have in common, they have just as many big differences. The divergences mainly come in the form of presentation.

Super Castlevania IV is frequently noted for its atmosphere. The crestfallen condition permeates everything, creating a reflective, downcast, and condemned ambiance with its earthen look and somber music.

The Arrange Mode of Castlevania Chronicles is ostentatious. It can even be called flamboyant. There is a very showy spirit seen, heard, and felt through the exaggerated hysterics, one example being Simon Belmont's stunning makeover by Ayami Kojima, the character designer from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Simon is both barbaric and sensational. He is more metro sexual than ever, while more savage in appearance than ever. He is a walking contradiction.

This controversial move goes deeper than "does this look cool or not". With this depiction of Simon, two different world views of Castlevania are uniting and clashing, causing two different schools of thought to collide. Simon Belmont, whom fans have known as the rough and tough Conan-inspired hero, now has flaming red hair, is wearing tight fitting studded black leather, what appears to be eyeliner, and has generally taken the beautiful image of Belmonts born from Ayami Kojima's pen.

Some feel this is crossing a line and goes against the spirit of the character, who perhaps shouldn't be so concerned with frills, ornamentation, and his hair. Those who haven't the stomach for over the top attributes will be put off.

Though a bold divergence, and admittedly particular enough to isolate a fraction of the audience, the character still seems like Simon Belmont. His essence is alive, and Ayami Kojima deserves credit for keeping enough of the original look intact, while changing enough to create something that is familiar yet unfamiliar.

Hand in hand with Simon's new look is a haughty soundtrack that reaches for the stars and tries to be as big as it can. Rather than creep in shadows like Super Castlevania IV's music, and being content with complimenting its surroundings, it competes for full attention with big, blaring party tunes and majestic anthems that are zany, grand, cool, and glum. There's a wide range of sounds and styles. Arrange Mode takes players on a musical journey with schizophrenic synthesizers, wild drum beats, baroque pipe organ, breezy electronica, jamming slap bass, and heroic orchestral. It is melodramatic, but, like Simon's new design, it gives identity and makes a big statement.

With Arrange Mode, IGA and company have taken a pretty traditional game in the series, added a few changes, and turned it into a wacky adventure with an alternative style when compared to any of its contemporaries. It is an unreserved in your face explosion. Though a great move, taking such liberties with the music and design of Simon will raise a red flag with some players.

Fortunately, those without love for the weird music and "pink" haired Simon don't have to put up with them since Original Mode is there.

The Original Mode and Arrange Mode are the same game with different arrangements of the same tunes, a few different sprites, and very minor sound and graphic differences. Strangely, Original Mode has better sound effects here and there. When Simon whips an enemy or candle, there's a lot of force behind it. Arrange Mode's sound effects for such events are weak in comparison. Arrange Mode makes up for this with its graphical effects, which include adding a nice glow to candles and better death animations for enemies.

The music of Original Mode is great, in a quirky sort of way. Players can choose from three different sound modules. Each one changes the way the music sounds, and though the same songs are present in all, the compositions have divergences between them. The FM Synthesizer gives songs a buzzy attribute reminiscent of old arcades and the Sega Genesis. Though it is more primitive than the others, there's certain nostalgic charm to its raw sound. The Roland GS module is the most impressive. It blesses the soundtrack with cheesy nocturnal synth pop-rock that doesn't take itself too seriously, yet keeps you pumped and into the situation.

As mentioned, underneath the different music and fairly superfluous touches particular to each Mode, you've got the same game, and it can be a tricky one. Realizing the high difficulty of Original Mode, IGA and crew made Arrange Mode easier in order to be more approachable to the common gamer. However, they added a handy difficulty selector that can make Arrange Mode even easier than the default, or just about as hard as Original Mode, so "Deep Action Gamers" have no need to raise a fuss.

The enemies are very cunning. There are dolls that swiftly dodge Simon's whip, quick ninja maids that cover great range with their attacks, and peeping eyeballs that hover around Simon and choose the worst times to be a nuisance. Even foes that aren't that tough can be huge difference makers due to their positioning. A simple skeleton can be the deciding factor, especially since Simon can be killed very quickly.

This game may seem frustratingly unfair at times, but it just doesn't allow players to plow through everything uncontested. It takes thinking, practice, skill, and fast reflexes, and if that is asking too much of someone then they shouldn't be playing. The only shoddy thing that may lead to cheap situations is the stair climbing mechanic. Using sub-weapons near stairs is troublesome and can cause actions you did not want to happen. There are also a few unnecessary pixel perfect jumps that are more annoying than fun or exhilarating.

It's an old school hard game that demands players stay focused at all times, and is about constant situations requiring attention and quick thinking. There is one new addition to Simon's usual set of heart powered sub-weapons - an herb that heals him at a costly amount of hearts. This alleviates the challenge a bit, but doesn't make things too easy, especially since the herb is a rare find.

The difficulty doesn't just come from the enemies and bosses, but also the stages themselves. Pits, spikes, and deep waters are waiting around every other corner for a chance to claim Simon in one shot. Backgrounds spring to life and become hazards. The level design is remarkable; especially the employment and execution of trap ridden vertical shafts and shrewdly placed foes.

As mentioned, Chronicles is meant to be a remake of the original Castlevania, and there are many similarities, the most obvious being certain stage designs. The first and seventh stage layouts are taken from the original game, and the fourth stage hearkens back to the second stage of Castlevania 1 in several ways.

One of the best similarities to the first game is how point building by killing more than one enemy or projectile with a single sub-weapon attack is stressed. Other Castlevania games have this, but it isn't emphasized as much. Some, like Rondo of Blood, Dracula X, and the Gameboy games, got rid of it altogether. Those who are good at this can build extra lives quickly by racking up large point totals, and it's fun to show off what neat tricks you can do and how many enemies you can kill with one shot. There are also secret treasures anomalously hidden in the surrounding. There is a certain glee in standing in a random spot for a couple seconds and watching a shimmering jewel inexplicably ascend from the ground.

From a visual standpoint, Chronicles has got it going on. There are plenty of neat oddities and exhibits to admire in backgrounds, and each stage has something special to see, including massive paintings, huge and gorgeously detailed goddess statues, and the most ghastly and surreal torture chamber thus far in the series. The only humdrum looking stage is the second, which serves as the obligatory cave. When Chronicles wants to be, it's elaborate, gruesome, hokey, complicated, simple, dull, or colorful. Technically, the graphics are greater than Super Castlevania IV's, but IV displays more feeling . . . more atmosphere. A more profound mood.

Like every 16-bit Castlevania excluding Rondo of Blood, some of the sprites are tacky, but not so much that anything becomes a big annoyance. Some may seem strange at first, but they have a way of growing on you.

There were great 16-bit Castlevania games coming out from 1991 to 1995. Chronicles stacks up well against heavy hitters like Super Castlevania IV and Rondo of Blood. It has a different attitude than Castlevania IV. Whereas IV was somber and reflective, Chronicles is like a night-time Halloween house party, with booming music and colorful environs. It has a pleasant brand of corniness reminiscent to Castlevania 1, and a sense of adrenaline that IV lacks, due to higher difficulty and a more blasting presentation.

It's really hard not to win with Chronicles, unless you just do not like the classic format of the series. Though it is not the large epic that Castlevania III and IV are, it is an extremely competent, and fun snappy adventure like the original Castlevania game.

Admittedly, there isn't any extra fluff or innovative ideas. There's a story that is barely there, no hidden stages or extra characters, no alternate routes, or anything of the sort. While Chronicles doesn't suffer from its stripped down and to the point approach, it has a lack of originality, and that is partially why many will point to either Rondo of Blood or Super Castlevania IV for the premium 16-bit Castlevania fix.

Chronicles doesn't reinvent the wheel by any stretch, and it doesn't offer anything players cannot find elsewhere in the series. It can even be argued that some Castlevania titles do what it does better, and do more. The other 16-bit games were trying something. Rondo had comparatively smooth controls, CD quality audio, anime shorts, an extra character, alternate paths, alternate stages, alternate bosses, Item Crash abilities, and a new and unique Belmont for the time. Super Castlevania IV had a deviant soundtrack, overall remarkable mood, and plenty of upgrades to the usual control scheme and abilities. Bloodlines dared to step outside the Castle and introduced the spear wielding Eric Lecarde who played considerably different from what people were used to. Chronicles takes the philosophy of the original Castlevania, doesn't add anything notable to it, and just makes another game with the same mindset.

Chronicles is easy to like for just about anyone, but hard to become a big time ball player in the series. Easy because it does what it does very proficiently, and it is difficult to deny that. Hard because it isn't that ambitious of a game. Outside of Arrange Mode's soundtrack, and the Ayami Kojima art, it isn't very daring, and it doesn't quite have the aspiration of Super Castlevania IV, or Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. It's in a safe zone where most can appreciate it quite a lot, but it doesn't take the risk of going outside and possibly trying something bold, in whatever way possible. And what it does, though great, doesn't outshine luminaries like III, IV, and Rondo.

Chronicles is simple and straightforward in concept, difficult in challenge, and a blast to play. Though the best games in the classic format may outclass Chronicles, it certainly isn't by a very sizable margin. Much like the game it is a "remake" of, it's a ball from start to finish without any dull moments in between.

Put on Chonicles, hook up to a big screen T.V. and a powerful stereo or sound system, turn it up, and get her done.