The Castlevania Adventure
Game by Konami
Reviewed by Philip Wesley
Save: None
Released: 1989
Works with: All Game Boy units excluding the Game Boy Micro.
Quick Opinion: Collectors should pick it up. Everyone else? It depends...

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Opening Snide Remarks: I rather love the Castlevania series. The funny thing
is that my first Castlevania game was not the first Castlevania game. It
was Castlevania 2 that I played first. Then Castlevania 3. I nabbed the
second Castlevania game for the Game Boy and beat it before I finally
tracked down a copy of the first game. Which I purchased because I had just
picked up Castlevania Legends and wanted to do reviews of all three for the
website.

For those wondering, the timeline of Castlevania is ridiculously complex and
they keep messing it up with every new release. At the time Castlevania
Adventure was released, the US version told people that the main character
was Simon Belmont; but the Japanese release said that the main character was
Christopher Belmont. Christopher Belmont apparently destroyed Dracula in
1576. The timeline is messed up in my opinion because it glosses through or
flat out removes the handheld games while making Castlevania JUDGEMENT part
of the timeline. Seriously? Just gloss over Adventure, Belmont's Revenge,
and leave out the much more interesting Castlevania Legends twist in favor
of Lament of Innocence (Which is awful); then make Castlevania 64 and that
Castlevania FIGHTING game Canon?

NO.

Iga is a horrible plague on the timeline and must be stopped. Seriously,
he even said that the reason he removed Legends from the Canon was because
the main character was female. Way to be progressive, Iga. That is REALLY
classy of you.

So, this is the story of Christopher Belmont, who took Vampire Killer in
hand and set out to rid the world of Dracula.

And this is the review of that game.

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Gameplay Description: Castlevania Adventure plays a little bit different
from the previous Castlevania games. Here is a quick list of the major
differences in gameplay.

1. There are NO Sub-Weapons.
2. There are NO stairs.
3. You upgrade your whip by collecting specific items.
4. You lose an upgrade to your whip when you get hit.

There are only four levels and each level takes place across many screens.
You go up and down ropes, collect power ups for your whip, and collect
hearts to refill your health. Each level has a time limit and at the end
of each level is a boss battle or -in the second level- an enemy challenge.

If you played a lot of Castlevania 1 on the NES, you will be pleasently
surprised to see that this game feels a lot like that one, except much more
streamlined and a lot harder. This game is one of the more challenging
Castlevania games and that difficulty may turn off some of the fans of the
much easier, newer titles. I think this is a pretty solid game and the size
of the levels, combined with the challenge, make it a pretty daunting
experience. Is it fun? Actually, it can be a bit more frustrating than fun
in some places and against some of the bosses. The game feels a little like
the Mega Man games in that there are some tough jumps and there are enemy
patterns you might want to memorize. Part of successfully navigating this
game is getting all the whip power ups and then anticipating when and where
the enemies pop up. The more quickly you dispatch those threats, the easier
your navigation through the game will be. Especially since a fully powered
up whip kills bosses faster and shoots fire balls.

Liked: This is a solid, challenging game.

Hated: It can be a bit frustrating in spots.

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Graphics Description: Compared to many of the other Game Boy games that came
out at the same time, Castlevania Adventure is surprisingly detailed. How
does that detail stand up today? The game is easy to see on the original
Game Boy, and really nice looking on the GBC/GBA/SP screen. The enemies are
appropriately detailed and the bosses look great. You can tell the difference
between the whip upgrades and the backgrounds are detailed as well.

Liked: It looks like Castlevania and there are no instances of overly busy
backgrounds obscuring enemies or the player.

Hated: Nothing really.

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Sound/Music Description: Pop on those headphones and crank the volume. To
those who are about to rock: We salute you!

The sound effects are appropriate, the whip makes a satisfying SWOOSH sound
and the ravens make a wonderful "SQUEE!!!" sound when they arrive. The sound
is awesome. Even hitting the PAUSE button makes an awesome sound. The sound
effects are rather good in this game, it would be a real shame if the music
was not up to par in this game.

Well, the music is an out of the park home run too. From the moment you hit
the START button on the title screen, you get an awesome bit of music and
then the first level music kicks in. It is catchy, complex, and SCREAMS
Castlevania. Here are the composers who worked on this game.

S. Fukutake
Norio Hanzawa
H. Funauchi

These people are awesome and I loved every note of their music in this game.

Liked: Really great compositions and music. Appropriate sound effects.

Hated: No Sound Test.

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Play Control/Game Design: Here is where a lot of the criticism for The
Castlevania Adventure comes from. The lack of sub weapons and the slow
walking speed of the main character. The slow walking speed is coupled with
difficult timing on some of the jumps. Also, the game seems to reward you
for doing well and punish you very severely for getting hit. There are also
some levels where it gets pretty intense -Level 3- that will make some
players throw their Game Boy through a wall. It takes a good amount of skill
to beat this game. I think someone at Konami decided that the NES game was
far too easy, so the Game Boy one is a bit brutal.

Liked: The challenge and the interesting level design.

Hated: Chistopher Belmont moves slowly compared to all other Castlevania
heroes.

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Improve: The speed that Christopher Belmont walks, and add in some sub
weapons!

RIYL: Castlevania - BEFORE Symphony of the Night. If you like games like
Dracula X or Castlevania 1 and 3 the best, you will like The Castlevania
Adventure.

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Final Words: I think this game can be unfairly tough, but it is a well made,
polished Castlevania title. If you love Castlevania, do yourself a favor and
play this game until you beat it. It deserves your time.

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Score
Gameplay: ***
Graphics: ***
Sound/Music: *****
Play Control/Game Design: ***
Value: ****

Star Total: 54

Personal Opinion Merit: 17

Final Score: 71%

Letter Grade: B

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