User:The Dork Knight/Sandbox
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Super Castlevania IV | |
|---|---|
| 256px|North American cover art The packaging art for the North American localization featuring the game's protagonist, Simon Belmont. |
|
| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Designer(s) | Masahiro Ueno (director) |
| Series | Castlevania |
| Platform(s) | Super NES Virtual Console |
| Release date | JPN October 31, 1991 |
| Genre(s) | Platform game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Everyone 10+ PEGI: 7+ OFLC: PG |
| Media | 8-megabit cartridge (Super NES) |
Super Castlevania IV (悪魔城ドラキュラ Akumajō Dracula?) is a platform game developed and published by Konami for the Super NES video game console. It is an enhanced remake of the original Castlevania; a retelling of Simon Belmont's foray into Castlevania.
Contents |
[edit] Gameplay
The control scheme has been expanded upon from its predecessors, this includes the ability for Simon to whip in eight directions, as well as keeping the whip held out if the player holds the attack button. Holding the whip out lets Simon swing or spin it around, allowing the player to easily block enemy projectiles, or hit enemies rapidly (albeit for less damage than a normal strike). In addition, Simon can latch his whip onto grappling points, letting him swing over various obstacles.
Like most Castlevania games, Simon can use the sub-weapons and whip power-ups. Sub-weapons are powered by the hearts found in candles and from slain enemies. Since the control pad is used to aim the whip, another button is used to attack with sub weapons, rather than pressing Up and the attack button. The more powerful sub-weapons require more hearts to use. Whip power-ups increase the strength and length of the whip, as expected, and are usually found in candles.
Simon's jumps can now be controlled in the air, to a limited extent. This opens up the possibility to dodge and maneuver away from danger. Simon can also climb stairs in mid-jump, as well as crouch while moving forward.
[edit] Plot
[edit] Western releases
When the game was localized in North America as Super Castlevania IV, the story within the manual and prologue screen was modified in order to make it take place after Castlevania II: Simon's Quest.
[edit] Japanese release
Super Castlevania IV is considered a remake of the original Castlevania in the Japanese Castlevania timeline. Konami USA had not reflected it, and it remained a sequel to Simon's Quest according to Konami of America, up until it was removed with the release of the official Xtreme desktop timeline for the PC which brings the series closer to its Japanese counterpart.
[edit] Level design
Following the model set by the previous games, Super Castlevania IV employs the usage of many the series' recurring elements, such as moving platforms, pits with spikes, and stairs that one can traverse by pressing the Up or Down direction on the D-Pad.
Unique to Super Castlevania IV's level design is its connection with Simon's whip, the Vampire Killer. Occasionally, objects similar to door knockers will appear in the player's view, and the player must use Simon's whip to grab onto them and swing across pits to gain access to the next part of the stage. Simon is also able to adjust the length of the whip while swinging if the player uses the D-pad accordingly.
True to Castlevania, Super Castlevania IV puts the player in very tense moments, such as escaping the deadly blades of a huge, circular saw in one of the final levels, or crossing a bridge with randomly disappearing parts, along with timing jumps between large, swinging chandeliers, where one wrong move sends the player to the deadly void below.
[edit] Soundtrack
[edit] Remixes
Super Castlevania IV's soundtrack includes remixes of songs from past games. These include "Vampire Killer" (from Castlevania), and "Bloody Tears" (from Simon's Quest), two themes that would eventually reappear in many more games. "Beginning", the song played on Stage 1 from Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, is also present.
[edit] Recurring songs
"Theme of Simon Belmont", now considered to be the character's trademark theme song, was played on the last stage in Castlevania Chronicles/Akumajō Dracula X68000, the last half of the final stage in Castlevania: Bloodlines, and as a secret music track in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. The "Theme of Simon Belmont" victory fanfare, which was used in Super Castlevania IV whenever a crystal was obtained after defeating a boss, was also featured in Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness. If you rescued one of the 6 children in Henry Mode, this fanfare would play as a victory theme.
[edit] Censorship
In the Japanese version of the game, there was a cross on top of the tombstone in the introduction. This was removed for the American and PAL localizations to avoid religious controversies. The misspelled name "Dracura" (a case of Engrish) is also clearly written (in Roman letters) on the tombstone in the Japanese version; this was replaced with an unreadable smudge in the Western versions.
As with many games on the Super NES, there were censorship issues as well. The statues in Stage 6, which were originally topless, were redrawn wearing tunicas. Blood dripping from the ceilings as well as pools of blood in Stage 8 were re-colored from red to green, effectively turning it into slime or acid.
