Super Castlevania IV (Super Nintendo, 1991)

The Castlevania games are known for challenging gameplay and its use of mythological creatures as bosses and enemies, most notably monsters like the mummy, the Frankenstein monster, and the boss of the game, Dracula. While some gamers may not know about the series' existance, those who play it are loyal to its gameplay. Those who have played the original, prepare to be amazed at this remake. One of the first SNES games to come out (even before Samus and Link), it is a great demonstration of what the SNES is capable of. Those who found the inability to use your whip anywhere but straight in the original games will be happy to find that you can now whip in 8 directions. The only bad thing about this game: it's a bit hard to find. Because of the series obsucrity to most players, it did not sell over 1 million, so they are not exactly a common game to find. Most stores that sell classic video games won't have it for very long, if they have it at all. So, ebay is your best option for finding it quick and cheap. Overall, the challenge and fun of this game gives a feeling of nostalgia to those who are familiar with the series, and even if you aren't familiar with it, this game is still incredibly enjoyable to play for the first time. The replay value of this is high, and I recomend this to anyone willing to take up the challenge.

Super Castlevania IV was released on the SNES in '91, 17 years later, it's still just as awesome as it was then.

SC IV is a revamped version of the NES Cult Classic, "Castlevania"; detailing Simon Belmont's first epic journey through demon and ghoul infested forests, catacombs, towers, and dungeons in his quest to destroy Dracula and bring peace to Transylvania and Europe.

This is a classic platforming game, progression is very linear; the player advances by fighting through a few blocks full of monsters before finally reaching the stage boss and after defeating it, is allowed to the next stage. (A very simple password system allows players to resume where they left off in gameplay.)

Primary form of attack is with the legendary Vampire Killer, a whip infused with alchemy and greatly effective against the undead. Items collected in the game can boost the power and length of the whip. The player also has access to a variety of sub weapons, such as: The dagger, axe, holy water, magical boomerang, and a stop watch which freezes enemies for a few seconds. A few things that sets this apart from Castlevania games at the time, (and even some today) is the ability to swing the whip in eight directions, attack downward and at an angle while in the air, and being able to swing across pits and other obstacles.

The graphics are simply gorgeous for the SNES and the game makes excellent use of Mode 7. (Allowing of the background to be rotated and scaled, giving the player pseudo 3-dimensional graphics. A wonderful feature used to great effect in many of the stages.) The details on many of the enemies (and Simon himself) are really great, especially many of the spirit-type-enemies.

Music is an important part to most any game and this score certainly delivers. Quite a few of the songs are original pieces for this game, but there is also several remixes of classic songs from the original Castlevanias. Not one bit of the score is out of place, each song compliments its given area and really sets the mood.

A truly great game, recommended for any gamer, and an excellent addition to the SNES Library.

I got this for Christmas when the SNES first came out. Super Mario, Donkey Kong, were ok. But all the other games seemed to drastically improve in every genre,storyline, and pure creativity like "Earth worm Jim", "Gradius","Cont​ra","Street fighter","Super Andriod", and my favorite The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the past. Castlevania was no exception. It corrected most of the major flaws of the NES versions. Super Castlevania also showed off the graphics capabilities of the SNES like no other game at the time. Transparent fog effects, rotating rooms, and giant sized bosses were just some of the cool graphical effects that made this game shine. This was also the last Castlevania game to use a more "realistic" graphic style. After this, all other Castlevania titles have been done with an "anime" look and feel to them.
The monster selection was great. It included Medusa which at that age was only seen once watching clash of the titans, so to play a game that had accient greek mythology mixed with other mythologies as well as others created for the game was well done. It had hard parts similar to earlier games such as jumping was quite hit or miss. The swinging from the whip feature brought out a new dimension in all of the Castlevania games that implement it. I could try to verbalize this game all day but to expirence it is to enjoy it. One of my top games of all time. I don't know why they choose a whip, but it worked out alot better than a sword for this game which undoubtable set it apart form everything else. God of War for PS3 uses a similar concept for a weapon and they seem to work well. Something funny is that certain songs pop into my head from different levels (which by the way the songs blend perfectly with the levels) which it has been over 16yrs.

A true classic. This game from the early days of Super Nintendo offers an excellent quest into the heart of Dracula's keep, Castlevania. It is basically a remake of the original with upgraded weapons, moves, graphics, and music. For its time, the colors and special effects are remarkable. The enemies are all cool and challenging, with many famous monsters making an appearance including Frankenstein, Medusa, the Mummy, the Grim Reaper, Count Dracula himself, and countless others. Controls are tight and responsive, but they do take a little getting used to. Simon Belmont himself is a total badass in all his great side-scrolling glory. Of further note, the music contains old and new songs from the series, and I feel they are some of the best ever, especially when you defeat the boss of each stage and collect the magical orb. If you are a fan of the series or enjoy good action and adventure, pick it up as soon as you can. Trust me, this game has aged very well.

If you are a fan of the old NES castlevania, this should be an instant classic. Imagine being able to swing your whip in every direction, better graphics, and another series of relentless stages to battle through! Granted it's easier than the previous installments, but that in no way takes away from the game. It will still be a challenge, there are some tricky situations that will push your limits. The music! That is the real beauty, a great game with a great soundtrack to go along with it. Staying true to the castlevania name, every level you encounter has a great theme playing in the background. These songs are technical too, not just some cheesy background music. It sets the mood for the game, and without the gloomy minor, organ/bass guitar driven songs, castlevania would never be as enthralling as it is and has been. It really puts you in the game. Even if you've never played any castlevania game (God forbid), you will love this one. Unless you don't like a challenge, then you will probably just say it sucks cause it's too hard lol.