Difference between revisions of "Castlevania II: Simon's Quest"

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[[Image:Castlevania II - Simon's Quest - NES - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American box art.]]
 
[[Image:Castlevania II - Simon's Quest - NES - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American box art.]]
  
'''''Castlevania II: Simon's Quest''''' is an action adventure platformer by [[Konami]] released on the [[Famicom Disk System]] in 1987 and later ported to the NES in 1988. It is the second game in the [[Castlevania (Universe)|Castlevania series]] and changes format slightly to be more of an adventure game, making it the first Castlevania title to be a [[Metroidvania]]. In the game's story, though Simon Belmont has vanquished Dracula, his body parts remain scattered throughout the land allowing his spirit to cause mayhem, especially at night. You must gather his body parts to bring him back and destroy him once an for all.  
+
'''''Castlevania II: Simon's Quest''''' is a [[Metroidvania]] video game by [[Konami]] released on the [[Famicom Disk System]] in 1987-08-28 and later ported to the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] in 1988. As the title suggests, it is a [[Castlevania (universe)|''Castlevania'' game]] and the direct sequel to ''[[Castlevania]]'', however the format has been slightly modified to be more of an adventure game, making it the first ''Castlevania'' title to be a Metroidvania. In the game's story, though Simon Belmont has vanquished Dracula, but his body parts remain scattered throughout the land allowing his spirit to cause mayhem, especially at night. You must gather his body parts in order to resurrect Dracula and destroy him once and for all.  
  
I had seen Castlevania II in video game magazines, and even found the game's manual in the snow while walking home from a friend's house, long before I had a chance to play the game. When I finally did play it, I was very disappointed. I died very quickly from being knocked into pits, and had no idea what I was doing. From everything I read about the game, it was pretty much unplayable without a walk-through, so I never bothered to get very far.
+
==Personal==
 +
I had seen ''Castlevania II'' in video game magazines and even found the game's manual in the snow while walking home from a friend's house, long before I had a chance to play the game. When I finally did play it, I was very disappointed. I died very quickly from being knocked into pits, and had no idea what I was doing. From everything I read about the game, it was pretty much unplayable without a walk-through, so I never bothered to get very far.
  
Years, later, I remember telling a friend of mine that I was sure someone made a translation patch for the game fixing all of the terrible dialogue, but, unable to find one, I decided to make one myself, [http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Hacks/SimonsRedaction.html which I did]. It was even featured on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFi2vcseEz8 The Angry Video Game Nerd].
+
Years, later, I remember telling a friend of mine that I was sure someone made a translation patch for the game fixing all of the terrible dialogue, but, unable to find one, I decided to make one myself, [http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Hacks/SimonsRedaction.html which I did]. It was even featured on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFi2vcseEz8 The Angry Video Game Nerd] and several other game review shows.
  
 
==Status==
 
==Status==
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==Review==
 
==Review==
* '''Overall:''' 3/10
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{{Video Game Review|5|3|5|7|3|NES ([http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Hacks/SimonsRedaction.html Translation Patch])}}
* '''Best Version:''' FDS
+
 
 +
{{Spoilers}}
  
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
* The adventure element of the game is really quite nice. I prefer it over the stages of the original.
+
* The adventure element of the game is really quite nice. I prefer it over the stage-based system of the original.
* The plot is pretty cool.
+
* The idea that Dracula's body parts hold a curse over the land, and must be collected and killed properly, is a pretty cool plot.
* The graphics and music are both fantastic.
+
* The graphics are great for the platform.
 +
* The soundtrack composed by [[Satoe Terashima]] and [[Kenichi Matsubara]] is fantastic.
 
* I like the idea of multiple endings depending on how quickly you can beat the game.
 
* I like the idea of multiple endings depending on how quickly you can beat the game.
 
* Having items and Dracula's body parts give you bonus abilities based on which one is selected is a good mechanic.
 
* Having items and Dracula's body parts give you bonus abilities based on which one is selected is a good mechanic.
 
* The save feature in the FDS version is great, it's a shame the NES version got a password system.
 
* The save feature in the FDS version is great, it's a shame the NES version got a password system.
 +
* The manual has a nice layout and attractive drawings.
  
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
 +
* The game requires far too much grinding for hearts.
 
* People late in the game often give you advice that you would most certainly have known by then.
 
* People late in the game often give you advice that you would most certainly have known by then.
* The description in the endings doesn't really fit with how well you do in the game.
+
* The text for the three endings don't really fit with how well you do in the game.
 
* The text read out and day/night transitions are obnoxiously slow.
 
* The text read out and day/night transitions are obnoxiously slow.
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
* The poorly translated dialogue and manual makes it impossible to progress very far in the game, and thus make it unwinnable without a walk-through.
+
* The poorly translated dialogue and manual makes it impossible to progress very far, and thus makes the game unwinnable without several explicit hints.
  
==Box Art==
+
==Media==
 +
===Box Art===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
Castlevania II - Simon's Quest - NES - Japan.jpg|The original Japanese FDS box art is great. Simon looks bad-ass in his armor, his whip jumps out at you, and Dracula looms ominously in the background in his castle. The lettering is also fantastic, Japanese Kanji in a German Blackletter style, dripping with blood!
 
Castlevania II - Simon's Quest - NES - Japan.jpg|The original Japanese FDS box art is great. Simon looks bad-ass in his armor, his whip jumps out at you, and Dracula looms ominously in the background in his castle. The lettering is also fantastic, Japanese Kanji in a German Blackletter style, dripping with blood!
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</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Documentation==
+
===Documentation===
 +
<gallery>
 +
Castlevania II - Simon's Quest - NES - USA - Manual.pdf|Game manual (uses [[Eras]] typeface).
 +
Castlevania II - Simon's Quest - NES - USA - Manual (Digital).pdf|Digital manual.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1988-09 - Cover.jpg|''[[Nintendo Power]]'', 1988-09 - cover.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1988-09 - Simon's Quest Map.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1988-09 - Simon's Quest map.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1988-09 - 024-025.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1988-09 - part 1.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1988-09 - 026-027.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1988-09 - part 2.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1988-09 - 028-029.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1988-09 - part 3.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1988-09 - 030-031.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1988-09 - part 4.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1988-09 - 032-033.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1988-09 - part 5.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1988-09 - 034.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1988-09 - part 6.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1988-11 - 024-025.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1988-11 - [[Howard & Nester]] comic.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1989-01 - 050-051.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1989-01 - Counselor's Corner.
 +
Worlds of Power - Castlevania II - Simon's Quest - Mass Market - USA - 1st Edition.jpg|[[Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (book)|Novelization]].
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
===Maps===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Castlevania II - Simon's Quest - NES - Manual.pdf|Game manual.
+
Castlevania II - Simon's Quest - NES - Map.png|Map without spoilers.
 +
Castlevania II - Simon's Quest - NES - Map With Spoilers.png|Map with spoilers.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
 +
===Videos===
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4we8iFk-fY youtube.com/watch?v=V4we8iFk-fY] - Angry Video Game Nerd, Episode 1.
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFi2vcseEz8 youtube.com/watch?v=RFi2vcseEz8] - Angry Video Game Nerd, Episode 119.
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1VNQRQ6wfc youtube.com/watch?v=U1VNQRQ6wfc] - Longplay.
 +
 +
==Titles==
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
! Language !! Native !! Transliteration !! Translation
 +
|-
 +
| English || Castlevania II: Simon's Quest || ||
 +
|-
 +
| Japanese || ドラキュラII 呪いの封印 || Dorakyura II: Noroi no Fuin || Dracula II: The Seal of the Curse
 +
|}
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
* [http://www.mobygames.com/game/castlevania-ii-simons-quest mobygames.com/game/castlevania-ii-simons-quest] - MobyGames (NES).
+
{{Link|MobyGames|https://www.mobygames.com/game/castlevania-ii-simons-quest}}
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlevania_II:_Simon%27s_Quest en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlevania_II:_Simon%27s_Quest] - Wikipedia.
+
{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlevania_II:_Simon%27s_Quest}}
* [http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Castlevania_II:_Simon%27s_Quest_(NES) vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Castlevania_II:_Simon%27s_Quest_(NES)] - Music.
+
{{Link|StrategyWiki|https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Castlevania_II:_Simon%27s_Quest}}
* [http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Wiki/index.php?title=Castlevania_II:_Simon%27s_Quest thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Wiki/index.php?title=Castlevania_II:_Simon%27s_Quest] - NES Hacker Database.
+
{{Link|VGMPF|2=http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Castlevania_II:_Simon%27s_Quest_(NES)}}
 +
{{Link|NESHacker|http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Wiki/index.php?title=Castlevania_II:_Simon%27s_Quest}}
 +
{{Link|TCRF|https://tcrf.net/Castlevania_II:_Simon%27s_Quest}}
 +
 
 
* [http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Hacks/SimonsRedaction.html thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Hacks/SimonsRedaction.html] - Translation patch.
 
* [http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Hacks/SimonsRedaction.html thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Hacks/SimonsRedaction.html] - Translation patch.
  
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[[Category: Games]]
 
[[Category: Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Games]]
[[Category: Action]]
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[[Category: 1987 Video Games]]
[[Category: Adventure]]
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[[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Adventure, Action, Strategy]]
[[Category: Platformer]]
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[[Category: Video Game Genre - Metroidvania]]
[[Category: Horror]]
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[[Category: Video Game Genre - Platformer]]
[[Category: Metroidvania]]
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[[Category: Video Game Genre - Scrolling Platformer]]
 +
[[Category: Media Theme - Action]]
 +
[[Category: Media Theme - Adventure1]]
 +
[[Category: Media Theme - Horror]]
 +
[[Category: Media Theme - Vampires]]
 +
[[Category: NES Games]]

Revision as of 15:54, 18 February 2020

North American box art.

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest is a Metroidvania video game by Konami released on the Famicom Disk System in 1987-08-28 and later ported to the NES in 1988. As the title suggests, it is a Castlevania game and the direct sequel to Castlevania, however the format has been slightly modified to be more of an adventure game, making it the first Castlevania title to be a Metroidvania. In the game's story, though Simon Belmont has vanquished Dracula, but his body parts remain scattered throughout the land allowing his spirit to cause mayhem, especially at night. You must gather his body parts in order to resurrect Dracula and destroy him once and for all.

Personal

I had seen Castlevania II in video game magazines and even found the game's manual in the snow while walking home from a friend's house, long before I had a chance to play the game. When I finally did play it, I was very disappointed. I died very quickly from being knocked into pits, and had no idea what I was doing. From everything I read about the game, it was pretty much unplayable without a walk-through, so I never bothered to get very far.

Years, later, I remember telling a friend of mine that I was sure someone made a translation patch for the game fixing all of the terrible dialogue, but, unable to find one, I decided to make one myself, which I did. It was even featured on The Angry Video Game Nerd and several other game review shows.

Status

I do not own the game, nor have I beaten it.

Review

Video Game Review Icon - Enjoyment.png Video Game Review Icon - Control.png Video Game Review Icon - Appearance.png Video Game Review Icon - Sound.png Video Game Review Icon - Replayability.png
5 3 5 7 3

Best Version: NES (Translation Patch)

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • The adventure element of the game is really quite nice. I prefer it over the stage-based system of the original.
  • The idea that Dracula's body parts hold a curse over the land, and must be collected and killed properly, is a pretty cool plot.
  • The graphics are great for the platform.
  • The soundtrack composed by Satoe Terashima and Kenichi Matsubara is fantastic.
  • I like the idea of multiple endings depending on how quickly you can beat the game.
  • Having items and Dracula's body parts give you bonus abilities based on which one is selected is a good mechanic.
  • The save feature in the FDS version is great, it's a shame the NES version got a password system.
  • The manual has a nice layout and attractive drawings.

Bad

  • The game requires far too much grinding for hearts.
  • People late in the game often give you advice that you would most certainly have known by then.
  • The text for the three endings don't really fit with how well you do in the game.
  • The text read out and day/night transitions are obnoxiously slow.

Ugly

  • The poorly translated dialogue and manual makes it impossible to progress very far, and thus makes the game unwinnable without several explicit hints.

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Videos

Titles

Language Native Transliteration Translation
English Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Japanese ドラキュラII 呪いの封印 Dorakyura II: Noroi no Fuin Dracula II: The Seal of the Curse

Links

Link-MobyGames.png  Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-StrategyWiki.png  Link-VGMPF.png  link={{{2}}}  Link-TCRF.png