Demon Prince Dracula X: Noctures of the Moonlight

DEMON PRINCE DRACULA X: NOCTURNES OF THE MOONLIGHT

VX010-JI (SLPM 86023)
Copyright (C) 1997 Konami Co., Ltd.
Sony Playstation
Platform, 1 Player
1 Disc, plus Music CD
Available 3/20/97(Import)
¥5800

— by Ralph Jenkins

It was in the year 1986 that fervent videogame players first sank their teeth into a simplistic but sumptuously designed 8-bit action game called CASTLEVANIA (or DEMON PRINCE DRACULA, as it was known in the arcades and in Japan), a platformer put out by Konami. Only the second third-party company to launch carts in America for the then incipient Nintendo Entertainment System (the first being Capcom), Konami's flagship titles were all modest hits. CASTLEVANIA proved to be the most popular, however, spawning sequels for almost all gaming platforms. Fourteen follow-ups came out in Japan, and at least five arrived in the U.S. The gothic adventures of the whip-cracking, housewrecking Belmont clan seemed doomed to immortality.

Now, over a decade later, Konami has released the long-awaited 32-bit incarnation of CASTLEVANIA, entitled DRACULA X: NOCTURNES OF THE MOONLIGHT in Japan (CASTLEVANIA X is the tentative title for the American version). After re-playing the final stage of the first DRACULA X game for the PC Engine, the player quickly learns that that game's hero, the vampire hunter Richter Belmont, vanished one night four years later. And now the Count's nefarious fortress, Castlevania, said to materialize only once per century, has mysteriously appearred.

The player guides Alucard, half-vampire and son of Dracula himself, through the multifarious rooms and corridors of the mansion, smashing its denizens to bits with medieval weapons, while gaining strength and preternatural powers. Gone is the extendable whip of the previous games, but now there is a large variety of weaponry to choose from. Power-ups include the ablity to double the height of your jumps, as well as the capability to shapeshift into a wolf, a bat, or mist. A couple of ideas borrowed from other games have been successfully implemented; the player can cast magic spells by performing STREET FIGHTER-esque motions on the control pad, and there is an auto-mapping feature a la SUPER METROID. The latter is especially useful since, unlike the original CASTLEVANIA, this game is not linear in its design. But longtime fans will find many familiar things, including the dreaded Medusa heads (that can actually turn you to stone now) and the ever-present monstrous, flame-spewing amphibians.

The graphics, sound effects, music, and voice acting in the game are all superb and appropriately macabre. Each exquisitely rendered section of the castle looks distinctive, and the character animation is intricate and expressive. Voice talent is provided by a handful of anime veterans, including Okiayu Ryutarou (Yuu, MARMALADE BOY) as the undead but "bishonen" (pretty boy) Alucard, Yanada Kiyoyuki (Tamiya, OH MY GODDESS!) as the vampire stalker Richter, Yokoyama Chisa (Sasami, TENCHI MUYO!) as the young girl Maria Renard, and Wakamoto Norio (Kagato, TENCHI MUYO!) as the awful Count Dracula.

The Japanese release of the game is packaged with a full-color artbook illustrated by Ayami Kojima, as well as a music CD featuring selected BGM from all of the other games in the series. Yes, even the nostalgic 1986 CASTLEVANIA tunes are included. It is still not clear if the American release of the game (currently scheduled for late summer/early fall of '97) will include the artbook or the compact disc.

DEMON PRINCE DRACULA X: NOCTURNES OF THE MOONLIGHT is truly a platformer fan's dream come true, replete with all the elements that made the earlier entries in the CASTLEVANIA series so memorable, plus more. In an era when videogames are becoming mere showcases for 3-D graphics displays, it's fortunate that once in a full moon, someone remembers what matters: playability. This time, Konami has.

Rating:

***1/2 Stars (out of 4)