Castlevania (Sharp)

The Demon King has returned.

JP release: 23rd July 1993
NA release: 8th October 2001
EU release: 9th November 2001
AKA: . Akumajō Dracula (Japan)
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
The Inverted Dungeon Review: 8.1/10
Platforms: Sharp X68000, PS1
Version Played: PS1

Only a few years after Super Castlevania IV comes another remake of the first game, created for a high end Japanese computer system called the Sharp X68000. It also means the fifth distinct version of Castlevania 1 in seven years. I did attempt to emulate the Sharp version of this, but ran into a lot of difficulties, so I played the original mode in Castlevania Chronicles, which keeps all the original difficulty and music as the original (even letting you pick between the different sound cards you could get). I’ll be covering Chronicles separately.

This follows the original game much more than Castlevania IV does, but is still a ground up remake rather than the original with nicer graphics. The levels are based on the original levels, with new layouts and gimmicks, and even completely new sections. There’s a lot of new enemies here as well – and a few additions even borrow from the Haunted Castle arcade, such as the cool stained glass boss.

The enemies, however, are both extremely plentiful and tough, and after a few levels start doing four bars of damage in a single hit. The game can be extremely mean to. In the first level, there’s some bricks you can break to find health in the original game. In this one, that breakable block spawns infinite rock monsters that kill you. It’s quite mean. The game overall seems more punishing than challenging, and it really takes the enjoyment out of it.

The new graphics are very nice, giving a great alternative interpretation of areas you’ve been before, with lovely added detail like some lovely different paintings. A few enemies even make use of the fancy effects, such as aggressive water droplets. It’s really a shame about the gruelling difficulty (especially as part of it is just “more damage”), so I’m looking forward to addressing the version that addresses that issue.

Fine

Don’t let the graphics catch your eye too often, though — this game is tough. It will have you pulling your hair at times due to the cheapness of some enemies (like certain Evil Eyes which have been strategically placed by Teeter-Totter style platforms at one of the Clock Tower’s sections). Some of the bosses after the second stage can get down-right annoying at times as well.
Jorge D. Fuentes, The Inverted Dungeon

Remake or remaster?

I need to check out the Arrange mode in Chronicles.

Official Ways to get the game

There’s no official way to get this version of Castlevania