Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest

Castlevania was a cakewalk compared to this bloody curse.

JP release: 29th August 1987
NA release: 1st December 1988
EU release: 27th April 1990
AKA: Dorakyura II: Noroi no Fūin (Japan)
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Power Play Magazine Score: 82%
Platforms: Famicom Disc System, NES
Version Played: NES (NA, Re-translated)

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Simon’s Quest is often considered to be a “dark horse” of a franchise, with comedy critics like the Angry Video Game Nerd popularising the idea that the game is downright terrible. But not only is this all just not the case, but it’s such an important game as well, not just for Castlevania, but also for helping to shape the entire Metroidvana genre. The story is a direct sequel to the first game, as Dracula placed a curse on Simon. In order to lift it, he needs to gather Dracula’s remains, resurrect him and then kill him once more.

Now, while I said that the criticism of the game was a bit overboard, the game isn’t without its flaws, the biggest of which is how cryptic the game is. There are a few moments where you have to use specific items in very specific spots, and the game doesn’t make it clear. The most infamous example is having to hold a crystal in a specific spot and crouching, with nothing in the game telling you where that place is. But it wasn’t supposed to be quite so cryptic – the original Japanese text had more details and, on top of that, had a map map that came with the game to give you an idea of where it might be. Essentially, the initial translation was shoddy and there’s a retranslated version (which also adds the Japanese manual map to the game) that I’d recommend playing over the original for a more authentic experience.

Part of this cryptic is also due to how the game world is built. It’s no longer a linear adventure like the first game, but a large labyrinth with multiple towns, dungeons and the like. It’s all still presented as a side scrolling game, and the gameplay feels just as good as the first game, including the whip (which you get to upgrade throughout the game) still being a great weapon. It’s one of the things this game did that would go on to inspire the future of the Castlevania franchise.

There are still similarities to other adventure games, not just Metroid, as it has dungeons like The Legend of Zelda. Hidden in each of these dungeons is a part of dracula, and surprisingly only two bosses (that said, the standard enemies provide enough of a hassle). The key item you’ll need for these dungeons is holy water, which thankfully you can use an infinite amount once you get it. There are fake floors (holy water will fall through them) as well as blocks that need to be destroyed with holy water, which is where you’ll find most of the proper clues (NPCs give hints, but some of them lie). Dungeons can also have areas which are mostly useless, although at least killing enemies for hearts (used as currency) is something you’ll need to do a lot of anyway, so it’s not a complete waste of time. All in all, exploring this is quite fun.

There’s also a day and night cycle, where enemies are tougher at night and towns are overrun with monsters. The game is annoyingly interrupted during this transition with a text box, and it does lead to some annoyances where you just have to just kill monsters for Experience Points (you get more powerful after killing many monsters) and hearts while you wait for the day so you can buy items you need in towns.This cycle also lends itself to multiple endings, with the amount of in-game days you take to complete the game leading to good, neutral and bad endings.

All in all, if you don’t mind occasionally dipping into a guide (especially early on just to point you in the right direction), Simon’s Quest is a really enjoyable game. If you don’t mind spending extra time discovering clues, then you can get by without one, especially with the retranslated version (although even the original English localisation isn’t too bad as most people interested in playing know the kneeling issue). It’s an important step in the franchise and still a good game.

Fun

“Great! Konami has once again shown what video game quality is. Many small hints, hidden extras, cities and forests to explore, great music, and stylish graphics make this game absolutely worth buying. The day-night cycle is particularly nice.”
Power Play Magazine #7 (Translated from German)

Remake or remaster?

A redone version improving the day/night cycle and reworking the localisation would be great.

Official Ways to get the game

Simon’s Quest is available in the Castlevania Anniversary Collection