Super Castlevania IV

The gravest Castlevania adventure breaks new ground… and buries you in it.

JP release: 31st ctober 1991
NA release: 4th December 1991
EU release: 23rd November 1992
AKA: . Akumajō Dracula (Japan)
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Super Play Magazine Review: 91%
Platforms: SNES
Version Played: SNES

Probably the worst named Castlevania of the lot – either just call it Super Castlevania or Castlevania IV. This indecision is a western issue, as it’s called Akumajō Dracula in Japan. Over there, this is simply a retelling of the first game, while the English translation leaves a bit of wiggle room for it to get interpreted as either a reimagining or a sequel. I personally prefer to think of this as the process of freeing his curse at the end of Simon’s Quest left Dracula with a bit of energy to revive himself.

You see, this isn’t a remake of the first Castlevania for the Super Nintendo, it’s a completely different game that just has the same opening story as the first game. The levels are completely different, with most of the game taking place on the approach to the castle. The gameplay, however, has been overhauled.

This is mainly in terms of how the whip works, as it’s now a lot more versatile, as you can swing it upwards or diagonally. You can even hold down the attack button and swing it wildly. It doesn’t cause as much damage as a regular attack, but is useful against small enemies like bats. It feels great to use. But, surprisingly, that’s also a big problem with the game.

The enemies in this game are mostly the same ones that have been seen before, and are positioned and act in the same way. The new ones also act in a similar way. This means that, other than a few bosses, none of the enemies are designed around the whip mechanics, which makes them rather easy to deal with, with many that can be dispatched l while you’re on platforms beneath them or through walls.

I had to make heavy use of rewind in previous games, but this one is quite easy by comparison. Another problem with the whip mechanics is that the subweapons have not been altered, so you’ll barely touch them throughout the levels as your whip is so effective. You’ll have a massive amount of hearts saved up to just spam the subweapons on the final boss and deal with them quite easily.

Castlevania IV makes heavy use of the graphical features of the SNES, but Konami didn’t seem to know what to actually do with them. Early in the game you need to go though a gate and play behind a fence for about 50 metres, but that’s never revisited. There’s one section where you use your whip to hang onto a rope and wait for the room to tilt around you and there is a single corridor where the background is a tube. It looks fancy, but feels out of place, like the game is a tech demo. I’m also not fond of how zoomed in the camera is.

Despite my complaints, Castlevania IV is still a very fun game. The whip mechanics may break the game, but they’re still an absolute blast to use. It’s a massive shame that Konami never tried to create a Castlevania that is better suited to the best part of this game.

Fun

Might look pretty run-of-the-mill, but those who take th etrouble ot really delve into it will discover some of the best graphics, sound and gameplay the SNES has to offer.
Super Play Magazine Issue #1

Remake or remaster?

I’d love to see these mechanics used for a game that takes advantage of it.

Official Ways to get the game

This is available in the Castlevania Anniversary Edition.