If you really want to dig into the lore of Castlevania, please check out GamerThumbTV's Timeline Series: ua-cam.com/video/bzElto3SNAQ/v-deo.html Tell him FNA sent ya!
Another fantastic Castlevania I played recently on my emulator is for the GBA called Castlevania Circle of the Moon. I’m an old school gamer who played the original on NES in the 80’s. Circle of the Moon is definitely one of the best in the franchise in my opinion. It’s basically Metroid in Castlevania clothes. Definitely worth your time to play through and review. Phenomenal soundtrack as well!
Indeed. I always wonder why this usually is everyone hated Castlevania. I freaking love this game from the music to the RPGness of it. I beat this recently and got the good ending.
Always happy to hear someone come around on this game. I also thought it was really lousy way back when, but I've come to appreciate it in recent years, mostly for the same reasons you very articulately stated
Same here! I traded Festers Quest for Simon's Quest from a neighbor when I was a kid. I remember loving the music but, never got far due to the criptic nature of the design. Would this be a precursor to Symphony Of The Night?
I was very young when I played this and with my low level of english I remember figuring it out by myself too! That great got great when the Fire whip kicked in!
Same - but I never figured out how I accidentally did it that one time and never could figure it out again. Even with the GameGenie I never beat the game because the puzzles were too cryptic for me. I'm revisiting the game now myself, kinda funny that Friday Action Arcade is as well. It's honestly so much better (and easier, other than the puzzles) than I remember it being.
I don't know how, but my oldest brother found the tornado, and believe it or not, I myself ACCIDENTALLY found the Chris Houlihan room in Zelda LTTP 😂. I don't know how we randomly stumble upon these cryptic things but somehow we did lol.
I loved this game. It had RPG elements. I remember finding the water mansion on accident and calling all the kids in my neighborhood over to show them. You were king for the day back then if you found out a puzzle that literally everyone was stuck on lol.
The earliest of times when I played this as a kid is when my parents were playing this game and when they got stuck, they handed the controller to me. My folks didn't mind if I died since the worst part was just loosing all hearts. They also have the password as well. There were a few times that I did figured things out, my parents immediately took the game back : / So I wasn't King for a day, it was more like game over for me. lol
You mean the Rover Manor/Mansion, where you had to kneel with the blue crystal on the side of the lake, that actually raises it and allows you travel down towards the mansion entrance. You know there is a red cluebook that tells you this if you knock off a block on the ledge after exiting the cavern area and entering the woods where the spiders are.
What you said about manuals is right in the spot! I remember the trill I had reading the manual of a game I just rented or bought...not to mention, manuals had an artistic quality (as gameboxes) that is lost in this modern times.
Nothing comes with a manual anymore. Not even as much as a .pdf or help file. It's just straight into the game. With MAYBE a little tutorial with some of them. It's a good thing the options menu on (most) games have a detailed controller layout of all the buttons. Because that mess can get confusing..especially with Just Cause 4....
It should be mentioned that the game does feature 3 different endings, depending on how many in-game days it takes you to complete it. The "good" ending is achieved if you can finish it within 7 day/night cycles, the "normal" ending is achieved if you finish it in 8 to 14 day/night cycles, and you'll get the "bad" ending if you finish it in 15 days or longer. A good tactic to use if you want to save time, is to farm for hearts within the mansions as the in-game clock actually pauses while you're navigating your way through one of those places.
Games like Castlevania II and The Legend of Zelda have taught me that sleeping on the NES because its an older system is a crime. Some of its games still hold up pretty well!
Pro tip: do all of your hearts grinding inside of the mansions. Time passes outside, but it does not pass inside the mansions. This will allow you to get ample hearts but not get the worst ending by wasting all of your time
I too cannot understand why people affirm this game is bad... It is a true open world with towns, forests, lakes, caves, marshes, graveyards, etc etc..... There are also hints given by books you find by throwing Holy Water on certain walls. The atmosphere is definitely gothic. What more can I say... I ADORE THIS GEM. ❤
Man I LOVED the idea of the different whips. Even today, "thorn whip" sounds unique and awesome. They couldn't really do too much in terms of damage dealt visually, but it's cool. Heart farming was what threw me off on these games. Great look at the series. I love the way you explained just how tough it was with a blind rental based on the sticker of a cartridge, and how inhibiting it was to have no resources.
At 3:29, all I can think of is "I terrify them, Sypha disorients them, Alucard goes over the top and we support him.". Best scene making the best use of the iconic theme.
Oh man, the legendary recess and school bus game discussions. I still remember how excited I would be getting to listen to other kids adventures and sometimes lies lol.
Excellent take on what has always been my favorite 8-bit Castlevania. I love them all but Simon's Quest was my favorite even in the 80s for how big and expansive it felt. Always nice to see it get some love.
I've always loved this game, ever since I was a little kid. My neighbors knew where to go and helped me get through it my first time. Been a fan from day one and is still one of my favorite Castlevania games. I love the soundtrack as well, learned most of it on guitar.
You nailed it in the end that's exactly what we did as soon as you start leaving the parking lot read that book if for no other reason than you get some cool pictures and story to read
I owned this game as a kid an played it hundreds of times an never knew about the tornado. But was never upset about it an just enjoyed playing it an to this day love the soundtrack like no other!
Cool review. I was one of those that loved this one as a kid. I never got very far, but I rented it over and over just to soak in the creepy atmosphere of the game and the awesome tuneage. I loved wandering around the open world and killing stuff and getting into trouble.
Game was ahead of its time for sure. Translation was the main problem, fortunately there are romhacks like the one you mentioned that address that now and make it playable without the need of guides.
This game initially frustrated me as a kid but once I got some info, I forget from who or where, and started to really love it and played it all the way to the end. It kinda blew my mind that I went from not knowing what to do to finishing it. I think this series really impressed me as a kid because as an adult in 2016 I went to Transylvania and listened to some of my favorite songs from these games.
I've always liked this game. I beat it many years ago and play it off and on ever since. I was originally typing this as I watched the video, and I was about to reference Symphony of the Night when you mentioned it. I've often referred to the sequels of 1988/9 myself and it is nice to see somebody else say instead of simply crapping all over the Castlevania and Zelda sequels for the NES.
I always loved playing this as a kid, next to Zelda, Metal Mech, Super Mario Bros. 2, plus many others. Also to note, this would be one of the first open world games with night/day cycles that I've ever played on a game console.
Growing up as a kid, I had the VHS walkthrough. it had how to beet this and 2 other games on it. I had a few of those tapes. It gave me hints on TMNT, this, Metal Gear, Skate or Die, a few others. Didn't help me survive them. I think tapes may have also had Blaster Master, Fester's quest and jaws. Don't remember. I did like this game however. I don't like it when Castlevania games started giving me ONE weapon at random from a candle and if I died or replaced it that weapon was gone and I had to refinde it. I hate linear games and I stayed away from the future parts of the series since they got bad reviews or removed the whip. So I got out of the series after part 3 which was also good. Game booklets were nice to have. they had lore and art and hints. Tutorials tend to teach us things we already know. But what I see a lot in games is people playing with out reading and getting stuck. Can't tell you how many times Ive seen people beat LttP with OUT fairies because they got bottles and NEVER got the Net because they refused to talk to NPCs and thought catching a fairy meant just swinging the bottle at the fairy. In the mean time I played threw the 1st half of OOT with out fairies because I was looking for the net and never tried to swing a bottle at them. reading is important. but we also don't need to be reminded every time we walk near a door. "press A to open the door" Gamers are weird people if a game makes a franchise and never does any thing new they complain that all the games are the same and never try any thing new . if a game is completely changed they complain that it is too confusing and has none of what made the old game great. if the game has too much from the old one they call it nostalgia baiting and pandering to the fans. if it ignores what the fans want they sit around missing characters and items and wishing they had them back. you all need to shut up and enjoy that you have a game. if a game is too hard, get good, if its too easy its because you got too good. At least some game try. and be glad when they take there time to come out. it means they are taking time to do it right. no one wants a rushed game that cut corners.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon Tutorial pretty much sums up how I feel on tutorial modes on modern games. lol I do miss the old dedicated manuals like in the NES, and SNES days. I also used them as source reference material when it came to my early artwork drawings. Games were free to figure out without tutorials cluttering up early gameplay. If something didn't make sense, check the manual. It's that simple. If the struggle gets too real, get a strategy guide. Nowdays, it's simple just to find info on the net or via youtube. I do like when games have a menu option(s) to toggle the tutorial stuff/ hints. That is nice.
Agreed. I'm 38 and just revisited the game earlier this year after leaving it for about 30 years. It's good, fun, esoteric, slightly incomplete but worth your time if you want to experience what the developers intended.
Looking forward to playing this one again! Sounds like a lot of people are coming around to the fact that it's not such a horrible night to be cursed after all.
I was a huge fan of the original Castlevania. I got Simon's Quest with my NES for Christmas in 1988 and played this game everyday until I finally beat it. I still play through this game every year or so.
I look at this game like trying to solve a mystery in another language, which gives it an authentic feel in my eyes. Even using Nintendo Power felt less like spoiling secrets and more like translating things to just make sense
The NES does have a nice slew of early hits that received sequels that were completely different from their predecessors. I’d argue that could be due to the relative age of the video game industry back then. How many sequels did 2600 titles have? The idea of games with 8 whole bits of data(!) completely changed the games at home environment. Gone were the arcade ports, and original story lines had to be made. Necessitating the need for “sequels.” It’s a fascinating topic.
I was also like 7 when I played this game as a kid and I was able to figure everything out without a guide, except for the red crystal thing, I heard that from a school friend, but everything else I figured out myself... and I didn’t even speak English by the time! I remember I had a Spanish-English dictionary by my side while playing this game. I loved it back then and I love it now
I’ve always loved this game, even back when it released. It was a bit shady that they made you rely on the Nintendo Power issue to progress (I was fortunate enough to have a subscription at the time), but aside from that, I always loved this game’s vibe. The combat felt great, the graphics and music were amazing, and it had this eerie sense of mystery to it that I don’t think the other games had. Great video! Thanks for starting off my weekend right 😀
This was my first game (not including Mario/Duck Hunt) I got as a kid. I remember watching a Saturday morning show that provided the passwords to get all the items. About a year after that, I wanted to best it straight up but couldn't figure out how to get to some of the mansions. I wrote Nintendo Power a letter. Got a response (I still have the letter) and I was finally able to beat the game without passwords. I really like this Simon's Quest and always have. Even when I couldn't beat it without the help of passwords, I enjoyed playing it. It has cool items and fun areas to get through. The soundtrack is amazing. I actually bought the vinyl of it and that is the only game soundtrack I own. I fire this up still to this day here and there. Thanks for the video.
It's always interesting to see how with just a few minor fixes many people do agree this is a solid title worthy of being appreciated. And yeah, Bloody Tears rocks.
The only part that I couldn't figure out as a kid when it first came out was ha ing to go to a certain spot and kneel down for a few seconds to be taken away by the tornado. I'd have never figured that out on my own.
I've always loved this game! I do have to admit, that my buddies and I did have a lot of help from tip guides though. There is absolutely no way we would've been able to finish this game without those guides, so I definitely understand the frustration, as well.
Thanks for this video. It really brought me back to cherished times. All the traits everyone bitches about this game never mattered to me. I just loved exploring and discovering. Such simpler times.
I love how so many people loathed this game so much back in the day and then later on have a different view. This has been and will always be my favorite Castlevania game in the series.
Fond memories of this game. Playing with my dad who's never been into video games but liked Castlevania 1 and 2. Trying to interpret the clues and figure out where to go. We never beat the game but it's one of our few bonding moments.
Castlevania 1 was just a linear platformer though... it didn't need any figuring out of where to go. You just had to have the skills and knowhow to get through each level.
@@sic6664 Yeah, the Grim Reaper in Castlevania 1 was a tough boss fight. But even if you didn't use that cheap trick of the Holy Water with "triple play" or ("triple shot" as some like to call it) to get at him right when he makes his appearance... with enough skill and practice, you could beat him. Having the Boomerang with double or triple play was how I remember doing it.
@@sic6664 Well, what else can I tell you? The Boomerang with either double play or triple play worked for me, and it would also take out some of the scythes as well once they fully materialized and started moving towards you. But sure, use the Holy Water trick with double or triple play as shown on numerous videos all over the internet, if that 's what works for you.
Simon's Quest is a gem. I apprecciate the fact that someone loves it, and gives it the just importance it deserves. My top 3 is: 1 - Super Castlevania 4; 2 - Castlevania 2 Simon's Quest; 3 - Castlevania Aria of Sorrow. Thank you for the video!
1:24 "Simon Belmont, his back still seriously injured from the first fight with Dracula" Wait, what does the manual say? "the wounds inflicted during the duel slowly gnawed at your soul" As someone with chronic back pain... ok yeah "slowly gnawed at your soul" checks out.
I've always said that. Sure, the poor translation hurt it, but back in the day no one knew any better. I have always sang praise for this game. Hell, I never heard anyone talk badly about it until AVGN came around and then all of a sudden everyone had something bad to say about it.
While I agree with your nostalgic view on game manuals, I have been frustrated by many in my day that offer little to no help for actually playing the game. I'd much rather have to deal with in-game tutorials and hand holding these days.
That's a totally valid point. Some manuals were really, really helpful while others were hot garbage. For example the manuals for The Battle of Olympus and Faxanadu have excellent and super helpful manuals - and both of those games are kinda similar to Simon's Quest.
This is one of my favorite games ever. That soundtrack is permanently burned into my brain. The only thing that tripped me up and I needed help with was the Tornado. My uncle had Nintendo Power and he had the issue with Simon's Quest in it and I eventually broke down and just asked him if he knew what to do and he told me. But otherwise I managed to beat this game as a kid. I just played it on and off for months when it was released until I literally tried everything just like anyone who had Metroid did. A couple of years ago I played it on Halloween after not playing it for like 25 years and entirely from memory, with no guides or even re-reading the manual, I managed to beat the original NES version of the game in one sitting. This game is very much like Symphony of the Night in that once you've got this game down you've got it down for life and can just jump back in after any amount of time no problem.
Classic game! I forgot did the game at all hint at where to kneel in those 2 spots or was it basically unknown unless you called the Nintendo help line?
I'm glad there's a reconsideration about this game because I really did like it as a kid and yes, I did have the issue of Nintendo Power to help me along.
I actually got through it without Nintendo power by the simple fact that it was the only game I had for a year or so. You’d be surprised what you figure out by being stuck with it. I still remember the day I figured out how to use the stake.
This was the first Castlevania game I played and one of the first games I played when I got my NES. I got the game used with an NES from a pawn shop in the late 80's so I had no manual. It took me a long time to figure this game out lol
It would be really cool if in the rom hack version they worked also in each dracula's piece area to fought also a boss,because in this game this was one of the biggest absence from the franchise! Yeah it has those two or three enemies that you can think them as bosses but i cannot think of them as bossfights that much to be honest! As a whole as you saying they experimented those years to make something unique & timeless and who can blame them to tell you the truth.They also tried that out a little in that MSX version of the first game and it was also really confusing as well if i remember correctly!
If you’re going to farm for hearts, do so in a mansion. Time doesn’t pass while indoors, so you’ll have all time you need to farm and level up. Can’t gain anymore experience? Go to the next mansion. 🙂
8:21 For that false floors problem, I recommend the "Annoyance Fixes" rom hack by thempkes. Its IPS package includes a version designed to be applied on a rom that has already been patched with the Simon's Redaction hack.
Everybody always talks about how annoying it is to throw holy water every other step to check for fake blocks, but... when I played through this game as a kid, I didn't do that. I didn't have to, because the enemies made it clear where the fake blocks were. Although it wasn't the case everywhere, in JUST ABOUT every single spot in the mansions where there are fake blocks, there are skeletons walking back and forth that will turn around and start walking the other way when they get to a fake block... or there are those jumping slime things that will suddenly rise up right through a block. And if you stop to observe this behavior, you now know where all the fake blocks are in the area! Tossing holy water willy-nilly is a good failsafe, sure, and is of course something you'll want to do in empty houses, but in the mansions, you really don't ever need to -- just watch the enemies, and you'll be good to go!
Love this, been thinking about playing through, like you as kid, we totally didn’t understand everything going on with the game although I think we did have Nintendo Power, I saw it at my local game store, probably should have picked up
I was just revisiting this game myself! The funny thing about the Nintendo Power is that it's almost useless. It gives you some good hints, but only for a few places in the game. I was lucky enough to have been visited by Sathdresh on my Twitch stream and he gave me so much awesome technical background information into the game that he's learned from speedrunning it. Did you know that if you crouch and take damage on a floor that's only 1 block from the bottom of the screen, you'll likely glitch through the floor and die from falling into water that you can't even see? Also - ever notice that the Whip on the box/label art forms the number "2"?
I played this a few years ago for the first time and it was the first Castlevania I ever finished. I loved it. Even though I've played lots of other games from the series by now, this one's still my favourite.
The Villagers giving the Vampire Hunter "False Rumors or Bad Clues" are from the Hammer Horror Dracula and Vampire movies. The Villagers are afraid of repercussion or revenge from Dracula or a Vampire who lives nearby who would terrorize the villagers. The Villages would play dumb or give Prof. Van Helsing False Clues through out the Hammer Horror Vampire movies. It's part of the Vampire Hunter Genre. It's just annoying when your playing a game having to rely on information given to you to find stuff or complete a task game though. It didn't work and that's why many of us had to buy a Nintendo Power Magazine.
Oh for sure. The transition messages still pop up, it's just a lot faster. All of the text is a bit zippier just making it a little less tedious to get through messages.
@@FridayNightArcade Been trying it out alongside Greyfield’s False Floor & Breakable Block Replacer romhack (the subtle version), and it really does make a difference. I tried playing Simon’s Quest for the first time a year ago and got bogged down referring to a walkthrough whenever I got stuck and abandoned it, but it’s a lot more fun if you just have to be patient and observant.
It was a complete shock to me to see how much everyone seems to hate this game over the years on UA-cam. When I was a kid and this came out, it was the favorite game of everyone I knew (and me). Even meeting people in later years, most people always listed this as basically their favorite game on the NES. The soundtrack itself is my favorite game soundtrack ever lol. Glad you discovered it was a good game, brother!
RE: ROM Hacks - There's two pretty thorough books called Someone Set Us Up The ROM. Recommended if you just want to cut right to the awesome stuff like Extra Mario (Metroidish hack of Super Mario Bros 1) or Mario Adventure (a similar concept but with insane additions like weather effects for Super Mario Bos 3). Recommended reading for beginning a dive into ROM hacks.
I loved this game as a kid and I beat it many times. I will say my first time through I had an incredibly tough time with it. While the game pushes you on there's a point when it becomes cryptic bull...like kneeling in front of a wall waiting for a tornado to pick you up?! Should I trade my White Crystal for a Blue one? What does the Red Crystal do? I take Dracula's body parts where? Things like that gave me major issues and with no Nintendo Power I had to figure it all out.
I was 15 when this game came out. I was so excited about this game because I had just finished Castlevania 1. That game was soooo good. Then to go to kb toys, and see this game hanging on the tab behind the register....I was like 😲. Omg! There's a sequel?!. Couldn't wait to play this game. I got home, turned off all the lights, and popped this game in. I pretty much understood the game. I had a note pad, and took notes while I played. Sketched a map as needed. Then a few weeks later, Nintendo power #2 came in the mail. That got me through some of the initial parts where I got stuck when I started. But then I got stuck like everyone else at the stupid tornado 🌪️. So I had to call Nintendo power. And they told me what to do. For whatever reason it seems like a popular thing to bash this game. However, I think alot of the problems in the game was done on purpose. So that people would buy Nintendo power. And call the 1 900 $2 a min hotline. I mean when I called, they knew exactly what I was talking about. 🤔 "Oh! The wall? Sure. Just take the bla bla bla crystal 🔮 and kneel at the base of the cliff." I was all prepared to explain everything to them. Thinking that they had never heard my story before. So yea. I'm convinced alot of the problems in the game was put there on purpose. I'm mean it's been 33 years, and we are still talking about that damn 🌪️.
This game was victim of his time. When i get a Famicom (or FamiCLONE) always search for this sequel instead the first one, never have the luck. Fortunately, later with a computer learn about the emulation and the first thing than i do was search CV2 in roms pages, was very happy. By the way, exist a REVISION of Simon Quest made for windows, the gameplay was amplied, have new music, new enemies, new levels, but still is Simon Quest (sorry, but i post a link later of this post if anybody wanted or the Fvcking YT erase my message).
I agree, this game is way better than it gets credit for. I actually beat this back in the day, I think we actually owned it so we did get the manual and it helped a lot. I also had far more patience back then so some of the more obscure stuff I may have gotten via the "try everything" approach.
I actually enjoyed II more than I or III. I had an easier time playing it and enjoyed being free to explore. I had friends and we pooled our knowledge, if I remember right.
Even-handed and fair video, but this game will always be a "meh" for me. True, that is pry because I have no fond memories/nostalgia tied up with it like other games. This is one that I feel really sandbagged it's own potential for reasons you described well in the video. Regardless, it's awesome to hash it out in these videos and go back and try these games again. Rock on FNA!
People always get stuck at the cliff. But it's kind of a self intuitive game. Like the blue crystal. You kneel in front of the water and the path is revealed then you would know the cliff uses the red crystal and one of the townspeople gives you part of a clue. It's trial and error
If you really want to dig into the lore of Castlevania, please check out GamerThumbTV's Timeline Series:
ua-cam.com/video/bzElto3SNAQ/v-deo.html
Tell him FNA sent ya!
Already watched all his Castlevania videos, but I'll definitely pop over and tell him you sent me 😁
Hey thanks for sharing it!
Another fantastic Castlevania I played recently on my emulator is for the GBA called Castlevania Circle of the Moon. I’m an old school gamer who played the original on NES in the 80’s. Circle of the Moon is definitely one of the best in the franchise in my opinion. It’s basically Metroid in Castlevania clothes. Definitely worth your time to play through and review. Phenomenal soundtrack as well!
Thank you for the video
Indeed. I always wonder why this usually is everyone hated Castlevania. I freaking love this game from the music to the RPGness of it. I beat this recently and got the good ending.
Always happy to hear someone come around on this game. I also thought it was really lousy way back when, but I've come to appreciate it in recent years, mostly for the same reasons you very articulately stated
Same here! I traded Festers Quest for Simon's Quest from a neighbor when I was a kid. I remember loving the music but, never got far due to the criptic nature of the design. Would this be a precursor to Symphony Of The Night?
@@shawnkintz1538 Yes: Symphony of the Night is way inspired to Simon's Quest. Honestly, I prefer Simon's Quest rather than Symphony of the Night.
@@Belmont6830 only because you're in Simon's quest more than in symphony of the night.
@@Belmont6830 What a terrible night to be a pre curse-or to Symphony of the Night😂
still one of my all time favorite games! my brother ACCIDENTALLY found the tornado lol
I was very young when I played this and with my low level of english I remember figuring it out by myself too! That great got great when the Fire whip kicked in!
How did that happen? You have to be very deliberate to get the tornado.
Same - but I never figured out how I accidentally did it that one time and never could figure it out again. Even with the GameGenie I never beat the game because the puzzles were too cryptic for me.
I'm revisiting the game now myself, kinda funny that Friday Action Arcade is as well. It's honestly so much better (and easier, other than the puzzles) than I remember it being.
I don't know how, but my oldest brother found the tornado, and believe it or not, I myself ACCIDENTALLY found the Chris Houlihan room in Zelda LTTP 😂. I don't know how we randomly stumble upon these cryptic things but somehow we did lol.
Naw man that’s what literally everyone said “I found it by accident 😂 right me too!”
I loved this game. It had RPG elements. I remember finding the water mansion on accident and calling all the kids in my neighborhood over to show them. You were king for the day back then if you found out a puzzle that literally everyone was stuck on lol.
The earliest of times when I played this as a kid is when my parents were playing this game and when they got stuck, they handed the controller to me.
My folks didn't mind if I died since the worst part was just loosing all hearts. They also have the password as well.
There were a few times that I did figured things out, my parents immediately took the game back : /
So I wasn't King for a day, it was more like game over for me. lol
God I miss those days.
You mean the Rover Manor/Mansion, where you had to kneel with the blue crystal on the side of the lake, that actually raises it and allows you travel down towards the mansion entrance. You know there is a red cluebook that tells you this if you knock off a block on the ledge after exiting the cavern area and entering the woods where the spiders are.
What you said about manuals is right in the spot! I remember the trill I had reading the manual of a game I just rented or bought...not to mention, manuals had an artistic quality (as gameboxes) that is lost in this modern times.
Nothing comes with a manual anymore. Not even as much as a .pdf or help file. It's just straight into the game. With MAYBE a little tutorial with some of them. It's a good thing the options menu on (most) games have a detailed controller layout of all the buttons. Because that mess can get confusing..especially with Just Cause 4....
Your rented games came with a manual? Wow. You must've grew up with some well behaved kids lol.
It should be mentioned that the game does feature 3 different endings, depending on how many in-game days it takes you to complete it. The "good" ending is achieved if you can finish it within 7 day/night cycles, the "normal" ending is achieved if you finish it in 8 to 14 day/night cycles, and you'll get the "bad" ending if you finish it in 15 days or longer. A good tactic to use if you want to save time, is to farm for hearts within the mansions as the in-game clock actually pauses while you're navigating your way through one of those places.
Games like Castlevania II and The Legend of Zelda have taught me that sleeping on the NES because its an older system is a crime. Some of its games still hold up pretty well!
Pro tip: do all of your hearts grinding inside of the mansions. Time passes outside, but it does not pass inside the mansions.
This will allow you to get ample hearts but not get the worst ending by wasting all of your time
Great advice man! Love this game!
i always loved this game and never understood the hate. was one of my best christmases ever as a kid. i was 10
I too cannot understand why people affirm this game is bad... It is a true open world with towns, forests, lakes, caves, marshes, graveyards, etc etc..... There are also hints given by books you find by throwing Holy Water on certain walls. The atmosphere is definitely gothic.
What more can I say... I ADORE THIS GEM. ❤
I like how the manual actually tells you that some townspeople will give you false information since they are pranksters......
Dracula is about to come back to life to wipe out all of human kind and the villagers talking to Simon are like "it's just a prank bro."
Kinda puts Drac's actions in the Netflix show into perspective, don't it?
@@GamerThumbTV kinda like real life sadly
Man I LOVED the idea of the different whips. Even today, "thorn whip" sounds unique and awesome. They couldn't really do too much in terms of damage dealt visually, but it's cool. Heart farming was what threw me off on these games.
Great look at the series. I love the way you explained just how tough it was with a blind rental based on the sticker of a cartridge, and how inhibiting it was to have no resources.
I need to play the patched version. They added some major quality of life improvements.
At 3:29, all I can think of is "I terrify them, Sypha disorients them, Alucard goes over the top and we support him.". Best scene making the best use of the iconic theme.
I still remember at school on recess talking to kids on what to do in this game. Nobody knew what the heck was going on in the game.
Oh man, the legendary recess and school bus game discussions. I still remember how excited I would be getting to listen to other kids adventures and sometimes lies lol.
Excellent take on what has always been my favorite 8-bit Castlevania. I love them all but Simon's Quest was my favorite even in the 80s for how big and expansive it felt. Always nice to see it get some love.
Dude, I'm glad to see that you FINALLY came to your senses about this game! Such an AWESOME game!
Castlevania 2 is way better than Symphony of the Night, in my humble opinion.
I've always loved this game, ever since I was a little kid. My neighbors knew where to go and helped me get through it my first time. Been a fan from day one and is still one of my favorite Castlevania games. I love the soundtrack as well, learned most of it on guitar.
Utterly underrated gem.
This one and Super Castlevania 4 are my personal favourites.
Everyone was wrong about Castlevania 2. Easily one of the coolest.
But I liked the game... was I wrong? 😜
A very early platformer game that was open world and had night/day cycles. Yeah, I agree, It was definitely the coolest game for its time.
You nailed it in the end that's exactly what we did as soon as you start leaving the parking lot read that book if for no other reason than you get some cool pictures and story to read
Yes. You TEAR into that box. Biggest mistake I repeatedly made.
Yeap -- :(
I have NONE of my original boxes. NONE. I don't even think they hit my kitchen counter. They were immediately thrown out by me.
@@danmanx2 Dang. I kept them all but eventually they didn't survive a move, sadly.
I owned this game as a kid an played it hundreds of times an never knew about the tornado. But was never upset about it an just enjoyed playing it an to this day love the soundtrack like no other!
Cool review. I was one of those that loved this one as a kid. I never got very far, but I rented it over and over just to soak in the creepy atmosphere of the game and the awesome tuneage. I loved wandering around the open world and killing stuff and getting into trouble.
Game was ahead of its time for sure. Translation was the main problem, fortunately there are romhacks like the one you mentioned that address that now and make it playable without the need of guides.
This game initially frustrated me as a kid but once I got some info, I forget from who or where, and started to really love it and played it all the way to the end.
It kinda blew my mind that I went from not knowing what to do to finishing it.
I think this series really impressed me as a kid because as an adult in 2016 I went to Transylvania and listened to some of my favorite songs from these games.
This is THE game of my childhood. Still love it a lot ❤️
Plenty of games have been smeared because of confusion but its always great to give "bad" games another shot!
I've always liked this game. I beat it many years ago and play it off and on ever since. I was originally typing this as I watched the video, and I was about to reference Symphony of the Night when you mentioned it. I've often referred to the sequels of 1988/9 myself and it is nice to see somebody else say instead of simply crapping all over the Castlevania and Zelda sequels for the NES.
It was so cryptic younger me could only clear the first mansion. I wandered aimlessly for years never knowing what to do.
I always loved playing this as a kid, next to Zelda, Metal Mech, Super Mario Bros. 2, plus many others.
Also to note, this would be one of the first open world games with night/day cycles that I've ever played on a game console.
As a kid this one was my favorite and only Castlevania I beat on the nes growing up
Growing up as a kid, I had the VHS walkthrough. it had how to beet this and 2 other games on it. I had a few of those tapes. It gave me hints on TMNT, this, Metal Gear, Skate or Die, a few others. Didn't help me survive them. I think tapes may have also had Blaster Master, Fester's quest and jaws. Don't remember.
I did like this game however. I don't like it when Castlevania games started giving me ONE weapon at random from a candle and if I died or replaced it that weapon was gone and I had to refinde it. I hate linear games and I stayed away from the future parts of the series since they got bad reviews or removed the whip. So I got out of the series after part 3 which was also good.
Game booklets were nice to have. they had lore and art and hints. Tutorials tend to teach us things we already know. But what I see a lot in games is people playing with out reading and getting stuck. Can't tell you how many times Ive seen people beat LttP with OUT fairies because they got bottles and NEVER got the Net because they refused to talk to NPCs and thought catching a fairy meant just swinging the bottle at the fairy. In the mean time I played threw the 1st half of OOT with out fairies because I was looking for the net and never tried to swing a bottle at them.
reading is important. but we also don't need to be reminded every time we walk near a door. "press A to open the door"
Gamers are weird people if a game makes a franchise and never does any thing new they complain that all the games are the same and never try any thing new . if a game is completely changed they complain that it is too confusing and has none of what made the old game great.
if the game has too much from the old one they call it nostalgia baiting and pandering to the fans.
if it ignores what the fans want they sit around missing characters and items and wishing they had them back.
you all need to shut up and enjoy that you have a game. if a game is too hard, get good, if its too easy its because you got too good. At least some game try. and be glad when they take there time to come out. it means they are taking time to do it right. no one wants a rushed game that cut corners.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon Tutorial pretty much sums up how I feel on tutorial modes on modern games. lol
I do miss the old dedicated manuals like in the NES, and SNES days. I also used them as source reference material when it came to my early artwork drawings.
Games were free to figure out without tutorials cluttering up early gameplay. If something didn't make sense, check the manual. It's that simple. If the struggle gets too real, get a strategy guide. Nowdays, it's simple just to find info on the net or via youtube.
I do like when games have a menu option(s) to toggle the tutorial stuff/ hints. That is nice.
You talking about looking at the manual on the way home from buying a game.
(closes eyes and falls into nostalgia, remembering the good old days)
Agreed. I'm 38 and just revisited the game earlier this year after leaving it for about 30 years. It's good, fun, esoteric, slightly incomplete but worth your time if you want to experience what the developers intended.
Getting chased by three flying eyeballs with one health left.
Yeah, I've been there...
Looking forward to playing this one again! Sounds like a lot of people are coming around to the fact that it's not such a horrible night to be cursed after all.
I was a huge fan of the original Castlevania. I got Simon's Quest with my NES for Christmas in 1988 and played this game everyday until I finally beat it. I still play through this game every year or so.
Simons Quest battles the original game for my favorite game of all time. They both basically share that spotlight.
I look at this game like trying to solve a mystery in another language, which gives it an authentic feel in my eyes. Even using Nintendo Power felt less like spoiling secrets and more like translating things to just make sense
This was my first Castlevania. I got stuck where you had to kneel in the cemetery. Other than that, I love this game and still cherish it to this day!
The NES does have a nice slew of early hits that received sequels that were completely different from their predecessors. I’d argue that could be due to the relative age of the video game industry back then. How many sequels did 2600 titles have? The idea of games with 8 whole bits of data(!) completely changed the games at home environment. Gone were the arcade ports, and original story lines had to be made. Necessitating the need for “sequels.”
It’s a fascinating topic.
I was also like 7 when I played this game as a kid and I was able to figure everything out without a guide, except for the red crystal thing, I heard that from a school friend, but everything else I figured out myself... and I didn’t even speak English by the time! I remember I had a Spanish-English dictionary by my side while playing this game. I loved it back then and I love it now
I’ve always loved this game, even back when it released. It was a bit shady that they made you rely on the Nintendo Power issue to progress (I was fortunate enough to have a subscription at the time), but aside from that, I always loved this game’s vibe. The combat felt great, the graphics and music were amazing, and it had this eerie sense of mystery to it that I don’t think the other games had. Great video! Thanks for starting off my weekend right 😀
Soundtrack was awesome.
this was my favorite castlevania... just ordered it for my ps4
As ever, the study of ancient tomes illuminates what mere experience cannot.
This was my first game (not including Mario/Duck Hunt) I got as a kid. I remember watching a Saturday morning show that provided the passwords to get all the items. About a year after that, I wanted to best it straight up but couldn't figure out how to get to some of the mansions. I wrote Nintendo Power a letter. Got a response (I still have the letter) and I was finally able to beat the game without passwords. I really like this Simon's Quest and always have. Even when I couldn't beat it without the help of passwords, I enjoyed playing it. It has cool items and fun areas to get through. The soundtrack is amazing. I actually bought the vinyl of it and that is the only game soundtrack I own. I fire this up still to this day here and there. Thanks for the video.
'80s games were such simpler times.
The Famicom Disk System version of this sounds fantastic. The digital audio percussion doesn't pop, either.
It's always interesting to see how with just a few minor fixes many people do agree this is a solid title worthy of being appreciated.
And yeah, Bloody Tears rocks.
The only part that I couldn't figure out as a kid when it first came out was ha ing to go to a certain spot and kneel down for a few seconds to be taken away by the tornado. I'd have never figured that out on my own.
I've always loved this game! I do have to admit, that my buddies and I did have a lot of help from tip guides though. There is absolutely no way we would've been able to finish this game without those guides, so I definitely understand the frustration, as well.
Thanks for this video. It really brought me back to cherished times. All the traits everyone bitches about this game never mattered to me. I just loved exploring and discovering. Such simpler times.
I love how so many people loathed this game so much back in the day and then later on have a different view. This has been and will always be my favorite Castlevania game in the series.
Fond memories of this game. Playing with my dad who's never been into video games but liked Castlevania 1 and 2. Trying to interpret the clues and figure out where to go. We never beat the game but it's one of our few bonding moments.
Castlevania 1 was just a linear platformer though... it didn't need any figuring out of where to go. You just had to have the skills and knowhow to get through each level.
@@alakbar7870 We sure didn't have the knowhow to beat the Grim Reaper back then.
@@sic6664 Yeah, the Grim Reaper in Castlevania 1 was a tough boss fight. But even if you didn't use that cheap trick of the Holy Water with "triple play" or ("triple shot" as some like to call it) to get at him right when he makes his appearance... with enough skill and practice, you could beat him. Having the Boomerang with double or triple play was how I remember doing it.
@@alakbar7870 We couldn't do it back then. The amount of scythes is just too much. I don't think I can beat him even today without Holy water.
@@sic6664 Well, what else can I tell you? The Boomerang with either double play or triple play worked for me, and it would also take out some of the scythes as well once they fully materialized and started moving towards you. But sure, use the Holy Water trick with double or triple play as shown on numerous videos all over the internet, if that 's what works for you.
I love how u use Dracula’s end music as ur background .. it’s rare u here it that long and it’s great ! Another great review !! Keep em coming
Simon's Quest is a gem. I apprecciate the fact that someone loves it, and gives it the just importance it deserves.
My top 3 is:
1 - Super Castlevania 4;
2 - Castlevania 2 Simon's Quest;
3 - Castlevania Aria of Sorrow.
Thank you for the video!
1:24 "Simon Belmont, his back still seriously injured from the first fight with Dracula"
Wait, what does the manual say? "the wounds inflicted during the duel slowly gnawed at your soul"
As someone with chronic back pain... ok yeah "slowly gnawed at your soul" checks out.
This game is pretty underrated and honestly a head of it's time considering this is how the modern castlevania games played.
I've always said that. Sure, the poor translation hurt it, but back in the day no one knew any better. I have always sang praise for this game. Hell, I never heard anyone talk badly about it until AVGN came around and then all of a sudden everyone had something bad to say about it.
You called it all the way down to the game the Pepsi and the Doritos here dude.
While I agree with your nostalgic view on game manuals, I have been frustrated by many in my day that offer little to no help for actually playing the game. I'd much rather have to deal with in-game tutorials and hand holding these days.
That's a totally valid point. Some manuals were really, really helpful while others were hot garbage. For example the manuals for The Battle of Olympus and Faxanadu have excellent and super helpful manuals - and both of those games are kinda similar to Simon's Quest.
This is one of my favorite games ever. That soundtrack is permanently burned into my brain. The only thing that tripped me up and I needed help with was the Tornado. My uncle had Nintendo Power and he had the issue with Simon's Quest in it and I eventually broke down and just asked him if he knew what to do and he told me. But otherwise I managed to beat this game as a kid. I just played it on and off for months when it was released until I literally tried everything just like anyone who had Metroid did. A couple of years ago I played it on Halloween after not playing it for like 25 years and entirely from memory, with no guides or even re-reading the manual, I managed to beat the original NES version of the game in one sitting. This game is very much like Symphony of the Night in that once you've got this game down you've got it down for life and can just jump back in after any amount of time no problem.
Classic game! I forgot did the game at all hint at where to kneel in those 2 spots or was it basically unknown unless you called the Nintendo help line?
So basically this entry in the Castlevania genre is not only a metroidvania but a souls like game
This game is so amazing
I really like your channel such nostalgia ! Thanks ! Keep up the good work 🔥
Thank you for the kind words, Deen.
I'm glad there's a reconsideration about this game because I really did like it as a kid and yes, I did have the issue of Nintendo Power to help me along.
I actually got through it without Nintendo power by the simple fact that it was the only game I had for a year or so. You’d be surprised what you figure out by being stuck with it. I still remember the day I figured out how to use the stake.
This was the first Castlevania game I played and one of the first games I played when I got my NES. I got the game used with an NES from a pawn shop in the late 80's so I had no manual. It took me a long time to figure this game out lol
It would be really cool if in the rom hack version they worked also in each dracula's piece area to fought also a boss,because in this game this was one of the biggest absence from the franchise! Yeah it has those two or three enemies that you can think them as bosses but i cannot think of them as bossfights that much to be honest! As a whole as you saying they experimented those years to make something unique & timeless and who can blame them to tell you the truth.They also tried that out a little in that MSX version of the first game and it was also really confusing as well if i remember correctly!
It’s Friday!
This appears to be for the Castlevania fan who has lots & lots of patience!
If you’re going to farm for hearts, do so in a mansion. Time doesn’t pass while indoors, so you’ll have all time you need to farm and level up.
Can’t gain anymore experience? Go to the next mansion. 🙂
Truth although at the very beginning you'll have to farm for a bit in the woods just so you get everything you need from the first town.
@@FridayNightArcade I skip the thorn whip. It’s not needed. The holy water and white crystal are mandatory.
Doritos and Pepsi on a Friday...good combo.
8:21 For that false floors problem, I recommend the "Annoyance Fixes" rom hack by thempkes. Its IPS package includes a version designed to be applied on a rom that has already been patched with the Simon's Redaction hack.
Thanks for the tip - I'll have to look into that. Yeah it's just a QOL thing. You can use the Holy Water but man that gets old after awhile lol.
Bloody. Tears.
I figured this game out as a teen back in 1990... no extra help.
Yeah, I was like 7 when I rented it.
The Famicom Disk System seems to have more clues within it. Better music, as well.
Everybody always talks about how annoying it is to throw holy water every other step to check for fake blocks, but... when I played through this game as a kid, I didn't do that. I didn't have to, because the enemies made it clear where the fake blocks were. Although it wasn't the case everywhere, in JUST ABOUT every single spot in the mansions where there are fake blocks, there are skeletons walking back and forth that will turn around and start walking the other way when they get to a fake block... or there are those jumping slime things that will suddenly rise up right through a block. And if you stop to observe this behavior, you now know where all the fake blocks are in the area!
Tossing holy water willy-nilly is a good failsafe, sure, and is of course something you'll want to do in empty houses, but in the mansions, you really don't ever need to -- just watch the enemies, and you'll be good to go!
Simon's Quest laid out the blueprint for the Castlevania series 🔪💦✝
Love this, been thinking about playing through, like you as kid, we totally didn’t understand everything going on with the game although I think we did have Nintendo Power, I saw it at my local game store, probably should have picked up
I was just revisiting this game myself! The funny thing about the Nintendo Power is that it's almost useless. It gives you some good hints, but only for a few places in the game. I was lucky enough to have been visited by Sathdresh on my Twitch stream and he gave me so much awesome technical background information into the game that he's learned from speedrunning it.
Did you know that if you crouch and take damage on a floor that's only 1 block from the bottom of the screen, you'll likely glitch through the floor and die from falling into water that you can't even see?
Also - ever notice that the Whip on the box/label art forms the number "2"?
I played this a few years ago for the first time and it was the first Castlevania I ever finished. I loved it. Even though I've played lots of other games from the series by now, this one's still my favourite.
I listen to this soundtrack like its an album. So good
There's some frozen pizzas that's better than Little Caesars like Red Baron
The Villagers giving the Vampire Hunter "False Rumors or Bad Clues" are from the Hammer Horror Dracula and Vampire movies. The Villagers are afraid of repercussion or revenge from Dracula or a Vampire who lives nearby who would terrorize the villagers. The Villages would play dumb or give Prof. Van Helsing False Clues through out the Hammer Horror Vampire movies. It's part of the Vampire Hunter Genre.
It's just annoying when your playing a game having to rely on information given to you to find stuff or complete a task game though. It didn't work and that's why many of us had to buy a Nintendo Power Magazine.
Almost totally agree... except Mountain Dew and Fritos lol
Does this romhack at least leave the “what a horrible night to have a curse” line intact? I mean that’s classic.
Oh for sure. The transition messages still pop up, it's just a lot faster. All of the text is a bit zippier just making it a little less tedious to get through messages.
@@FridayNightArcade
Been trying it out alongside Greyfield’s False Floor & Breakable Block Replacer romhack (the subtle version), and it really does make a difference. I tried playing Simon’s Quest for the first time a year ago and got bogged down referring to a walkthrough whenever I got stuck and abandoned it, but it’s a lot more fun if you just have to be patient and observant.
It was a complete shock to me to see how much everyone seems to hate this game over the years on UA-cam. When I was a kid and this came out, it was the favorite game of everyone I knew (and me). Even meeting people in later years, most people always listed this as basically their favorite game on the NES. The soundtrack itself is my favorite game soundtrack ever lol. Glad you discovered it was a good game, brother!
RE: ROM Hacks - There's two pretty thorough books called Someone Set Us Up The ROM. Recommended if you just want to cut right to the awesome stuff like Extra Mario (Metroidish hack of Super Mario Bros 1) or Mario Adventure (a similar concept but with insane additions like weather effects for Super Mario Bos 3).
Recommended reading for beginning a dive into ROM hacks.
THANK YOU! I have been defending this game forever
Five dollar box with subpar Pizza it's a shame how Little Caesars had fallen
Wrong! Incorrect! Nope! Its MOUNTAIN DEW with your Doritos. Everybody know that! Glad to see ya back man.
🤣
I loved this game as a kid and I beat it many times. I will say my first time through I had an incredibly tough time with it. While the game pushes you on there's a point when it becomes cryptic bull...like kneeling in front of a wall waiting for a tornado to pick you up?! Should I trade my White Crystal for a Blue one? What does the Red Crystal do? I take Dracula's body parts where? Things like that gave me major issues and with no Nintendo Power I had to figure it all out.
I was 15 when this game came out.
I was so excited about this game because I had just finished Castlevania 1. That game was soooo good. Then to go to kb toys, and see this game hanging on the tab behind the register....I was like 😲. Omg! There's a sequel?!.
Couldn't wait to play this game. I got home, turned off all the lights, and popped this game in.
I pretty much understood the game. I had a note pad, and took notes while I played. Sketched a map as needed.
Then a few weeks later, Nintendo power #2 came in the mail. That got me through some of the initial parts where I got stuck when I started.
But then I got stuck like everyone else at the stupid tornado 🌪️.
So I had to call Nintendo power. And they told me what to do.
For whatever reason it seems like a popular thing to bash this game.
However, I think alot of the problems in the game was done on purpose. So that people would buy Nintendo power. And call the 1 900 $2 a min hotline.
I mean when I called, they knew exactly what I was talking about. 🤔
"Oh! The wall? Sure. Just take the bla bla bla crystal 🔮 and kneel at the base of the cliff."
I was all prepared to explain everything to them. Thinking that they had never heard my story before.
So yea. I'm convinced alot of the problems in the game was put there on purpose.
I'm mean it's been 33 years, and we are still talking about that damn 🌪️.
This game was victim of his time. When i get a Famicom (or FamiCLONE) always search for this sequel instead the first one, never have the luck. Fortunately, later with a computer learn about the emulation and the first thing than i do was search CV2 in roms pages, was very happy.
By the way, exist a REVISION of Simon Quest made for windows, the gameplay was amplied, have new music, new enemies, new levels, but still is Simon Quest (sorry, but i post a link later of this post if anybody wanted or the Fvcking YT erase my message).
I agree, this game is way better than it gets credit for. I actually beat this back in the day, I think we actually owned it so we did get the manual and it helped a lot. I also had far more patience back then so some of the more obscure stuff I may have gotten via the "try everything" approach.
I actually enjoyed II more than I or III. I had an easier time playing it and enjoyed being free to explore. I had friends and we pooled our knowledge, if I remember right.
Pepsi?!
I hardly drink soda at all but yeah as a kid, I was Pepsi all the way lol
Even-handed and fair video, but this game will always be a "meh" for me. True, that is pry because I have no fond memories/nostalgia tied up with it like other games. This is one that I feel really sandbagged it's own potential for reasons you described well in the video. Regardless, it's awesome to hash it out in these videos and go back and try these games again. Rock on FNA!
People always get stuck at the cliff. But it's kind of a self intuitive game. Like the blue crystal. You kneel in front of the water and the path is revealed then you would know the cliff uses the red crystal and one of the townspeople gives you part of a clue. It's trial and error