Super Castlevania IV 4 [Super Nintendo SNES Cartridge]

by Nintendo

Product Features

• castlevania
• super nintendo

Product Details

• ASIN: B000HFGKN4
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: 1991
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,929 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

super castlevania IV 4 for super nintendo

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars gotta play this great game, December 3, 2009

By 

B. E Jackson (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Super Castlevania IV 4 [Super Nintendo SNES Cartridge] (Video Game)

Let me mention some things about Super Castlevania IV that jumped out to me while playing the game.

The graphics are pretty dated by this point (what's it been? 18 years since this game came out?). Yeah, the graphics are definitely dated and obviously weak-looking by todays standards. That's not really a problem of course!

The music is mind-blowingly terrific, catchy, and absolutely fitting for each of the stages and environments. In a few cases I was even totally shocked. It's simply much better than many of the themes from any given Mario or Zelda game from the same time period, and that's TRULY saying something isn't it?

Like most people, I always thought Symphony of the Night had a really good orchestral soundtrack, but for a game that came out in 1991, Super Castlevania IV comes mighty close in a few levels of MATCHING the spectacular music featured in SOTN. I was absolutely stunned in a couple of the stages over the sheer brilliance of each note keeping me completely interested in hearing more.

The play control is actually not that bad. Certainly an improvement compared to the NES Castlevania games, Simon moves around accurately and comfortably enough for any player to eventually adjust to it. Of course his movements aren't NEARLY as smooth as, say, Alucard from Symphony of the Night. Good enough that with some practice, you'll be able to pull off walking and whipping like it's perfectly natural.

The grapple feature works exactly the same way here as it does in Super Metroid, except in this game, in some areas you absolutely HAVE to grapple through certain areas. The momentum and build-up to swing freely and with precision and everything else about the grapple is exactly the same in both games. For some reason though, I find it easier to pull off the move with Simon. Doing the grapple move in Super Metroid sometimes doesn't work the way you'd like it to for whatever reason. Never figured out why.

Some people criticize the game because of its length. It's supposedly a short game for many people. Not to me it isn't! It takes me a couple hours to reach the final stage.

Of course, that brings me to my next point- the difficulty. That's one reason WHY the game is so long, because you die frequently.

Castlevania veterans will find the game easier than most- meanwhile Mario and Metroid fans like myself find the challenge in Super Castlevania IV overall VERY hard. Dying repeatedly is something you can fully expect, mainly because there's some areas where the amount of enemies that appear on screen can be overwhelming, and Konami apparently had this idea in mind while making the game to PUT said enemies in tricky spots throughout the game, where it's not always so easy as just repeatedly smacking them with the whip. Sometimes when it gets a little too hot in the kitchen, you might have to ask yourself which enemy you'd rather take out first, so the other one doesn't pose a problem. A little strategy involved here. I like it.

The password system is great. You have to write down 3 different shapes (heart, dagger, or potion) and put them in a certain order that occupies 16 slots. Also make sure you write down the name you chose for your character. It's easy. Nothing like, say, the original Metroid's password system, haha.

Also, just so you know- this isn't the kind of game where you are free to explore everywhere. Nope, the game consists of 10 or 11 levels with a boss fight at the very end of each one, however in my opinion most of these are definitely LONG levels that make the game feel much bigger overall. However, I will admit I still prefer the "free to explore everywhere" style that the Castlevania series is now better known for.

Anyway, the VARIETY of enemies you will see in the game is absolutely fantastic. More variety than I was honestly expecting, by FAR. Every creature that stands before you is quite distinct in appearance, and was responsible for influening the way they look today, thanks to games like Symphony of the Night. It's like this game was just the stepping stone for the creation of the bad guys, and over time as better technology became available Konami was able to make them how they originally wanted.

The boss fights are honestly better than the ones in Symphony of the Night. Seriously, they're really impressive looking, and their level of difficulty is a significant increase compared to the bad guys you encounter throughout the regular levels.

I'm surprised how much ground the whip covers. It seriously extends REALLY far! Enough distance that it should be considered cheating! However later on in the game when the challenge goes up, you'll be grateful for that extended whip. Every time you die you lose your whip extention (along with your hearts) but all you have to do is smack a few candles and you should be good to go again.

Also, I feel REALLY embarrassed how many times bats actually hit me, haha. Bats should never be a problem to take out, but in this game they most certainly are!

Well, the Super Nintendo needed a Castlevania game, and thankfully Konami delivered with a masterpiece real early in the consoles young life. Super Castlevania IV is just a terrific way to carry on the legacy that is the classic side-scroller Castlevania franchise. A game everyone should have fond memories of after their first playthrough.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good challenge; a must-have for Castlevania fans, June 8, 2011

By 

Cory K. Crawford "shadowgmrlrd9" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

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This review is from: Super Castlevania IV 4 [Super Nintendo SNES Cartridge] (Video Game)

Anyone who loved the original for NES will love this even more so. Extremely fluent controls, good graphics and satisfying gameplay. A bit challenging, but that can be a good thing.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crack of the whip..., November 12, 2007

By 

Kevin Michael Siver (Kenosha, WI.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Super Castlevania IV 4 [Super Nintendo SNES Cartridge] (Video Game)

When Nintendo produced the SNES console, gamers knew that Konami would have to deliver a lot of great titles as they did on the NES. At the forefront of that charge was Castlevania IV (or Super Castlevania IV). This game would have to be simply fantastic to surpass its previous entries on the NES, fantastic...was an understatement. C4 utilized everything that made the SNES excel over its contemporaries; my favorite ability was that of Belmont's whip. You could control the whip more by holding the attack button and moving the d-pad, this was mostly because there was a new ability that separated the game from its NES counterparts; you could grab hooks and swing with the whip. This was big because at a certain part in the game it would move the story forward and was the key in defeating a certain "floating skull" that had a name that nobody could pronounce, rofl.

Of course in order for a game to truly be perfect, it must have an adequate soundtrack that invokes a feeling that allows the player to connect the specific moments in the game, C4 didn't disappoint. To this day it's one of my most favored soundtracks of all, even up there with the works of the great Motoi Sakuraba, Nobuo Uematsu, and Hiroki Kikuta. I also thought it was great that it included the opening stage themes from the first three games on the NES, just check the options and start playing the songs, there's a lot to be heard.

This game was very integral in pushing this franchise forward and it did this incredibly well as it shows today. Please buy this game, you won't regret it one bit.