Customer Reviews

Super Castlevania IV 4 [Super Nintendo SNES Cartridge]

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

As 16 Bit era platformers go, you can't go wrong with Super Castlevania 4. It carries over the same gameplay as its predecessors, with an improvement in the graphics department. And while many of the following Castlevanias use "battery back-up"/memory card, SC4 uses a grid-code for continuing on future playthroughs.

Fun like its predecessors and its sequels. Have enjoyed them all and wish they would come out on a system besides the DS.

This game was an incredible pioneer at a time when the gothic aspect of castlevania was not yet explored. The music conveys this experience well and to me is the greatest part of the game. I absolutely love the soundtracks in this game. To me, it will always be the best Castlevania.

If you own a Super Nintendo, you owe yourself to play this platform game. It is one of the most fun you will ever have on a game console. It is considered challenging by some but I found it to be not that hard. Right now Castlevania Symphony of the Night is going for a lot of money but you can do no wrong by picking this one up. The graphics is spectacular and the platforming and action is second-to-none.

This game is about a Vampire Hunter named Simon who hunts dracula
In this game: you must make your way to the castle fighting Monsters, Ghouls ,Ghosts ,the undead and yours truly Dracula! Aiding you in this Quest(or game whatever you like to call it) are various sub weapons and items such as a drumstick, knife,axe,holy water, and my personal favorite The Cross. This game like most early Castlevania games was difficult but still insanely fun

The Castlevania series is one of the most memorable franchises in the Nintendo library, and for good reason. It's developed by Konami, creators of some of the best video game franchises in history such as Contra, Metal Gear, and one of my all-time favorites, Silent Hill. Castlevania started on the NES and is still going strong today with releases on the Nintendo DS and Wii. The trilogy on the NES is great, with Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse being my favorite of the bunch. The games were a fresh change of pace with a more mature setting and story, dealing with all the monsters that scared the crap out of me as a kid. While the controls are stiff, the gameplay is fun, the graphics are good (for the 8-bit era), and the music is phenomenal. It couldn't get any better right? Wrong.

Enter Super Castlevania IV on the SNES. This game blew me away. I'm not kidding, I was speechless. Right from the get-go, my jaw dropped and stayed that way until I defeated Dracula. It took everything that worked so well on the NES and improved it, while ditching all the negative aspects.

Let's begin with the gameplay. The core aspects remain unchanged: fight through hordes of supernatural creatures in Gothic settings with a variety of weapons - nothing new. But it's the execution that makes Castlevania IV so spectacular. The most appealing thing is that everything remains fresh and fun no matter how far you progress into the game. Every level is unique and cleverly designed, with each subsequent stage continuing to impress. The familiar enemies from the NES trilogy return in addition to tons of new wildly designed enemies, the most memorable of which are these green bat-like demons from the river area in Stage 3.

The flawless controls are what elevate the game from great to incredible. The rigid controls from the NES version are long gone. Now the controls are fluid and intuitive, making Simon effortless to control. A new feature is the ability to whip in 8 different directions, which makes attacking and defending a breeze. You can even spin the whip in a circular motion around you, essentially creating a shield. It causes less damage but is effective against smaller enemies. You can also control your jump in midair, to an extent. This makes dodging those damn pesky bats much simpler. Using your special weapon is also easier, utilizing the R button instead of Up+Attack. All the power-ups return including my favorite, the cross boomerang.

The graphics are, simply put, breathtaking. Being one of the first SNES games to be released in December 1991, I had never seen anything like it. The vibrant colors and quasi-3D perspectives were a sight to behold, even for the 16-bit era. Nearly every color is used at some point, from the neon green snakes of Medusa's hair to the bright purple zombie hands clawing their way out of their shallow graves. The attention to detail is remarkable, especially on the backgrounds and some of the enemies. The graphics give the game a dark Gothic feel, but slightly less so than its predecessors. This isn't a bad thing though because, as I said, it keeps the gameplay fresh.

The music is absolutely magnificent. It really immerses you deep within the game's atmosphere, making the entire experience all the more thrilling. It uses 16-bit renditions of the music from the NES games, but also includes brand new music that has since become etched into my memory. I own the CD soundtrack - it's that damn good! The sound effects themselves are excellent too. The whip sounds great and the most of the enemies all have their own special sounds. The environmental sounds also compliment the in-game music nicely.

I have nothing bad to say about Castlevania IV. It rightfully belongs in that small pantheon of games that made perfect transitions to the SNES and are (arguably) better in every way. These include Super Mario World, Contra III, Super Metroid, A Link To The Past, and Turtles In Time. I personally find it very reminiscent of Contra III because I played the hell out of both games in my youth and still play them today.

Long story short: Castlevania IV is the best game in the entire series, one of the best fourth generation games, and my all-time favorite SNES game.

In the fall of 1991, a few months after the Super NES made its debut, Konami began its full fledged support with Gradius III and the classic gem, Super Castlevania IV. Finally, after players romped through the excellent Castlevania III for the NES, the Castlevania series swung to the SNES in classic form but upgraded with 16 bit graphics, music and sounds that took advantage of the strengths of the new console. Many players had regarded this particular Castlevania title as one of the best in the series. Read on to find out why.

Players take control of Simon Belmont, whose family were comprised of legendary vampire hunters who protected their land from all evil, particularly Dracula. When Dracula rose from the grave again to spread his evil, Simon takes off to find and destroy him. His journey takes him through 11 stages filled with enemies, traps and boss characters atop various backgrounds and scenery. Armed with a whip that you can strike in eight directions and can swing from "door handle" hooks, you'll use your main weapon throughout the entire game. Along the way, you can pick up sub weapons such as boomerangs, daggers, holy water and axes as well as hearts (weapon ammo), money bags (points)and turkey legs & pork chops (health power ups.) A password system lets you write down a password to continue your game later on but the game gives it to you only at the continue screen.

The PROS: Never mind that the bump in graphics and sounds from Castlevania III was obvious, but everything blends well. It's a blast to play thanks to the crisp and gorgeous graphics featuring cool special effects, the spot on controls, brand new music plus remixed music from previous Castlevania games, a huge variety of enemies and bosses and a difficulty curve that rises as you get further into the game that doesn't overwhelm you. And when you beat the game the first time, you automatically start over where the enemies move faster, take more hits while you take more damage and the clock runs down faster. Top it off with a password system that is easy to use and you got a great Castlevania game that showcases what you can do on the Super NES.

The CONS: the only, minor flaw I can say is that the game is short compared to the last game on the NES. While Super Castlevania IV featured 11 stages, Castlevania III had a whopping 17 plus stages and was considerably much, much harder to complete.

While Super Castlevania IV won't challenge you like the previous games in the series, it was and still is fun to watch and play. Konami went all out to show just how good it can be and they exceeded everyone's expectations. To those who missed the chance to play this particular entry, you'll be paying a pretty penny to buy this brand new. Either get a used copy if you have a working SNES or if you own a Wii, you can download this game from their Virtual Console service for 800 points ($8.00.) It's a great deal considering what you would pay for the cartridge. Don't wait any longer; if you haven't played this masterpiece, do so ASAP. I highly recommend this game.