There are games that over time age prematurely, becoming obsolete or simply lack of interest in reviving it by the players, however, there is the other side of the coin, where we can find very old titles, which are still an excellent alternative, one of them was made by Konami more than 36 years ago, the fabulous Castlevania.
Every player should know this fabulous title of yesteryear, due to so many reasons that make it one of the best classics, but not everything is rosy when we talk about the first Castlevania, since behind that fantasy world there is one of the most relevant difficulties in the library of games for the NES, however, with a little practice and due attention to the movements of our enemies, it can be completed in a short time.
For the development and creation of Castlevania many medieval stories, movies and famous books were taken into account, something that we can clearly appreciate in the different enemies that we find in the game, as well as in the huge castle which we must go through.
As an example we can see the terrifying flea men, the head of Medusa, the scary Frankenstein or Dracula himself, this represents a small percentage of the things we will find in this tiny cartridge.
As mentioned above, we must go through Dracula's great castle, something that can be clearly seen every time we enter a new level, since the game offers us a linear map of the area where we must pass. We will find a total of 6 levels, each of them formed by 3 sublevels.
Following the order of the levels we will go through the main corridor of the castle, the northwest area, the way to the rooftops, the southwest area, the east area and finally Dracula's chambers. In each of them we will find a very original design that differentiates it from the previous ones, this makes each new level a unique visual experience.
A game can be visually pleasing, but, if it does not have good gameplay, it can be quite tedious for the player, however, this is not the case with Castlevania. Despite its technical limitations, this game has excellent controls, taking full advantage of the possible combinations of the NES controller.
We have the basic movements, including moving in various directions, jumping and attacking, this last aspect is very peculiar, because our weapon is a whip, which we can increase its level of attack and distance when we find certain items, these are usually very easy to get and we find them in the first minutes of the game.
We have the option to use several secondary weapons, which are very vital in certain moments of the game, to find them we must knock down the candelabra, these can throw us a clock that paralyzes time for a few seconds, a dagger, a small axe, a bottle with holy water or a cross, all these have a different way to use it against enemies.
The only detail that represents a tedious difficulty in Castlevania are the millimetric jumps, if any of them is interrupted by the attack of an enemy, it will make us go back, often causing imminent death, so it is a factor to consider in all levels.
As is customary in games of this style for the NES, at the end of each level we will find a boss, these have a very good difficulty to eliminate them, being one of the main problems of every Castlevania player, however, by learning their patterns and using the correct secondary weapons, they will be a piece of cake.
One of the things that has endured in the Castlevania saga for many years is its music, being this the first video game to introduce the fabulous melodies. Each of them perfectly complements the dark atmosphere that the game wants to convey, as well as in those moments where you face a boss, causing a bit of despair in the player.
Castlevania for the NES represents an era of nostalgia for many, but for new players it is a challenge to complete it, it is a game that has aged very well over the years, which is perfectly playable today, which is why it remains a reference for many developers. Its design, music and gameplay are an example of how in the 80's programmers had great ingenuity to attract players and test their skills.
