While I don’t think the 2010 reboot game was bad, it didn’t quite capture the magic of exploring those famous haunted castles and other locations. And I also think that the Belmont family shouldn’t be associated with evil; they’re supposed to represent the forces of good in the eternal struggle against the forces of darkness.

For this reason, today I dedicate this post to the first game released by Konami of this wonderful saga, that the company refuses to revive, the game that marked the starting point of this franchise.

The plot of this title is quite straightforward: the fearsome Dracula has returned from the dead and plans to enslave humanity. However, there is someone capable of thwarting his dreadful schemes, Simon Belmont.

The Belmont family is the only one capable of wielding a sacred whip with the power to vanquish the forces of darkness. Armed with it, we embark on a journey through the corridors of an ancient castle where dangers lurk at every corner. With each step, we face various foes and obstacles.

Something very important in every stage is the difficulty level, not just because of the enemies, but also due the game’s control system, which forces you to be very precise with each of your movements. It could be said that this is the very first challenge we encounter when starting the adventure.

If we don’t make our calculations with accuracy when we jump from one platform to another, we’ll fail to reach the place we need to go to. This might seem frustrating, but with practice, we will enjoy the process of getting better with the controls of this game.

In total, there are six different locations that need to be explored before facing the evil count. Each one of them is guarded by a final enemy, which I must say, is very well designed for the time of release of this game, both in appearance and attack patterns. For example, we fight Medusa and Death, both of whom pose a significant challenge when we confront them.

In addition to the sacred whip, we have other auxiliary weapons, such as holy water, crosses, knives, or axes that can be thrown at the enemies, depending on the number of hearts we’ve collected throughout the level. It’s crucial to understand the functions of each one, as they don’t all have the same effectiveness against every monster.

Without doubt, the music in this game, despite being 8-bit melodies, is truly remarkable and perfectly complements every moment of the adventure.

As I mentioned before, I prefer this canon of the history of the Belmont family over the one created by Mercury Steam. I have no doubt that many fans share the same sentiment. The first confrontation between Simon Belmont and Dracula represents the moment that initiated this immortal saga and its many variations. And to me, it also represents a special place in gamming culture.