Super Castlevania IV (Super Nintendo) - 2. The Outer Grounds

Happy Halloween!

Super Castlevania IV is one of those classic 16-bit releases that needs no introduction, but I will try anyway:

Konami in 1991 was arguably one of the best video game developers operating. Full-Stop. Not only had they released arcade hit, after arcade hit, but their ports on Nintendo had earned a reputation of their own: Rush 'n' Attack, Jackal, Gradius, Salamander, Blades of Steel and Contra. At this time, Konami began working on original games on Nintendo hardware too, granted, you had schlock like the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Snake's Revenge, but then you had titles like a little horror themed platformer by the name of Castlevania as well...

And, to summarise, Castlevania is a hard as nails action platformer, it rewards pinpoint precision in your controls, the ability to pick up on enemy patterns and behaviours in stages, and to navigate the numerous traps and death-pits that are littered throughout Dracula's castle, as you advance to put a stop to his evil intentions.

For the most part, Super Castlevania IV follows this same formula but fine-tunes it, all those positive elements are dialled up to 11 and, for all intents and purposes, this is a remake of that first game... Well, sort of... By the time Super Castlevania IV released, Konami had already experimented with non-linear level design, and adventure elements with branching paths, of which expanded on Castlevania's formula with it's two sequels on Nintendo. Super Castlevania IV goes back to basics, with the stage design being linear in much the same way which defined the very first release on Nintendo. Simon Belmont returns again, equipped with his deadly "Vampire Killer" whip, which transforms into an even deadlier Morning Star when upgraded.

Super Castlevania IV expands on its earlier games purely in how the controls and mechanics have been updated through the abilities of the then new Super Nintendo hardware. You still have secondary weapons, which use heart pick-ups to help dispatch trickier enemies, but the aforementioned Vampire Killer is almost an entirely new weapon all on it's own. Whereas in the Castlevania of yore you could swing the Vampire Killer in front of yourself, Super Castlevania IV instead turns it into a highly versatile tool that you can swing up, down, left, right... Virtually in any direction as needed when combating supernatural foes! The stages likewise feature new interactive elements, such as hoops you can swing on, and Mode 7 (Super Nintendo's sprite scaling hardware) is used to great effect in transforming simple 2D stages into trippy 3D corridors and rotating mazes that require you to keep on your toes. While Castlevania has always been known as a punishing series of action platformers, the difficulty dial is far more gradual in this iteration than any other in the series. It still requires you to have a solid understanding of the knock-back mechanics, jumping height, and movement speed, but those feel so natural on the Super Nintendo that the unfairness of it is scaled back by how comfortably these actions feel to perform.

it all culminates into such a well rounded experience overall. I've talked at length about the gameplay concepts, but Super Castlevania IV also effectively captures the mood of a gothic horror movie just from the opening sequence alone. It would fail me to not mention the dark, muted, colour palette used, or the ambient dread of the soundtrack's beats. The stages of Super Castlevania IV have so much variety to them that it feels as if you are seeing something drastically different around every corner, which goes the distance in keeping things feeling fresh! When you consider all these aspects to the complete package, it is unsurprising that this entry in particular has left a lasting influence on Super Nintendo owners in the early 1990s, as it continues to do with me now, and that genuinely is saying something.

Anyway, I've sung enough of Super Castlevania IV's praises, go watch this video of me playing it badly now.

----------------------------------­------------
A NECESSARY EVIL:
------------------------------------­------------
Any copyrighted footage I use is covered under fair use laws, or more specifically those listed under Section 30(1) of the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1989 and under section 107 of US Copyright Act 1976. This video exists purely for the purpose of research and criticism. I do not make a profit from any uploaded content, nor do I intend to. Thank you for watching.