Super Nintendo game reviews: Super Castlevania IV

Super Castlevania IV (Snes version) Grade: S

The first Castlevania game I played is also one of the best of the series. A remake of the first Castlevania for the NES, this game exceeds with fantastic graphics, a killer soundtrack, responsive controls, and game play that is purely fun. Playing as Simon Belmont, you whip through 10+ stages of Dracula's castle; fighting off skeletons, Medusa, dragons, Frankenstein, and death itself until reaching the prince of darkness.

But as mention before, it’s the easy to use controls and addicting game play that makes this title shine. You’re able to attack the enemies in 8 directions with Simon's whip (a first for the series) because they’ll be attacking Simon from all different directions. The Snes controller is very responsive and makes it a breeze to dodge the deadly booby traps and counter attack.

The game plays similar to the older Castlevania games so Symphony of Night and GBA/DS fans beware; this game has NOTHING in common to those games. There is no leveling up, backtracking, or magic attacks Simon can use. It’s straight forward whipping and jumping.

Overall, I think this is one of the finest action games I've played. If you own a Super Nintendo, I recommend this game as a must have.

I think you’ll like this game if you enjoy the following
- Love action side-scroll games
- A fan of classic Castlevania game play.
- Prefer straight forward action than large levels in which you return later in the game (i.e. the Castlevania games of today).

I don't think you will like this game if the following annoys you...
- You can not use items, equip armor, or level up.
- Simon can’t run or learn any new abilities.
- Spikes kill you instantly and stages include a decent amount of bottomless pits.

About the Japanese Famicom version
I haven’t played this game on the Japanese Super Nintendo but I've read that it includes blood, naked statues and paintings that were removed for the American audience. One particular level is stage 8; the underground dungeon has blood that drips from the ceilings while our version has acid.

Where to find this game
Check here for some decent prices of this game.

I don't have a SNES but want to play this game
I have a good feeling this game will be available on the Nintendo's Wii virtual console but I'm just guessing.

Master Gamer volume 7

Here is a tool-assisted speed run of Super Castlevania IV for the Super Nintendo. Phil Cote and Genisto beat this game in 31:16. A highly impressive feat because this is difficult to do speed run for. There are a few things that catch me off guard. One is how they're able to hold Simon's whip in a straight diagonal way without it falling to the ground. The second is how fast their able to whip a boss to death. Many hours must have went into getting this terrific time. This video can be seen on Game Theater or by andyg9991 on YouTube.