Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge explained

Developer:Konami
Publisher:Konami
Programmer:Toru Hagihara
Yukari Hayano
Artist:Koichi Kimura
Composer:Hidehiro Funauchi
J.s. Bach
Series:Castlevania
Platforms:Game Boy, Game Boy Color
Released:Game Boy
Game Boy Color
Genre:Action, platform
Modes:Single-player

Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge is a 1991 action-platform game developed and published by Konami for the Game Boy. It is the second Castlevania title for the Game Boy and serves as a sequel to the previous title, . Belmont's Revenge is included in color in the fourth volume of the Konami GB Collection compilations.[1] Set fifteen years after the events of , Dracula returns and kidnaps Christopher Belmont's son Soleil at his coming of age feast, and turns him into a demon. With Soleil's mystical powers, Dracula retakes human form and rebuilds his castle, forcing Christopher to confront Dracula once again to save his son and Transylvania.[2] [3]

Gameplay

Unlike the previous Game Boy title, sub-weapons in the form of holy water and axes (or the cross in the Japanese version) are available in the game. There are four initial levels, each taking place in a separate castle with a unique theme such as air, plant, earth, and crystal, and can be completed in any order, similar to Mega Man.[2] There are large trap rooms in the levels.[2] The game utilizes a password system.[3]

Development

The North American version of the game changes one of the sub-weapons, replacing the cross with an axe. The cross had a long-range horizontal trajectory similar to the fireball whip, while the axe can go in an upward arc motion that can go through walls and barriers. The Konami GB Collection, released in Japan and Europe only, restores the original cross.

The packaging artwork for the North American and European versions was created by Tom Dubois, who designed the packaging for many other Konami titles outside Japan.[4]

The game has seen a re-release for the Castlevania Anniversary Collection in 2019.[5]

Reception

IGN thought the game made better use of the Game Boy's hardware than the first Castlevania handheld game, and applauded its inclusion of traditional Castlevania items, weapons, and having a cleaner graphical aesthetic. It was still hurt, however, by a lack of character speed and its short play time.[2] GameSpy called it one of the best action games on the original Game Boy.[6] Game Informer Tim Turi considers it the best Castlevania game on the original Game Boy; he cited the improved graphics and use of sub-weapons.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Moby Games – Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge . MobyGames . August 18, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095953/http://www.mobygames.com/game/konami-gb-collection-vol-4 . March 4, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  2. Web site: Mark Bozon. 2007-01-18. Castlevania: The Retrospective. IGN. 2008-07-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20081012053608/http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/756/756724p5.html. 2008-10-12. live.
  3. Book: 1991 . Konami staff . Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge instruction manual . . ???-CW-USA . 11.
  4. Web site: Gidney . Adam . Tom Dubois artist page . BOX=ART . August 18, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160802162449/http://boxequalsart.com/tom-dubois-artist-page.html . August 2, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  5. Web site: Konami announces anniversary collections for Castlevania, Contra, and arcade classics. Michael. McWhertor. . March 19, 2019.
  6. Web site: 1999-01-01. Castlevania 2: Belmont's Revenge (1991). GameSpy. 2008-07-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20090718214632/http://www.castlevaniadungeon.net/Games/cva2.html. 2009-07-18. live.
  7. Ranking The Castlevania Bloodline . . Turi . Tim . 2012-04-04 . 2013-12-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130507064948/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/04/04/ranking-the-castlevania-bloodline.aspx . 2013-05-07 . dead .