Kid Dracula (1993)

I'm so glad I gave this a try! This is such a cute and well designed game, particularly for gameboy!

The pixel art is absolutely amazing. The sound design great for the console. And it's story is simple but the perfect fit.

The variety of enemy designs, particularly for the bosses, is really great.

I think playing on a emulator is a must, as save states and even rewind were essential to getting through some of the really tough final levels.

Overall, if you have a little time, give Kid Dracula a try!

Kid Dracula's back on the Gameboy! Sort of - this version plays more like a sized down port, with slightly less polish and a meaner edge near the end.

Galamoth has returned again! Kid Dracula forgot all his spells! His minions have turned against him! A lot of this game is retreading through some old stages, so there are a lot of familiar areas with some things switched up (the roller coaster goes REALLY high) and all new end areas. It's all pretty much the same powerups with the exception of a bat umbrella that shields bullets - it's somewhat useful and is required for a nasty section near the end. Gambling is present again and can be done for coins and lives, but guessing the number for coins can be needlessly complex.

The sprites are a little bigger in comparison to the screen and don't stick out as much due to the lack of color - the music is also a little less memorable when not hearkening back to the original. There's still quite a bit of fun in this one, but coming from the NES version there's not much to say about it except "The NES one, but smaller" - and for Gameboy players that's not a bad thing!

Platform:

Gameboy version.

Graphics/Sound:

It's a Gameboy game, while the prequel was in colorful NES graphics, the black and white in this game works well (happily the character has a high contrast color scheme in the original too, so it works well without colors. I remember I felt reminded of Super Mario Land 2 when I have first seen this game when I was a child.

Gameplay:

This derives little from the prequel. There is a linear level progression, in between levels you gain more abilities, that you can use by holding down the fire button for a while and then releasing it. It's a simple concept that works well. A lot of stuff, even some of the bosses, reappears in this game, but they thought up a storyline to justify that. Every reappearing boss has some extras attached to it to make it new and surprising to those who played the first game. And all the new bosses are really creative. Wether it is fighting a ghost that will die of sheer age, or getting rid of Jason once again. I laughed a lot during this game. The minigames beween levels are also very cute, and this time around I could understand what was going on (as this luckily has seen an English release, not only Japanese, like the first).

Difficulty:

It's a handheld port so it's a bit easier than the original. Which in this case is for the best. I like how you gain an abundance of extra lifes to try again if you fail.

Everything the original did well, this one does better. All the new ideas are outstanding, all the reused content was improved. The story is hilarious as well as the monsters and characters in the game. This is definitely one of my favourite Gameboy platformers.

History:

Didn't even know this was a thing. Sure played a lot of Castlevania though...

Expectations:
I've read that this is the lovechild between Castlevania and Mega Man, two of my uncontested favorite game franchises. The bar is set high...

Night 1:

Yes. Yes. YES. YESSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! I bought the cheaper, imported version as spending $60-$70 on a Gameboy game was a tough pill to swallow, but holy crap. I can't read a word of what's going on but everything about this game so far is a massive win for me! It's not very Castlevania at all, aside from the homages to the series, but the Mega Man shines right though with just the perfect dash of Disgaea on top.

The controls are airtight and the levels are short, fun, and a-freaking-dorable. The first boss of the game has you fighting a little ghost. When you beat him he runs off crying and grabs Daddy Ghost. When you beat him he runs off crying and grabs Grandaddy Ghost, complete with beard and cane. You can't hurt the old guy, but just as I was trying to figure out how to fight him he passes out from exhaustion and gets dragged away by Father and Son Ghost. Hilarious! The second boss was just as amazing. I think I was laughing the entire time I was playing this gem.

This is exactly what I needed after that Kid Icarus pit (badum psh) and I had to force myself not to clean it out in one sitting. I want something to do at lunch tomorrow, and I may have to show this off to a couple coworkers. Also want to start from the beginning again to get a few better pictures.

Night 2:

I take back everything nice I had to say about this game!

Okay, not really, but holy crap I clearly forgot I was dealing with Konami here.

The first levels were still quite breezy and fun to play through, but everything after that demands attention. The bosses are still fantastic, with everything ranging from a giant chicken to an alien in an elephant suit, but what I'm really liking is how the game makes you use the new abilities you get.

One of the more challenging aspects for me, aside from the fact that it's a challenging game, is the Japanese text for abilities. Parts of the game, especially bosses, demand fast switching of abilities. You can see what ability you currently have selected in the lower left corner.

Still, I'm getting the hang of it, and was able to make it halfway through Stage 7 before I had to head back to my desk.

Later...

I learned something pretty cool while playing later in the evening... There's a mini-game you can play between levels wherein you can earn extra lives. In fact, you can earn MANY extra lives. I earned 50, and used about 12 of them on the last two levels!

Finally, however, the final boss went down! Here's what I believe to be the end credits...

Conclusion:
This was exactly the kind of change of pace I needed coming off of double Kid Icarus. Another gem found as a result of this project I found this game oozing with style, peaking at just the right level of difficulty. Kid Dracula easily earns its spot on my shelf and I have no real complaints about it as a whole, aside from the last boss not being very clear mechanically. Still, I figured it out and managed to clean this one up!

Play it Again?
Yeah I think so. It's a short enough game that I don't mind running through it. Next time, though, I think I'd rather play it on the Super Gameboy or GBA Player, as a proper controller would have made this game a lot more fun.

Updated Review Score: