Vampire Killer (1986)

Preliminary: Hmmm, seems basically the same as the first Castlevania--which I looooove--but with adventure-game-style Keys added? And no Continue function?!?!! Ah! Hmmm but you can carry multiple special attack weapons at a time (albeit with usual computer game style added button combinations to memorize...). Late 86 sure seems to be trending to add extra layers to otherwise simple and fun platformers.... this'll definitely need a map

Look: 8/10 Pretty much a slightly less evil and nice looking version of the NES game but still quite solid. And the UI is great. Also lol yesss these portraits I swear he has lipstick on the right one

Sound: 8/10 At first it sounded quite a bit worse than the original FDS's audio but as I got used to it, it was basically just the same jams, just less quality. I'm glad it has the QoL feature where you hear when you successfully hit an enemy. So crucial.

Gossssh so many bangers on the soundtrack

Play: 8/10 Whoa wait I think the stairs mechanic is slightly better in this?! (Well... kinda). But boooo my whip can't get longer?! The fact the special attack weapon like the Axe replaces the Morningstar was fine at first, but like, makes you not want to just hit candles and have fun whipping stuff while keeping your Axe :( And the fact you have to retrieve the boomerang weapons... meh. I do like the Invulnerability Ring tho! Haha. And I suppose I do like how the Gold Keys/Chests work, I suppposeeeeee

Pro-tip: Oh wow, the Shield even works against boss projectiles! (So does the Hourglass apparently, tho I haven't been able to test that yet)

The proest-of-tips: don't get to the exit door thinking you have the Silver Key when you don't >.<

Is it just me or do weapons destroy power-ups when they're on the ground? If so, a bit of a headache with the Axe/Boomerang ha. And oh lame! Your special attack weapons don't carry over between areas >.< at least your Hearts do tho...

Oooo yay at least the crusher obstacle thingies aren't insta-kills! Hated that in the first Castlevania. More and more I'm seeing this as basically the first Castlevania with keys and slightly different mechanics, rather than a burdensome game placed in the original Castlevania maps ha.

Okay that projectile destroying Shield is slightly OP! (tho it seems to have a limit on how many hits it can take? boo). You don't even have to properly align for it to work! I like that haha. And dang the boomerang axe shreds against the usually daunting Axe Knights. Slimes coming out of candles and whatnot is a bit annoying, but again, this game is getting better and better as I get used to it.

Feel: 8/10 As much as I loooooove the first Castlevania and have played it over and over, and this one obviously is it but in MSX form with changes so you'd think I'd be all about it... I was eager just to get through it for some reason. Maybe it's the tedious adventure game chore aspect? Nah. Maybe it's the slightly different look and controls and changes in things like the Whip and the Boomerang and the odd way the music sounds... But oooo, the existence of a Map item?!?! Always love that. (tho the map graphics were a bit disappointing)

Welp in no time at all, I was quite used to re-collecting my boomerang weapons, flying across jumps and following the strategywiki just for the most important items not trying to figure out this less linear situation, feeling good at the game like with Castlevania cuz I was jumping over some of the enemies the guide was saying were real hard etc etc. But... it's only Stage 5 lol, so we shall see how the rest goes :-p

My main wishes are that you could extend the length of your whip like in Castlevania, and that the controls were a bittttt smoother like you could hit then jump more smoothly like in the NES game. (And the collision masks aren't quite as perfect, or maybe I just love the first Castlevania too much haha)

Attachment: 8/10 Welp after my first play session, I got to Medusa. I was proud of me dodging the Medusa Heads jumping over them, possibly even better than I did in the NES game (which may be due to worse AI but whatevs ha). At first I was frustrated with the game, but once I shook off expecting my baby, my precious Castlevania, I realized it was a unique take on the original's map/vibe. And in many ways my love for the original now bolstered this game. The UI may be more complex but in the end, it does make sense and isn't that complex. I was getting used to the game! And like with the last game I played (NInja Kid), it's growing on me! Seems to be the thing with these late 86 games going into 87. It seems my chronology project will definitely be slower as I get into the more modern era cuz there are fewer just outright trash games and almost all are worth an earnest playtest. Ah! I will certainly be continuing this one tomorrow tho. (Also lol the Medusa boss was insanely easy with an Hourglass and a Holy Water, it seemed an insta kill?? I know there were cheap methods like that in the first Castlevania, but allowing us to have both is a dangerous idea, game! Haha).

Yep on my second playsession I was jamming out to the music (tho the FDS and NES sound was better) and getting back in that Castlevania groove. It's like the lesser version of the first Castlevania :-p but with some good twists (cute/interesting to have the robed guys you can trade with, cool to have multiple special attack weapons, cool to have the addition of Shields, nice to have no time limit to think about, I suppose there are quite a few positive changes). Oh shoot and I do love the change to stairs/fall mechanic, you do still fall down in those, uh, hard to describe stair situations but you don't auto die if you fall off screen. Nice. And you can still do the thing where you lure the bone-throwing skeletons to their death lol... and can smack away enemy projectils (crucial to me). Yeahhh it's growing on me.

And much like the first Castlevania before it, here I am on Stage 10, struggling to stop playing so that I can do the other things I need to in my day ha. Gosh I love this series

And at last! I did it! That version of Dracula's second form was really annoying. Hourglass helps a lot, and a Ranged weapon (namely the Throwing Knives) is basically necessary. Oh and having a Shield cuz you're gonna have to tank some of the Bats.

Maybe it's just my love for the first Castlevania making me get so into this, but I do love this game. It has a lot of faults, but makes up for it in the addicting gameplay, feeling of "revisiting" the first Castlevania, and great Sound. In the end, my favorite parts of this game are straight from the first Castlevania, with sprinklings of OP strategies/mechanics that I'm glad they added to make my life easier ha, but it's still a game worth playing and different enough from the first game to be worth playing separately too.

Completion: Main Story (defeated Dracula once) Playtime: 1h 30m