Intriguing, atmospheric classic
"Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge" holds a warm spot in my heart. Why? Because I am demanding of atmosphere, whether in a movie or videogame. And this game, which I have heard rightly praised as the best Castlevania game for the original Game Boy, fulfils practically my every demand. I immediately fell in love with it and now cherish it, even though it's a tad too short and its challenge is inconsistent.
The game is initially divided into four castles that you can visit in any order. All are very diverse and have their own unique characteristics and atmosphere; Crystal Castle, Rock Castle, Plant Castle and Cloud Castle. I am most fond of the last two; Plant Castle is a kind of earth shrine, while Cloud Castle, as its name suggests, reaches far up into the sky. Such things have always struck a chord with me. The simple Game Boy graphics convey all of this near-flawlessly. What I really love about this game is how thick its atmosphere is, and how it almost plays with it. The levels are divided by door passages, and each level culminates in a boss. When you pass through the last door before the boss, the music fades away, to be replaced by a tune that tells you something lies ahead. This is just one example of Belmont's Revenge's considerable atmospheric elements. The four castle bosses are all very creative and intriguing. My favourite is the boss of Plant Castle, the twin Minotaur-like guardians.
A simply breathtaking score accompanies the game. The themes for all the castles are motivating and inspiring, to say the least. My favourite is Cloud Castle's theme, possibly the most haunting piece of music I've ever heard for the Game Boy, original or no. Unfortunately, the second level of the Castlevania fortress has a theme that's really uninspired and irritating in comparison to the others - and as the level itself is quite tough, the song is more a hindrance than a help. Fortunately, the other tunes are all more than strong enough to make up for that.
With the game’s strong atmosphere, it is more than fun to tackle the castles. Really all castles are quite challenging, largely thanks to the many enemies and traps. But no matter how frustrated you become, I for one never get too discouraged, as the game packs such a fascinating world.
If there is one particular criticism I can make it's that the four castle bosses are not as challenging as they could have been. There are two bosses that consists of two separate enemies (Plant Castle, Cloud Castle), yet in both cases they share the same life meter, meaning that you can essentially beat them by focusing on one enemy. Had they had a different life meter, the challenge could have been increased. Another thing I would have liked fixed is the game's length - admittedly, its otherwise fine challenge is likely to keep you on your toes, but the game still is only 6 or 7 levels long. These two criticisms touch upon each other, as the difficulty of the first four bosses makes passing through the first four worlds in a flash really not that difficult after you’ve played the game a few times.
But why did I look for “Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge”? Revert back to the beginning of this review and read back through for your answer. Atmosphere, inspiration, great music, intriguing worlds - all that I love about video games is here and more, so I can forgive its shortcomings. I have only scraped the surface of what I feel about Belmont’s Revenge. How could I not buy it?Read full review
