Akumajo Dracula (Haunted Castle)

After 18 years of it’s initial release in the Arcades, Akumajo Dracula was re-released for the Playstation 2 in May of 2006. This Japan only release was in part of the Hamster Oretachi Geasen Zoku series. As the series was known for, it was released with Replica Instructions Card that held an audio Mini-CD and Mini-DVD-ROM, 8-page color booklet, 4 page mini guidebook, and trading card.

4th in the Castlevania series, this atrocious game had the same concept as the previous 3 games. However, this certain title has the arcade feel to it. Rich graphics and a decent soundtrack could not help this lackluster whatsoever.

Horrible controls, sluggish movement, pathetic enemies and insignificant bosses were all you can think of when playing this game. One can think that the only reason Konami released the game in the arcades was to get as many quarters as possible.

The character is most likely the first thing one will notice. He looks as if he’s hurt and slouching. What went wrong with the character design? The weapons are not that bad actually. No worries there. The hearts leap pretty far that your sluggish character usually can’t make it in time before it disappears. And at times, the hearts leap so far, that they go off a hill or platform. And that adds more frustration to the game play. The character would be slow to react to the commands. The jumps are the most annoying. Trying to get from platform to platform is probably the most difficult task in the game. Everything about the game is blocky and bland.

It’s fun to actually play it and make fun of how horrible the Castlevania game really is. How can Konami make a horrible game in the hey days of one of it’s most popular titles? It was inevitable for the company to hit a bump with Castlevania. And not that many people have played it. If you ever get a chance, play it. You will go running back to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.