Haunted Castle (arcade game)
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For other uses, see Haunted Castle (disambiguation).
| Haunted Castle | |
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| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Release date(s) | 1988 |
| Genre(s) | Platform game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, PlayStation 2 |
| Arcade cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade display | Raster, 256 x 224, horizontal orientation |
Haunted Castle is the name of an arcade game released in 1988, by Konami. In Japan, the game is known as Akumajō Dracula (the name given to all the older Castlevania games), so besides the different name it gained in the west, Haunted Castle is indeed a game from the Castlevania saga. It is one of three Castlevania arcade games released (along with the PlayChoice-10 and Nintendo Vs. Series versions).
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[edit] Storyline
The storyline is similar to the older Castlevania titles, in which Dracula wakes up to wreak havoc after a hundred years of slumber. The most notable difference is the presence of the unnamed main character's bride, Serena, whom he is marrying at the beginning of the game. Serena is kidnapped by Dracula during the wedding, prompting the main character to travel to Dracula's castle and rescue her.
[edit] Gameplay
Haunted Castle is a typical platform game comprised of six levels, which are played through in a linear progression. The player controls the main character, whose primary mode of attack is via his whip. He must fight various enemies which consist partially of skeletons, zombies, fishmen, and hunchbacks. By destroying certain enemies, he can switch his weapon to a more powerful spiked mace or sword. In addition, various "sub-weapons" can be obtained which provide different means of attack which consist of bombs, boomerangs, stopwatches, crosses, and torches. Hearts are collected to use each of these "sub-weapons." The player can only carry one sub-weapon at a time.
Each of Haunted Castle's six levels conclude with a boss fight. These bosses are generally taken from horror literature or legend, and include Medusa, Frankenstein's Monster, and of course, Dracula.
[edit] Critical reaction
Haunted Castle has a high level of difficulty; one credit would grant one life, and the player could only continue three times for a total of four lives. Once all continues have been exhausted, the player would be returned to the beginning of the game. The player could also sacrifice up to three continue chances in favor of adding more hit points to the life meter. The controls were a bit stiff compared to its contempoarary games (characteristic of the older Castlevania games) and often made it difficult to dodge oncoming attacks. The game constantly sends enemies running towards the player (in infinite numbers on some levels) and, in some cases, made it seem impossible to avoid damage.
There has been some confusion surrounding the game due to emulation. Four different versions of the game have been released: The American versions (referred to as Version M and Version K) and the Japanese versions (referred to as Version N and Version T). The American Version M is the most common among emulation sites, and it is also the most difficult. While other versions of the game subtract two bars of health for every hit endured, Version M takes away nearly half of the players hit points for a single blow. Also, while the American versions force the player to use a continue after falling into a bottomless pit, the Japanese versions allowed the player to continue playing from an earlier point in the level at the cost of some hit points. Many assume these factors are what contributed to Haunted Castle's poor sales when it was released to arcades.
[edit] Ports
A small Japanese game publisher called Hamster ported the Japanese version of Haunted Castle to the PlayStation 2 in May 2006 as part of the "Oretachi Game Center Zoku" series. This game port is not slated to be released outside of Japan.[1]
