
Unlike the huge open-ended Castlevanias of today, this is a traditional 2D sidescroller divided into stages and sections. It also lacks the plot depth of its later brethren, other than the optional opening sequence. This one’s straight to the point and doesn’t bother trying to be anything other than engaging to play.
Armed with your whip and an arsenal of optional power-ups, you’ll slay spooky foes on your way to confront Dracula. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before if you’re familiar with the genre, although it’s worth pointing out that you’ve got a health bar and hearts are used as ammunition rather than recovery.
The game can be challenging, but nine times out of ten, it’s completely legitimate. Simon Belmont is one of the easiest characters to control in a platforming game, and although his movements may immediately come off as stiff, but he’s surprisingly agile. The vampire slayer can whip in eight directions, twirl his whip around, swing from objects, duck to avoid attacks, and toss a large assortment of weaponry at his foes.
I might go as far as to call him the most comfortable character to control in a platforming game. You’re even given a rather generous amount of life. The rest comes down to how adept you, the player, can be in traversing the terrain and various adversaries present in each level.

The stages themselves are pretty nice looking for something from the early 16-bit era. There’s a variety of interesting effects used sparingly throughout the excursion, such as one stage that continuously rotates, resulting in a truly inimitable level structure. The backgrounds look simple at first glance, but house a surprising amount of detail. Castlevania IV doesn’t try to hide its age, but instead embraces the SNES hardware and even makes use of the console’s Mode 7 chip (in non-techie jargon, that’s a compliment).
The orchestrated soundtrack is recognizably from the 16-bit era, but it is of such a quality that you won’t even care. The unique, catchy themes help make the levels that much more memorable. If you’re a fan of earlier games in the series, you will recognize and adore the few nods to past games in the Castlevania line.
It may not be revolutionary, but Super Castlevania delivers all the action and intensity fans have come to expect. It’s a traditional platforming game through and through, but a top-tier one. If you’ve never played a Castlevania title before, there’s no better place to start than here.
-Clark A
Our Scoring Policy