Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Castlevania was a cakewalk compared to this bloody curse. You thought you had the Prince of Darkness defanged - eh, Simon Belmont? Well think again, 'cause according to a damsel in distress, evil Count Dracula has left a horrifying curse in his wake. And the only hope you have of ending the terror is to destroy his missing body parts! Talk about your frightening quest, searching a maze of mansions, graveyards and dark, eerie forests - each guarded by man-eating werewolves, fire-throwing zombies and other…
A bold, open-ended experiment wrecked by famously cryptic clues and a lack of direction.Kit · Sadkitty Games
Loved
- Open world with towns and shops
- Day-night cycle with tougher monsters
- 'Bloody Tears' is a classic tune
Not so much
- Clues are misleading or nonsense
- Lots of backtracking
Play it if players who love exploring and don't mind using a guide.
Skip it if anyone who hates getting stuck with no clue what to do.
No cheat codes
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest doesn't have cheat codes. The tips and secrets below are the next best thing.
Play it better
- Buy whip upgrades in towns as soon as you can afford them; your starting whip is weak.
- To reach the Deborah Cliff, kneel with the Red Crystal equipped for a few seconds and a tornado carries you.
- Use Holy Water to break hidden blocks in walls and floors.
- At night monsters hit harder and towns fill with zombies, so do your shopping in daylight.
- Wear Dracula's Rib to block projectiles.
Hidden in plain sight
Tap a secret to reveal it.
Trivia
- The awkward translation from Japanese is partly to blame for its confusing hints.
- The Japanese version came out on the Famicom Disk System with saving instead of passwords.
- 'Bloody Tears' debuted here and returns in many later Castlevania games.
- Its open structure foreshadowed Symphony of the Night.
