Castlevania (Nintendo 64)

Castlevania is a video game developed and published by Konami for the Nintendo 64. It is part of the Castlevania series, and was first released in North America on January 26, 1999. Its Japanese title is Demon Castle Dracula Apocalypse (悪魔城ドラキュラ黙示録 Akumajō Dracula Mokushiroku). Fans and media alike have nicknamed the game "Castlevania 64" to differentiate it from other games in the series that bear the same title.

Storyline
"Transylvania, in 1852. The Province of Wallachia. In this time of peace and plenty, no-one foresees the return of ancient horrors... But the old legends live, and soon the land will again be plunged into darkness. The people have returned to the path of wickedness, and the bonds that seal their evil ruler's spirit are weakening. Deep in his castle, he stirs from a century of enforced sleep... Count Dracula awakes.

Reinhardt Schneider... Heir of the ancient Belmont clan of vampire hunters, his blood dooms him to oppose the might of Count Dracula. Wielding the holy whip of his ancestors, the young vampire killer begins his quest!!

Carrie Fernandez... A young girl gifted with great magical powers. Sensing Dracula's return, she sets off alone to the dark castle. Now she must wield her inherited power in the fight against evil..." - Castlevania's prologue

Characters
Heroes: Supporting cast:
 * Carrie Fernandez
 * Reinhardt Schneider
 * Charles Vincent
 * Rosa
 * Lizard Man

Villains:
 * Actrise
 * Death
 * Fernandez warrior
 * Gilles de Rais (Dracula's servant)
 * Malus / Dracula
 * Renon

Controls
Camera: Players can use the R button to center the camera behind the character and lock onto enemies. C up toggles between three camera settings: Normal view is the default camera, Battle view is best for fighting, and Action view is best for platforming. Holding C up allows the player to look at the environment from a first-person point of view. Sometimes the camera will switch to "Boss view" or a fixed perspective. At these times, it may not be possible to change the camera angle using C up or R.

Movement: Carrie and Reinhardt can perform a wide variety of simple actions. Using the game controller's analog stick they can walk, run, about-face turn, and stop. The A button allows the character to jump. Simply pressing the button will result in a vertical jump, while combining the jump button with analog commands allows the character to sidestep or do long horizontal jumps. Holding the A button also allows the character to hang onto ledges. Pushing up on the analog stick will make the character pull themself up onto the ledge. Pressing C Right allows the character to open doors, examine objects, pick up items, and talk to people. Using the Z button can make the hero crouch, move while crouching, and slide. Sliding can do minor damage to enemies.

Attacking: Carrie and Reinhardt also have offensive abilities unique to their character. Each has a primary (distance) and secondary (short-range) attack. Using the B button, Carrie is capable of shooting bolts of homing magic energy. This attack can be charged up by holding down the button. Reinhardt attacks with the Vampire Killer whip. Both Carrie's magic and Reinhardt's whip can be powered up by crest items dropped by enemies. Carrie's secondary attack is to hit enemies with her metal rings, while Reinhardt's is to slash with a dagger. C left is used for secondary attacks. Players can also throw a subweapon at their enemies using C down. Subweapons take a certain number of red jewels to use. The four subweapons and required jewel points include: the knife (1), axe (2), holy water (3), and cross (5).

Levels
Choosing between Carrie and Reinhardt not only changes the story, but also affects which of the thirteen levels the player explores. Seven of the levels are shared by both characters, while the remaining six (bolded in the table) are exclusive to one of the two. After clearing a level, the player cannot go back and explore it again.

Level 1: Forest of Silence

The game begins in the aptly named Forest of Silence, through which the hero must navigate a relatively linear path (although some backtracking is required). The player must locate and operate several mechanisms that open gates blocking progression. The forest is not without hazards: A poisoned river has cut deep canyons into the earth that the player must explore, requiring careful platform jumps. Enemies such as skeletons, bats, and werewolves also inhabit the environ. The level's boss is a gigantic, ape-like skeleton the hero must fight once at the beginning and again at the end of the level.

Level 2: Castle Wall

Two portcullises block the path into the castle grounds. To raise them, the hero must pull two levers located at the top of the watchtowers that flank the gate. In the right tower, the hero must defeat enemies and evade guillotines before entering the top room with a dragon skeleton boss. After its defeat, the hero can pull lever that will raise the first portcullis (allowing the hero access to the key to the locked left tower). The second tower is more challenging as it requires spot-on jumps. The door that leads to the room at the top of the tower is sealed with magic, and can only be opened at night. After pulling the lever, the second portcullis is raised. The player can then descend and enter the next stage.

Level 3: Villa

The Castle Wall opens onto the front lawn of the derelict Villa, a once-stately château with expansive grounds. Before the hero can progress into the residence, six cerberuses must be defeated. The Villa is a change in pace from the two preceding levels; it is relatively non-linear and requires considerable exploration. In order to progress the player must find keys that unlock doors in and around the home while tackling enemies such as vampires, ghosts, and stained-glass knights. Acquiring keys can be as simple as picking one up off the ground or as complex as the fruit of a lengthy interaction between several characters. Players must also navigate the Maze Garden, where they help Malus escape from two stone hellhounds and a Frankenstein gardener. In a crypt under the Maze Garden the hero confronts the boss, two vampires fought in succession. After discovering a hidden path concealed in a coffin, the player advances to a character-specific level.

Level 4: Tunnel

Reinhardt explores a deep, convoluted mine that houses spider-women, bats, and ghosts as well as equipment for crushing rocks. Unlike prior levels, the challenge is not to remove path impediments, but to keep one's bearings in the search for elevators that lead up and out of the level. It's rather easy to get lost if careful attention is not paid to the environment. After navigating half of the level, Reinhardt comes across an industrial gondola hanging from a track on the ceiling. Mid-trip he must transfer to a second, blue gondola running on the same track. If he isn't careful, enemies or obstacles will sweep him off the moving platform and into the poisonous subterranean river or spikes below. After ascending the final elevator, Reinhardt can exit the level via a sun-embossed door guarded by fire-breathing bats. Level 4: Underground Waterway Upon entering the waterway, Carrie's sense of smell alerts her that the water gushing from wall openings into the channel is poisonous. To progress to the end of the level, she must press several switches that turn off waterfalls or raise gates that block her path. The first of the switches is protected by a boss, three lizard men that can breathe fire or spit poisonous venom. These lizard men appear throughout the level. The platforms that traverse the deadly waters are long, narrow, and often incomplete. Even on firm ground Carrie must proceed with caution to avoid falling to her death: some floors crumble underfoot and certain crevasses can only be passed by dangling from a ledge and moving hand-over-hand to safety. The door that leads to the next level, like Reinhardt's, is sealed at night.

Level 5: Castle Center

Development
While in development, Castlevania was known simply as Dracula 3D.

The music for Castlevania was composed by Masahiro Kimura, Motoaki Furukawa, and Mariko Egawa. Tomokuni Katayama performed the violin solo, a rendition of "Bloodlines" from Demon Castle Dracula X: Rondo of Blood, that greets the player on the title screen. The soundtrack was released in Japan on March 26, 1999. It was also released in Europe under the name Castlevania: The Original Game Soundtrack.

Critical reception
Castlevania garnered respectable scores upon its release, including 9/9/8/9 from EGM, 8.2/10 from both IGN.com and GameSpot and a 4.5/5 from GamePro. However, it has since acquired a negative stigma in the media. The game has been criticized for having first generation graphics, a problematic camera, and a steep learning curve for controls.

However, some claim that these negative impressions have come from people who only played Castlevania in part. The first level, the Forest of Silence, is by far the blandest level due to a colorless environment with poor textures. However, many players note that Castlevania improves dramatically in both graphics and level design as players progress - as one of the EGM reviewers said 'trust me - it gets better'. Although on a technical level the game cannot compare with first and second party titles for the Nintendo 64, The review scores show that Castlevania holds its own alongside most third-party titles, and is known for its moody ambiance and compelling characters.

Defenders of the game also respond with the fact that Castlevania was the first game that Konami KCEK had programmed in 3D. They also speculate that the game was rushed out for a holiday release. Many elements of this claim are evident, such as how the werewolf Cornell and chainsaw-wielding Coller were cut from the game. Technical problems and sacrificed material would later be addressed in it's sequel, Legacy of Darkness.

Trivia

 * The PAL version of the game features voice acting for Gilles de Rais in the Castle Keep level, while the American version does not.
 * The Villa's exterior is based on one of the façades of the French château Azay-le-Rideau.
 * Carrie's alternate costume is a homage to Maria Renard's dress in Rondo of Blood.
 * Reinhardt's alternate costume is a homage to Simon Belmont's outfit in the first Castlevania.
 * The chainsaw-wielding Frankenstein monster found in the Villa's hedge maze is basically the remnants of a character that was to be playable in the game named Coller, but was later scrapped before release. Besides the chainsaw, his main weapon in combat was to be a pistol, which was apparently re-used for Henry Oldrey's gameplay in Legacy of Darkness.