Bram Stoker's Dracula
Reviewed by D E S
In the black of the night he stalks his unwitting victims with the
passion of a prince and the grace of a wild animal. So starts the
last chapter of Count Dracula on the NES. I like to think of this cart
as Castlevania 4, as the feel and the look are very similar to that
classic series.
Set-Up
The game has 3 difficultly levels easy, medium and hard. Easy and
medium give you more time for the levels and more power-ups. You
have to play on the hard setting to see all the levels and to reach
your final confrontation with the Count in his evil robe form. There
are 7 levels in all with a day and night scenario for a total of 14. In
the main game menu you get a music and sound test. You also can
program the control pad settings for the jump and attack which is
rare in an NES game.
Game Play & Control
As in countless other games your quest is the rescue of your lovely
mistress, Mina Murray. You are the strapping Jonathan Harker and you
must slash and hack your way through the levels using rocks, axes and
torches. To get a better view of the action you can look up and down
and use a jumping smash to fall through ledges and unusual rock floors.
You start the game with 4 lives and you can collect others on the way
as well as continues. Each section has a set time allotted in which you
must complete the level. Clock tokens can be found which add 20 extra
seconds to the timer and which are crucial in the last level. Game control
very good and on par with the Castlevania classics.
Music
The tunes in the game are good but not great. They add to the atmosphere
of the cold and dark castles. Most of the levels have a creepy harpsichord
or organ theme. Sound effects could have been better and more plentiful.
Overall 88%
For those who liked the Castlevania games this is a must have. The
graphics and game play are very good as well as the bosses and sub
bosses. There are a lot of secret areas in this game like in Metroid
where you can walk and leap through certain walls. It is not noted in
the instructions but there are lamps that you can touch which will
set you back at that point if you lose your life. This saves you the chore
of starting over at the beginning of the level. There are also wall
switches that you must activate that lower platforms. Bram Stoker's
Dracula is a very enjoyable game and a fitting last saga for DRACULA
on the NES. The one mystery of the game is what is the significance of
finding Dr. Van Helsing? Find this very rare game and if you figure it
out, let me know.