Castlevania really went all out with it's first game. It's impressive how fun the original game is even to this day

This is amazing to see. I'm 42 years old. I played the hell out of the original Castlevania on my NES when I was a little kid. It will probably always be my favorite game. It does my middle aged heart good knowing that you younger folks can recognize artistic genius when you see it. Thanks for doing this.

Back in the 80s, beating castlevania was major gamer street cred.

I love your take on this era of games! I was born in 1980 so I’ve essentially grown up with console gaming from the beginning. Now at 42 I find myself going back buying the games I missed the first time around that are still loved today. I still get new games but as I tell my boys like a cranky old man “Back in my day when you bought a game you got the whole game!”

What really floored me about Castlevania was that it came out in early 1987, ahead of most of the other NES games that made the console famous. That cannot be understated. It was one of the first games to understand what a true home console experience could be. Most game developers were content enough porting straight arcade experiences, adjusting the difficulty with extra lives, and calling it a day. There were only a little over 30 games released on the NES in the U.S. at the time, and almost all of them were fairly shallow, single screen arcade experiences. But Konami understood the importance of a solid musical score and used it to help establish a strong sense of theme and atmosphere. Combined with the visuals and horror theming, Castlevania delivered an immersive sense of exploration and accomplishment. Konami was way ahead of the competition (even Nintendo) at the time. For reference, this game was released a full year ahead of Mega Man 1 and two years ahead of Ninja Gaiden 1. The only "console experience" games I can think of that could even compare to Castlevania at the time were Super Mario Bros. and Gradius. Metroid, Kid Icarus, and Legend of Zelda hadn't even come out yet.

Castlevania 1 might as well be my favorite NES game ever. The movement is slow and the jumps are stiff, but the entire game is built around Simon's controls and the utility of the subweapons, even at the hardest sections I never feel the game is being unfair.

I also grew up with an old SNES that my brother owns, and I have a similar experience of games that I became a fan of through him. The first couple times I got into a series on my own were really memorable. Monster Hunter, Ace Attorney and Fire Emblem are those games for me, and that's probably part of the reason they mean so much to me. Incidentally, the AVGN was a big help for learning English at the time, considering how relentlessly ineffective scholl was. It also meant that my English vocabulary was filled with a lot of profanity early on, but I'd like to think I've grown out of that.

I've never played any nes game but this one has actually made me wanna try out the original vania

Beating Death without cheesing him is one of the most fun things in the series, I don't recommend it to anyone who isn't already used to the way the game works, but it's definitely worth trying once you are. I wouldn't say this game's one of the hardest good NES games - from Ninja Gaiden and Metroid to Sunsoft's works, there are way harder good games, even if this doesn't make Castlevania any less of a challenge. If you enjoyed Simon's Quest, I recommend playing Akumajou Dracula/Vampire Killer for the MSX. It was released around the same time as the first game, but was developed by another team and almost feels like a version of Castlevania with the ideas of Simon's Quest. It's really, really tough, but fun. Also, I really like the way the original game is designed. I personally think that the overall short feel and enemy design has barely ever been replicated by any other game in the series. For me, SNES Dracula X is the game that does manage to replicate it and does it really well, making it my personal favorite of the classics.

Finally somebody said it! I get kinda frustrated whenever people talk about the first Castlevania and only describe it in words like "oooh the game that started it all" or "the birth of a legend", like, bruh. That's cool and all but the first Castlevania is an extremely well-designed game that deserves to be called a masterpiece. Thanks for the vid, keep it up 👍

I am very much looking forward to your analysis of Castlevania 2. For as much as I love the series, this game included, I had never really thought much of their narratives. As basic as they may be, this video has definitely made me reconsider my stance.

We got most of the way through before I realized... is Simon rocking the no pants look? 🙈 simon omg I've never played Castlevania before, but you're making me consider it 👀 the tone sounds really interesting!

I got this with the NES for my 5th birthday in 1987. One of the greatest games ever made.

Great video Bopper! Really loved your essay style and format! Looking forward to future video essays

I love this game. The level design, controls and sub weapons all blend together so well that I honestly can’t tell if it was all planned or just happened to be a lucky accident. I don’t know for example if the devs actually intended to reward the player for not dying on stage 5 and have an easy time against Death with the holy water. Wether it was an accident or not, it aged beautifully.

I had a NES and Castlevania 1 and 2 as a kid. These two games helped me discover the power of the Game Genie

You seem to have missed the tone and atmosphere of Contra; Each level had music and structure that told a story and created an atmosphere. You felt as though you were dropped on an island - hopefully with your best friend - full of otherworldly invaders and you were fighting your way through that army gaining ground and strategically taking down alien bases until you find yourself neck deep in shit with alien crawlers everywhere. For the time in an 8-but world, Contra nailed it on every level. It wasn’t just the action, but the sense that you had gone down a rabbit hole and things were getting more intense and creepy as you went along.

I just finished castlevania 1 for the first time and it was really fun

Also, I enjoyed the part where you tied the feel of the controls with Simon's identity as a character. It reminds me of the way the protagonist in Silent Hill 2 controls. He's stiff and awkward, maybe not taking very good care of his health, and so, it makes some sense he'd have that gargantuan wind up when he's attacking something.

Castlevania is even more fun after the first playthrough, where you can kick ass in sections that previously kicked your ass.

I am a Castlevania fanatic and have been since I was 7 years old. I made it a point to play each one over and over until I could beat them without losing a single life, and that kind of points to one of their strengths - they are damn near infinitely replayable and quite addictive. Back in the day, it was an achievement to have mastered a Castlevania game. It took time and dedication. If you died in Castlevania, it was almost always your fault, much like Dark Souls today. You could either yell and throw your controller across the room, or you could get better (I tended to do both). I love the 8-bit Castlevania's like no other games in existence. They are ingrained into my psyche at this point. To this day, various sections of the games will just randomly play in my head while I'm working or whatever other tedious crap adults have to do.

One of the hardest games on NES i finished.

To me, the 80s and 90s were the golden age of gaming. I still play my Nes, Snes and Mega Drive all the time. The sense of overcoming perils, the achievement after reaching a new stage or beating a game is unparalleled. Modern games don't come close. I've beaten hundreds of 8 and 16 bit games, no assistance, no save states....as intended. It's the best feeling ever. Thank you for trying and enjoying my favorite games. Castlevania 3 is masterclass, hope you'll love it.

The first Castlevania is my third favorite game of all time; it's nice to hear you give it the admiration it truly deserves. I think it often gets overshadowed by other entries like III these days. It's not just a stepping stone; they really nailed it out of the gate. I also deeply resonated with your AVGN experience since that was how I learned about the series. Side note: It was cool seeing my DS3 character do a flippy flip for a split second in the DS3 footage you used; that was a fun stream :)

This entire video is great, but I can't overstate how well put and relatable your opening about the AVGN and retro games in general was. I'm not sure if the experience for kids today is different because of the ease of access of retro games through stuff like Nintendo Switch Online, but as a kid, retro gaming was a pretty magical experience. I grew up with the PS2 as my earliest console, and no older consoles to speak of, so when I first started watching the early-2010's era of gaming KZfaqrs, retro gaming appeared to me as a vast, beautiful expanse that was just within my reach ... if I could explain to my parents what "Wii Shop Points" were. It was there, but in piecemeal, and it felt like only I knew about it, with no other kids my age (that I knew, which was admittedly a small sample pool) having interest in dusty old games. The 3DS eShop is where my retro gaming kick really took off, and beating Castlevania for the first time on the 3DS while sat comfortably on my parents' porch in the heat of the summer felt like I had, for a brief moment, travelled through some sort of secret tunnel to the era which I had had romanticized to me through so many KZfaq videos, which are now themselves nostalgic to me.

My sister likes to recount the one and only time I beat the original Castlevania. My hands were shaking, and I couldn't stand up any longer when I finally did it. I NEVER picked it back up until just a couple of years ago when I bought the Anniversary Collection for my PS4.

i've been playing it since i was a kid and i'm 43 years old. i know everything by memory and many times i finish the game without dying, so sadly it became too easy for me :(

Castlevania was the first game I ever bought for my NES at the time when I was a wee lad. It blew me away and had a tremendous impact on me. I got so good at the game, that I could beat it without losing a single life.

As someone who grew up with the technically superior N64, DS, and Wii I found Castlevania upon playing it as a kid to be a slog of an experience since I was just used to tighter controls. I'm glad I gave the game another chance back when you made your video on game rereleases and I decided to pick up the Castlevania collection mainly for bloodlines because Castlevania truly is a masterclass of it's era of games and this video really highlights why that is, great work!

My first Castlevania was on Game Boy. Even back then I knew...

I remember getting Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest for Christmas that year it came out. And my Dad and I played it for weeks and weeks every night after I finished my homework till we finally beat the game.

Cv3 is goated looking forward to part 3

There's 3 big reasons why I love this game so much. First is just how satisfying it is, Simon's controls, the levels, and the music all feel great. Second is the tough but fair difficulty, which keeps you coming back to do better than last time. Finally is the immense replayability. I've played it so many times to the point it's become clockwork to me yet it's always a blast to play. 10/10 game, Probably one of my favorite games of all time, I could spend hours gushing about it.

Growing up in the nes era, we just lived with the mechanics of the game. We didn't know to be angry about it. The only movement mechanic that any of us got mad at were games that didn't allow you to jump.

I 💘 this amazing Nes classic! I've beaten it so many times that I just can't stop playing it and every time I play it I discover more hidden items. Also that amazing soundtrack!

I played castlevania 1 for the first time in 1998 and i first tout that it was a boring game but then later on i realized that it was actually an amezing game with graphics wich other systems at the time just couldn’t match,this was all you could,ve ask for back in 1986 and that rawish feel just adds to it’s atmosphere.

I remember I was 8 years old and went to Toys r Us and brought CV when it was released. My friends and I spent countless hours playing. Those were the days!!

As an old-timer who was a teen when this game released it's amusing to get a youngster's perspective who first learned of Castlevania on AVGN. LOL.

Somewhere out there is footage of me publicly failing to beat Castlevania.

Good video, from a kid born in 87 with an older sister born in 80 that owned this game and showed me thr ropes in 1991. Long live old Konami

My experience with Castlevania is limited, but I like the angle you're coming at this spooky trilogy with! Contrasting first experiences with AVGN and playing the games themselves!

I love this game so much, grew up with it..and I love the memories of playing this with my neighborhood friends through the years. It has a lore that pulled me in that’s still with me to this day.

"And the dagger, which sucks." Lmao. Seriously, the main purpose the dagger usually serves is to be a hazard that causes you to accidentally lose your more useful sub-weapons. It's not totally without use, but...man. In a similar vein, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon color coding the candles that drop subweapons is such a good decision that I heartily miss whenever I go back and play old-school Castlevanias (especially Castlevania 3). Knowing which candles you have to be wary of because they offer a new sub-weapon makes the game feel so much smoother to play, because you can smash the others without worry. And accidentally getting a subweapon that you didn't want just feels so bad -- it's probably my only real criticism of Castlevania 1.

I remember this game from my childhood...

I'm glad you appreciated the atmosphere, music, and story. I loved losing myself in the totality of the game, and maybe that's why my skill at it was less than my peers who saw it at mechanical challenges, and could devote their entire attention to timing, whipping. snd jumping. Or maybe I just sucked, but really loved whole experience .

This video is great. I like how you take the atmosphere into account as well as the gameplay. (I really like your Simon's Quest video as well- I've been playing Simon's Quest recently and really enjoying it!) Also, this is how I learned Castlevania 1 had an easy mode in Japan :P I genuinely had no idea!

I mean its still fun today. What better compliment can you give a game?

One of my favorite games for many reasons. Once you know how to do it, playing through the game and blazing through it becomes the most satisfying thing ever

CV1 is like a PacMan, Tetris or Super Mario Bros: a perfection in game design mechanics at their barebones beginnings. Their structures were so strong that they hold up today as sequels experimented and expanded the core mechanics. You're guaranteed a good time w/any Classicvania, but it's always refreshing to go back to the beginning, to experience the mechanics in their most raw form.

Honestly the only part of this game that felt TRULY unfair was that long hallway before the Death boss fight. You practically need the stopwatch to get through there, and if you die, you get sent back to the beginning of the level with no sub-weapon. And no, there aren't any stopwatch drops between there and that hallway of hell.

There was a poll in a gaming forum asking people which was our favorite NES game, I picked my favorite 10 games, then down to 5, and concluded with Castlevania (1986) being my #1 and favorite NES game of all times!

This is an excellent review Bopper. Your skills as a critic have come a long way - you should be really proud of this one!

I played the Famicom Disk System version first, which does allow saving between zones. Made it a little easier to take a breather in the back half of the game. Nice video and nice channel!

I'm 44 years old & long story short ' love this game as a kid. And very much enjoyed this video !!! 👏 👏 👏 🎉

Great review of Castlevania, and I concur wholeheartedly!. The original Castlevania is a masterclass of mechanics, in that while they are rigid and mostly unforgiving, there is a definite rhythm to the game. I've played the game many times and eventually you fall into an almost clockwork-like tempo with your advance, as if moving to the beat of an unseen metronome. For a game from 1986, that is a remarkable achievement. Additionally, I never noticed that the architecture of the castle fits together and makes coherent sense. If you ever look up a map of the game that has all the stages laid out together, it looks beautiful. Thanks for this review and appreciation of this Konami masterpiece.

Castlevania is pretty fucking appreciated.

I fully agree. This was the definitive action platformer game of the 80s, with great atmosphere, music and bosses. And to be honest, I prefer the classic style layout of the levels over the metroidvanias like SOTN.

You lose a bit of context when you go back to it and I'm glad you sort of "rediscovered" it. See, when I was a kid most videogames had 3 kinds of artstyle: functional, arbitrary, or abstract. SMB looks interesting, but theres a sameness to the progression that turns a lot of the things you see into elaborate track hurdles to jump over. Castlevanias' art direction was so far and away better than its contemporaries that you sort of would get sucked in a bit. I remember the almost lushness of the art gallery before death. The dungeon throws you deep into the earth, lets you out into the mountain countryside, then squeezes you into a claustrophobic passageway. They shift the palette for the mummy fight, making it feel exotic. I dunno, just me getting old but playing at the time you would project a lot more onto what you were seeing, filling in the details so the end result was a bit richer than it otherwise would be.

I played the first game for the first time recently, and I was blown away by how well it held up. I now think it's the best NES game I've ever played (although CV3 might take that title once I finish it)

Cool to see someone a bit younger still see the value around these games.

Castlevania has and always will have the best OST for any games I've ever played.

My only exposure to Castlevania is Smash Bros. and the Netflix show, so this was an interesting watch

The problem with games like Castlevania and games in general from the time period is that they are very timing based, and the difficulty increases rapidly. This wouldnt be so bad if the saving options were better. Nothing worse than finally figuring out a level, getting to the end, dying...and then having to do the entire level again, or from an "infrequent" checkpoint. Made games frustrating.

How tf is it under appreciated? It's one of the most iconic games of the system.

Use the "Konami Code" on Castlevania's title screen before hitting start, and you'll get 30 lives. Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A.

Fantastic video! Looking forward to Part 2. I know it's not the focus of the series, but I'm curious if Akumajo Dracula MSX will get a shout out since it's one if the major influences on Castlevania 2, even if it's kinda just a side step in the early years of the franchise.

I had to go to a dark place to beat this game... It was like beating up a bully that gave me a hard time when I was a kid.

Original Castlevania is my all time favourite game followed by Silent Hill and Resident Evil games. Devil May Cry 1 is what I consider 3D Castlevania we needed even though it has guns.

Castlevania 1 is my most replayed nes game. The 3rd might be better but their is something about the first. Its like megaman x for me

The best Castlevania analysis I’ve ever seen. You truly get it!

The best game ever, I have a nes with rgb mod just for him, I have thousands of hours of gameplay and sometimes I still can't finish it. It's an endless game... The true 8bit masterpiece

I played those NES originals back when they were new and probably the one small gameplay issue that has always stuck with me is how fast and immediately your character falls, getting knocked off platforms to your death so easily was endlessly frustrating. But I gotta say... nobody plummets at high speed like a sack of shit better than Simon Belmont. 😆

Every October I beat it so I can stave off the hoards of the undead and their negative energy. You’re welcome guys.

I played it only once to completion when I was doing a challenge on finishing a number of games before a certain date, and at first it was really fun, but it got very frustrating by the time I finished the game, it's still a pretty good game, just don't play it for a whole 3 days straight without playing anything else, it can be maddening. I'll most likely not touch it for a while, but I definitely recommend trying it out.

for anybody trying this game for the first time, do yourself a favor. don't play on easy mode. don't use savestates. play the game as it was intended and you will feel AMAZING when you beat it.

This is awesome keep up the good work!

CastleVania forever! 10/10

So that's what the first Dracula looks like!

I had the luck of borrowing Castlevania during Halloween 1987. I knew immediately it was a masterpiece. It was challenging and had an amazing soundtrack. I used to hum the music in class and I am sure my school mates thought I was strange. One of my best days is when I beat Dracula. Castlevania remains my favorite franchise and I return to it for comfort at regular intervals.

Never heard music described as "relentless"

Woah. I honestly had no idea people found this that difficult. I grew up with this one, so maybe I got all of my frustrations out as a child. I could steam roll through it without getting hit in 30 minutes. Lol Can’t do THAT anymore. Stupid adult reflexes

Well, I'm excited for this and number 2, but holy HELL am I excited for 3. Dunno how I missed this, but ya hooked me.

No, it's appreciated.

Castlevania is a masterpiece I must say. It is so much fun and the music is sooooo catchy.

Yes Castlevania II is amazing!

currently playing akumajo dracula(Castlevania)in my 3ds while watching this

It's my favourite nes game The music and level design are just as good as i remember

Hi, im 41 yo and I can proudly say I cleared castlevania 1,2 &3 on the NES. And I used to cry of anger hahahah… it was extremely hard times in castlevania… castlevania 3 is the hardest one I think

Only played III Nes... Thank god for help me

For me, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest will always be my favorite.

Haven’t seen one of these videos since you were Booty Bopper.

For me, I can't call this retro gaming as I am now 45 and remember when this game came out, me and my cousin played the HELLLLLLLL out of it...then pt. 2 came out, we played that shit allll night throughout the summer!!!!

As a Zelda 2 fan I can't wait to hear professor bopper give his defense if a widely-hated game which is the second installment in a beloved classic series that started on the NES

this is the equivalent to a saturday morning cartoon when you are little

If you're into emulation like I am, don't forget Castlevania Chronicles for Playstation. It's the first game remade with playstation graphics. Although even in emulation? I often like to go and play the NES one anyways. lol.

I'm more into the Side-Scrolling/Metroidvania style or something like in Lamont of Innocense like Castlevania game than your classical; point A to point B, style. Not to say the classical games are bad cause they are unique in there own ways. But with the exception of Super Castlevania 4 and Rondo of Blood, I found most of them very difficult for me to play due to stiff controls and the higher difficulty settings that can get brutal or fustrating at times. Now if I wonna play something like this; but better, I think Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, does all of that, but better.

Castlevania 3 was my first Castlevania game on the NES, they are all beautiful and sure we can refer to each of them as a masterpiece but good God Castlevania 3 was near perfection

not convinced that it is in any way underrated or under appreciated. Definitely has some pretty big flaws, too. Even if one was to argue that the controls are the way they are on purpose (Which many do), there is no justification for the stairs being the way they are.

The classicvanias I think are best are 2, 3, Kid Drac, and Belmont's Revege.

While I'm more of a Ninja Gaiden guy, SOTN is one of my fav games.