October Retro Community Playthrough - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest

[singlebanana]

Yeah, even though I love Simon's Quest, I agree with a lot of what Duke said. I would like more (in quantity) and more difficult boss battles.  I think the game would have been a classic had there been a "mandatory" boss battle before each body part. I think with this simple addition, more people would be praising this game as one of the best on the system.

Duke is also right about the secondary items. Other than the holy water, laurels, and the rib, I never find myself using any of the other items (other than those that are essential to progressing: the crystals and the heart). Tracking down these items is fun and interesting, but unless you are a completionist, it's really a waste of time.

I agree that Castlevania III is a great game, but I think it owes a lot to its predecessors. Though it takes the majority of its gameplay style from the original, it is much less linear in that you are able to choose a specific paths to get to Dracula. 

[JerryGreenwood]

The game would have been a classic had there been a "mandatory" boss battle before each body part. I think with this simple addition, more people would be praising this game as one of the best on the system.

Duke is also right about the secondary items. Other than the holy water, laurels, and the rib, I never find myself using any of the other items (other than those that are essential to progressing: the crystals and the heart). Tracking down these items is fun and interesting, but unless you are a completionist, it's really a waste of time.

I agree that Castlevania III is a great game, but I think it owes a lot to its predecessors. Though it takes the majority of its gameplay style from the original, it is much less linear in that you are able to choose a specific paths to get to Dracula. 

It really boggles my mind how they whiffed so badly on the bosses. It's not like this came out in 1985 when having bosses in a game was still a rarity. Not only that, but they could've at least had a temporary wall in the boss room so you are forced to fight them. I have a theory on why they did it the way they did, but it's pretty far-fetched. Simply put, they made a poor decision.

The items are pretty weak, but I suppose it's better than no items. I found myself using daggers just as a change of pace. The diamond is especially useless. The items in Zelda II (and other games) are just as bad/useless. Sure, you NEED the items in Zelda II, but you can't really USE them. They just grant access to the next area. How about Mega Man games? From the 46 boss weapons in the NES series, I use about 6 or 7 of them during stage-play.

I need to give Castlevania III a chance. I've never owned it and have barely played it.

[singlebanana]

Actually the diamond is useful in the boss fights. Just throw those puppies around the room 3-4 at a time and they will bounce around until they make contact. Use these in combination with the whip and bosses go down a little faster. Useless in the outer world though.

[techwizard]

came across this today and thought the castlevania players would get a kick out of it:

[singlebanana]

Ha! That's great.