Super Castlevania IV (Wii VC) review

Super Castlevania IV was the first Castlevania game to appear on the Super Nintendo and is often thought of as the best of the linear Castlevania titles. Players take the role of Simon Belmont, who must find his way to Draculas castle and vanquish the lord of darkness in what is a reworking of the first eight-bit games story.It says a lot about a game that even now several years after its release, that it remains at the very top of the gaming tree. The graphics contain so much detail and small touches than they overcome the dated look, and you cant help but be drawn into the Castlevania world. The use of mode seven in the Spinning tube still remains as disconcerting and disorientating as it always was, even if the scaling of objects does not produce the wow factor it once did.Any fan will tell you what really makes Castlevania special is the musical score, and in this respect Castlevania IV has never been bettered. Every level is under scored with such variety, beauty and subtle grace that the environments take on a life and a presence of their own. The mood is changed perfectly to reflect the surroundings as our hero moves through swamps, caves and eventually into the castle itself.On your journey you will encounter some very impressive boss creatures and a wide variety of lesser monsters. Throughout the title there are a wide range enemies to dispatch. At the end of each level awaits a suitably impressive encounter with a boss monster such as Death, Medusa or some other underling of Dracula.In todays gaming landscape of bland design, it is refreshing to go back and see levels, which are individually crafted, with each offering a different set of challenges and experiences. These keep the game fresh and push the player forward to their next encounter. The game does feature a password system but with the Wiis ability to quick save play at any time, it is far easier to just pick the game up where you left off.Unlike most other Virtual Console games we have seen so far Castlevania has been optimised for release (although only slightly). The borders have be drastically reduced to tiny black lines at the edge of the screen (which although not a huge difference), it is nice to have the levels presented in a near full screen display.Super Castlevania IV is the calibre of title we want to see on the Virtual Console. You can argue that Symphony of the Night or the PC Engine Rondo of Blood are better, but in truth nothing has ever come close to matching the complete package of action, style and sound that this represents. Here we have an undoubted classic, which can be tricky to get hold of, presented to a new audience. It goes without saying that anyone out there with a Wii should download this title as soon as possible.