Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, released for the NES in 1988 by Konami, pivots the action-platformer series into early Metroidvania territory. As Simon Belmont, players explore the countryside of Transylvania, venturing through towns, forests, and mansions to gather Dracula’s scattered body parts and break a lethal curse. The game introduces an open-ended world with RPG elements, including an inventory system, a day-night cycle that alters enemy strength and town interactions, and an experience point system that increases your maximum health.
How to play
Your objective is to locate five hidden mansions, retrieve Dracula’s remains, and burn them in the ruins of Castlevania. Navigate the open world using the D-pad (mapped to your keyboard’s arrow keys) to move, climb stairs, and crouch. Press A (Z) to jump and B (X) to attack with your whip. Press Start (Enter) to pause and access your inventory screen to equip items. To use an equipped sub-weapon, hold Up and press B (X). Converse with townsfolk for clues and use hearts dropped by defeated enemies as currency to purchase crucial items.
Tips
- The day-night cycle is crucial; enemies take more hits and deal more damage at night, and town shops close while zombies roam the streets.
- Hearts serve as both your ammunition for sub-weapons and your money to buy items like holy water and crystals.
- To reveal hidden pitfall blocks in mansions, toss holy water onto suspicious floors. If the block is an illusion, the holy water will fall straight through without splashing.
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