Castlevania Legends is the third Castlevania game for the original Game Boy, first released by Konami in 1997. The story follows Sonia Belmont, a vampire hunter battling the first incarnation of Count Dracula.

The game is set in the Middle Ages in Transylvania and can be played at two difficulty levels: “standard” or “light”. Passwords can also be used to continue a game later.

Castlevania Legends features five different stages, each with a time limit and a boss battle at the end. Unlike in Castlevania: The Adventure, you can use your whip while climbing a rope, which is a blessed relief. There are also multiple routes in some stages, which is also welcomed. What aren’t so welcomed are the dirty traps that drop you into a zombie-filled room if you hit the wrong candle in certain places. There’s no way to escape these rooms, other than to lose a life, which is very frustrating. I guess you just have to work out which candles not to hit.

The boss fights are pretty challenging and beating one rewards you with a “Soul Weapon“; a special magical weapon that Sonia can use, which consume hearts at different rates. Also: once per level Sonia can activate her innate ability, “Burning Mode“, where she becomes invincible, moves faster, and has more powerful attacks for ten seconds.

Castlevania Legends was originally designed to be the first game in the series timeline, but was later declared ‘non-canon’ after the release of Lament of Innocence on the PS2. It’s a pretty good game overall – certainly better than Castlevania: The Adventure – and arguably on par with Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge. It looks and sounds great; has responsive controls and relatively speedy action; some good Castlevania-like situations, and decent longevity.

More: Castlevania Legends on Wikipedia
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