Tag Archives: Metroidvania

Master of Darkness, Sega Master System

Also known as “Vampire: Master of Darkness” in some regions, this overt Castlevania clone was developed by SIMS and published by Sega for the Master System and Game Gear in 1992. Some consider it to be the best of its kind on the Master System.

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Akumajō Dracula, X68000

The 1993 Sharp X68000 version of “Akumajō Dracula” is arguably the best version of the first Castlevania game available, with improved graphics and sound, and redesigned gameplay to accomodate new and more dramatic situations.

Also known as “Vampire Killer” in Europe; also known as “Castlevania” in North America; but known in its native Japan as “Akumajō Dracula“, this is an updated remake of the first game in the Castlevania series. And it is known for being two things: 1. REALLY GOOD, and 2. REALLY HARD!

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Vampire Killer, MSX

Konami‘s “Akumajō Dracula” was first released in 1986 for the MSX2. It set the template for a series that is still going (relatively) strong to this day – the Castlevania series.

This MSX game was also the first game in the Castlevania series to be given an English language release, and it was released in 1987 in Europe under the title of “Vampire Killer“, which then changed to “Castlevania” when the North American NES version of this game was released on cartridge.

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Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Megadrive/Genesis

The Megadrive/Genesis version of Bits StudiosMary Shelley‘s Frankenstein is a bit of a poor relation to the Super Nintendo version of the game. Mainly because the lack of colour in the visuals tends to make this version look a bit rough when compared to the SNES version. But it is what it is: a fairly bog standard platform game loosely based on Kenneth Branagh‘s 1994 film.

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Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Super Nintendo

The 1994 Super Nintendo game, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, is an adaptation of the film of the same name, starring Robert De Niro, Helena Bonham Carter and Kenneth Branagh. It was developed by British company Bits Studios and published by Sony Imagesoft in North America only.

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Frankenstein: The Monster Returns, NES/Famicom

Frankenstein: The Monster Returns was developed by TOSE Co. Ltd. and published for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Bandai, in North America only, in 1991. It is a side-scrolling platform game with beat ’em up elements, in much the same style as the early Castlevania games.

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Castlevania: Dracula X, Super Nintendo

Castlevania: Dracula X on the Super Nintendo is a remake of the classic Castlevania: Rondo of Blood that was initially released for the PC Engine CD. It was first published by Konami in 1995.

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Duke Nukem, Game Boy Color

Duke Nukem on the Game Boy Color is a conversion of the classic MS-DOS game and was developed by Australian company Torus Games and published by GT Interactive in 1999. It is based on both Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II although it plays more like the second game than the first.

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Duke Nukem II, PC

Duke Nukem II is the sequel to 1991’s Duke Nukem and is another side-scrolling, platform-based shooter, only this time with larger, bolder graphics and jerkier scrolling. It was once again developed and published by Apogee Software, and was first released in 1993.

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Duke Nukem, PC

The first Duke Nukem game is a simple side-scrolling platform shooter, developed and published for PC MS-DOS by Apogee Software in 1991.

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