The latest demo, obviously a work in progress, for Mega Castlevania IV is now available. Fans of Super Castlevania IV on the Super Nintendo will want to check this port out. It is amazing what a fan with aftermarket toolkits can create. It is not perfect, but it is still a work in progress.
Very Little Can Stop Fans
I am not going to waste your time recounting the story of Super Castlevania IV or the whole Castlevania franchise to pad out this article. This paragraph is already too much. Onto the meat and potatoes.
Graphically, Mega Castlevania IV looks great. There are tons of details in the backgrounds, enemies are well represented. The main drop porting to the Sega Genesis from Super Nintendo is often the music.
While I have not played Super Castlevania IV, ever, I can still compare pics and such. The work so far here is impressive.
Audio, I am not sure about. It sounds great to me, but I am also not an audiophile that can tell something is off .5 in treble or whatever. If it sounds good, it sounds good. https://youtu.be/U1DjOWmPSrU
Some Holes in the Armor
Mega Castlevania IV still has some work to be done. The scrolling seems slightly jerky to me. Controlling Simon is a little off putting. I don’t know how to describe it other than it is a Castlevania game – controlling your character has never been fluid, at least prior to Symphony of the Night and there you don’t play a Belmont.
Another section that is troublesome, and surely to be fixed, is it is hard to die in this release. Drop to the bottom of the screen, no death. You are just stuck. No way out of the pit.
Yet, jump in the moat outside the castle, at the drawbridge, and you die. This could be just be a case of the “death” trigger not being implemented everywhere it needs to be. Obviously, I am sure this will be fixed before the final release is made available.
Go show Retro Reloaded on YouTube. A like, a comment, a share, can go a long way.