What is this?
Every month a game will be chosen at random and the goal is to beat it, or at least get as far as you can in it. It’s not a race, not a requirement, just play an old-ass game you haven’t otherwise thought to give the time to. You might find a new old favorite or at least learn something about it!
How long does this go on for?
Until the end of the month! You’re free to keep playing the game afterwards, but the thread will be unpinned.
Who can join in and How?
Everyone and anyone! There’s no registration necessary, just find a way to play the month’s game! Whether it’s a PC emulator, a piece of boutique hardware, or even on ORIGINAL hardware, any way’s fine as long as you’re able to play the game.
Also not a huge necessity but very welcome: log your gameplay! Screenshots, text, video, art, keep us up to date on where you are and what you think about the game as you go! At the very least give us a screenshot of where you are at the end of the month.
What’s the game this month?
What a horrible month to have a curse!
As picked by you, the players! The sequel to the OG Castlevania, originally released on the Famicom Disk System in 1987 but later brought to NES in 1988. Not just a platformer like the original, you’ll visit towns and talk with townsfolk who’ll do their best to point you in the right direction… usually. Whipping skeletons, fishmen, and all other nasty things all to get at that nasty ol’ Dracula!
I don’t know as much about this game so that’s all I got… looking forward to fixing that this month though!
FINALLY had some time to start this game. Played for about ~2 hours and I'm enjoying the fuck outta this so far!
Booted up the game, did a bit of an explore and got brutalized in every direction I tried to go. And then night time hit and even the town was scary. It was, in fact, a horrible night to be cursed. Morale was LOW. Managed to find a second town and discovered, oh shit, you can talk to people? And the first guy I talked to told me to go get healed at the church. Thank you random townsfolk you are literally a lifesaver.
After that interaction I decided, oh yeah should probably read the manual.
Found this page in the manual:
This rules I can't believe they call them "Count Dracula's Best Buddies". Not minions, not henchmen, not creatures, no. They are BEST BUDDIES. They hang out all the time. I love that
Anyway, with knowledge from the manual I was able to figure out that what I really needed to do was get some gear. Also that I needed to reconfigure my controller settings because pressing A+B was incredibly uncomfortable and this game simply cannot be played if you don't use the jump+whip combo.
I mostly did some grinding overnight in town and in the adjacent areas during the day for some hearts for gear and then I started to do some more exploring, including making some decent progress in one of the mansions, before I needed to take a break because my hand is cramping.
You can learn from me in case you are struggling like I was (under spoiler for those who don't want to know)
Spoiler!
The white crystal does NOTHING as far as I can tell. Get the Holy Water and Thorn Whip in the first town before you bother with the crystal (100 hearts for thorn whip, 50 for holy water).
Holy water is CLUTCH. Attacking enemies who are diagonal and down from you is impossible with just the whip, you have to jump over them and attack backwards which can be awkward or put you in the danger of a second enemy. Holy water solves this problem, its arc is perfect for enemies one step below you. The manual only mentions that you can use it to discover areas, but it does damage to enemies too.
The chain whip is even better than the thorn whip (150 hearts cost) and can be found using the holy water, look for empty houses
I've been thinking about playing this game constantly it has me hooked
So since last post I have played another couple of hours, I tackled and completed my first mansion! I now have Dracula's rib.
I also leveled up to level 2! Levels give you a TON more health, hell yeah.
I found a third town and this one doesn't have a church so it's. Useless basically. (It's not it has new items but still what's the point if there's no church)
I also found not one, but TWO dead ends. Pictured below is the one that most baffles me. Like do I get a bridge building kit or something. The manual doesn't mention this (I was hoping to find the ferryman but alas)
Next time I pick this up the goal will be get more laurels for fording the poison river
Once again under spoilers are Secrets that may help you
Spoiler!
The third town sucks for not having a church but two of the empty houses have merchants hidden, one for garlic and one for laurels
There is also a guy on the top floor who will trade a blue crystal for a white crystal. Still don't know what these things do, beyond the red one being needed for the end game.
Lastly, on the way to the third town you can find the Fire spell! You'll need Holy Water for it, look for bats, eyes, and suspicious blocks of bricks
I got the laurels I needed, turns out you can only hold 4 (without the silk bag), but if you want to cross the poison river without taking ANY damage you do need two, so that's just enough to cross both ways. I used only one though and you get most of the way across, only lose like a single bar of health. That's nothing.
On the other side of the poison river is THE FERRYMAN!!!!
Found two towns on the other side - one has a church and merchants to restock your garlic and laurels, and the other has no church (boo) BUT A MERCHANT WHO SELLS THE MORNING STAR. My reach is so far now, I feel unstoppable.
I found not one but TWO dead ends, and also got stood up by a woman who said she would be by the river bank but me and my buddy Ferryman checked and it was only monsters. Rude.
So. I was back at where I started in terms of mansions. Decided I needed some help so I looked up a map that gave me the direction I needed. Let me tell you, when I found out where the second mansion was, I was sooooo mad. This game, for all the clues it did give me, did not indicate one CRITICAL THING that would've been helpful to find the mansion!
Anyway. I headed over to where the second mansion is (see spoiler for details) and just. Wiped the floor with it. One advantage of doing all that exploring - I'm now level three, I have a fire spell, and a gods damned morning star, so nothing in mansion two was a threat to me. DRACULA'S HEART IS MINE.
Below spoilers are where the second mansion is and also some other things I learned
Spoiler!
So, first of all, before going to the second mansion, get the blue crystal. It is required. DO NOT upgrade to the red crystal if you found the guy who trades blue for red (past the poison river) (I had to get a white crystal again to upgrade it to a blue to get there yes I am bitter)
You see that screenshot in my last comment? The baffling dead end river with no ferryman? Yeah that's where the second mansion is. You need to kneel with the blue crystal equipped, and then the screen will scroll down to show you a path down.
In the second mansion there's a hidden book that tells you how you get the silver dagger as well
Also one tip I found - get a second oak stave in mansions where it is easy to get. In some of the mansions the merchant who sells it is out of the way or very difficult to reach, so if you have an easy one you can get, just grab one on your way out to take into the next one. Alternatively, you can visit the merchant in the first mansion I guess.
SO FIRST. I spent some time wandering, got the silk bag so I can now hold 8 laurels and 8 garlic at a time. I also discovered that if you equip Draula's rib it gives you a shield. This helps so much. There were some enemies that you COULD NOT dodge their projectiles so having a way to block them is invaluable.
My guess was that the next mansion was by the river, since the only hint I had that named a place was the person who told me to wait for them by the river at midnight. I tried waiting until time change there but that is not the method, do not waste your time. Spoilers below if you want the details!
The third mansion, for me, was similarly easy to the second. Breezed through it and then I had Dracula's eye! I also picked up a special weapon through a special thing which will be in the spoiler In the third mansion there was a very direct direction for a secret, so I did that immediately after and IT WAS THE ENTRANCE TO THE FOURTH MANSION LET'S GOOOOO
The fourth mansion actually puts up a fight! The enemies take more than one hit with the morning star, but the layout is frankly unfair. There are a couple of times when you drop down blindly OR have to go up/down a ladder into an enemy with very little chance of being able to dodge them. Use your holy water generously, it'll help, but there are still some annoying choices made in the design of this one.
Okay, so after that, you get out of the mansion and because of the method I got here by.I am completely lost This is fine. I was able to make it to a town with a church and that's great but everyone hates Simon here
I explored a little bit but decided to call it there for the night. Spoiler below for secrets!
Spoiler!
For the silk bag there's a hint about a graveyard, which is nearby the town the hint person is in. There is One Trick for graveyards, if you got the last graveyard item you know how to get the silk bag.
As for the third mansion - that lady might stand up Simon but you know who doesn't?! THE FERRYMAN. Take your relationship to the next level by showing him a valentine and he'll take you right to the third mansion.
In the third mansion at the VERY END you get a visit from the FUCKING GRIM REAPER H E L L O????
If you, like me, panic and freeze in place but ultimately your morning star is strong enough and you have enough health to tank for just a little - you will get a golden knife for your efforts!
I am not yet finished BUT I'M IN THE FINAL STRETCH! I'm kinda sad to be at the end but luckily for me there are more Castlevania games!
So I left off lost as hell, I did some exploring. There was a second town to stock up in but it didn't have a church. It did have a guy who was like "stay here with me forever " so a nice change from the town where everyone hates you. I found a dead end and then did some backtracking to heal, went a different direction and.
THIS FUCKING RIVER.
Well. I knew what to try this time based off the last time. So. I found the way to the fifth mansion.
On the way to the mansion is a guy who will UPGRADE YOUR MORNING STAR TO A FLAME WHIP FOR FREE!!! I'm level four now so Simon's tanky too. Quick tip: stock up on laurels before going to the fifth mansion, you will need them. I really really hope you picked up the silver bag.
The fifth mansion does some more of the annoying tactics 4 used - particularly the blind drops. It wasn't too bad though and I got the final piece of Dracula! His ring (?????)!
Left the mansion and figured out how to backtrack to the original map area. So next time: time to figure out Dracula's riddle!
Spoilers below for some tidbits I learned
Spoiler!
So, if you couldn't figure it out, when you get to the river you equip the red crystal and crouch, a path will appear just like for the second mansion. The next screen is where the guy who will upgrade your whip is at.
The fifth mansion is surrounded by really long moats of poison, so you will need 4 laurels to get through to either the mansion or to the other side.
The fifth mansion has a surprise boss!
Not too hard, I recommend having your rib ready though.
That's it folks! I beat the game today. According to my time in game it took me approximately 10 hours. Most of my time today was spent going back to the third mansion area, since I realized I never went left from that mansion (I went immediately right afterwards to backtrack because I was so excited about the secret I had found). It was worth it! And that's all I'll say up here about it I also got an oak stake from the mansion just in case I would need it.
After that, I was investigating dead ends or other paths I didn't take - and lo and behold I found the final area! I was expecting one thing and. Well. I was wrong! I don't want to say too much about the final stretch of this game up here since I want anyone who hasn't played to be able to experience it yourself.
OVERALL: I love this game, this rocked. I had so much fun! I did have some help from save states (mostly used for the platforming, which I found challenging sometimes) as well as maps to help point me in the right direction, but I never got really frustrated or felt like I was hitting a lot of brick walls. The ability to level up combined with the plentiful gear and gear upgrades makes you feel really powerful. That said, there is a bit of grinding (not a problem for me) particularly at the beginning. The clues in the game can be obtuse but will at least point you in the right direction. It is annoying that you can't trust villagers since some of them love to lie. I liked the art and design of this game, my only complaint is (at least in my version of the game) some of the platforms were difficult to see against the background.
You do not need much of the gear you can grind for, but it certainly helps if you do. Personally, anytime it was night, I would head to the nearest town (or stay in one) with a church and grind off the ghosts until morning. I was never in desperate need for more hearts for the second half of the game, you get plenty off of enemies. I regularly found I had around 250 hearts, would use some to restock laurels/garlic, and then by the time I was running low on either, I had a similar amount of hearts.
I mentioned this in previous comments - my only complaint in level design is the last two mansions where they decide to make you do blind jumps or put enemies that crowd the top of the stairs. This is annoying at worst though, since if you've gotten to this point you're likely at least a little leveled and can manage any hits from these without it costing you much.
In conclusion: PLEASE PLAY CASTLEVANIA II: SIMON'S QUEST. I've dowloaded Castlevania III because I really want more of this kind of game!
Spoilers below for if you want a more detailed version of my last play session
Spoiler!
What's to the left of the third mansion, you ask? A difficult platforming challenge that leads you to: GETTING ENGAGED <3
Not really but you get the joke. The diamond is a super cool weapon - it has a similar arc to the flame and holy water at first but it BOUNCES. So it can potentially hit enemies that are too high for you to reach normally. I find it particularly helpful for the slimes.
I actually found the final area pretty quickly, I only went down one path that led nowhere (stupid poison forest) before I found the way to CASTLEVANIA. You will need holy water to make the trip.
Surprisingly, Castlevania is.... Empty. No enemies whatsoever. This was the most surprising piece. I was expecting a gauntlet.
Instead, you peacefully descend into the depths until you find a little podium. For the first time, Simon moves on his own! He approaches the podium and places all five pieces of Dracula.... AND SETS THEM ON FIRE. After the blaze....
THE GHOST OF DRACULA APPEARS
This fight had me scared for a while! He moves fucking fast! And the projectiles! Oddly enough, even though you supposedly just burned all five of the pieces of Dracula, you still have access to them, so through the rib shield, the diamond, and the flame whip, I prevailed!
#1: Legend of Zelda (NES) 
#2: Super Mario (And Wario) Land (GB) 
<- Fergus.
I love that
In the third mansion there was a very direct direction for a secret, so I did that immediately after and IT WAS THE ENTRANCE TO THE FOURTH MANSION LET'S GOOOOO
