It’s the week of Halloween, my favorite time of the year, and what better way to do the week here on Xadara than by covering not one, not two, not three, but a whole 4 AVGN Halloween episodes in a 4 day marathon!
This is partially by coincidence, but just as much by plan — for Halloween of 2009 James did an entire “Castlevaniathon” over October and November, in what goes down as one of the best episode sets of the entire series, and for the week of Halloween, I’ll be covering all 4 of these episodes in my own little marathon. Why not, right?
We start off with, as the title implies, Castlevania, on the NES.
We open with with James saying he’s going to cover a good game, giving himself a break, and since it’s halloween, the only fitting game is one he’s referenced quite a bit in the series – the Konami classic Castlevania.
He tells the story of an early experience he had with the game, as a kid, before showing a nice montage of gameplay, and tells a story of how, in these early days of gaming, he thought the Bat boss at the end of the first level was the final boss!
He then talks about how the games borrow elements from classic horror stories and cinema — something he’s well versed in, before encountering the difficulty curve of the game.
Before the does this though, he at least starts off lightly by just talking about odd aspects of the game — the “orb” at the end of each boss battle, the design of the castle, and the whole “hearts” issue — how they are ammunition and currency, and not health like you would think. Yeah, if you’ve never played a Castlevania game, it’s a bit odd.
After a bit of a rant about the “Pork Chop” item, he finally goes into the difficulty. The pits, the enemies, and the sheer insanity of the way some sections are laid out, between stairs, platforms, and enemies. It’s crazy.
Still, even with the difficulty he makes it to Dracula, and all his forms – even the “Cookie Monster” final form. With skill and perseverance, he does it – beating Dracula after two decades/
James focuses on the credits here, something he normally doesn’t do, to point out that they are, in fact, a joke — references to actual horror film actors and story authors. They aren’t great, but they are something.
We didn’t think so.
He then gets ready to talk about the other games they are going to cover, hoping to move on the Castlevania III, as he’s already covered Castlevania II in his first episode of the series. Much like the curse Simon has on him in Castlevania II, the game won’t let him continue until he covers it one more time.
That’s right, the next episode is him covering Castlevania II, again.
Final Rating: 4.5/5
This is a top notch episode. Short, to say the least, but there isn’t much to say about Castlevania, good or bad – it’s a solid game, and those often are best described in few words. Comedy is solid here, and while there isn’t as much of a frustration factor, the genuine absurdity of some aspects of the game really keep it going.
Then comes the passion with which James talks about Castelvania, and horror media in general. This episode is clearly done with love for the game in mind, and it shows; especially the idea of the Castelvania II taunting him like it does at the end. It’s all around a fun time, and a great start to an incredible set of episodes.