NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Super Castlevania IV

Super Castlevania IV (悪魔城ドラキュラ Akumajō Dorakyura^?) was the first Castlevania game released on the Super NES console and is avaible on Wii's virtual console, announced to be released in November 2006. It is an enhanced remake of the original Castlevania and Vampire Killer – a retelling of Simon Belmont's foray into Castlevania. However, the game has new levels (several featuring areas outside of Castlevania), 16-bit graphics featuring SNES graphics Mode 7, and the soundtrack contains both remixes of previous Castlevania scores as well as new pieces entirely. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Platform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms. ... In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ... The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, also known as Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Brazil, Europe, and Australia. ... The official logo of the Virtual Console Virtual Console is a video game download service that is currently offered by Nintendo for its Wii gaming console. ... The megabit is a unit of information storage, abbreviated Mbit or sometimes Mb. ... In various types of electronic equipment, a cartridge can refer one method of adding different functionality or content (e. ... The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, also known as Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Brazil, Europe, and Australia. ... In the video game subculture, an enhanced remake (also called updated classics) is an updated version of a video or computer game that was originally developed for a less advanced system. ... Castlevania , lit. ... Vampire Killer (1986) is a game for the MSX2 home computer, produced by Konami and released in Japan, Europe and Brazil. ... Simon Belmont from Castlevania Chronicles (as depicted by Ayami Kojima). ... In computer science, 16-bit is an adjective used to describe integers that are at most two bytes wide, or to describe CPU architectures based on registers, address buses, or data buses of that size. ... The term Mode 7 originated on the Super NES video game console, on which it describes a simple texture mapping graphics mode that allows a background layer to be rotated and scaled. ...

Gameplay

The control scheme has been expanded upon from its predecessors, this includes the ability for Simon to now whip in eight directions, as well keep the whip held out if the player holds the attack button. Holding the whip out lets Simon swing or spin it around, allowing the player to easily block enemy projectiles, or hit enemies rapidly (albeit for less damage than a normal strike). In addition, Simon can latch his whip onto grapples, letting him swing over various obstacles.

Like most Castlevania games, Simon can use the sub-weapons and whip power-ups. Sub-weapons are powered by the hearts found in candles and from slain enemies. Since the control pad is used to aim the whip, another button is used to attack with sub weapons, rather than pressing Up and the attack button. The more powerful sub-weapons require more hearts to use. Whip power-ups increase the strength and length of the whip, as expected, and are usually found in candles. Power Up, the Professional Organization of Women in Entertainment Reaching Up is an organization with the stated mission to promote the visibility and integration of gay women in entertainment, the arts, and all forms of media. Power Up provided funding and assistance to the 2003 short film . ...

Simon's jumps can now be controlled in the air, to a limited extent. This opens up the possibility to dodge and maneuver away from danger. Simon can also climb stairs in mid-jump, as well as crouch while moving forward.

Plot

Japanese version

The story is set in 1691. The following is translated from the original Super Castlevania IV Japanese manual: Events March 5 - French troops under Marshal Louis-Francois de Boufflers besiege the Spanish-held town of Mons March 20 - Leislers Rebellion - New governor arrives in New York - Jacob Leisler surrenders after standoff of several hours March 29 - Siege of Mons ends to the cityâ€™s surrender May 6...

During the Middle Ages in Europe, there was once a peaceful small country named Transylvania. A country associated with the legend of Dracula. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... Map of Romania with Transylvania in yellow Transylvania (Romanian: or Transilvania; Hungarian: ; German: ; Serbian: or Erdelj / Ð•Ñ€Ð´ÐµÑ™) is a historical region in the center of Romania. ... Dracula ) is a fictional vampire from the multi-platform Castlevania video game series. ...

Simon, with the Vampire Killer whip, successfully defeated Dracula and his demon army. Or, so he thought (see Castlevania II: Simon's Quest for the continuation). Listed below are characters from all of the Castlevania video game series. ... Vampire Killer (1986) is a game for the MSX2 home computer, produced by Konami and released in Japan, Europe and Brazil. ...

North American version

When the game was localized in North America as Super Castlevania IV, the story within the manual and prologue screen, was modified in order to make it take place after Simon's Quest. This is reflected in the last line of the manual, when it says it is "time once again for Simon Belmont to take up his whip...". Also the introduction is very similar to the "best ending" in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ...

Although Super Castlevania IV is considered a remake of Castlevania I in the Japanese Castlevania timeline by current director Koji Igarashi. Konami USA had not reflected it, and it remained a canon sequel to Simon's Quest according to Konami USA, up until it was removed with the release of the official Xtreme desktop timeline for the PC which brings the series closer to Igarashi's vision. Koji Igarashi (also known simply by his nickname of IGA) is a Konami employee and the current producer of the Castlevania video game series. ...

Graphics

Super Castlevania IV displays effects such as multi-scrolling backgrounds, animated objects in the distance, and very complex and diverse colors and shapes in its levels. The game takes on an even darker, more eccentric mood and atmosphere than the prior Castlevania games in the series.

The second stage features multiple storm clouds that zip by, and later on, a river path with rocky structures in the background and foreground that spill little waterfalls.

In one of the final stages, Simon must traverse though Dracula's Treasury, brimming over with things like hills of gold coins, and treasure boxes that shut when the player jumps on them. The term treasury was first used in classical times to describe the votive buildings erected to house gifts to the gods, such as the Siphnian Treasury in Delphi or the many buildings put up in Olympia, Greece by competing city-states, to impress each other during the Ancient Olympic Games. ...

Koranot, a huge, golem-type boss, displays rotating and resizing sprites in the battle. In Jewish folklore, a golem (×’×•×œ×, sometimes, as in Yiddish, pronounced goilem) is an animated being created entirely from inanimate matter. ...

Ectoplasms, one of the enemies seen in the Castle's Entrance Hall, show transparency and color-shifting effects. An ectoplasm (ghost) In cell biology, ectoplasm (outer plasma) refers to the outer regions of the cytoplasm of a cell. ...

Additionally, Super Castlevania IV was the first Castlevania game to use Super NES' Mode 7 feature. This could be seen in Stage 4, a level which seemed to twist and turn in both 2D and 3D throughout. A 3D rendering with raytracing and ambient occlusion using Blender and Yafray 3D computer graphics are works of graphic art that were created with the aid of digital computers and specialized 3D software. ...

Level design

Following the model set by the previous games, Super Castlevania IV employs the usage of many the series' recurring elements, such as moving platforms, pits with spikes, and stairs that one can traverse only by pressing the Up or Down direction on the D-Pad. The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ...

Unique to Super Castlevania IV's level design is its connection with Simon's whip, the Vampire Killer. Occasionally, objects similar to door knockers will appear in the player's view, and the player must use Simon's whip to grab onto them and swing across pits to gain access to the next part of the stage. Simon is also able to adjust the length of the whip while swinging if the player uses the D-pad accordingly. The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ...

True to Castlevania, Super Castlevania IV puts the player in very tense moments, such as escaping the deadly blades of a huge, circular saw in one of the final levels, or crossing a bridge with randomly disappearing parts, along with timing jumps between large, swinging chandeliers, where one wrong move sends the player to the deadly void below.

Music

The music of the Baroque era, at its zenith in the 18th century, and the Rococo era shortly after, is found throughout the soundtrack. There is the use of techniques called Four Voice Leading (type of chord movement), pedal melody, where one note repeats under a distinctive motive or "riff" (Bloody Tears), secondary dominants (also a part of chord movement), and non-harmonic tones like suspensions and passing tones. Adoration, by Peter Paul Rubens. ... North side of the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo - carriage courtyard: all the stucco details sparkled with gold until 1773, when Catherine II had gilding replaced with olive drab paint. ...

But the soundtrack has not been praised so much for its apparent tributes to other styles, so much as its incredibly complex nature for such an early game on the respective system. For example, the stage, Sunken City, begins its theme with a wavering and fading effect with an organ, and then evolves into a near-improvisational jazz-influenced melody (additionally, it is one of the game's most touted compositions).

Remixes

Super Castlevania IV's soundtrack includes remixes of songs from past games. These include "Vampire Killer" (from Castlevania), and "Bloody Tears" (from Simon's Quest), two themes that would eventually reappear in many more games. "Beginning", the song played on Stage 1 from Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, is also present. Vampire Killer is the name of a traditional tune heard in the Castlevania series. ... Castlevania , lit. ... Bloody Tears is the name of a traditional tune in the Castlevania series. ...

Recurring songs

"Theme of Simon Belmont", now considered to be the character's trademark theme song, was played on the last stage in Castlevania Chronicles/Akumajō Dracula X68000 and the last half of the final stage in Castlevania: Bloodlines. The "Theme of Simon Belmont" victory fanfare, which was used in Super Castlevania IV whenever a crystal was obtained after defeating a boss, was also featured in Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness. If you rescued one of the 6 children in Henry Mode, this fanfare would play as a victory theme. Interestingly enough, after Castlevania: Circle of the Moon's soundtrack was dumped into GSF files, an unused track that resembled this fanfare was discovered. The theme music of a radio or television program is a melody closely associated with the show, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits. ... AkumajÅ Dracula is the name of the 1993 Castlevania game released in Japan on the Sharp X68000 home computer system. ... Castlevania: Circle of the Moon is a video game created by Konami for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance system. ... GSF is an emulated Game Boy Advance audio format based off of Neill Corletts PSF (Portable Sound Format), developed by CaitSith2 and Zoopd. ...

The "Game Over" theme was also reused in Circle of the Moon, as were "Rotating Room" and "Spinning Tale" in a remix combining the two songs called "Clockwork Mansion".

Parts of the sublimely ethereal "Dracula Battle BGM" are subtly worked into "Leon's Theme" in Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. Castlevania: Lament of Innocence is a PlayStation 2 video game in the Castlevania series. ...

Regional Variations

The American and PAL localizations of the game contain some differences from the original Japanese version, which, like most games in the series, is called Akumajō Dracula.

The font used in the Japanese game is different from that used in the English translations. The English-language versions use a bright green font; the Japanese version uses a completely different font that is also significantly darker.

In the Japanese version of the game, there was a cross on top of the tombstone in the introduction. This was removed for the American and PAL localizations to avoid religious controversies. The misspelled name "Dracura" (a case of Engrish) is also clearly written (in Roman letters) on the tombstone in the Japanese version; this was replaced with an unreadable smudge in the English-language versions. Engrish on a sweatshirt in Japan An Excellent Room at Fukuoka Station, a staff-only area Engrish refers to the grammatically incorrect variation of English often found in East Asian countries. ... The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world. ...

As with many games on the Super NES, there were censorship issues as well. The statues in Stage 6, which were originally topless, were redrawn wearing togas, and the blood dripping from the ceilings in Stage 8 was changed from red to green, effectively turning it into slime or acid.

The opening logo in the Japanese version of the game resembles the original Akumajō Dracula title screen, from the Famicom Disk System. Blood also drips below the title's lettering. The Famicom Disk System, attached to a late-model AV Famicom The Family Computer Disk System (FCD) was released on February 21, 1986 by Nintendo as a peripheral to their overwhelmingly popular Family Computer (Famicom) console in Japan. ...

Trivia

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (SOTN) is a Japanese action-adventure game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and published by Konami for the Sony PlayStation video game console. ... Paula Abdul (Born June 19, 1962) is a popular American singer, choreographer, dancer and actress. ... Fred Astaire (May 10, 1899 â€“ June 22, 1987), born Frederick Austerlitz in Omaha, Nebraska, was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. ...

External links

Categories: 1991 computer and video games | 1992 computer and video games | Castlevania games | Super NES games | Wii Virtual Console games This article is written from a fans point of view, rather than a neutral point of view. ... It has been suggested that Castlevania recurrences be merged into this article or section. ... It has been suggested that Multiplayer Video Games be merged into this article or section. ... Castlevania , lit. ... Vampire Killer (1986) is a game for the MSX2 home computer, produced by Konami and released in Japan, Europe and Brazil. ... Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (SOTN) is a Japanese action-adventure game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and published by Konami for the Sony PlayStation video game console. ... Castlevania Legends is the third and final Castlevania title released for the original Game Boy. ... Castlevania , lit. ... Castlevania: Circle of the Moon is a video game created by Konami for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance system. ... Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance is a video game created by Konami for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance system. ... Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is a game that is a part of the Castlevania video game series. ... Castlevania: Lament of Innocence is a PlayStation 2 video game in the Castlevania series. ...

Contents

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