VAMPIRE KILLER

'''Vampire Killer''' (1986) is a game for the MSX2 home computer, produced by Konami and released in Japan, Europe and Brazil. Its original Japanese title is '''Akumajō Dracula''' (悪魔城ドラキュラ, lit. "Demon Castle Dracula" or "Dracula's Satanic Castle" [the game's European box recognizes it by this translation][1]). The game's premise is the same seen on many ''Castlevania'' games. Simon Belmont ventures inside Castlevania to defeat Count Dracula and restore peace in the land of Transylvania. He fights his way through hordes of monsters, wielding only a whip.
This is the second game released in the ''Castlevania'' series. ''Akumajō Dracula'' (''Castlevania'' outside Japan) was released for the Famicom Disk System on September 26 1986 (September 22 1986 according to certain sources), whereas this game was released on October 30 1986. However, this is the first game in the series that was released outside Japan, which explains why some gamers think this is the very first release in the series. This game is seen as an "adaptation" of ''Castlevania'', containing certain RPG elements and graphical upgrades. Its flip-screen approach to the original ''Castlevania's gameplay is a result of the MSX's scrolling limitations. ''Contra'' received a similar treatment when it was ported to the MSX2.
''Vampire Killer'' is seen as unique in the early ''Castlevania'' series for containing several features that weren't seen in other games that were intended to be remakes of the original game. For example, to progress in the game, it is necessary to acquire "skeleton keys" hidden in the several rooms within the game's castle, in order to open doors to other rooms. Other keys also have to be found in order to open treasure chests containing useful items, such as shields for protection and speed boots. Merchants can be found along the way (and mostly by breaking open walls with the whip), selling items to the player. While containing considerably different gameplay than the original ''Castlevania'', both games share most of the same background settings, enemies and music.
The unique gameplay features from ''Vampire Killer'' were reintroduced to the ''Castlevania'' series with '' in 1988 and '' in 1997. As with many other MSX titles such as ''Metal Gear'' and ''Contra'', the action takes place one screen at a time in a fashion similar to the original ''The Legend of Zelda'' for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Contents

Story

Other meanings

External links

Story

(Full text manual of Vampire Killer is available here).
Interestingly, this game was originally set "in the 12th or 13th century" according to its story (as found when selecting "Help" when playing the game):
"During medieval times, around the 12th to 13th century, a city was suddenly founded in Europe by a large group of Germanic immigrants
after the collapse of their ancient city. Within there, a bit earlier during the latter half of the 10th century, at the pleasant Transylvanian country,
the so-called Germanic society were unable to defend their town. Since ancient times, the Transylvanian people has spoken about the
"legend of the hero Christopher". Once in a hundred years, a group of evil men are said to conduct a black mass during each century to
resurrect the devil Dracula at the tower of Colbert, where he was sealed by the legendary hero. And exactly a hundred years has passed
since he was sealed at the Tower of Colbert. On an Easter night, ominous clouds covered the sky when a thunderstorm tore into the
darkness, evil has returned. The city has been demolished by evil spirts and paganists To solve this crisis, Simon, a descendant of
Christopher, took his father's enchanted whip and head to the castle haunted by the evil spirits." [2]
However, since then, Koji Igarashi has retconned the story to set it in the year 1691 as opposed to earlier with his new time line, as can be seen the 2006 '' 20th Anniversary Edition Castlevania Time Line.

Other meanings

'''Vampire Killer''' is also the original Japanese title of '', released for the Sega Mega Drive in 1994.
"'Vampire Killer'" is also the title of a song played in many ''Castlevania'' games, making its debut in the first level of the original ''Castlevania''.
"'Vampire Killer'" is also the name given to the whip wielded by several heroes in the ''Castlevania'' saga. It was originally created with alchemy by Rinaldo Gandolfi, a tale which is recounted in '', and only members of the Belmont lineage can use it to its full effect. In '', it is learned that protagonist Jonathan Morris, like his father John Morris in ''Bloodlines'', requires the assistance of the Lecarde family in order to unleash the true potential of the whip, although using it this way will siphon his strength until it eventually takes his life. Furthermore, the whip used by Nathan Graves in '' is not the Vampire Killer, but another whip known as the "Hunter's Whip".
Beginning with Aria of sorrow, The Belmonts have been established as having control over various holy powers (which deal substantially extra damage to most enemies) as the traditional weapons of the cross and holy water now inflict holy damage. As of Portrait of Ruin, The Vampire Killer Whip itself also inflicts holy damage.

External links

★ Castlevania Dungeon

★ Mr. P's Castlevania Realm