Stories of vampires in literature and cinema evoke a name above all: Dracula. But in videogames I still seem more representative the name of Castlevania, although it is always closely linked to that of Dracula.

Under this title, Konami has made us dream of dark castles, have nightmares with devilish creatures, and enjoy with a command in the hand of adventure always characterized by its dream music and its lugubrious atmosphere.

More than two decades of Castlevania and many episodes bearing that name, but few (if any) impacted me as much as the wonderful Super Castlevania IV, a masterpiece that allowed us, on a growing Super Nintendo, to step into one of the most magical and immersive Dracula castles we’ve ever set foot in with our vampire hunter attire and controller in hand.

Super Castlevania IV is, in my opinion, one of those games born with magic, that carry from the very first moment that special touch so hard to explain but so easy to perceive.

(In the video, you can watch the entire first level of the game. The others are not as short and easy…)

From the very entrance to the castle, with a sepulchral silence and a noisy drawbridge reminding us that the journey is one-way, to the last chamber in the highest of the gloomy mansion’s battlements, Super Castlevania IV envelops us, surrounds us, and immerses us in an adventure we won’t want to escape until we fulfill the responsibility of the legendary Belmont clan, the most famous family of vampire hunters the world has ever known.

Dracula’s castle is not just elegant rooms; it possesses a vast array of landscapes: gardens, caves, dungeons, or forests that we must traverse on our journey, leading us to surprising places like the mechanism of a huge clock occupying an entire tower or a room filled with incalculable riches, where treasure chests overflow with gold coins as we pass by…

Additionally, the technical execution of these spaces was a luxury for its time. The wizards who brought this project to life were able to exploit that hat that was almost brand new called the Super Nintendo and use some of its tricks to offer locations that would have been impossible before. Today it may seem like an ordinary effect, but the tunnel you see in the image, rotating as we walked through, was something extraordinary in its day, like nothing we had seen before. The famous Mode 7 was mainly responsible for those technical delights, along with other revolutionary inventions that “The Brain of the Beast” carried in its circuitry.

And not only were the settings a display of color, scrolling planes, and surprising effects; the enemies also received excellent treatment. The “normal” adversaries weren’t the be-all and end-all, although they presented a wide variety and were quite well realized. But it’s in the bosses where the Konami team truly excelled. Besides being completely different from each other and requiring us to use different skills depending on their attack patterns, they had a meticulous design, with some being colossal in size (I think up to that point I had never seen such a massive moving enemy as a certain stone gentleman) and possessed excellent designs. A terrifying complement that put the perfect finishing touch to each stage… and sometimes even halfway through.

But all this great work on the atmosphere would never have been the same without the true magic touch of the game: its soundtrack. Ask anyone who successfully completed Simon Belmont’s odyssey in Super Castlevania IV what comes to mind first when thinking of the game, and they’ll likely tell you the soundtrack. The compositions of Masanori Adachi and Taro Kudo are a true masterpiece of 16-bit music. It’s not just one good melody; one after another, its musical pieces are the kind that embed themselves in our minds and push us to explore the levels at the rhythm set by the composer. Sometimes the game speeds up, with musical epicness leading the way, dragging us quickly through the game’s most significant moments. Other times, the tone relaxes, wrapping us in mystery as we explore the unknown. But the music is always there, always enveloping us, always trapping us. In this game, there was the option to listen to all the melodies in the initial menu, and it’s the only one I remember using repeatedly because of how much I loved some of the pieces.

So, it’s clear that from an atmospheric standpoint, there’s little to criticize about Super Castlevania IV. Even played almost two decades later, it maintains a solid appearance, and the music doesn’t age no matter how much it’s limited to 16-bit sound. But this game wouldn’t be a legendary classic if the gameplay experience hadn’t matched the previously mentioned display, and believe me, it did.

Although Simon Belmont’s character was a bit clunky in movement—his jump was quite limited compared to what was usually seen in games of the time, and he wasn’t particularly fast—he could do whatever he wanted with his whip, capable of striking in any direction, something whose absence in later games in the series would not be appreciated. He could also rely on highly useful secondary weapons.

Despite being somewhat limited in his movements (in a fairly realistic way, by the way), the control in Super Castlevania IV was a delight, and the level design made exploring them a challenging but very rewarding task. The difficulty level was well adjusted, with some especially difficult levels, but the game had passwords, so if we passed a level, we didn’t have to start it over. Its length wasn’t bad either, though given how enjoyable it was, it was normal to feel that the experience was too brief.

Certainly, what it lacked was a plot—totally flat, with the oft-repeated storyline of Dracula resurrects – a member of the Belmont family enters his castle – good triumphs again (and don’t tell me you didn’t see that spoiler coming…). There weren’t even dialogues with other characters; we’d be as lonely as can be in terms of allies on our odyssey. But honestly, and although I highly value plot in games, I assure you that with what the game offers, it’s not normal to think about the pity of not having a more developed plot.

In conclusion, on a personal level, Super Castlevania IV is one of the most wonderful experiences my favorite console, the 16-bit Nintendo, has given me. Every time I return to it, it revives the wonderful memories within me, and I believe that few games from that era have aged as well and still maintain all their charm and ability to surprise through time. If you enjoy old games, don’t miss the chance to give it a try. It’s hard to be disappointed.