Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge (GB, 1991)
Graphics-8 Sound-8.5 Control-6.5/7* Challenge-8
Level Design-7.5 Frustration-8 Fun-7.5 Originality-6
Overall Score-7.5
*Movement speed hack
+
Good variation
MM-style level select with a map (flattens the difficulty curve a bit though)
Good bosses overall
Password save (short)
Good art direction
Some hidden items
Fire beam whip upgrade
Some large sprites
Decent length
+/-
Time limit
Slight delay when attacking
-
Stiff jumping controls
Slow movement speed (fixed in a hack)
Trial & error (bosses, some enemies)
Can't switch weapons
Removes some sub weapons (the cross?)
Comment:
Belmont still walks quite slowly here (on that note I recommend checking out the movement speed romhack), yet considering the poor effort that went into its prequel this game is quite impressive for GB with creative level design, memorable aesthetics and excellent music throughout (as opposed to the one or two standouts from the first one). The game has a neat Mega Man style level select, which helps with replayability and lets you try a different stage if you're having trouble, but it also makes the difficulty curve a bit flat until the end game. A solid action game overall, and one of the best games for the GB.
Level Design-7.5 Frustration-8 Fun-7.5 Originality-6
Overall Score-7.5
*Movement speed hack
+
Good variation
MM-style level select with a map (flattens the difficulty curve a bit though)
Good bosses overall
Password save (short)
Good art direction
Some hidden items
Fire beam whip upgrade
Some large sprites
Decent length
+/-
Time limit
Slight delay when attacking
-
Stiff jumping controls
Slow movement speed (fixed in a hack)
Trial & error (bosses, some enemies)
Can't switch weapons
Removes some sub weapons (the cross?)
Comment:
Belmont still walks quite slowly here (on that note I recommend checking out the movement speed romhack), yet considering the poor effort that went into its prequel this game is quite impressive for GB with creative level design, memorable aesthetics and excellent music throughout (as opposed to the one or two standouts from the first one). The game has a neat Mega Man style level select, which helps with replayability and lets you try a different stage if you're having trouble, but it also makes the difficulty curve a bit flat until the end game. A solid action game overall, and one of the best games for the GB.