Dark Castle for Genesis

Review #4135

Dark Castle

Castlevania Lost

Genesis 1991 Electronic Arts Adventure Adventure › Platform
Dark Castle screenshot for Genesis
Screenshot used for review/reference purposes.
0 / 5

Gameplay

Without a doubt the worst Castlevania clone ever made.
The three buttons jump, duck to pick things up, and throw a rock.
Unbelievably laggy controls. I'm genuinely shocked by how long it takes for a button press to register. Meanwhile enemies flutter around quickly. Rocks can be thrown at a variety of angles by rotating your arm up or down like it's an attachment. This is as comical as it is frustrating.
Movement is as stilted as Prince of Persia and as nonsensical as Slaughter Sport. For example, taking a step off a 6 inch platform causes fall damage which makes you dizzy and takes 5 seconds to recover from.
Nigh unplayable

0 / 5

Level Design

You can choose from several areas. Each area is the same - just rooms within a castle. Enemies swarm to you including bats, rats, and a guy with a pistol.
I think you're supposed to pick up vials sitting on the ground but I avoided them with no negative consequence.
Precision platforming is required along with lots of Castlevania staircases from which you cannot attack. Uggh

1 / 5

Theme

I cringe every time I see EA's logo. Where were they finding these crappy games?
In any case this is the most generic, awful Castlevania clone ever. Have I mentioned that yet? All I could think about was that I should be playing Bloodlines instead of this crap.

0 / 5

Art Style

Hideous. Awful. Embarrassing. The Sega seal of approval obviously meant nothing in early 1991.

1 / 5

Audio

The soundtrack is the only not horrible quality of this title. It's a collection of classic gothic songs played on an organ. The sound effects on the other hand...wow are they bad. The squeeling bats are an auditory injury waiting to happen.

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