Castlevania II: Simon's Quest is the second one of three Castlevania games released on the NES. After the vampire killer Simon Belmont destroyed Count Dracula in the original Castlevania (1987), an evil curse possessed him. The only way Simon can break the count's curse is to find five of Dracula's body parts (which are mysteriously strewn throughout Transylvania) and burn them.

Unlike most of the other Castlevania games, Simon's Quest does not feature the traditional stages but allows you to freely roam the land of Transylvania in the style of Nintendo's Metroid. In several towns Simon can talk with NPC's and buy items in shops, adding a touch of role-playing.

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Alternate Titles

"ドラキュラII呪いの封印" -- Japanese Spelling
"Dracula II: The Accursed Seal" -- Translated Japanese Title
"Akumajou Dracula II: Noroi no Fuuin" -- Japanese Title

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Part of the Following Groups

Merchant	Title	Platform	Price
	Castlevania II: Simon's Quest	NES	$2.39
	Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
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User Reviews

Simon, is there ever a good night to have a curse?	Adzuken (339)
This title doesn't deserve its good reputation at all	Bregalad (819)
scour the country side, and hunt for the counts missing body parts!	benjamin grimes (10)
This is what NES value games were all about	Mike Hotch (3)
One of the best NES games out there...	Cormana6868 (16)
In principle, one of the most disgusting video games ever	Multimedia Mike (17038)

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The Press Says

Joystick (French)	Jun, 1990	95 out of 100	95
Power Play	Jun, 1989	82 out of 100	82
Tilt	Jul, 1990	16 out of 20	80
Le Geek	Apr, 2004	4 out of 5	80
Jeuxvideo.com	Mar 25, 2011	16 out of 20	80
NES Times	Oct 26, 2006	8 out of 10	80
Random Access	2005	7.9 out of 10	79
Player One	Sep, 1990	72 out of 100	72
The Video Game Critic	Dec 06, 2004	C-	42
HonestGamers	Dec 31, 2003	3 out of 10	30

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Trivia

Endings

The game features three different endings, which are activated based on the amount of game-time it took the player to finish the game. The first one is for three days or less, another is for eight days or less and the third is for any time playing over that. The endings are different between the US and Japanese versions of the game. It's debatable which of the three is the better ending (the fastest ending isn't considered the best), however it seems that in two of them, Simon Belmont does not survive the curse Dracula placed upon him.

Famicom Disk System Version

The original Japanese version of the game, named Dracula II: Noroi no Fuuin, was not released on a cart. It was available for the Famicom Disk System, an add-on that lets the Famicom play video games straight from a special floppy disk.

There are some differences between this version and the US one:

It does not use passwords to record the player's progress, it saves the data to one of three save files on the disk.
It has different music because the Famicom Disk System has an extra sound channel that was not available via other means.
The mansion music also plays when the player is at their outside entrances.
There are some sound differences: the glass-shattering effect of holy water doesn't exist, the sound effect for Simon falling into water is altered, the secret-discovering sound plays only when the player initially talks to hidden souls and not after, and there are snazzier sounds for the Ferryman's actions and the Deborah Cliff tornado-soul ride.
There are deviations on some names (most notably, Simon's last name in the Japanese version, as is usually the case with the family name, is Belmondo. Also, Camilla Cemetery is instead called Carmilla Cemetery).
It has a slightly higher enemy rate.
It's possible to purchase garlic and laurels even after Simon's stock is filled.

Garlic Exploit

In the original Japanese Famicom Disk System-only version of the game, it is possible to beat the last boss using only a single piece of garlic. Doing this really takes a long time though. Just drop a piece of garlic on the floor, move and wait for the boss to hit the garlic. It will be hit 256 times without having the ability to move, then die. In the western cartridge port of the game, Konami made the supply of garlic vanish for the final battle, probably because this trick was well-known in Japan.

Innovations

It was the first game to feature a day/night cycle.

Novel

A 1990 novella based on this game was published by Scholastic as part of their Worlds of Power series for children at risk of losing their literacy to video gaming -- books based on non-Nintendo-owned NES games, all attributed to the author F.X. Nine (though this one is also credited: written by Christopher Howell, a Seth Godin Production). At the ends of chapters, hints for the completion of the video game appear in spoiler-secured upside-down text.

Nintendo Power Controversy

The second issue of Nintendo Power had a cover based on Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. It depicted a man in a suit of armor (probably Simon Belmont) holding Dracula's severed head. The cover prompted several phone calls from mothers who claimed it gave their children nightmares.

The Black Dahlia Murder

The American death metal band The Black Dahlia Murder, used this game as inspiration for their first release, What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse. The title is derived from the phrase "What a horrible night to have a curse" which appears onscreen during transitions from day to night. The song What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse from their third album Nocturnal is a downloadable track in Rock Band, bringing Castlevania to that franchise in a sort of round-about way.