Castlevania II: Simon's Quest

aka: Akumajou Dracula II: Noroi no Fuuin
Moby ID: 10125
NES Specs
Note: We may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made via eBay or Amazon links (prices updated 3/24 1:01 PM )
See Also

Description official descriptions

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest is the second game in the Castlevania series. After the vampire killer Simon Belmont destroyed Count Dracula in the previous game, 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.

Gameplay-wise, Simon's Quest is quite different from its predecessor, combining side-scrolling action and platforming with strong role-playing elements. The game does not feature the traditional stages but allows the player to freely roam the land of Transylvania in the style of Nintendo's Metroid. The game world is divided into outdoor areas, dungeon-like mansions containing crucial quest items, and towns, where Simon can talk to non-player characters, rest, and buy items in shops. Some areas can only be accessed by equipping and using specific items that must be bought or found.

The RPG elements are present in character growth, monetary system, and weapon upgrades. Simon's initial whip can be replaced by more powerful variants that can be purchased in various towns. Hearts are used as currency in the game and are obtained from defeated enemies in different quantities. The same hearts also function as experience points: after Simon has accumulated a set amount, he levels up and his attributes are increased.

The game features a day and night cycle that occurs at accelerated pace in real time. At night, enemies inflict more damage, but also drop more hearts upon defeat. Shops are closed during nighttime, and townspeople are replaced by wandering zombies.

Spellings

  • ドラキュラII呪いの封印 - Japanese spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (NES version)

12 People

Invincibility
Permanence
  • Iwasa
Philosophy
Masterpiece
  • Kawanishi
Sensitivity
Excellence
Ambivalence
  • Kuwahara
Flourish
  • Higasa
Admiration
  • Ohyama
Superiority
Synchronism
Circumstance
  • Konami

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 68% (based on 27 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.4 out of 5 (based on 115 ratings with 8 reviews)

In principle, one of the most disgusting video games ever

The Good
For crying out loud, this sounds like the old kids' blindfolded Halloween game: "The Belmont clan member killed the evil Count Dracula. And these are his eyes. And this is heart. And this... is his nail!" EEEWWW!

His nail? What's up with that? How much demonic evil can possibly be contained in a nail? Anyway, what is good about this game? I appreciate how Konami took a chance with their young Castlevania franchise and branched out into an adventure theme in addition to relentless whip-wielding action. The various whips you can attain were also excellent.

As is now expected with any Castlevania game, the graphics were simply untouchable. The most remarkable detail that I recall from the game is the variety of hanged corpses whenever Simon entered a chamber containing a vampire body part. Although now I can't help but wonder how they got there. Was there some ritual of executing people in the body part chambers?

The Bad
Hey, when a game doesn't grab you, it doesn't grab you. Simon's Quest never really did anything for me. I rented it, worked through it, won it, but it never made any kind of impression on me. Again, I appreciate the fact that the game designers took a chance with the adventure angle to keep the series from getting stale. But this game just didn't work for me.

The Bottom Line
Play Simon's Quest for the satisfaction of knowing you have experienced as much of the venerable Castlevania franchise as possible.

NES · by Multimedia Mike (20664) · 2005

This is what NES value games were all about

The Good
The game had a lot of variability which was cool for a game of that era. You build your character a-la Metroid, Zelda and Mega Man; in a style that was not resurrected in the Castlevania Franchise until the immensely popular Symphony of the Night on PS1. This game was way ahead of the franchise time; but ultimately proved to be the granddaddy of modern Castlevania in my opinion. The day and night conditions and free-roaming gameplay are a cut above the rest, not showing up until later titles such as Ocarina of Time.

The Bad
1.) Simon doesn't look like the guy on the cover! Since when is brown hair blond? And why is Dracula waiting for Simon when Simon has to put him back together? The packaging for this game sucked and I bet that's why a lot of you apparently missed it. 2.) While I was ultimately very satisfied with the game; the ease of defeating Dracula and the subsequent death of the hero (in a very brief ending; one of 3 possible endings -- another novel feature of this classic); was mildly disappointing to the eight year old reviewer at time of completion.

The Bottom Line
One of my favorite NES games of all time and something I would recommend as a predecessor to many of the video game innovations that we still want developers to incorporate.

NES · by Mike Hotch (2) · 2006

scour the country side, and hunt for the counts missing body parts!

The Good
this was the first of the series i played, and it was very entertaining. i found the leveling up system and password feature was a great idea, and when day turns to night, the game gets increasingly harder. the music must also be noted, because like the original, you remember the music, and will be whistling it for weeks. and the ending is great! this is the best music i have heard for this system, and i am sure you will enjoy it to.

The Bad
the final boss was rather easy. i used the golden knife trick and i beat him on my first attempt every time. and unless you have a guide to this game, you will get stuck on the tornado part of the adventure. some of the later creatures are annoying if you have not leveled up either.

The Bottom Line
this is a great follow up to a legendary game. the side quests will leave you wondering what to do next, and the journey into the counts castle will be something you will remember for all time.

NES · by benjamin grimes (9) · 2005

[ View all 8 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
Also released May 2019, part of Anniversary Collection, including a Windows version. Andrew Fisher (697) Jun 23, 2023
Another "black sheep" turns out to be a gem Unicorn Lynx (181780) May 30, 2012

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.

Awards

  • Power Play
    • Issue 01/1990 - #3 Best Nintendo Game in 1989

Information also contributed by Andreas Vilén, Bregalad, CaptainCanuck, Dracula Marth, Pseudo_Intellectual, ResidentHazard and WildKard.

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

Castlevania
Released 1999 on Nintendo 64
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
Released 1991 on Game Boy
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Released 2006 on Nintendo DS
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Released 2005 on PlayStation 2, Xbox
Castlevania: The Adventure
Released 1989 on Game Boy, 2011 on Nintendo 3DS
Spaceship Curse
Released 2020 on Nintendo Switch
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
Released 1999 on Nintendo 64
Lennus II: Fūin no Shito
Released 1996 on SNES
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Released 2005 on Nintendo DS, 2009 on J2ME

Related Sites +

  • Castlevania Dungeon
    Fansite dedicated to everything and anything Castlevania.
  • Howard & Nester do Castlevania 2
    A regular feature in Nintendo Power magazine, Howard & Nester was a comic strip about two game whizzes who would one-up each other, while disclosing hints and tips, in the settings of various recently-released games for the NES platform. In the November / December 1988 two-page installment, they figure out how to find Bodley Mansion.
  • OC ReMix Game Profile
    Fan remixes of music from Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, including the album "Sonata of the Damned".
  • Play "Castlevania II: Simon's Quest" online!
    The entire game can be played on this website, which uses a Java-based NES emulator called vNES to call up ROMs for its visitors.
  • Video review of Castlevania II
    The Angry Video Game Nerd, Jame Rolfe, reviews Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. This is Jame Rolfe's first Angry Video Game Nerd review.
  • Video review of the Castlevania series (WARNING: Language)
    The Angry Video Game Nerd, James Rolfe, reviews games in the Castlevania series. In part 2, he takes a second look at Castlevania II: Simon's Quest and reviews Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, both on NES.

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 10125
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Roedie.

Wii U, Nintendo 3DS added by GTramp. Wii added by Sciere.

Additional contributors: Guy Chapman, Foxhack, Pseudo_Intellectual, Echidna Boy, LepricahnsGold, jsbrigo, Cantillon, Patrick Bregger, Thomas Thompson, MobyReed.

Game added August 24, 2003. Last modified March 3, 2024.