Castlevania 2: Famicom

[TRM]

Was Castlevania 2 ever released on Famicom (cart)? I have seen the disk many a time but never a Famicom cart for it, so I personally think that it was a disk exclusive. Anyone know for sure?

[Dire 51]

Unfortunately, it was disk only. The original would have ended up the same way had Konami decided not to rerelease it as a cart in the early '90s.

[Ed Oscuro]

That cartridge re-release was from 1993, so I hear. Zelda no Densetsu also got a cartridge rerelease with a copyright data of 1992 (I own both versions) but it may have been released in 1993 (GameFaqs doesn't have anything about this one). At one time I was thinking that another classic '86 Famicom Disk System game got a cart re-release; I wasn't thinking of any of the Mario games (which were released on both formats).

CV2, as I've noted elsewhere, has a generally unfinished feel to it. I am convinced personally that its designers had originally intended to put it on a larger cartridge and to create a much larger, fuller game than they ended up releasing. Clues: the mansions are virtually empty, and filled with some of the strangest non-glitch tile formations I've yet seen on the NES. There are hidden stairways and other glitchy bits (left over from hastily cutting out other areas of the game, presumably). There are dead end rooms and areas that serve no purpose--for example, somewhat above (in literal terms) Castlevania itself is a final forest; it's not only unnecessary to enter this forest but it's possible to get stuck there without hope of escape.

The US cartridge version is larger, apparently due to the inclusion of extra music.

There is unused monster sprite data; it's an exceedingly ugly and strangely animated monster as well. Sort of the same thing that was going on in the other 1988 CV game, Haunted Castle (that game has some hidden things in the data as well).

CV2 is a horrible game, but it has enough semi-sane bits along with the familiar game mechanics to have been a hit with kids when it came out.

[TRM]

@Ed: Do you have the sprites for the unused monster enemy? I wouldn't mind seeing this if it's not too much trouble.

Those were some interesting thoughts too...

[Ed Oscuro]

Well, I'll ask the guy who found them. I have only seen two frames of the CV2 enemy, and of course we don't really know what colors were supposed to have been used.

For the Haunted Castle thing, I seem to have deleted the file from my webspace, so that's also a project for tomorrow.

[TheRedEye]

The Akumajo Dracula cart was released February 5th, 1993.

[rbudrick]

You know, I never thought of this too consciously before.. but I believe you are right, Ed Oscuro.

Where the hell are the bosses? Sure, there is a grim reaper and a floating head, but they completely unnecessary to kill.

And where are those hidden stairways?!

And I'm not quite sure I understand what you are saying here:

that serve no purpose--for example, somewhat above (in literal terms) Castlevania itself is a final forest; it's not only unnecessary to enter this forest but it's possible to get stuck there without hope of escape.

Could you clarify?

Thanks so much! I find this all very interesting, since I actually really do love that game, although some hate it...

-Rob