Castlevania
Konami's 1986 action platformer for the Famicom Disk System, the first in the Castlevania series.
Castlevania is Konami’s action platformer, released in Japan as Akumajō Dracula for the Famicom Disk System in September 19861, and on the NES in North America in 19872 and in Europe in 19883. Konami counts it the first game of the series4. In its story Dracula returns a hundred years after Christopher Belmont destroyed him, and Simon Belmont goes alone into his castle with a whip handed down from his father5. The player takes Simon through the castle’s passages and stairways, six floors of them, to a duel with the Count in the tower6. Each stage has a boss, and beating it leaves a crystal that restores all of Simon’s lost power7.
The recollections shmuplations compiled call Hitoshi Akamatsu the game’s director and programmer8. Kinuyo Yamashita wrote its music, her first work at Konami, to suit the player’s movement and the gothic backgrounds; others, she says, wrote little of it9. In Konami’s account, the action games of the day attacked with punches, kicks, or projectiles, and Simon’s whip, a moment slow to strike but a little longer in reach, was new to players10.
Computer Entertainer recommended the game in June 1987. It found Castlevania hard to put away and liked the whip as a change from the usual gun or sword11. Its August chart of the best-selling video games, a poll of retailers and distributors, put Castlevania third, after The Legend of Zelda and Ikari Warriors12. IGN later ranked it 19th among NES games13, and says the series began there for American players and grew from an unknown brand into Konami’s flagship14. Konami names the game’s atmosphere, Western monsters set to grave music, as one reason the game has stayed loved for years15. Yamashita’s music has been played in concerts such as Video Games Live16.
#How it plays
Simon walks at one speed from the first frame and stops dead when the d-pad is let go17.
He jumps the moment A goes down18. Every jump follows the same fixed arc, 36 px in 20 steps19 up, and comes down the same steps in reverse20. Holding A longer changes nothing: a standing jump is 36 px, tapped or held21. On screen the jump traces that arc to the pixel22, which makes Castlevania the fixed-arc baseline on variable jump height. A jump that lands lower than it started drops 8 px/frame23 once the arc runs out.
Simon has no air control. The d-pad at take-off sets the jump’s direction for good18, and the jump carries him 1 px/frame24 that way, his walking speed25. Pressing the other way, or pressing a direction after a standing jump, changes nothing24. Walking off a ledge drops him at once, and A no longer jumps26.
An enemy’s touch turns Simon to face it and throws him up and back in a short, fixed hop27.
A morning star strengthens Simon’s whip twice, to a short chain and then a long one28. An upgrade drops only while he holds enough hearts29. He finds other weapons along the way or inside creatures, among them a dagger, an axe, and a watch that stops enemies30. Hearts pay for each throw, and the watch costs 5 of them31. A pork chop hidden in the background, found with the whip, restores part of Simon’s power32.
#Development
What Akamatsu intended comes from one account: the recollections of a developer he mentored in the 1990s, compiled by shmuplations8. By that account, Akamatsu chose the whip because it suited the world he wanted and kept enemies back well, and because he loved Raiders of the Lost Ark33. He wanted Simon’s controls to come, with enough play, to feel like an extension of the player’s own limbs34. When the developer remarked how easily one hit knocks Simon into a pit, Akamatsu shot back that Simon doesn’t die from one hit and Mario does35. He put the music’s quality down to visuals and music made by people who consciously wanted something cinematic36.
He also set the order the weapons appear in, by the same account. The knife comes first, to teach subweapons; the watch is there to teach enemy attacks; the cross and holy water are the strongest37. He meant the fight with Death to teach the cross and the axe38.
Akamatsu said the final boss’s second form is not Dracula but a monster born of the curse of man, which is why Simon is cursed for beating it39. Beating Dracula scores 1 point, he said, because of a bug, a wrong bit set in a short development; it was meant to be 10,00040.
#Across the series
Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest swaps the fixed arc for a take-off speed and gravity41, and its hits launch Simon instead of hopping him along a table42. Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse keeps this jump for every character but Grant43. Super Castlevania IV lets the d-pad steer in the air44.
Mechanics
| Mechanic | Kind | How |
|---|---|---|
| Jump | Table | every jump follows the same fixed arc |
| Air control | Fixed | the jump goes the way the d-pad pointed at take-off, and the d-pad does nothing in the air |
| Running | Instant | Simon walks at one speed from the first frame and stops dead |
| Hitbox | Points | a few points meet the level: two under his feet, a column at each side, three over his head |
| Knockback | Table arc | a hit throws Simon up and back in a short, fixed hop |
| Weapon energy | Shared pool | hearts pay for every subweapon: 1 a throw, 5 for the watch |
| Whip upgrade | Dropped | a whip upgrade drops only while Simon holds enough hearts |
| Coyote time | None | once Simon walks off a ledge, A no longer jumps |
| Gravity | None | the arc is fixed, and past its end Simon drops at one steady speed |
| Variable jump height | None | a tap and a held button give the same jump |
Every claim about this game, by concept (54)
References
- ^Konami released Castlevania in Japan, as Akumajō Dracula for the Famicom Disk System, on September 26, 1986.PublisherKonami, Castlevania JP history
How we know
発売日：1986年9月26日 … 機種：ファミリーコンピュータ ディスクシステム
heading fields · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-27.
- ^Konami dates Castlevania's North American release, on the NES, April 30, 1987.PublisherKonami, Castlevania US history
How we know
Release date：Apr 30, 1987 … Platform：NES™
heading fields · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-27.
- ^Konami dates Castlevania's European release, on the NES, November 1988.PublisherKonami, Castlevania EU history
How we know
Release date：Nov. 1988
heading fields · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-27.
- ^Konami calls Castlevania the first game of its series, released about half a year after the Famicom Disk System appeared.PublisherKonami, Castlevania JP history
How we know
ディスクシステムの登場から約半年後に発売された、 記念すべきシリーズ第１作目。
Game · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-27.
- ^In Konami's story, Dracula returns on an Easter night a hundred years after Christopher Belmont destroyed him, and Simon, of the Belmont line, goes alone into Dracula's castle with a whip handed down from his father.PublisherKonami, Castlevania JP history · Castlevania NES manual
How we know
かつての英雄クリストファー・ベルモンドがドラキュラを滅ぼしてから、ちょうど百年が経とうとしていた時だった。 … ベルモンド一族の血を受け継ぐ青年シモンは、父ゆずりの不思議な力を秘めたムチを手に、１人ドラキュラ城へ乗り込んで行ったのだった。
Story · archived copy ↗ The Count has waited 100 years for a rematch.
PDF p. 4, Introduction · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-27.
- ^Castlevania is for one player, who takes the hero through the passages and stairways of the castle, six floors of it, to a final duel with the Count in the tower.ManualCastlevania NES manual
How we know
Castlevania can be played by one player. … The object is to move through the passages and stairways of the
PDF p. 4, How to Play · archived copy ↗ Because you've got to get through six monstrous floors before you … But once you make it to the tower, you can count on a Duel to the
PDF p. 4, Introduction · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-27.
- ^Each stage has a head creature, whose damage a meter on screen tracks; it leaves a magic crystal that restores all of Simon's lost power.ManualCastlevania NES manual
How we know
you've done to Head
PDF p. 6, The Screen · archived copy ↗ Capture from Head … revives all lost
PDF p. 12, The Weapons · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-27.
- ^ abshmuplations, introducing the recollections of a developer Hitoshi Akamatsu mentored in the 1990s, calls Akamatsu Castlevania's director, creator, and programmer.Webshmuplations, Castlevania developer commentary
How we know
Castlevania director/creator/programmer Hitoshi Akamatsu
introduction · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
- ^Kinuyo Yamashita composed Castlevania's music, her first work after joining Konami, to suit the player's movement and the gothic backgrounds; she says others composed little of it.InterviewYamashita interview, VGMO
How we know
After I had joined Konami, … I aimed to create music suitable for the image of the game, particularly noting the dynamism with which the player moves and the gothic images of the background.
answer on the original Castlevania · archived copy ↗ but they composed very little of the music
answer on the other composers · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-27.
- ^Konami's history says the action games of the time attacked with punches and kicks or with projectiles, and that Castlevania's whip, a moment slower to strike but a little longer in reach, was new to players; the feel of swinging it is still found only in the series.PublisherKonami, Castlevania JP history
How we know
当時のアクションゲームの攻撃手段はパンチやキックといった直接的なものか、あるいは飛び道具だった。 … 攻撃までにひと呼吸あるかわりに、 射程距離が少しだけ長い。 … いまだに、ムチを振るう感覚は同シリーズでしか味わえない。
Game · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-27.
- ^Computer Entertainer recommended Castlevania in June 1987; it found the game hard to put away, liked the magic whip as a change from the usual gun or sword, and held back a full four stars for graphics only for occasional flicker.MagazineComputer Entertainer, June 1987
How we know
very difficult to put it away once you start … magic whip as a change of pace from the usual gun or sword … occasional presence … Recommended. (MSR $34.95)
scan p. 12, Critically Speaking... Nintendo-compatible · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
- ^Computer Entertainer's August 1987 Top Ten Videogames, from telephone polls of retailers and distributors, put Castlevania third, after The Legend of Zelda and Ikari Warriors.MagazineComputer Entertainer, Aug 1987
How we know
Castlevania (Kor/NES) … polls with a selected group of retailers
p. 1, Top Ten Videogames · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
- ^IGN ranked Castlevania 19th among NES games; it found Simon's controls unusual but smooth once learned, and the game short at six stages but hard.WebIGN, Top 100 NES Games
How we know
Start at #19 … Simon Belmont, the whip-wielding Vampire Hunter, controlled uniquely. … Sure, Castlevania is only six stages long, but you'll require a lot of luck and skill getting through even half of it.
entry 19 · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
- ^IGN says the series began for American players with this game and rose from an unknown brand to Konami's flagship.WebIGN, Top 100 NES Games
How we know
the series started for American gamers on the NES … Castlevania's epic rise from unknown brand to Konami flagship
entry 19 · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
- ^Konami's history names the game's atmosphere, Western monsters such as Frankenstein's monster, the wolf man, and Death set to grave, solemn music, as another reason the game has stayed loved for years.PublisherKonami, Castlevania JP history
How we know
長年にわたって『ドラキュラ』が愛され続ける理由のもうひとつに、徹底した雰囲気作りが挙げられるだろう。 … フランケンシュタインや狼男、死神といった西洋のモンスターを集め、さらに重厚かつ荘厳なBGMを流す
Game · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-27.
- ^Yamashita's Castlevania music has been played in concerts such as Video Games Live and PLAY! A Video Game Symphony.InterviewYamashita interview, VGMO
How we know
has been played around the world in concerts like … PLAY! A Video Game Symphony
question on concerts · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
- ^Simon has no acceleration; each frame on the ground his direction bits are set from the d-pad's held Left and Right, and the move routine shifts him by his speed bytes, 1 px/frame, in that direction or not at all.Verified“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”
How we know
In the cartridge (“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”): bank 6 $93D9-$93E3, the standing state: copy the held buttons ($F7) to $0584, then call the direction routine $9809 and the move routine $989A; bank 6 $9815-$982E: direction bits $3C = bit 2 kept | ($0584 AND 3), the held Right (1) and Left (2); bank 6 $989A-$990A: no direction bits, no move; else add or subtract $3E.$3D to his screen X or to the camera; bank 7 $C9A5-$C9AC, stage start sets $3D = 0 and $3E = 1. We don't reproduce the bytes.
Measured by a script in MesenCE 2.2.1 (build 4b8a196), on Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1) (SHA-1
4e3ef47de86a…). It fails if the result disagrees with the claim.The numbers come from the run; its author, an AI model, checked the script measures what the claim says, 2026-10-21.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
- ^ abIn Simon's standing state, the frame A goes down starts a jump, unless a block is over his head (ceiling-takeoff); the take-off code points his arc at a fixed table and copies the d-pad's Left and Right bits into his direction.Code“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”revised
How we know
In the cartridge (“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”): bank 6 $9366-$9381, the dispatch on Simon's state; state 0 (standing) runs $9380, state 1 (jumping) $9482; bank 6 $9401-$943B: A pressed this frame, a ceiling check, the table pointer from $9B8D, state 1, then direction = facing | (held Right/Left). We don't reproduce the bytes.
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-22.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-22.
- ^Simon's jump rises by a fixed table of per-frame steps, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, and 0 px, 36 px in all.Code“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”
How we know
In the cartridge (“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”): bank 6 $9B8D-$9BA4, the table's address, a $80 start marker, 20 signed steps ($FB = −5, up), and a $81 turn marker; bank 6 $9B1E-$9B8A, the routine that adds one step to Simon's Y each frame and moves the table pointer. We don't reproduce the bytes.
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
- ^At the table's turn marker the arc routine reverses and reads the same steps backward, negated, so Simon falls the way he rose.Code“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”revised
How we know
In the cartridge (“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”): bank 6 $9B31-$9B40: on $81, flip the direction flag ($0514), step the pointer back, and read again; bank 6 $9B1E-$9B8A; with the flag set, each step is negated and the pointer moves back. We don't reproduce the bytes.
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-21: The apex lasts 8 frames.
- ^Measured in the game, Simon's standing jump is the same with A held 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, or 40 frames, 36 px high on frame 17 and back on the ground on frame 41.Verified“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”
How we know
In the cartridge (“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”): bank 6 $9B1E-$9B8A; the arc routine reads no buttons; bank 6 $94C5-$94C9, where the jumping state runs the arc routine every frame. We don't reproduce the bytes.
Measured by a script in MesenCE 2.2.1 (build 4b8a196), on Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1) (SHA-1
4e3ef47de86a…). It fails if the result disagrees with the claim.The numbers come from the run; its author, an AI model, checked the script measures what the claim says, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
- ^Measured frame by frame, Simon's standing jump follows the table exactly, from a motionless press frame to a landing 40 frames later.Verified“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”
How we know
In the cartridge (“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”): the table. We don't reproduce the bytes.
Measured by a script in MesenCE 2.2.1 (build 4b8a196), on Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1) (SHA-1
4e3ef47de86a…). It fails if the result disagrees with the claim.The numbers come from the run; its author, an AI model, checked the script measures what the claim says, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
- ^Once the reversed table runs out, the arc routine moves Simon down 8 px every frame until he lands, so a jump that ends below its take-off point falls at 8 px per frame.Verified“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”
How we know
In the cartridge (“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”): bank 6 $9B43-$9B5E: on the $80 marker the step is $F8, negated while falling to +8, and the pointer stays put. We don't reproduce the bytes.
Measured by a script in MesenCE 2.2.1 (build 4b8a196), on Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1) (SHA-1
4e3ef47de86a…). It fails if the result disagrees with the claim.The numbers come from the run; its author, an AI model, checked the script measures what the claim says, 2026-10-22.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-22.
- ^ abMeasured in the game, a jump keeps the direction held at take-off, 1 px per frame that way or none, whatever the d-pad does in the air.Verified“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”
How we know
In the cartridge (“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”): bank 6 $9401-$943B; take-off copies the held Right/Left bits into Simon's direction; bank 6 $9479-$9481: horizontal speed $3D/$3E = 0/1, 1 px per frame; bank 6 $948E-$9496, where the jumping state sets that speed and moves Simon each frame. We don't reproduce the bytes.
Measured by a script in MesenCE 2.2.1 (build 4b8a196), on Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1) (SHA-1
4e3ef47de86a…). It fails if the result disagrees with the claim.The numbers come from the run; its author, an AI model, checked the script measures what the claim says, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
- ^Measured in the game, Simon walks 40 px in 40 frames, 1 px per frame.Verified“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”
How we know
In the cartridge (“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”): bank 6 $989A-$990A, which adds the speed $3D/$3E to Simon's X in his direction; bank 6 $93DE-$93E3, the standing state's call to it (the jumping state makes the same call at $9491). We don't reproduce the bytes.
Measured by a script in MesenCE 2.2.1 (build 4b8a196), on Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1) (SHA-1
4e3ef47de86a…). It fails if the result disagrees with the claim.The numbers come from the run; its author, an AI model, checked the script measures what the claim says, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
- ^Simon has no coyote time. The falling state reads no buttons: A after he walks off doesn't jump, B doesn't whip, and the d-pad doesn't steer, since the direction routine reads the direction the fall's entry wrote from his facing.Verified“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”
How we know
In the cartridge (“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”): bank 6 $9757-$977A, the falling state: count, floor test, the direction and move routines, Y += 8; no read of the buttons ($F5, $F7); bank 6 $93C5-$93D8, the fall entry: $0584 = facing + 1 (1 right, 2 left); bank 6 $9809-$982D, the direction routine: direction bits from $0584, not the pad. We don't reproduce the bytes.
Measured by a script in MesenCE 2.2.1 (build 4b8a196), on Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1) (SHA-1
4e3ef47de86a…). It fails if the result disagrees with the claim.The numbers come from the run; its author, an AI model, checked the script measures what the claim says, 2026-10-22.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-22.
- ^When an enemy touches Simon and there's room above him, Castlevania turns him to face the enemy, points his arc at a second, shorter table, and puts him in a hurt state that moves him away from the enemy with the walking move routine while it steps that table; the table rises 3, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, and 1 px, then holds for 7 steps, 14 px in all.Code“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”
How we know
In the cartridge (“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”): bank 7 $E734-$E73B, the contact code the Castlevania-Labelled-Disassembly labels BumpIntoEnemy: play the hurt sound, then call $FC97; bank 7 $FC97-$FCA1, which switches to bank 6 and calls $96C1; bank 6 $96D1-$971C: the take-off's ceiling test ($9998), then the arc pointer from $9BA5, rising, state 5; facing $0450 = 1 (left) unless the enemy's X is at or right of Simon's; direction $3C = (facing + 1) XOR 3, the other way; bank 6 $9BA5-$9BB9, the pointer ($9BA8), a $80 start marker, 17 signed steps ($FD = −3, up), and a $81 turn marker; bank 6 $936C-$9377, the state table's first six entries; state 5 runs $965B; bank 6 $965B-$9690, state 5: a short count, then each frame $970B (direction away from the facing), the move routine $989A, and the arc routine $9B1E. We don't reproduce the bytes.
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-21.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
- ^The morning star strengthens the whip twice, a short chain at the first upgrade and a long chain at the second.ManualCastlevania NES manual
How we know
Short chain for 1st … level long chain for
PDF p. 11, The Weapons · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-27.
- ^In Castlevania the routine that picks a dropped bonus gives a whip upgrade only while no other special item is out, and only while Simon holds at least 4 hearts with the first whip or at least 8 with the second; otherwise it drops a small random bonus. Picking one up raises the whip level by 1.Code“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”
How we know
In the cartridge (“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”): bank 7 $EBC3-$EBEE: hearts ≥ 8 and whip level ($70) < 2, or hearts 4–7 and level < 1, spawn bonus type 3 (SpawnWhipUpgrade); else type 0 or 1 by a random bit; bank 7 $E88E-$E8A4, WhipAcquired, which ends with inc $70. We don't reproduce the bytes.
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-21.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
- ^Besides the whip, Simon finds weapons hidden along his path or inside creatures, among them a dagger, an axe, a fire bomb, a boomerang, and a watch that stops enemies for 5 small hearts a use; the hearts he collects give him extra shots.ManualCastlevania NES manual
How we know
Hidden on path Stops enemy Costs you 5
PDF p. 10, The Weapons · archived copy ↗ extra Shot per … BOOMERANG
PDF p. 11, The Weapons · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-27.
- ^In Castlevania a subweapon throw needs hearts; each of the four subweapons the double and triple shots multiply costs 1 heart and a free slot, the fifth, which starts a 15-count timer instead of a projectile, costs 5, and with 0 hearts nothing is thrown.Code“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”revised
How we know
In the cartridge (“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”): bank 7 $FA26-$FA61, ShootSubweapon in the Castlevania-Labelled-Disassembly: no throw with hearts ($71) at 0; weapon index = CurrentWeapon − 8; index 2 sets a timer $015D = 15; the others with a 1 in the table at $FA62 call $DA44; bank 7 $DA44-$DA5E: find a free object slot (as many as the multiplier allows), then hearts − 1; bank 7 $DA7B-$DA8F, index 2's entry in the $DA5F jump table: hearts − 5, or no use if that goes negative; bank 7 $E801-$E813, MultiplierAcquired: the multiplier counts only for weapons $08, $09, $0B, and $0D (indices 0, 1, 3, 5). We don't reproduce the bytes.
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-21.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
- ^A pork chop, hidden in the background and revealed by a whip stroke, restores part of Simon's lost power.ManualCastlevania NES manual
How we know
PORK CHOP … Partially revives … Appears with secret
PDF p. 12, The Weapons · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-27.
- ^By the account of a developer he later mentored, Akamatsu said the whip suited the world he wanted and was good at keeping enemies back, and that he loved Raiders of the Lost Ark.Webshmuplations, Castlevania developer commentary
How we know
It matched the world of the game I wanted to create, and as far as weapons go, whips are great at repelling enemies. … because I love Raiders of the Lost Ark!
opening recollections · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
- ^By the account of a developer he later mentored, Akamatsu wanted Simon's controls to come, with enough play, to feel like an extension of the player's own limbs.Webshmuplations, Castlevania developer commentary
How we know
Simon’s movements would feel like an extension of the player’s own limbs
Controls · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
- ^By the account of a developer he later mentored, when the developer remarked how easily one enemy hit knocks Simon into a pit, Akamatsu shot back that Simon doesn't die from one hit and Mario does.Webshmuplations, Castlevania developer commentary
How we know
how easily Simon can be knocked into a pit and die from one enemy hit … Simon doesn’t die from one hit—Mario does!
Controls · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
- ^By the account of a developer he later mentored, Akamatsu put the music's quality down to its visuals and music being made by people who consciously wanted something cinematic.Webshmuplations, Castlevania developer commentary
How we know
both the visuals and the music were made by people who consciously wanted to do something cinematic.
On Director Hitoshi Akamatsu · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
- ^By the account of a developer he later mentored, Akamatsu set the order the subweapons appear in; the knife comes first so the player learns subweapons, the stopwatch is there to learn enemy attacks, and the cross and holy water are the strongest.Webshmuplations, Castlevania developer commentary
How we know
the knife appears first so the player can get used to the subweapons … He made the stopwatch so you could get used to enemy attacks. … Then the strongest items are the Cross and the Holy Water.
Game Balance · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
- ^By the account of a developer he later mentored, Akamatsu said the fight with Death is meant to teach the cross and the axe, and that beating it with the whip alone marks a skilled player; the developer adds that test players apparently did.Webshmuplations, Castlevania developer commentary
How we know
The game design idea there was to get players to understand how to use the cross and axe subweapons. … Apparently the test players were able to do it.
Game Balance · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
- ^By the account of a developer he later mentored, Akamatsu said the final boss's second form is not Dracula but a monster born of the curse of man, which is why Simon is cursed for beating it.Webshmuplations, Castlevania developer commentary
How we know
not Dracula himself. That’s why when Simon defeats him, he gets cursed. … That is a monster borne from the curse of man.
Dracula · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
- ^By the account of a developer he later mentored, Akamatsu said defeating Dracula scores only 1 point because of a bug, a wrong bit he set in a short development, and that it was meant to be 10,000.Webshmuplations, Castlevania developer commentary
How we know
he set the wrong bit. It was supposed to be 10,000 points. … thanks to the very short development period
Dracula · archived copy ↗ The quote matches our archived copy.
- ^Simon's Quest replaces Castlevania's step table with a speed and gravity; a jump from the ground takes off at 4 px/frame up, every airborne frame adds 0.21875 px/frame² of gravity, and a fall is capped at 3 px/frame, where Castlevania steps a fixed 20-entry table and falls past its end at 8 px/frame.Code“Castlevania II - Simon's Quest (USA)” · “Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”
How we know
In the cartridge (“Castlevania II - Simon's Quest (USA)”): bank 3 $88D9-$892A, the take-off: Y speed $036C.$037E = −4.0 ($FC.$00), the action set to jumping, and the held d-pad read into the X speed and facing; bank 3 $89D6-$8A0D, each jumping frame: zero the speed on a ceiling, add $38 to the speed's fraction ($DFE4), and cap a fall at 3.0; bank 7 $DFE4-$DFF9, a 16-bit add of $0008 to object X's Y speed. We don't reproduce the bytes.
In the cartridge (“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”): Castlevania's jump table, 20 signed steps between a $80 and a $81 marker (castlevania/jump-table); Castlevania's fall past the table's end, 8 px per frame (castlevania/table-end-fall). We don't reproduce the bytes.
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-21.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
- ^Simon's Quest turns an enemy's touch into a launch, not Castlevania's table arc; as in Castlevania, Simon is turned to face the enemy and moved away from it, here at 2.5 px/frame up and 1 px/frame back, held in a hurt state for 32 frames that runs the jump's speed and gravity code before he falls normally.Code“Castlevania II - Simon's Quest (USA)” · “Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”revised
How we know
In the cartridge (“Castlevania II - Simon's Quest (USA)”): bank 1 $8844-$8854, after the hit's damage: facing $0420 = 1 if the enemy's X is at or right of Simon's, else 0; then jump to $D36F; bank 7 $D36F-$D3A7: X speed −1.0 if $0420 is nonzero, else +1.0; Y speed −2.5 ($FD.$80); action 6; a 32-frame counter $04B0 = $20; bank 3 $8A0E-$8A21, action 6: count down $04B0, running the jumping physics at $89D6, then action 2. We don't reproduce the bytes.
In the cartridge (“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”): Castlevania's hit, which points Simon's arc at a second table (castlevania-line/knockback). We don't reproduce the bytes.
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-21.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
- ^Dracula's Curse keeps Castlevania's jump for every character but Grant; the take-off starts the arc at entry 9 of a longer table whose entries from there are Castlevania's 20 rises, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, and 0 px, and the 8 entries before it, 6 then 5 px, carry a fall below the take-off height down to 6 px/frame, where Castlevania falls at 8 px/frame once its table runs out.Codevinheim3/castlevania3-disasm · “Castlevania III - Dracula's Curse (USA)” · “Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”revised
How we know
3740playerState06_jumpStart_exceptGrant:code/playerStateProcessing_b1c.s lines 3740–3751 at 3272648 · upstream ↗ lda $9874, y … cmp #$81 … sta wEntityVertSpeed.w, x … inc $05d8, x … cmp #$80 … dec $05d8, x … eor #$ff … lda $9875, y
code/playerStateProcessing_b1c.s#L4187-L4225 · upstream ↗ 3242processTrevorState: ⋮ 3249 .dw playerState06_jumpStart_exceptGrant 3250 .dw playerState08_jumping_exceptGrant
code/playerStateProcessing_b1c.s lines 3242–3250 at 3272648 · upstream ↗ 4751processSyphaState: ⋮ 4758 .dw playerState06_jumpStart_exceptGrant
code/playerStateProcessing_b1c.s lines 4751–4759 at 3272648 · upstream ↗ 918processAlucardState: ⋮ 926 .dw playerState06_jumpStart_exceptGrant
code/playerStateProcessing_b1d.s lines 918–927 at 3272648 · upstream ↗ 4784processGrantState: ⋮ 4791 .dw playerState06_jumpStart_grant 4792 .dw playerState08_jumping_0c_grant
code/playerStateProcessing_b1c.s lines 4784–4792 at 3272648 · upstream ↗ In the cartridge (“Castlevania III - Dracula's Curse (USA)”): bank $1C $9874-$9891: $80, five $FA (−6), five $FB (−5), five $FD, three $FE, four $FF, $00, $FF, four $00, and $81; the disassembly lists these bytes partly as instructions. We don't reproduce the bytes.
In the cartridge (“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”): Castlevania's table of 20 steps (castlevania/jump-table); Castlevania's 8 px fall past the table (castlevania/table-end-fall). We don't reproduce the bytes.
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-21.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
- ^In Super Castlevania IV's jump a held Left or Right adds 0.25 px/frame² toward that side, up to 1.25 px/frame, and with neither held the speed is left as it is, where Castlevania's take-off fixes the direction for the whole jump.Code“Super Castlevania IV (USA)” · “Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”
How we know
In the cartridge (“Super Castlevania IV (USA)”): $00:A3FA-$A409, state 4 calling $A8DE each frame; $00:A8DE-$A94C: Right held adds $0000.$4000 to X speed $055A.$0558, capped at 1.25; Left adds $FFFF.$C000, capped at −1.25; neither, return. We don't reproduce the bytes.
In the cartridge (“Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1)”): Castlevania's take-off copying the held Left and Right into Simon's direction (castlevania/jump-start). We don't reproduce the bytes.
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-21.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
Sources
Code
- 1987. “Castlevania (USA) (Rev 1).” · licence, all uses
- 1988. “Castlevania II - Simon's Quest (USA).” · licence, all uses
- vinheim3. 2020. “castlevania3-disasm: a disassembly of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse.” Commit 3272648. vinheim3/castlevania3-disasm @ 3272648 · licence, all uses
- 1990. “Castlevania III - Dracula's Curse (USA).” · licence, all uses
- 1991. “Super Castlevania IV (USA).” · licence, all uses
Primary
- Entertainment, Konami Digital. n.d. “悪魔城ドラキュラ (Castlevania Portal Site, 1986 FDS history).” original · archived · licence, all uses
- Entertainment, Konami Digital. n.d. “Castlevania (Castlevania Portal Site, NES history).” original · archived · licence, all uses
- Entertainment, Konami Digital. n.d. “Castlevania (Castlevania Portal Site, Europe, NES history).” original · archived · licence, all uses
- Konami. 1987. “Castlevania NES instruction manual.” original · archived · licence, all uses
- Greening, Chris. 2009. “Kinuyo Yamashita Interview: Castlevania Composer.” original · archived · licence, all uses
Secondary
- shmuplations. 2018. “Castlevania – Developer Commentary.” original · archived · licence, all uses
- Computer Entertainer editors. 1987. “Computer Entertainer: the newsletter, June 1987.” Computer Entertainer. original · archived · licence, all uses
- Computer Entertainer editors. 1987. “Computer Entertainer: the newsletter, August 1987.” Computer Entertainer. original · archived · licence, all uses
- staff, IGN. n.d. “Top 100 NES Games: 19, Castlevania.” original · archived · licence, all uses