Super Castlevania IV

References

1. ^Super Castlevania IV came out in Japan, as Akumajō Dracula for the Super Famicom, on October 31, 1991.MagazineFamitsu 151
   How we know

   悪魔 城 ドラ キュ プ 10 有 31H 発 売 8800

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2. ^Super Castlevania IV came out in North America in December 1991, with Konami as Nintendo's licensee.PublisherNintendo, Super NES Games
   How we know

   Super Castlevania IV Konami December 1991

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3. ^In the manual's story, a group of people holds a ceremony in a ruined abbey to revive Dracula, and Simon Belmont sets out to defeat him.ManualSuper Castlevania IV manual
   How we know

   attempting to revive the Prince of Darkness. … Once again, Dracula is revived! … It is time once again for Simon Belmont to call forth the powers of good to aid him in his battle.

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4. ^The player is Simon Belmont, who whips his way through eleven levels, each ending with a boss.ManualSuper Castlevania IV manual
   How we know

   As Simon, you will whip your way through eleven horrific levels … each time you reach the end of a level, you'll come face-to-fang with a really gruesome Boss Character.

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5. ^ abSimon's whip snaps in eight directions, aimed with the Control Pad; it latches onto rings to swing across gaps too wide to jump; held down, it hangs limp and can be waved around for less damage.ManualSuper Castlevania IV manual · Nintendo Power 32
   How we know

   the whip can snap in eight directions. … There are special rings that Simon can latch onto with his whip to swing over areas that are too wide to jump across. … the whip goes limp after snapping and you can wave it around by using the Control Pad. … It will still do damage to your enemies, but not as much as a good strong snap!

   the Whip can be directed in eight directions; it can be swung with a circular motion, and it can be used as a swing to cross open spaces.

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6. ^In Nintendo Power's January 1992 issue, Rob, one of two experienced players at Nintendo's headquarters the magazine invited to give their opinions, called Super Castlevania IV "a blast", praised its graphics and music and a part swinging from chandelier to chandelier, and named it one of the top Super NES games he had played.MagazineNintendo Power 32
   How we know

   a couple of experienced game players at Nin- tendo HQ … think Super Castlevania IV is a blast. The graphics are great and I really like the way the … you’re swinging from chan- delier to chandelier and you literally feel like you’re in the … It’s definitely one of … the top Super NES games

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7. ^GameSpot's 2001 history of the series, by Mike Whalen and Giancarlo Varanini, says the game raised the bar for graphics, music, and control, and calls its music some of the best on the Super Nintendo. It reports complaints that the game was a remake of the original Castlevania, and finds both games "incredibly linear"; it still calls this one more fun than any earlier Castlevania, one of the best in the series, and "one of the most memorable Super Nintendo games".WebGameSpot, History of Castlevania (Super Castlevania IV)
   How we know

   Super Castlevania IV raised the bar for graphics, music, and control.

   Castlevania IV's remains as some of the best ever produced on the Super Nintendo.

   there were a few major complaints associated with Castlevania IV--one being that it was simply a remake of the original Castlevania for the NES. … Without question, they are both incredibly linear games … makes Castlevania IV much more fun than any previous Castlevania game. … not only one of the best Castlevania games, but also one of the most memorable Super Nintendo games.

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8. ^GameSpot's 2001 history of the series singles out the game's use of the Super NES's Mode 7 in a prison level whose walls turn around Simon as he crosses a wooden bridge.WebGameSpot, History of Castlevania (Super Castlevania IV)
   How we know

   incorporate the Super Nintendo's vaunted Mode 7 sprite scaling effects into one prison level, where the walls circulate around Simon while he walks across a wooden bridge.

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9. ^Brad Shoemaker's 2007 GameSpot review of the Wii Virtual Console release scored it 7.8 out of 10. He called it one of the best of the early Castlevania games and a tough but satisfying action game, short, but with a sometimes punishing difficulty that makes up for it.WebGameSpot, Super Castlevania IV review
   How we know

   7.8 Good

   One of the best iterations of the early series … It's a tough but satisfying action game

   Castlevania IV isn't very long, but its sometimes punishing difficulty makes up for that fact

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10. ^Brad Shoemaker's 2007 GameSpot review praises the game's use of Mode 7, and singles out a slowly rotating room where Simon swings from a grapple point to the next platform as the room rights itself.WebGameSpot, Super Castlevania IV review
    How we know

    some killer use of Mode 7 … Another area has you in a room that's slowly rotating, requiring you to swing from a grapple point to get to the next platform as the room rights itself

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11. ^The eight-way whip and the swing from grapple points have seldom returned in later Castlevania games, which put more weight on weapons besides the whip.WebGameSpot, Super Castlevania IV review
    How we know

    These mechanics haven't been seen much in later installments, where weapons besides whips were used more prominently … You could finally whip in eight directions

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12. ^ abSubweapons have a button of their own, the R button by default, where earlier Castlevania games used Up with the attack button.ManualSuper Castlevania IV manual · GameSpot, History of Castlevania (Super Castlevania IV)
    How we know

    Right Button: Press to use special items.

    Special items are controlled with a single button rather than pressing up and attack combinations as in previous games

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13. ^Super Castlevania IV prices its five subweapons from one table, 1 heart each for the first four and 5 for the fifth; a use with fewer hearts than the price leaves them as they are, and otherwise subtracts the price in BCD.Code“Super Castlevania IV (USA)”
    How we know

    In the cartridge (“Super Castlevania IV (USA)”): $00:BD43-$BD5B: Y = subweapon $8E × 2; if hearts $13F2 < the word at $9255 + Y, return; else a decimal-mode subtraction; $01:9257-$9260, five words: 1, 1, 1, 1, 5; $00:8000-$8014, the reset code: native mode, then with an 8-bit A lda #$01, pha, plb, so the data bank is $01; $00:81B8-$81C9, the native NMI handler (vector $FFEA = $81B8), which also sets the data bank to $01. We don't reproduce the bytes.

    Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-21.

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14. ^Super Castlevania IV's take-off sets Simon's vertical speed to 4.5 px/frame up and his horizontal speed to 1.25 px/frame toward a held Left or Right, or 0, then puts him in the jumping state.Code“Super Castlevania IV (USA)”
    How we know

    In the cartridge (“Super Castlevania IV (USA)”): $00:A217-$A230, the dispatch on Simon's state $0552 and its table's first five entries: state 3 runs $A392, state 4 $A3FA; $00:A392-$A3F9 (16-bit A): Y speed $055E.$055C = $FFFB.$8000 (−4.5); held Right ($0100 in pad $20) X speed $055A.$0558 = 1.25, Left −1.25, else 0; state $0552 = 4, jump phase $1F86 = 0. We don't reproduce the bytes.

    Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-21.

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15. ^ abSuper Castlevania IV's jump holds the take-off speed with no gravity while the jump button stays down, for up to 4 frames, then adds 0.375 px/frame² each frame until the rise stops, holds Simon still at the top for about 9 frames, and falls under the same gravity, capped at 8 px/frame.Code“Super Castlevania IV (USA)”
    How we know

    In the cartridge (“Super Castlevania IV (USA)”): $00:A3FA-$A409, state 4 each frame: animation, facing ($A792), air control ($A8DE), then the phase routine $A94D; $00:A94D-$A9CF: phases by $1F86. 0: while the button in $BE is held, count $0564 to 4, else go on; 1–2: gravity ($A739) until the speed is ≥ 0, then 0; 3–4: speed 0, count to 9; 5–6: gravity; $00:A739-$A769: Y speed + $0000.$6000 (0.375); a fall at or past 8.0 is set to 8.0. We don't reproduce the bytes.

    Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-21.

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16. ^ abIn 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.

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17. ^Simon starts with three lives and has a time limit on each level, and running out of time costs a life; after the last life is lost, choosing "End" shows a password that later restarts the game at that level, without the bonuses and power-ups earned.ManualSuper Castlevania IV manual
    How we know

    Simon begins the game with three lives.

    Simon has a limited amount of time to complete each level.

    You will be allowed to see a password after losing all your lives and then selecting the “End” option. … You will be starting the level with none of your previously earned bonuses or power-ups.

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18. ^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.

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