Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1987). Play online

Summary

Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest turns the classic vampire‑hunting platformer into an open‑ended hunt across Transylvania. Instead of linear stages, I wander a looping world map that I can revisit at any time, guided by cryptic villagers who sometimes hand me false tips. Each night the game flips the mood: enemies get tougher, drop more hearts, and the peaceful townsfolk become mindless zombies.

Hearts act as both currency and experience, so killing enemies not only buys holy water or the new Diamond but also raises Simon’s health and power. The day‑night switch lets me strategically grind when the moon’s down, then head into a mansion with a boosted maximum health for the final showdown.

The primary goal is to locate the five hidden pieces of Dracula’s corpse plus the Magic Cross, which unlock the barrier in front of his castle for the ultimate battle. Every mansion I enter hides puzzles that often require back‑tracking across the map, cementing the title’s reputation as an early Metroidvania precursor.

The NES version got extra cartridge space, so composer Kenichi Matsubara could tuck in percussion samples, giving us the now‑iconic “Bloody Tears” theme that still echoes in later games. Over a million copies sold worldwide.

Storyline

The story of Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest unfolds seven years after the first game. In the manual’s prologue, Simon visits his family’s graves and encounters a mysterious young woman at the cemetery. She warns him that Dracula placed a curse on him during their last battle and that his time is running out.

The woman explains that the only way to break the curse is to resurrect Dracula, whose body was shattered into five pieces after his defeat. Simon must locate each fragment, bring them to the ruins of Dracula’s castle, seal the evil, and finally defeat the vampire lord—though the ending is not guaranteed to be final.

Three endings depend on how quickly the player finishes. In two outcomes Simon sustains fatal injuries and dies after confronting Dracula. The best ending, achieved by completing the quest within eight in‑game days, spares him and ends the curse.