Handheld gaming is more than a compromise of power and portability. Whether it’s the ability to play anywhere, multitask or hold an entire console in your hands, it’s a special experience consoles have never replicated. In a world where high resolutions and teraflops reign supreme, we take a look at a portable relic every month and reflect on what makes it memorable. Be warned, spoilers may occasionally populate these articles.
Dracula is probably the most well-known vampire in all horror media. The popular game franchise, Castlevania, has numerous games where the primary objective is killing Dracula throughout his numerous incarnations. Defeating Dracula has been the go-to formula for Castlevania, but there’s a lesser known spin-off that isn’t the case. Kid Dracula was a spin-off and parody that was released for the Famicom in 1990, and in 1993 a sequel with the same name was released for Game Boy in 1993. Unlike Konami’s other games that centered around Dracula, Kid Dracula depicts the count in his youth and also as the protagonist.
Review: Castlevania Anniversary Collection
Castlevania Anniversary Collection really is a must own for any Castlevania fan or fan of retro action and platforming games.
Death Is Your Only True Friend
In Kid Dracula, the pint-sized count wakes up from his long slumber and finds that, once again, Garamoth is challenging him. Unfortunately for Kid Dracula, he has forgotten all of his spells, save the one that turns him into a bat. And if that wasn’t bad enough, all the minions of his castle have turned against him and teamed up with Garamoth, save for his loyal buddy Death. But even with the odds stacked against him, Kid Dracula is ready to take on Garamoth and get back his castle and his minions.
Kid Dracula doesn’t reference Castlevania in its title, but there are a couple of things that link it to the series, besides starring Dracula. While the art style is more cartoonish and childlike, there are many design similarities to the 8-bit Castlevania games. The music is much more upbeat, but occasionally there’s a part that sounds like a major key remix of a Castlevania song. Garamoth, however, is the most interesting link. Sometimes in the localization process, particularly in older games, the R and L get switched around. Garamoth was first introduced in Kid Dracula, but those who have playedCastlevania: Symphony of the Nightwill know of the optional boss Galamoth, who is residing in the floating catacombs, apparently banished there after Kid Dracula took his castle back.
Kid Dracula begins with little to work with, but as he defeats his former minions and travels deeper into his castle, he ends up acquiring more abilities. Beginning with only a basic fireball and the ability to transform into a bat, he soon gets the ability to walk on the ceiling, launch homing fireballs and gain use of his father’s trusty umbrella, to name a few of his abilities. By the time he’s ready to face off against Garamoth to regain control of his castle, he has an impressive arsenal at his disposal. He’s much better outfitted than simply having a main weapon and a subweapon, but given that he is supposedly the prince of darkness, one would expect his attack options to match someone of his stature.
Castle Mania
The environments in Kid Dracula’s castle are varied and he does have an interesting assortment of enemies to fight where it’s difficult to place exactly where this game takes place in time. There’s one boss that seems like it’s entirely mechanical and wandered in from a Mega Man game. Another boss is wearing a hockey mask as a clear nod to Jason Vorhees, so it seems like Kid Dracula will pretty much let anyone into his castle. Parts of his castle also have the lowering ceiling trap, so it’s fair to speculate the architects that worked on Kid Dracula’s castle were the same contractors who did the work on Boom Boom’s fortresses in Super Mario Bros. 3.
Kid Dracula is a light-hearted spin-off from Castlevania, and while it may lack the more somber gothic overtones of that franchise, it is still highly recommended for fans of those other Dracula games.
Kid Dracula is a light-hearted spin-off from Castlevania, and while it may lack the more somber gothic overtones of that franchise, it’s still highly recommended for fans of those other Dracula games. The overall difficulty is easy, but even games that allow for a leisurely stroll to the end can be worth playing. One of the more impressive aspects of Kid Dracula is just how many different abilities he has access to at any given time. This isn’t a game that takes itself too seriously, and having the chance to play as Dracula without being overtly villainous is an interesting twist. It’s a simple game, but still a lot of fun.
The Game Boy version of Kid Dracula is one of the few Castlevania adjacent games that hasn’t been included in one of the numerous collections, though the Famicom game from a few years earlier has been localized for Castlevania Anniversary Collection. So outside of finding a copy second hand and firing up the old Game Boy, there aren’t any other ways to experience this game without resorting to emulation.
