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Akumajō
Densetsu
悪魔城伝説
(1989) |
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15th
Century Europe. Dracula ruthlessly enforces his wicked
will onto the peaceful people of Transylvania. So they
have come up with a plan: pin all of their hopes on
a religious warrior named Ralph C. Belmont, then go
home and watch Oprah.
Ralph's OK with that. He is, after all, a proud member
of the Belmont family - a clan reputed throughout the
land for their wisdom and power. He has a reputation
to live up to. So, time for a quick prayer, then it's
off to Dracula's castle armed with nothing more than
a whip and some strong faith.
The 6th chapter in the Akumajo
Dracula Series is set a good 200 years before the
days of Simon Belmont, hero of the previous storylines.
And unlike the adventure-orientated Dracula
II (1987), this is more of a back-to-basics arcade
/ action game, directly inspired by the original.
Well, it's almost exactly the same as the original.
But hey, there is a lot more on offer here: the quest
is larger, tougher and far more varied thanks to the
inclusion of multiple routes and three playable characters
to rescue along the way. You can choose one of these
characters as a team-mate, and use them any time during
gameplay by pressing the SELECT button. This gives way
to 4 different storyline endings, depending on who you
have with you when it's all over.
You can go it alone, but you're going to need all the
help you can get... Clearing a way through this cesspool
of undead goons and satanic imagery is a genuinely uncomfortable
situation to be in. The atmosphere is dark and heady,
the soundtrack is thumping, and the level design is
nothing short of superb: the series' trademark gameplay
has been tweaked to perfection here, and Akumajō
Densetsu ends up as what probably might be the
finest game in the early chapters of the saga.
Nah, not really. It's nothing but a filthy, twisted
and masochistic assembly of deceitful traps and nasty
surprises. But hey, everything will be fine. You are,
after all, a man of the cloth. |
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VAMPIRE
KILLER
RALPH C. BELMONT
Ralph is the ancestor of Simon and
Christopher Belmont, heroes of the
series' previous storylines. A thoughtful and deeply
religious man, Ralph uses a combination of faith and
raw power to free Transylvania of Dracula's grip. He
longs to establish himself as a true hero, and carve
his name in history.
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ACROBAT
GRANT DANUSTY
Grant fights to rid Wallachia of
Dracula's minions, and restore
the town to its former glory.
A fast and nimble knife-thrower,
Grant can scale walls and ceilings, and fire from afar.
He holds a lot of
respect for Ralph and his bravery,
and together they will forge a strong friendship during
their fight.
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VAMPIRE
HUNTER
SYPHA FERNANDEZ
Sypha is a mysterious vampire hunter, possessing mystical
powers known as "Magic Spirits".
But this blessing is also a curse...
She has struggled to contain this gift and has had a
lonely and difficult life. But since she met Ralph,
she is beginning to feel more comfortable with herself.
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"ALUCARD"
ADRIAN F. TEPES
The enigmatic Alucard is on a personal vendetta to destroy
Dracula. He challenges Ralph to test his strength before
offering his help.
A cold and silent fighter,
he wields the power to throw fireballs, and to transform
himself into a bat. But it seems like he is hiding something...
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Akumajō
Densetsu may be an arcade game, but there's plenty
in it to keep you busy. The main course layout is split
into two main routes, along which the three extra characters
(and potential team-mates) are being held captive.
The first split (pictured right) occurs at the end of
Block 1-04. UP takes you to the 'Clock Tower' stage
(where Grant is being held) whereas DOWN takes you straight
to Block 3 (Woods) and onto the second split in Block
3-02.
Block 3-02 is home to the single most important fork
in the game: choose UP to rescue Sypha in Block 3-04,
or DOWN for a fateful meeting with Alucard in Block
5-05. Both of these routes will eventually rejoin each
other in Block 8-01 and lead on to the fight with Dracula.
Bear in mind that you can only take ONE team-mate with
you at a time. For example, if you pick up Grant in
Block 2, you will loose him later if you choose to take
on Sypha or Alucard. Also, remember that you cannot
change team-mate during the second loop: you are stuck
with the partner you first finished the game with.
A full layout of the game would look something like
this: |
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Akumajō
Densetsu
悪魔城伝説
FAMICOM |
DETAILS
| Format |
Famicom |
| Released |
22
Dec 1989 |
| Publisher |
Konami |
| Product
ID |
RC845 |
| Size
(cm) |
14
x 9.5 x 2 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.12 |
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A
massive, varied and eternally
challenging action game -
one of the best the series
has to offer.
This remains the only 'official'
version of the game available
- Konami are proving particularly
imbecilic on this one: the
original is becoming more
and more expensive by the
day, while most people download
it to play on an emulator.
Standard
Famicom packaging, 3MBit cartridge,
monochrome booklet. |
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Akumajō
Densetsu Kanzen Kōryaku Technique
Book
悪魔城伝説
完全攻略テクニックブック
GUIDE BOOK |
DETAILS
| Format |
Guide
Book |
| Released |
20
Jan 1990 |
| Publisher |
Tokuma |
| Product
ID |
ISBN4-88658-206-0 |
| Size
(cm) |
17.3
x 10.5 x 0.5 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
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Official
'Complete Capture Technique
Book' for the game, now a
very sought after item indeed
- hence the astronomical price.
Features profiles for all
characters, comprehensive
stage layouts, enemy gallery,
strategies, tactics... The
works.
66
pages, full colour, Japanese. |
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Akumajō
Dracula Famicom Best
悪魔城ドラキュラ
ファミコン・ベスト
SOUNDTRACK |
DETAILS
| Format |
Audio
CD |
| Released |
21
Mar 1990 |
| Publisher |
King
Records |
| Product
ID |
KICA-1005 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
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Vintage
soundtrack CD featuring the
complete BGM collections of
the first 3 Famicom Dracula
games:
- Akumajō
Dracula (1986)
- Dracula
II (1987)
- Akumajō
Densetsu (1989)
This original 1990 edition
is now a VERY valuable item
- it can often be found in
specialist stores around the
$100 mark (with no spine).
Please contact
us if you're really after
one, otherwise just go for
the 1998 'Best' re-release
(see below). |
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Akumajō
Dracula Best
悪魔城ドラキュラ
ベスト
SOUNDTRACK (RE-ISSUE) |
DETAILS
| Format |
Audio
CD |
| Released |
23
Sep 1998 |
| Publisher |
King
Records |
| Product
ID |
KICA-7901 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
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Re-issue
edition of the 1990 'Akumajo
Dracula Famicom Best' compilation
listed above. Features the
complete BGM collections of:
- Akumajō
Dracula (1986)
- Dracula
II (1987)
- Akumajō
Densetsu (1989)
...with some spooky sound
effects thrown in here and
there for good measure.
CD
case, 33-track audio CD (1:04:00),
12-page monochrome booklet,
spine card. |
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'Akumajō
Dracula', 'Akumajō Densetsu', 'Castlevania' and 'Konami' are all
registered trademarks of Konami Co., Ltd.
'Famicom' and 'Nintendo' are registered trademarks of Nintendo Co.
Ltd.
Akumajō Densetsu TM & © 1989 Konami All Rights Reserved
Page content, design & layout © 2008 www.Jap-Sai.com |
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