Castlevania Chronicles II - Simon's Quest

Castlevania Chronicles II - Simon's Quest is a remake of the legendary 8-bit Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, which was developed by and for fans. The aim of this project is to modernize one of the most beloved installments of the franchise, improving not only its graphics but also the overall gameplay, plus adding many new features and, in short, making it a must-have for fans of the saga.

First of all, Castlevania Chronicles II - Simon's Quest comes with native support for Xbox controllers or controllers using Xbox drivers, so you can play comfortably with virtually any gamepad you have. And, of course, it can also be played with a keyboard. From the pause menu, you can check which keys to press to jump, attack, and move around the scenario. If you've ever played a Metroidvania, the controls will be familiar to you.

As in the original game, in this remake, you'll have a lot of freedom. Your character starts in a village through which you can move freely while also interacting with many of its inhabitants. In fact, it's a good idea to talk to all the characters, as most of them either have useful information or items to sell. Likewise, you can enter several houses and businesses or even choose different paths as you advance. In this way, you can access different endings depending on your actions.

One of the most interesting new features of Castlevania Chronicles II - Simon's Quest compared to the original is the ability to save the game. No more passwords. Instead, you can save your progress from a multitude of checkpoints scattered throughout the scenarios. And considering that the difficulty level in this game is quite high, you'd better save the game often. You'll start the adventure with only three lives and, if you lose them all, the game ends.

Another great new feature that veterans of the franchise will appreciate is the new money system. You no longer have to use hearts to buy items and use sub-weapons. Instead, you can get money for killing enemies, which you can later use to buy all kinds of upgrades in the villages. Among these improvements, for example, you'll find two new sub-weapons that, although they weren't included in the original version, still come from the saga: the axe and the cross.

Castlevania Chronicles II - Simon's Quest is an outstanding fan-game that not only manages to modernize one of the most beloved games from the Castlevania saga but also manages to improve it. It's also worth mentioning that it has a powerful soundtrack with some spectacular metal remixes. In short, it's a real treat for fans.