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33-536: Like in Castlevania , the player controls vampire hunter Simon Belmont , who ventures into Dracula 's castle armed with a mystical whip inherited from his father, in order to slay the evil count. While Vampire Killer shares the same premise, soundtrack, characters and locations as the original Castlevania , the structure of the game and its play mechanics differ significantly from its NES counterpart. Like Castlevania , Vampire Killer consists of 18 stages, with

66-470: A 1990s series of books with stories based on Nintendo games, has a novel about Simon's Quest . It was written by Christopher Howell , and the series was produced by Seth Godin . It departs from the original plot and introduces characters not seen in the game, including junior high school student Timothy Bradley, a video gamer who crosses over into the world of Simon's Quest and assists Simon in looking for Dracula's body parts. In Haunted Castle , Simon

99-482: A boomerang and must be retrieved on their return path if the player wishes to preserve them. There are four items that Simon can carry with him similar to the sub-weapons in the NES version: a map which shows his current position and the location of the exit (can only be used three times), holy water, an hourglass (which temporarily paralyzes all enemies) and one of two types of shields. Heart points are used as ammunition for

132-457: A boss encounter at the end of every third stage. But in contrast to the linear level designs in Castlevania , Vampire Killer features more labyrinth-like stages, requiring the player to seek out the exit to the next stage and find the skeleton key required to unlock it. Due to the hardware limitations of the MSX2, Vampire Killer uses flip screens instead of scrolling. The game can be played with

165-415: A final battle with Mujoe. The show's ratings will increase and decrease during these battles based on the player's performance; if the ratings reach 0%, the player immediately loses. Players are ranked from D to A based on their average ratings at the end of the campaign. New characters and stages are unlocked by completing World Fighters with specific characters. The game also features Character Soul Survival,

198-419: A keyboard or a game controller. Items and weapons can be obtained by breaking through candle stands and certain walls like in the NES version, and by purchasing them from merchants hidden throughout the castle or by unlocking treasure chests using keys. Simon's default whip can be replaced with one of four weapons: a chain whip, throwing daggers, a battle ax, and a battle cross - the latter two function both like

231-539: A movie Simon might be armed with a sword instead of whip. GamesRadar+ also called Simon in Castlevania Judgement sexy and said that "Simon's Judgment apparel is a lot of belts and leather wrapped around an exposed torso". Game Informer criticized the character design in Castlevania Judgement . Chris Morgan for Yardbarker described Simon as one of "the most memorable characters from old school Nintendo games". Complex Networks listed Simon as

264-587: A new protagonist at the game. Simon's Castlevania Judgment incarnation was designed by Death Note artist Takeshi Obata . He has red-orange hair comparable to that of Light Yagami (the protagonist of Death Note), a jacket with many belts on it that exposes his muscular chest, and bandages on his forearms. The Bradygames Official Guide states that Simon is 23 years old and approximately 185 cm (6 ft 1 in). Series director Koji Igarashi emphasized that these designs were different from what he envisioned, Simon in particular, but commented that this

297-475: A playable fighter in Brawlhalla on October 19, 2022. First 4 Figures made a figure of Simon as part of a line of Halloween figures which was modeled at the original NES box art. The vampire survival game V Rising by Stunlock Studios added Simon Belmont Vampire Hunter as an optional boss upon its version 1.0 release on May 8, 2024. CBR refers to Simon as the face of the Castlevania series, having been

330-488: A standard multiplayer battle mode for up to four players; Caravan mode, which offers several score-based challenges; and a Library section for viewing unlockable character and stage profiles. DreamMix TV offers 17 playable characters originating from various video game and toy franchises created by Hudson Soft , Konami and Takara . In addition to the playable characters, recurring Bomberman villain Mujoe appears in

363-614: A supporting character in Castlevania Judgment and Castlevania: Harmony of Despair . He also appeared as a playable character in DreamMix TV World Fighters and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate . Simon has received positive reviews from critics. In 1691, Simon Belmont kills Count Dracula in an event that is retold in multiple games ( Castlevania , Vampire Killer , Haunted Castle , Super Castlevania IV , and Castlevania Chronicles ). By

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396-507: A top 10 best vampire hunter in video games, and top 2 among most drastic character makeovers in gaming. Simon Belmont's inclusion in the roster of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was received enthusiastically. Before his inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate , multiple gaming websites called for his inclusion, including GameRadar , Game Informer and Complex . He has been described as a fan favorite character. USgamer praised

429-474: Is World Fighters, an arcade mode with interstitial story cutscenes. In the story, the DreamMix TV network's fledgling World Fighters television program has been suffering from poor audience approval. To increase ratings , hosts Mujoe and Haruna invite various superstars from differing realities to compete on the show. Players must win six battles against a pre-determined series of opponents before entering

462-468: Is a platform fighter , in which up to four player-controlled characters move around a 2D arena and attempt to defeat their opponents. Each character can perform a series of basic attacks and one or two unique special moves. Characters can also throw their opponents, guard and dodge to avoid damage, or cling to hanging bars to evade opponents. The game revolves around damaging opponents by causing them to lose coins that represent their remaining life. A meter at

495-460: Is blue-haired and has a wife called Selena, who is kidnapped by Dracula directly after their marriage. It is actually unknown if this is Simon at all. The guide to the game calls him Simons, a descendant of the canonical Simon, while a newsletter by Konami itself names him William. Although Simon is the first Belmont to appear in a Castlevania game, in the Belmont lineage, Leon Belmont originates

528-481: Is critical of the "cowardly" portrayal of Simon in the cartoon series, and felt that the creators should have drawn more from the source material. Simon also appears in several games outside the Castlevania franchise including the 2003 crossover fighting game DreamMix TV World Fighters , the 2017 action game Super Bomberman R , and the 2018 crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate , as well receiving an amiibo figure later. He also debuted as

561-463: The Castlevania franchise. Simon Belmont Simon Belmont ( シモン・ベルモンド , Shimon Berumondo , Simon Belmondo) is a fictional character who serves as the first protagonist to appear in the Castlevania series. He appears in Castlevania , Vampire Killer , Haunted Castle , Castlevania II: Simon's Quest , Super Castlevania IV , and Castlevania Chronicles , and acts as

594-449: The Belmont clan. Nintendo Power listed Simon as its seventh favorite hero, stating that while it respects all of the vampire hunters in Castlevania , he was the first. According to Nintendo Power, the worst cover for a Nintendo Power was one depicting Simon Belmont holding the severed head of Dracula (the scene was a depiction of Castlevania II ). It is considered the worst cover because hundreds of parents called in to complain about

627-417: The MSX2's infamous inability to handle smooth scrolling – screens 'flip' from one to the other when you reach the edge of a room. It's an interesting historical footnote, but beyond that, Vampire Killer isn't worth the eye-watering price the original version now changes hands for." Released the same year as the linear Castlevania , Vampire Killer is open-ended metroidvania format of later entries in

660-607: The addition as he defines "old school Nintendo nostalgia". VentureBeat also praised for giving a neglected character a chance. While Destructoid praised and said "The axe, the cross, the holy water items, they're all here, and they work wonderfully within the confines of Smash". Polygon ranked Simon as top 12 character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate , while Paste magazine ranked him as top 5. Gavin Jasper of Den of Geek ranked Simon as 48th of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters, criticizing his appearances as it lacks

693-413: The bottom of the screen indicates how much life characters have remaining. If a player loses all of their coins, they will enter a Super Pinch state, in which their character shrinks in size and their soul flies around the stage. If an opponent retrieves the soul before the player character can, the player character is knocked out, though they can still move around the stage in shrunken form to interfere with

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726-528: The direct bloodline of the clan. It can then be presumed that he is followed by Trevor, Christopher, Soleil, Simon, Juste, Richter, and then Julius. In Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance , Simon is playable in the Boss Rush mode, looking exactly as he did in Castlevania . In Castlevania: Harmony of Despair , Simon is an extra character purchased as downloadable content, the sprite from the original game also being reused here. A special stage that recreates

759-432: The events of Castlevania II: Simon's Quest , the now deceased Dracula has placed a curse on Simon and all of Transylvania. Simon breaks the curse by gathering and incinerating Dracula's remains, though it is hinted that Dracula will return when his skinless hand rises from his grave. Simon is one of only two Belmonts to have faced Dracula twice in his lifetime, the other being his ancestor Christopher. Worlds of Power ,

792-439: The game's castle layout can also be purchased. Simon Belmont appears in the rebooted series Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate , as the son of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades, and grandson of Gabriel Belmont, later known as Dracula. He seeks revenge for the murder of his parents and throughout the game is unaware that Dracula is his grandfather. But, Konami shows the early design of young Simon as Gabriel Belmont

825-442: The goriness of the cover. It was reported in the complaints that children suffered nightmares resulting from the image. The use of a whip is considered one of the features that makes Simon Belmont a memorable hero character, which is echoed by CBR in saying "he's not Simon Belmont unless he cracks out his classic whip." GamesRadar+ stated that Simon Belmont deserves his own movie, while Kotaku expressed concern that in such

858-420: The holy water and hourglass and as currency for merchants. There are other items that provide passive effects such as increasing or decreasing Simon's intelligence (which affects the prices of items sold by merchants), temporary invulnerability, increased speed, higher jumps, and health recovery. After defeating a boss, Simon will start the next stage without any of his previously accumulated equipment, aside from

891-592: The impact of most of the other guest characters. HobbyConsolas included Simon Belmont on its "The 30 best heroes of the last 30 years." DreamMix TV World Fighters DreamMix TV World Fighters is a crossover fighting video game developed by Bitstep and published by Hudson for the GameCube and PlayStation 2 in Japan on December 18, 2003. The game features characters from Hudson and Konami 's video game series and Takara 's toy lines. DreamMix TV

924-474: The main character Kevin Keene for the heroine Princess Lana, who he carries a torch for. Simon has a whip and a backpack of resources which he uses throughout the series. His appearance in the cartoon was met with criticism. Ben Rhudy of Monsters and Critics stated that he looks nothing like his video game counterpart, and that the show's creator DiC should have consulted the game before choosing this design. CBR

957-584: The number of hearts and the map. The player starts the game with three lives and with no way to gain extra lives. There are no continues, unless the game is played with the Game Master cartridge in the second slot. Playing with the Game Master enables the option to select the stage and the number of lives to start with, as well as the ability to skip screens. Time Extension placed Vampire Killer fourth last on its list of ranked Castlevania games. It

990-431: The protagonist of the original game, as well as multiple games overall. This is also the view of TheGamer , who calls him "the face of the franchise and the Belmont who started it all, Simon had headlined more games than any other Belmont in the series." In another discussion of the Castlevania characters, TheGamer celebrates Simon's multiple character designs, and decides that he is the most legendary vampire hunter of

1023-479: The remaining characters. The last character standing at the end of the round wins. The game offers 15 stages on which to battle based on various franchises, such as Big Shell , Adventure Island , Floating Continent and Devastator . Some stages offer occasional hazards that will disrupt battle and inflict additional damage, such as floating Medusa heads in Dracula's Castle . The primary single player campaign

Vampire Killer - Misplaced Pages Continue

1056-459: Was described that it "is a rather unusual attempt to expand the original game in new and interesting ways, and proves that right from the beginning, Konami was clearly aware that Castlevania was a franchise which could easily evolve beyond its action-platforming origins. The problem is that this attempt to create a sort of action-RPG hybrid is badly undone by its non-linear structure (which involves searching looping levels in order to find keys) and

1089-625: Was how Obata envisioned them. He added that while the design felt radically different, so did Kojima's. Simon's design by Obata was criticized, which was perceived as too derivative of Obata's work on Death Note . Simon appeared in Captain N: The Game Master , a television cartoon featuring characters from contemporary games released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. He is depicted as an arrogant and egotistical vampire hunter who competes with

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