Developer: Probe Publisher: Sony Imagesoft Release: 09/93 Genre: Action
As one of the biggest films of 1992 Bram Stoker’s Dracula had an insane marketing blitz that hit all corners. Naturally video games were a part of that process and every major (and not so major) platform received some version of an adaptation. While the 16-bit versions of Dracula received the lion’s share of attention the 8-bit platforms got in on the fun too. You know things are serious when even the ailing Sega Master System gets in on that action. In some way all versions of Dracula have flaws and the Nintendo version is no different. A little more work could have made this decent.
Just as the SNES and Genesis games were near identical the 8-bit titles are similar. They share the same structure but differ wildly in terms of presentation. The Master System edition is far and away the better of the two in terms of graphics and balance. The level of detail in the sprites is higher and the environments enjoy a richer palette. The one area the NES comes out on top is the music which is not saying much as the soundtrack is mediocre. But it is a sight better than whatever is coming out of Sega’s black box. Unfortunately there are gameplay changes that make this version worse overall.
Dracula is not Castlevania. Despite the Transylvania theme and the main antagonist the two games could not be any more dissimilar. Dracula is a platformer first and foremost and actually looks like Super Mario Brothers with its question blocks for items. If they had you busting the blocks open with your head Nintendo would have called their lawyers. It is not a particularly good gone however. The controls are stiff with a little bit of input delay. You can work around it but it is less than ideal. Jonathan has a knife as his default weapon but can pick up various projectiles such as throwing axes, rocks, and torches. The only other “item” is Van Helsing. If you find him you receive a powered up weapon to use against the end level boss.
Each of the game’s seven levels has a daytime and nighttime segment. Honestly there is almost no difference between the two. In spite of the abundance of weapons combat is minimal with the game having a heavy emphasis on platforming. The level design is very straightforward with the only complex action being how to reach the occasional switch. Despite the stiffness of the control you can hop about the environments with ease, not that you will want to. Somehow despite the source material Dracula is bland. The levels and bosses are repetitive and exceptionally ugly. The platforming barely rises above the first Super Mario Brothers which is sad. To see it all you have to play through the game on hard which with the changes made is laborious. At best Bram Stoker’s Dracula is competent but for most of the adventure it is dull and not worth your time.
There are a number of changes that make this version of Dracula harder than its Sega counterpart. Jonathan takes double the damage from attacks and life restoring hearts are uncommon. The time limit for each stage is shorter leaving you little time to explore for power-ups. The most annoying and game breaking is the placement of ghost enemies. These enemies spawn with little warning and for some inexplicable reason the designers have not only increased their number but also put them in the most obnoxious places. Chances are once you have committed to a jump they will appear. Running in a straight line? It’s going to happen. It borders on absurd and the cheap hits pile up and it is frustrating. I do not know why Probe did this but it was unnecessary and ruins the game.
In Closing
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a bad licensed game. That is par for the course for this period but still disappointing. I commend the developers for not making a generic Castlevania clone but that would have been far better than…..this. Dracula is not as bad as the usual LJN trash but that is not saying much. The pickings were slim for the NES in 1993 but there were still better options such as Kirby’s Adventure and Mighty Final Fight.
