Nosferatu (SNES)

[VideoGameCritic]

Lately I've been giving this one another look. It's kind of like Castlevania meets Prince of Persia. I don't think it ever got much respect but I'm giving it a second chance.

The atmosphere in this game is great. The music is scary and the graphics have a realistic, semi-digitized look. That moonlit courtyard where the first boss encounter takes place looks amazing.

The platforming is kind of slow and deliberate. The controls could be better. Why do so many SNES games insist on using only TWO BUTTONS!?! You end up tying your fingers in knots trying to perform advanced moves like roundhouse kicks and running slides.

Still, I love how the game incorporates all the classic movie monsters like Frankenstein, the Werewolf, and the Mummy. There are plenty of jump-scares as well.

The game doesn't have a password and when you using a continue it's all the way back to the beginning of the stage. There is however a stage select cheat I'll probably wind up using.

Anybody else play this?

[Quick_Man]

I played it after seeing it on Game Center CX. Really underrated game. One thing I'll warn you about is not using too many continues [I believe 8]. You get a pretty nasty surprise...

[Zack Burner]

I have, and from I recall playing it, I kind of like it, not on level with the castlevania series but a good job. I do agree it has its flaws, the controls are delayed response just like Prince of Persia, and the fact that they use only 2 buttons as opposed to having it more spread out raises some eyebrows. What I like is the creepy music, the atmisphere, and the graphics of the cutscenes, some of them almost look real! A lot of effort went into that part, too bad not so much went into the gameplay. The boss fights are a lot of fun and require strategy. The Golem and Phantom mist fights are memorable on their own. The fact you have to complete this in a single sitting without passwords is frustrating, and whats worse is your performance affects the ending as well.

[Quick_Man]

I think the gameplay is really good, it's just not what a lot of people expect it to be. If you expect a slightly more action-heavy Prince of Persia it's tons of fun, if you expect it to be more towards the Castlevania side of the spectrum then it'll suffer. It's much more deliberate than the Castlevania games, not to say one style is better or good and bad - it's just different.

I do also believe if you use the stage select cheat you'll be locked into the bad ending? I'm not sure where I heard that or if it's true, but I think it is.

Worth noting that the Japanese version had limited continues - nine. Which means that getting the bad ending is kind of an achievement in itself, as you have to die exactly eight times and then beat the game, not a single death under or over. Arino managed to do exactly this in Game Center CX which meant his challenge to "show the ending" was ruled a loss because he somehow managed to beat the game in exactly the right way which doesn't show the ending.

[VideoGameCritic]

I'm trying to figure out if my re-review should keep the C- grade or bump up to a C. Thoughts?

[Zack Burner]

I think the C grade would be just right considering there's some fun, but also some frustration to be had, most notably lack of password feature or battery save, plus the fact that you have to complete it one sitting. The gameplay feels little stiff, Prince of Persia style, especially the run jumps.