A sly recreation of Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest is coming in 2025 under the moniker of being called a parody.
Retrowave has unveiled their upcoming release of “The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest,” an 8-bit side-scrolling platformer set to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via Steam next year.
There are “metroidvania” games and then there’s blatantly creating a Castlevania clone, not that I personally have any issues with that though I am sure that Konami’s team of lawyers would beg to differ especially given the similarities with the games name alone.
As a means of eluding Konami’s lawyers in regards to Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest features a legally distinct main protagonist in the form of “Simon Quest” as he arrives in Transylvania only to find out that his vampire-hunting rival, Stan Helsing, has already defeated Dracula.
Eager to regain his glory, Simon Quest embarks on a journey across Wallachia to collect the dark count’s body parts and resurrect him, with the ultimate goal of defeating Dracula himself.
The sprites and interface in Simon Quest bear a striking resemblance to those found in Castlevania II, and there’s even “Engrish” text when discovering a part of Dracula. Additionally, Simon possesses a slide kick that closely resembles Richter’s move in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
Longtime Castlevania fans will appreciate the familiar weapons found in “The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest,” including a variety of whips and subweapons.
There’s also a selection of other equipment that can be customized to fit your preferred playstyle. For those looking to take a break from the task of reconstructing Dracula, the game offers various minigames such as a memory card game, fishing, “Crabbin Races,” a crane game, and even some “Launch Surfing.”
Given Konami’s reluctance to revive and bastardize the Castlevania franchise, fans of this iconic side-scrolling series are likely to appreciate their time with “The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest.”
The game humorously embraces the concept of parody, providing a unique and entertaining experience for enthusiasts of the classic franchise when it releases sometime in 2025.
