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Review: Kid Dracula (Game Boy)

Kid Dracula is a charming and inventive platformer for the original Game Boy. Like most platformers of its era, Kid D is light on story and heavy on challenge. Luckily, there’s a password system and a fun life collecting bonus game between levels.

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While Kid D doesn’t present itself as a Castlevania game, the pedigree is clear. This is Konami on the brink of greatness, a mere two years before Symphony of the Night graced our shores. Many of the same game play mechanics are on display, from charge hits to bat transformations and inverse gravity.

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Kid D is quite a bit shorter than SOTN though, clocking in at a Mario esque 8 levels. They’re enjoyable affairs, filled with classic 8 bit platforming tropes. Those playing the original cartridge will be glad for the password system. I died many, many times.

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Braving the levels leads to a series of enjoyable boss battles. The sprites are large and detailed, and the crisp game boy graphics will remind players of Mario 2 or the Wario games.
The sound is also up to snuff, with catchy 8 bit tiffs that brought me back to games like Contra and R-Type. Fans of game boy chiptunes will be pleased.

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Neither too short to be enjoyable nor too long to beat in a day, Kid Dracula straddles the line between classic and kitsch with aplomb. I rate it a solid 73/100. If you’re into classic platformers like Castlevania and Wario, Kid Dracula is a must play.