For many of us we have specific memories tied to specific video games.  For me I associate two things with Castlevania for the original NES: microwaved popcorn, Pepsi, and Wal-mart.

Prior to owning a copy of Castlevania my only experience with the game was the VS. Castlevania arcade game which I routinely played during any visit to Pistol Pete’s Pizza here in late ’80s Las Vegas.  The game was in a dual VS. cabinet with RBI baseball on the left, and Castlevania on the right.  The NES version and the arcade counterpart are mostly identical with minor changes to a few sprites and the difficulty level cranked up.

On that arcade machine I’d always make it to the first boss which was the vampire bat, and would always lose.  Something about the game always alluded me – why are their weapons you can pick up if you can’t use them?  It wouldn’t be until I owned the NES version that my youthful ignorance would be compensated with a manual that explained you had to press up and attack to use the special weapon.  Well duh!  That makes sense.

My home copy was purchased from Wal-mart – one of the first Wal-marts built here in Las Vegas on Nellis Blvd and Stewart.  Back then Wal-mart was very different than it is today.  The electronics section was about the size of a small convenience store and was located in the center of the store.  Flanked by three shelved walls, two quarter walls, the register, and about three or four independent shelves in the middle.  The NES games were adjacent to the register, and it was here that I bought many NES games.  Skyshark, Punchout, etc.  And with a copy of Castlevania, a few boxes of ACT II Microwave popcorn, and a few 2-liters of Pepsi I ventured home prepared to play and finally beat Castlevania.

The first two stages were easy-peasy, especially since I finally knew how to use the weapons.  The third stage was a big more difficult, and the fourth stage seemed impossible.  The boss at the end was a Frankenstein monster with a jumping hunchback that threw fireballs.  The fireballs took four bars of left, and if the skeleton snakes thank you encounter before the boss didn’t take most of my life bar away, that damn hunchback would.  As a kid I beat the Frankenstein monster only twice.  Forget about making it to the Reaper, much less Dracula.  For me the game ended at the Frankenstein.  It also didn’t matter how much microwaved popcorn I ate or Pepsi I drank.  Nothing was going to allow me easy passage.

A few months ago which worked out to about 21 years after my original attempt to beat Castlevania I tried it again.  I didn’t even make it to the boss of the 3rd stage, but recently I set out to rectify it and made it back to where I found myself before two decades earlier: the damn Frankestein monster.  Four lives, one right after another, were lost on him.  Then I had an idea.  I’d play through again but keep the stopwatch that is available earlier in the stage!  If the boss is frozen I could easily whip him to death.  But guess what?  IT DOESN’T WORK ON THE MONSTER!  Defeated I watched a TAS playthrough on Youtube.  The player seemed to appreciate the holy-water.  This was a weapon I hated because it was slow, and had no distance.  The video showed the Frankenstein monster frozen as the player lobbed bottle after bottle of holy-water on to the monster’s feet.  Success!  So I set out to try that.

It was a little more difficult that I expected, but with some patience I made it to the monster with a 3/4s full life bar, the holy-water and a few hearts.  It was just enough to defeat him, and I finally made it to the 5th stage.  I did so well on the 5th stage I actually made it to the Reaper!  But quickly lost.  I was satisfied with that though as again, it was the furthest I’ve ever made it in the game.  I don’t know if I should be embarrassed or ashamed.