Play Castlevania 1 Online

Game Overview

Castlevania on the NES is one of those games that feels like it hasn't aged a day—mostly because it was punishingly hard even back in 1986. You're Simon Belmont, swinging a whip through Dracula's castle, and every skeleton, bat, and Medusa head wants you dead. The controls are stiff in that classic NES way, so you can't just flail around—timing matters, and one wrong jump over a pit of spikes will send you back to the last checkpoint.

The atmosphere is what really sticks with you. The pixel art is moody as hell, with flickering candles and crumbling stone corridors, and that soundtrack? Absolute bangers from start to finish. The first time you reach Death’s scythe-flinging boss fight, you’ll either throw your controller or feel like a god when you finally beat him. No hand-holding, no regenerating health—just you, your reflexes, and a whole lot of gothic horror.

It’s not just nostalgia, either. The level design is sharp, the secrets are satisfying to find, and Dracula’s final form is still one of the coolest NES boss fights ever. Just don’t expect to finish it in one sitting unless you’ve got the patience of a saint.