Play Famicom Mini 29 : Akumajou Dracula Online

Whip skeletons into pits, dodge Medusa heads that curve like they’ve got a grudge, and feel every pixel of that stiff-but-fair NES challenge in your hands. That chiptune soundtrack still nails the gothic vibe.

File size: 3.82 MB

Game Overview

Famicom Mini 29: Akumajou Dracula (yep, the original Castlevania) is like digging up a time capsule from 1986—except now it fits in your pocket. The first time I booted it up, that eerie chiptune intro hit me with instant nostalgia, even though I wasn’t alive when the NES version dropped. You’ve got Simon Belmont’s whip, a castle full of monsters that *will* knock you into pits, and Medusa heads that fly at the worst possible angles.

It’s brutally simple compared to later games—no fancy backdrops or ability grinding, just six stages of pixel-perfect agony. The controls feel stiff at first (good luck changing direction mid-jump), but there’s something weirdly satisfying about mastering the rhythm of it. And that soundtrack? Still slaps. I may or may not have yelled at my GBA after the Grim Reaper obliterated me for the fifth time in a row.

If you’ve only played the Metroid-style Castlevania games, this is a crash course in why the series became iconic. Just bring patience—and maybe a pillow to scream into.