In the land of 2d platformers Castlevania has always been one of the most unique series around. Even to this day there aren’t many games that intentionally gimp their main character and design around those limitations. While it was frustrating I (almost) wouldn’t change a thing. Not many games tried to imitate that style of platforming, with good reason of course. In Japan Holy Diver was one of the most blatant clones around. It has its differences of course but it really is a bit shameless. Unfortunately it copies some of the worst aspects of Castlevania, and not in a good way which affects its quality overall.
With the number of heavy metal references in the story it is safe to say music played a heavy inspiration in the game’s creation. In the year 666 the Black Slayer, king of the underworld envelops the world in darkness and weakened is guardians, the King Crimson family. It is up to Randy to retrieve the five emblem seals belonging to his family and using them to defeat the Black Slayer. Holy Diver was scheduled for a US release at one point and even had a few previews in gaming publications. But it eventually disappeared. Much like Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure I would imagine possible lawsuits over its references probably played a factor in its cancellation.
There were many games that looked similar to Castlevania such as 8 Eyes and the underrated Master System classic Master of Darkness. But none have been as shameless as this. Randy’s sprite is a monochromatic Trevor Belmont with a cape. Luckily in terms of gameplay the two aren’t so similar. For one you don’t have a weapon. Instead your primary attack is a multi-directional short range fireball. There are no secondary weapons either, just items to refill health and mp for magic.
You won’t find candles filled with items but you do have an edge: magic. Throughout this adventure you gain numerous spells necessary for progress. The default attack is efficient but not ideal. Twin fire is the first addition, a slighter stronger attack that uses so little mp you can use it as the default. Blizzard is the most important. It not only freezes enemies in place but also lava and water, creating platforms to progress. Breaker travels in a straight line and is powerful. Thunder and overdrive see less due to their cost. At the onset magic points are very limited making its use conservative. By the midpoint your maximum is high enough that it becomes an essential element of the game.
While you won’t find secondary weapons there are four critical items that you absolutely do need to find. The wizard staff is the most important, cutting the cost of spells in half. The wing boots massively increases the height and range of your jumps. The bracelet powers up the fireball to smash blocks. I take issue with the cape being placed before the final level. This item cuts damage in half which is needed much earlier in the game considering the bonkers difficulty level.
The one area I really wish Irem didn’t follow Konami’s lead would be in the game’s difficulty. Of the hundreds of NES games I’ve played Holy Diver is easily one of the most difficult. I would even say it is one of the system’s hardest games. Castlevania has nothing on this. Nearly every annoying gameplay element is present. Items are sparse and magic only evens the playing field a little bit. Imagine if almost every enemy were as annoying as a medusa head. It’s that bad. You get knocked back pretty far when hit and it usually equals death. Enemy placement is completely unfair and in some of the game’s worst moments they spawn infinitely or are indestructible! The last few rooms leading up to the final boss are so borderline insane that I’m getting angry thinking about it. Infinite continues make very little difference unfortunately.
If you somehow manage to reach the end level bosses it gets even worse. The damage levels are insane and most will spawn a constant stream of lesser enemies. The boss of stage four almost made me quit. This floating column of eyes is fought on a series of floating platforms. One wrong hit spells instant death and you’ll be visiting the game over screen frequently. The final boss is a nightmarish encounter against a grotesque brain that sadly devolves into a flickering mess. It’s sad that the difficulty is ridiculous since you won’t have time to appreciate their design and mechanics.
In Closing
The ridiculous difficulty impedes the overall enjoyment of Holy Diver. Had the game been balanced properly it would have been excellent. Like Battletoads its creators didn’t know when to dial back and the game suffers for it. The only way I could recommend it is if you plan on cheating and even that is still fraught with frustration. For experts only.
