Overview and Gameplay
Richter Belmont enters Dracula’s castle after Annet and Maria are taken captive, bringing the Vampire Killer whip into a late-SNES version of the Dracula X story. Castlevania: Dracula X is a traditional side-scrolling action platformer focused on careful jumps, stairs, monster patterns, sub-weapons, and boss fights.
The game has seven main stages with hidden routes that can change the ending. Stages move through burning streets, the castle entrance, halls, dungeons, courtyards, the clock tower, and Dracula’s final chamber. Compared with later exploration-heavy Castlevania games, this one keeps a tighter classic stage-by-stage structure.
Controls And Mechanics
- Richter moves, crouches, climbs stairs, jumps, and attacks with the whip.
- Sub-weapons include dagger, axe, boomerang, holy water, watch, and key.
- Hearts fuel sub-weapon use, while food restores life and 1UP items add lives.
- Item Crash becomes available after collecting enough hearts.
- Passwords allow the player to resume from cleared or failed stages.
- The game is one-player only, with no versus or co-op mode.
Version Notes
The USA release is titled Castlevania: Dracula X. The Japanese Super Famicom title is Akumajou Dracula XX, while Europe received it as Castlevania: Vampire’s Kiss.
Release And Credits
- USA SNES release year: 1995
- Developer: Konami
- Publisher: Konami
