Elcin's Quest

It is no secret that the gaming industry loves to borrow from other forms of media. And why not? There is an excellent source of material in books, TV shows, movies, and even music. One famous icon to appear across all platforms is the prince of darkness, Dracula himself. The legendary vampire has captured the imagination of many creators, from Joss Whedon to the team at Konami to much success. So, inspired by those before them, Migami games created their tale about the immortal seducer, Wallachia: Reign of Dracula.

Our story is centered around a young woman named Elcin. While away, Prince Dracula's army destroyed her village, killed her parents, and abducted her brother. Armed with a sword and bow, Elcin sets out to avenge her people and save what family she has left, ready to embark on this Castlevania/Contra hybrid adventure. The game will always start with a tutorial video showing how to control Elcin. Of course, you do not have to sit through this. You can choose to skip it and can even select your stage beforehand. As a game reviewer who often goes back to double-check my work, I appreciate titles that let you start a new game without compromising your current save.

While this may not be the most beautiful game on the market, I'm content with the team's choice to choose functionality over style. I have played plenty of horror-based titles, and one issue I have with darker-themed titles is they tend to have a tint, or the lighting is them. For the sake of ambiance, I understand the need for it, but when it affects my gameplay, I take issue with that. There was one thing I noticed to seem a bit off, and that was the charge shot. I can't tell if the animation is too quick or not there. But when you fire a fully charged shot, you return to the neutral position without the firing animation. Of course, you could record and slow the energy down to see, but this only affects the experience, not the gameplay.

I know I mentioned that Wallachia: Reign of Dracula was a combination of Castlevania and Contra in terms of game design. I wanted to include that because that's what it says when you search for this title. My first impression, however, was, what if Castlevania, but Shinobi? The constant running and shooting of arrows are very similar to Contra. However, the switching between melee and ranged weapons accidentally gave this title more of a Shinobi feel. Not that I have anything against this, I loved Shadow Dancer. The advertisement about this title being unforgiving was not an idle boast. You will spend time patiently gathering power-ups for the upcoming boss battles but lose all your items once you die. The story progression is excellent, only giving a few short lines to provide context before returning to the action. The hitboxes seemed a bit off to me. This could be a coding flaw or done intentionally, but it is something you will notice if you play long enough. The music wasn't exactly captivating, but I liked its gothic rock flavor.

In terms of replay, you can unlock a few things through gameplay, such as trophies, bonus games, and costumes. In my experience, these can be a hit or miss, but in the end, it all comes down to how much you enjoy playing this title. All in all, this was a fun nod to the games of the past. There were some creative choices Migami Games made I feel had an adverse result for what they were striving for, but this was an enjoyable title. I would recommend it to anyone wanting a fun action title.