Like Namco before them (Splatterhouse: Wanpaku), Konami would take one of their most beloved Famicom/NES franchises(Dracula/Castlevania) and turn it into a cute platforming game. Never released outside of Japan, the game is a lost Famicom gem of a game.
You play as a younger incarnation of the evil Count who awakes to find his kingdom under control of the evil boss Galamoth. You head out on a mission to take down Galamoth and regain your power.
The similarities between this game and Dracula/Castlevania are largely superficial. The game actually plays more like Megaman/Rockman. While certain levels take backgrounds and enemies from Dracula/Castlevania games, Kid Dracula uses a charged fireball as his main weapon. The weapon is upgraded as the game progresses, and you can attain more powerful shots with longer/wider range. The fireball takes away a lot of the close-combat of Dracula/Castlevania games. You have a lot more range to attack enemies.
Various other upgrades/abilities such as the anti-gravity skill allow more variation in gameplay. The ability to turn into a bat (like Alucard in Castlevania 3) is another interesting dynamic and gives the game a "Kirby" like feel at times.
Sprites are large and detailed, and the games really shines the graphic department. The bosses are especially remarkable, very much resembling some of the bigger bosses from Rockman/Megaman.Just like that series, you gain special abilities after beating bosses. Many of the environments also remind of that series. The plethora of ladders also brings to mind the Blue Bomber.
A series of mini-games also break up the levels. You play the games to gain benefits such as extra lives. The games are weird and range from a roulette-type game to a near strip-show guessing game. The music is classic 8-bit Konami, and you are even treated to an alternate version of a famous Vania tune. The game is neither easy nor all that difficult, especially compared to the insane difficulty of the other three NES/Famicom Dracula/Castlevania games.
Akumajo Special is a curious. Without very little Japanese text, it is hard to see why the game never made it to Western shores. Apparently, the game was cancelled when Konami got cold feet. A fairly collectable game nowadays, it will certainly cost you a fair price to get your hands on it. An interesting side-note in what is perhaps the most beloved Konami 8-bit franchise, the game at least deserves a play through.
+Great visuals for an Famicom/NES game
+Difficulty is very fair
+Not much knowledge of Japanese needed
-Might be too childish and cute for fans of the series
-Rare/expensive game nowadays
-Minigames require some knowledge of Japanese
RATING: 8.3/10
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