The Game:

Draculas Castle is a spoof horror platform adventure puzzle game with fighting included. For those of you old enough to remember, it’s probably best described as Datasofts ‘Bruce Lee’ mixed with ‘The Castles of Dr.Creep’ with a smattering of many others (Jet Set Willy, Hero of the Golden Talisman, Cauldron, Yie Ar Kung Fu, Pitfall, etc).  For those of you who don’t remember them, it’s probably not really like anything you have tried before! And for those that do, there is far more depth to this game.

                                                                Main title screen

Here’s how the story goes…

A group of famous heroes have gone out ‘on the town’ in Transylvania and have all had one too many drinks. The problem being that they are too wasted to give the taxi driver the right directions home so end up being taken to and dropped off outside Draculas castle.  So they decide to walk into the courtyard to see if anyone is in and BANG! The portcullis comes down behind them and they are trapped within the castle walls! The only way out now, is to navigate through each room, sometimes by having to find a key and then open the locked exit to the next screen and eventually to freedom.  

            The problem is, the castle belongs to Count Dracula, and he will pursue the characters throughout the game attempting to stop them, along with his cronies who will make appearances on various screens. On some screens there may be closed doors or cupboards which may contain items which will aid/hinder the characters in their battle against Dracula and his evil minions.  These can generally in some way be used to keep the nasties at bay for a while or maybe protect the character from a dangerous part of the castle itself. However, sometimes an item is cursed and will prove to be a hindrance in some way or sometimes even fatal!

            All the characters, apart from being able to jump, climb and swim have a range of different fighting moves that they can perform; each one as individual as the next. These various attack moves may be more effective against some nasties than others. Falling on someone will damage them too! The heavier the better!

 

            The full game will have 12 characters. 4 of which are 'heroes' and the other 8 which are nasties, all controlled by joystick, joy pad or by the computer.

            In  adventure mode the game will involve up to 4 human hero characters trying to get the key on each screen to exit to the next whilst avoiding/attacking the nasties (some or all which may be human controlled) along the way and also picking up items which might help them with their objectives.

            The adventure game will be cleverly designed so that players can opt to play their favourite game type by choosing to go in a certain path. For example, if you prefer puzzle solving over combat, there will be a route through the castle which requires more thought to get through the screen than combat skill. However, if you are more action inclined you can take a different route and deal with less puzzles or adventure elements and just concentrate more on the fighting. The main path through the game however, will include all of these elements, so it’s best to polish up all your skills as you never know what you might encounter in the shadowy corners of the game!

 

The game areas:

The game spans a number of different areas. From the castle grounds, the hero or heroes must navigate through the inner castle to reach the exit and freedom. But there are many different places to explore. I won’t give away too much but you may be able to find secret passages or unlock special doors which lead to vast underground caverns, forgotten graveyards and perhaps places which are far more sinister. In total there are over 100 screens to explore..If you can find them all!

The Hazards:

As well as the nasties chasing you around, there are many objects and hazards in each room or area that can help, cause hindrance, pain or even loss of life. You must learn how to pass dodge or just plain avoid them. Below are just a few examples:

Crusher: Designed to press body parts out of chicken nuggets stolen from the local fast food drive thru for the Frankenstein monster when a fresh cadaver part isn’t available, this lethal hazard stomps careless characters into the floor causing instant death.

Van Der Graaf Generator:  Dracula is looking to mass produce Frankenstein monsters (cheap recession proof labour, you see!) and these things will be used to spark the monstrosities into life. Some are triggered from elsewhere; others are auto triggered by someone stood under them. They produce a bolt of electricity that can cause massive damage to a character. Beware!

Cutter: Used for sawing Draculas coffins into shape, but can also be very deadly to the unfortunate character who steps onto one of these!

Sinking Sand: Avoid at all costs! The poor soul who unsuspectingly walks onto this will get a terrible surprise as they will get sucked down to contemplate their stupidity as they slowly drown!

 

Vampiron (TM) Tablets: Dracula has ploughed a substantial amount of cash into sun block research and the fruit of such labour has been this product. It’s like a concentrated internally digested high power sun block cream created by highly paid demented scientists. Such a pill was created to allow vampires to go out in the daytime, but if another character was to gulp it down, it may just have extreme effects on ordinary people..Who knows!

Force Field: Cannot be passed and will even cause damage if touched in some cases, however there is usually a switch somewhere close to turn them off.

‘It’ Block: When a character walks over this block, the character then becomes ‘it’ and all the computer controlled characters will go looking for this unfortunate character. Mind where you step!

Puncho Block: This block can be continuous, triggered from elsewhere or self triggered. In any case, if a character is stupid enough to stand in front of it when a punch has been swung then..well.. I hope you like seeing stars or are particularly fond of lying on the floor looking up and wondering what just happened!

 

Slime: Unlike water which isn’t too dangerous (unless you live in a big city and go for a swim in the local river!) slime is a waste product from the castle. I’m not even going to start to describe what’s in it. Suffice to say perhaps not the best mouth wash alternative in the world!

 

Spell Block: This block oozes a certain magical aura which can be dangerous to the touch. In fact such high concentrations of magic are contained within its mysterious shroud, that it could even will you to turn back to a more primal creature!..A sudden shock (like falling or a good smack) usually clears the senses and restores you back though!

 

The Characters:

Draculas Castle has a selection of varied characters who can either be controlled by a player or by the computer. Each one has different strengths and weakness. Here are all of the characters that will be available in the full release:

 

‘Long Chop’ Li:           Legendary King of Kung Fu. Needs no introduction. Probably the most suitable fighter of the bunch. (Special Attack: Flying Roundhouse)    

 

Ike Biteson:    Infamous ear biting boxer. Seems to have spent more time in Jail/Court than in the ring. (Special Attack: Bite Opponent)        

Mr.BIG:           Hilariously large British wrestler. Don’t let him fall on you! (Special attack: Spinning Fairy)

Drucilla the Witch:    This woman is an old country witch. More black mass than white candles though and watch out for the claws! (Special attack: Night Club Stiletto Attack and Succubus Kiss)

 

Dracula:          Probably the most famous of scary characters of all time. Be careful though, as he has had several centuries to practice his fighting skills! (Special Attack: Demon Possession Bite)

 

Zamo:              Zamo had his glory days when he was hired to destroy Li. He failed miserably and decided on a more solemn career so went to work for Dracula as a chef. Seeing Li again has made him very angry and he still has some old scores to settle. (Special Attack: Open mouthed Chicken Punch)

Frankenstein:The grand daddy of what is now called 'Plastic surgery'. Taller than the other characters and for goodness sake, don’t get in range of that punch! (Special Attack: Leaping Salmon Manoeuvre)

Bones:Not a member of the original Star Trek team, but almost as old! (Special Attack: Bone Clobber)

 

Fu Manchu:    An old Chinese villain who is a master of deception and cunning. Not bad at Kung Fu either! (Special Attack: Flying Matrix Kick)

 

Mad Axeman:This nut will attack any heroes who look like they need their necks trimming. That’s generally all of them. (Special attack: Executioners chop)

 

Pinyata the Yeti:        This female Yeti is out of her comfort zone and very distressed here. She has had her young children kidnapped by Dracula and he has somehow twisted her into thinking it’s the hero characters who have taken them. So shes in no mood to reason with anyone! (Special Attack: Woodland Uppercut)

Mummy:         Called from the grave by Dracula because of his fierce warrior king reputation many millennia ago. However time changes things and this guy is a bit rusty and about 4000 years past his prime. He is still immensely powerful though. (Special Attack: Wrath of Ra and Spell from the book of the dead.)