Overview

The control scheme has been expanded upon from its predecessors, this includes the ability for Simon to whip in eight directions, as well keep the whip held out if the player holds the attack button. Holding the whip out lets Simon swing or spin it around, allowing the player to easily block enemy projectiles, or hit enemies rapidly (albeit for less damage than a normal strike). In addition, Simon can latch his whip onto grappling points, letting him swing over various obstacles.

Like most Castlevania games, Simon can use the sub-weapons and whip power-ups. Sub-weapons are powered by the hearts found in candles and from slain enemies. Since the control pad is used to aim the whip, another button is used to attack with sub weapons, rather than pressing Up and the attack button. The more powerful sub-weapons require more hearts to use. Whip power-ups increase the strength and length of the whip, as expected, and are usually found in candles.

Simon's jumps can now be controlled in the air, to a limited extent. This opens up the possibility to dodge and maneuver away from danger. Simon can also climb stairs in mid-jump, as well as crouch while moving forward.

Japanese version

The story is set in 1691. The following is translated from the original Super Castlevania IV Japanese manual:

During the Middle Ages in Europe, there was once a peaceful small country named Transylvania. A country associated with the legend of Dracula.

Once every one-hundred years, there comes a time when the power of good is weakened, and men with evil in their hearts pray for the resurrection of the Prince of Darkness. And with each resurrection, his evil power grows stronger.

In the past, he has taken several forms in this world with each resurrection. However, when the entire world is covered by many dark clouds and the Demon King rules the dark evening, the Belmont family has always come forth to oppose him.

The Belmonts had always defeated Dracula in duels to the death, banishing him from the living world for another hundred years; when those years were over, prosperity would once again be covered by shadows. Transylvania suffers a continuous disaster...

One day, the village is shrouded by a dark thunderstorm, and a stroke of lightning quickly silences the town. In that very instance, the dark powers have brought back the powerful Prince of Darkness, and along with him, a powerful demon army. To help solve this crisis, Simon, the young heir of the Belmont clan, has vowed to liberate the mortal world. Although overwhelmed by the task set before him, Simon nonetheless arms himself with the whip containing mysterious powers inherited from his ancestors and sets out for to the Demon Castle.

Simon, with the Vampire Killer whip, successfully defeated Dracula and his demon army. Or, so he thought (see Castlevania II: Simon's Quest for the continuation).

North American version

When the game was localized in North America as Super Castlevania IV, the story within the manual and prologue screen, was modified in order to make it take place after Simon's Quest. This is reflected in the last line of the manual, when it says it is "time once again for Simon Belmont to take up his whip...". Also the introduction is very similar to the "best ending" in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest.

Although Super Castlevania IV is considered a remake of the original Castlevania in the Japanese Castlevania timeline. Konami USA had not reflected it, and it remained a sequel to Simon's Quest according to Konami of America, up until it was removed with the release of the official Xtreme desktop timeline for the PC which brings the series closer to its Japanese counterpart.

Graphics

Super Castlevania IV displays effects such as multi-scrolling backgrounds, animated objects in the distance, and very complex and diverse colors and shapes in its levels. The game takes on an even darker, more eccentric mood and atmosphere than the prior Castlevania games in the series.

The second stage features multiple storm clouds that zip by, and later on, a river path with rocky structures in the background and foreground that spill little waterfalls.

In one of the final stages, Simon must traverse though Dracula's Treasury, brimming over with things like hills of gold coins, and treasure boxes that shut when the player jumps on them.

Koranot, a huge, golem-type boss, displays rotating and resizing sprites in the battle.

Ectoplasms, one of the enemies seen in the Castle's Entrance Hall, show transparency and color-shifting effects.

Additionally, Super Castlevania IV was the first Castlevania game to use Super NES' Mode 7 feature. This could be seen in Stage 4, a level which seemed to twist and turn in both 2D and 3D throughout.

Level design

Following the model set by the previous games, Super Castlevania IV employs the usage of many the series' recurring elements, such as moving platforms, pits with spikes, and stairs that one can traverse by pressing the Up or Down direction on the D-Pad.

Unique to Super Castlevania IV's level design is its connection with Simon's whip, the Vampire Killer. Occasionally, objects similar to door knockers will appear in the player's view, and the player must use Simon's whip to grab onto them and swing across pits to gain access to the next part of the stage. Simon is also able to adjust the length of the whip while swinging if the player uses the D-pad accordingly.

True to Castlevania, Super Castlevania IV puts the player in very tense moments, such as escaping the deadly blades of a huge, circular saw in one of the final levels, or crossing a bridge with randomly disappearing parts, along with timing jumps between large, swinging chandeliers, where one wrong move sends the player to the deadly void below.

Music

The music of the Baroque era, at its zenith in the 18th century, and the Rococo era shortly after, is found throughout the soundtrack. There is the use of techniques called Four Voice Leading (type of chord movement), pedal melody, where one note repeats under a distinctive motive or "riff" (Bloody Tears), secondary dominants (also a part of chord movement), and non-harmonic tones like suspensions and passing tones.

But the soundtrack has not been praised so much for its apparent tributes to other styles, so much as its incredibly complex nature for such an early game on the respective system. For example, the stage, Sunken City, begins its theme with a wavering and fading effect with an organ, and then evolves into a near-improvisational jazz-influenced melody (additionally, it is one of the game's most touted compositions).

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