Love it or hate it, Konami’s Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest is an important entry in the series. It has its fans, and some of those fans work at Retroware, who have announced their sidescrolling tribute to Konami’s baby with The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest.
Coming to PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series in 2025, Simon Quest wears its inspiration on its sleeve. The story sees the eponymous Simon Quest arriving in Transylvania, only to discover his vampire hunting rival, Stan Helsing, has already slain Dracula. Seeking to reclaim his glory, Simon Quest journeys across Wallachia to gather the dark count’s body parts to resurrect him, and then slay Dracula himself!
As mentioned, old-school fans will be quick to point out the various references to not only Simon’s Quest, but several other Castlevania entries. The sprites and interface in Simon Quest look very similar to the ones found in Castlevania II, and there’s even “Engrish” text when you find a part of Dracula. Simon even has a slide kick that looks very similar to Richter’s same move in Symphony of the Night.
You’ve also got a variety of whips, subweapons (again, longtime Castlevania fans will spot the similarities), and other equipment you can use to customize your playstyle. And if you decide to take a bit of a break from putting Dracula back together, you can also indulge in a variety of minigames, including a memory card game, fishing, “Crabbin Races”, a crane game, and even some “Launch Surfing”.
If you’re heading out to MAGFest 2024 at the National Harbor from between January 18 and 21, you can stop on by and check out The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest, which is right next to the booth for Retroware’s other throwback baby in Toxic Crusaders, which is slated for release later this year.
