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Sonia Belmont takes up the whip in this portable adventure. 

Castlevania Legends was the third Castlevania game to be released for the Game Boy. The Castlevania Adventure (1989) and Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge (1991) both preceeded it. Legends was released in 1997, a whopping six years after the second portable adventure. The first two GB games were pretty good, receiving praise and criticism at the same time; however, it is apparent that Legends was the worst of the three. Considering the time gap, it's possible that a different team helmed this game, and they didn't quite get it right. 

Don't get me wrong, Legends is not a terrible game, but it's also not a great game. It introduced the first femal protagonist in the Castlevania series: Sonia Belmont. She sets off to stop Dracula with (what else?) a whip. It's never mentioned if it is the legendary Vampire Killer, but no doubt it is. With a very short intro, the game begins. 

The game is comprised of just five levels, but they can be long. Alternate paths can branch out for you to find something, but then you'll have to make your way back (which is a pain). The level design is pretty boring (even the clock tower was boring). And candles are everywhere in this game! Do we really need 20 candles in this room that only has bats? (I'm teasing, but still, I thought it was kind of ridiculous)

The enemies in this game can be very annoying and frustrating. For one thing, I think the most annoying gameplay mechanic is when your character jumps back after being hit (obviously she does this because all the old school Castlevania protagonists did it, so it was typical of the time). Having Sonia jump back into a hole to her doom is very frustrating. The enemies appear out of nowhere and move very fast. Also, if you walk slighty one direction and come back, all the enemies you killed have reappeared! The most frustrating part of the game is going up a tower, because if an enemy knocks you all the way down to the bottom, all the bad guys will reappear that you had defeated on the way up! Believe me, this will happen, and you will yell at your game. 

There's also a few times in the game when you will whip a candle that's located at the bottom of the screen and find yourself in a pit full of zombies. The zombies keep coming and keep coming, and it's such a pain that I just jumped off the ledge to my death. Apparently, even if you defeat all the zombies, you don't geat a reward or anything. What a bummer. 

One plus is that Sonia can move in mid-air (ever so slightly). The first three Castlevania games for NES only allowed for the protagonist to jump straight up or sideways, but no movement in air. Also, keeping with typical Castlevania fashion, you begin each level with a weak whip and can upgrade twice; the final upgrade allows you to shoot a powerful blast with each strike of your whip, which was very helpful. 

It's apparent that the team behind this game desired for it to be easier than the first two GB games, as the bosses have simple patterns, and you have an unlimited amount of continues. As I said, the bosses have simple patterns and are not hard to defeat at all (even the final boss had basic patterns that were easy). So the game was easy, but at the same time had some very frustrating moments. Thank goodness for those unlimited continues! 

I thought the music was decent. The theme for the first level is great and the final boss theme is fantastic (a variation of vampire killer), but besides that, the music isn't too impressive. The music for the first two GB games is much better. 

And let's not forget the story. Apparently, this was supposed to be the very first Castlevania game in the timeline. Sonia is the first Belmont to defeat Dracula. Along the way, she meets up with Alucard, Dracula's son, who also wants to defeat his father. They give some hints that at one time they might have been in love. Alucard challenges Sonia, and after she whips his hide, he lets her go to defeat the evil Dracula. After Dracula is defeated, he states that he will be resurrected again and again, and Sonia gives a speech that her family will always oppose him.Yes, Sonia was the mother of Simon Belmont.  

Interesting, right? Well, apparently Koji Igarashi didn't think so because he removed the game from the series timeline. He thought that it conflicted with the plot line of the main games. Here's what Igarashi said concerning the game: "Legends remains something of an embarrassment for the series. If only that development team had the guidance of the original team of the series." My thoughts exactly. Sorry, Sonia; not only was your game not very fun, but it was pulled out of the series timeline. Maybe we should keep the whip in the hands of the male protagonists. 

Final Verdict--3 Stars: It's Okay

My main feeling about this game is "meh." It's an okay game. It had it's moments, I guess, but at the same time, it was boring and sometimes very frustrating. I did enjoy the dialogue, even if the GB only allowed for five or six words on the screen at a time. I feel sorry for this game, especially since Igarashi wishes it never happened. Perhaps they'll give Sonia another chance in an upcoming game. 

Join me every Saturday as we take a look back at all kinds of retro games, good and bad.