Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth (Wii) review "Whip it good!"

Once upon a time, Konami and developer M2 offered relief for folks who played the awful portable platformer Castlevania: The Adventure. Rather than mailing the affected parties bleach to drink, they decided to pull an "Oceans 11" and remake/completely overhaul the reviled title. Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth thus came into being and delighted old school fans of the franchise with retro sensibilities and arcade-style trappings. Then Nintendo did away with the Wii's digital store, and the game unfortunately became lost except to those who either still have it downloaded or emulate it online. If you're an unfortunate victim of Game Boy's The Adventure memories and you haven't experienced this entry, then you owe it to yourself to play it and hopefully break the curse.

The main thing to keep in mind is that ReBirth is a true-blue, old school installment. In other words, you get no saves or even passwords, you don't have Metroid-ish exploration, and must finish the campaign in one sitting. No, I don't count the hidden stage select feature, which honestly shouldn't be an unlockable secret. Really, they should've given us a proper progress continuation system that isn't tucked away. Thankfully, the game offers infinite continues, so your success hinges on your patience. And believe me, you will need every once of it...

The opening stage provides enough simple monster-whipping action to whet your appetite. A lovely, arcade-y tune reminiscent of Vs. Castlevania blares while you mow down tons of wimpy minions. Bright yet morbid blues and a greenish skyline stand out, hitting you with visuals that are somehow both lively and macabre. You advance to the right as always, breaking candles and nabbing the series' trademark sub-weapons (e.g. throwing daggers, axes, etc.) and disembodied hearts used to power them.

Yeah, that's one massive improvement over this game's inspiration: you actually get sub-weapons. Oh, and play control isn't stiff like you're walking through waist-deep mud. And the game is actually good. Yay, changes...

It isn't long before you come to an ominously glowing door with a giant bat mid-boss behind it. A brief fight ensues, and you smack the flying mammal around like the rudimentary villain he is. Afterward, you continue your quest and notice something intriguing: level branching. Like Rondo of Blood and this game's distant cousin Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, levels form alternate routes full of divergent challenges and other goodies. If nothing else, this addition makes replaying more worthwhile.

At long last, you trounce the first proper boss--a giant eye that barfs outs smaller eyes--and snag the crystal ball that appears. Triumphant music plays and bonus points rack up, and you feel like the badass you always thought yourself to be. Perhaps you even think this campaign is going to be a breeze. However, unless you're a seasoned vet, you're about to have that cockiness knocked out of you...

You see, this iteration of the Game Boy folly doesn't waste space. Every stage, every set piece offers something to challenge you, be it protruding spear traps or corridors chock full of flying menaces. On top of that, the environs you explore comprise exactly the kind of material you would want from a Castlevania entry. The second stage features the usual castle entryway, teeming with armored guards. If you search well enough, you access a subterranean grotto full of monstrous jellyfish and poison-throwing mushrooms. Hell, you even bump into a tricky platforming segment involving spinning water wheels and breakable glass ledges positioned just over crystal clear waters. Remember, Belmonts aren't the best swimmers...

By stage three, the campaign commences its regular groin kicks with flaming wall traps and way too many skeletons everywhere. Eventually, you run afoul of the infamous Medusa heads, coming at you while you negotiate rising/falling platforms and spinning blades. Even after you survive that trial, you still have tons of the aforementioned giant spears to deal with and hallways just dripping with torture devices. Needless to say, the experience proves difficult from this point onward, but also action-packed.

Strong mechanics and spot-on control response help keep this adventure afloat. You never see a lick of slowdown or even a drop in the pacing. This is good for obvious reasons, but also tells those familiar with this game's inspiration one thing: this is absolutely, positively NOT the Game Boy iteration. Where its predecessor sported the worst, most sluggish physics the brand has ever seen, this one provides swift, snappy and tight play control. Heck, the Game Boy version doesn't even have sub-weapons. What the hell kind of Castlevania game doesn't have sub-weapons? What were you thinking, Konami? Imagine a Sonic game without break-neck speed or a Pac-Man title without being chased by the undead... Why, it's almost like a Bomberman game bereft of cute, cartoony visuals...

Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth offers nothing new. It doesn't shake up the series in innovative ways, but it isn't supposed to. This title is a throwback, meant to remind us of the old coin-op quests and plastic cartridges that detailed the Belmonts' struggles. But more than that, it serves as a fitting replacement for the portable blemish on which some of us wasted our allowances. Finally, Christopher Belmont can rest knowing that he starred in a video game that wasn't as torturous as watching its developer transition away from good games and towards pachinko machines, mostly thanks to its arcade style and revamped retro vibe.

Community review by JoeTheDestroyer (October 04, 2025) Rumor has it that Joe is not actually a man, but a machine that likes video games, horror movies, and long walks on the beach. His/Its first contribution to HonestGamers was a review of Breath of Fire III.