Wallachia: Reign of Dracula

A short but intense and well done run & gun arcade experience inspired by Contra, Shinobi and Castlevania.

It might be more old-school than other similar games, but Wallachia: Reign of Dracula still offers rewarding action, skilful level design, and some excellent music. With Konami seemingly content to sleep on its popular Castlevania series for the time being – outside of smartphone games, of course – this (alongside the likes of Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon and its sequel) might be as close as we're likely to get to a brand-new "old-school" Castlevania outing on Switch. It's a good job, then, that Migami Games knows Konami's franchise so well that it has created a truly convincing imitation – but one which has enough ideas of its own to stand out from its inspiration.

For a tribute to the classics of the 80s - early 90s and in particular to Castlevania, Wallachia: Reign of Dracula can be considered a success, thanks to its exciting, difficult but satisfying old school adventure, which will transport us for 4 hours to the time. of the NES. It is unfortunately pulled down by an adventure already seen a thousand and once, dubbing sometimes alongside, gameplay sometimes frustrating and not very varied. Nevertheless, whether it is for the regulars of the games of Migami Games or the newcomers, the game will undoubtedly please if the person is up for a good challenge.

Wallachia: Reign of Dracula is a fun and compelling action platformer that acts as a good tribute to its inspirations and stands out amid its peers. While its lifespan might not be too impressive, the game's difficulty level helps in mitigating that aspect, at the same time that its game design and movements help with creating the impression of a game that works fine. Top marks for its soundtrack too, especially the voice works.

Though I appreciate you can save and quit without losing progress, I do wish stages had more checkpoints. I often would have to start from the very beginning of a stage after dying several sections in, which is irritating. But as an old school gamer, there wasn’t anything game-breaking here. Hell, there’s not even knockback on the easier difficulties. It just might be more of a challenge for those unversed in such adventures. Overall, I’d recommend this to fans of retro games who want something new to check out.

Wallachia sticks to the 16-bit gaming template – warts and all – to deliver a fun ride for fans of retro 2D scrolling adventures. Repetition may limit the appeal however; this is a Dracula story that perhaps lacks bite.

Despite this being far from a rushed indie piece of junk, like the hundreds that are plaguing the Switch library, Wallachia: Reign of Dracula is unfortunately one more retro-inspired game that fails at what matters the most. A love letter to SNES-style Castlevania, sprinkled with a little bit of Contra's fast-paced action, this should be something great. Sadly, due to some issues, like the way the main character moves, and how unfair some parts of the whole thing can feel, it soon gets from mildly-interesting, to downright annoying.