New Blip: The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest

If you enjoyed the Castlevania games on the NES... well, then you should go play some Castlevania games on the NES... but if you're looking for a lighthearted-but-tough parody of the Castlevania series, then you should play The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest, from Programancer. The game's protagonist is none other than Simon Quest, a play on the title Castlevania II: Simon's Quest and the hero of that game, Simon Belmont. But Simon Quest is no hero. In fact, he's a glory hound who only cares about making a name for himself. After discovering that his rival, Stan Helsing, has defeated Dracula, Simon sets out across Wallachia on a mission to collect Dracula's body parts to resurrect him for the sole purpose of destroying the legendary vampire himself. Players travel through gothic environments, whip their way through creatures of the night, take on giant bosses, swing from grapple points, and toss a variety of subweapons that are replenished by collecting hearts. But this isn't a simple rehash of the aged Castlevania formula; it's an entirely new adventure, with surprises to be found along the way, some new gameplay mechanics, an interconnected world, and much improved visuals when compared to the classic NES series.

The game is coming to PC but does not yet have an announced release date. A playable demo is available on Itch.

To find more promising 2D games currently under development, be sure to check out our 2D Watchlist.