Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge

Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge is the much-improved sequel to Castlevania: The Adventure.

To do: Add Konami GB Collection differences. Source: http://www.vgmuseum.com/mrp/cvgb2/game-castlevaniabr.htm

Sound Test#

Japan (Original release)	US/Europe (Original release)	Europe (Collection, GBC)
file:Gbcastlevania2-jtest.png	file:Gbcastlevania2-utest.png

Use the password Heart Heart Heart Heart. Press A to play the track and B to stop the music. To exit the sound test, press Select.

Unfortunately, the sound test only contains 11 tracks, which doesn't cover all of the music in the game.

Enter GameShark code 010CCBDE and scroll down past 'DEMO 2/FAITH' to find the inaccessible entry SELECT BGM/NEW CHURCH, which plays at the stage select screen. However, the track itself cannot be played in the sound test.

Unused Graphics#

Placeholder Tiles#

These X shapes are used to fill in unused VRAM tiles:

The 16x8 version is used to fill in unused 8x16 object graphics slots. Because of the mismatch in dimensions -- the X should have been stretched vertically, not horizontally -- in the event these graphics are actually used (for example, by forcing the game to load the wrong graphics set for a sublevel by manipulating memory in an emulator), it will appear as two vertically stacked chevrons rather than a tall X.

Regional Changes#

Sound Test Titles#

As seen above, the track titles were changed to generic names in the overseas releases, likely done to remove their religious references.

Interestingly enough, the official OST, Akumajo Dracula Best 2 (KICA-7506~7), changes some of the official track titles:

• The inaccessible entry "NEW CHURCH" has the official track title changed to "Journey to Chaos".
• "SOLEIYU" and "C.PHANTASIE" are expanded to "Soleiyu's Room" and "Chromatische Phantasie" respectively.
• However, PSYCO WARRIOR is listed as "Phyco Warrior", most likely a typo since the most recent release Music from Akumajo Dracula Kuro (LC-2480~92) lists the track as "Psycho Warrior".

Weapons#

While both regions of the game share the Holy Water, the other weapon is different in each. The Japanese version offers a Cross, but the US version has the Axe, either because it was more useful or less broken.

Opening#

The opening in the English version features some changes, with both the original release and the re[release found in Konami GB Collection Vol. 4.

Text#

The Game Boy Color Collection version released in Europe received a new translation that appears to be more literal. This interestingly means that Dracula is never referred to by name in the Collection version.

Opening#

Original release (Japanese)	Original release (English, US/Europe)	Collection version (European, GBC)

The original versions of the opening and ending crawls feature a transparent effect on the top and bottom (using rapidly flashing borders that take advantage of the Game Boy's slow pixel response time) that makes the text look like it's fading in and out, but the Game Boy Color version unfortunately removes this effect. Most likely this is because the pixel response time of the Game Boy Color screen would make it appear to flicker (vs. the old Game Boy screen).

The opening crawl is almost the same length between the English scripts, but the Collection version is just one line shorter. No spaces are used after commas in the original translation to save room, while spaces are properly used after commas in the retranslation. In addition, while the special ellipsis character was replaced with 3 regular periods in the original English version, the retranslation keeps the special ellipsis character from the Japanese version.

DRACULA HAS 
ARRIVED. 

DRACULA IS 
LOOKING TO BE 
RE-BORN EVER 
SINCE HIS CASTLE 
WAS DESTROYED
AS A RESULT OF 
HIS BATTLE WITH
CHRISTOPHER.

15 YEARS LATER...
A CEREMONY IS
HELD HONORING
SOLEIYU,THE
SON OF 
CHRISTOPHER, 
WHO WILL BE THE 
NEXT VAMPIRE 
HUNTER.

DRACULA HAS BEEN 
WAITING FOR THIS 
TIME BECAUSE IN 
ORDER TO RETURN 
TO EARTH,HE 
MUST USE THE 
POWER OF SOLEIYU.

THE NEXT DAY 
4 CASTLES APPEAR 
WHILE SOLEIYU 
DISAPPEARS INTO 
THE FOG.

AND NOW,A NEW 
BATTLE MUST BEGIN.

The Count was 
alive…
After fighting 
Christopher, 
he escaped the 
falling castle 
and watched for 
a good chance 
to resurrect 
his body.
15 years later, 
The ritual for 
Soleil, the son 
of Christopher, 
to inherit 
the title of 
Vampire Hunter 
was about to 
take place. 
However, 
the Count was 
waiting for this 
exact moment. 
He was planning 
to use Soleil's 
sacred powers to 
regain his body. 
The next day, 
4 castles have 
appeared as if 
to protect 
Soleil who has 
disappeared like 
the mist. 
And now the new 
battle is about 
to start.

Music#

Compared to the original Japanese version, the opening in the original US/European version is nearly twice as long. To compensate for this in the latter, the song that plays during the opening has been doubled in length, even adding a few brand new notes that play before the second loop starts. Although the European Game Boy Color Collection rerelease features a brand-new translation, the game itself is still based on the original Japanese version. That unfortunately means the original shorter version of the track is played instead, leaving the second half of the opening without music!

Also note: the very last note on the US/Europe version is cut off in the actual intro due to the game resetting to the title screen before it can finish playing.

Pre-Soleiyu fight#

I'M SURPRISED
YOU MADE IT
THIS FAR!

THE REBIRTH OF 
DRACULA WILL 
OCCUR SOON.

YOU CANNOT 
DESTROY ME.

FATHER

You have made 
it here!

I will soon 
bring him back 

to this world.

There's no way 
you can beat me.

Father 

Post-Soleiyu fight#

OUCH
WHAT AM I DOING?

OH
FATHER

SINCE DRACULA 
CANNOT USE 
MY POWERS 

DRACULA WILL USE 
THE POWER OF THE 
4 CASTLE SPIRITS.

HURRY UP!
QUICKLY!

Urrrh…
What am I…

Oh!
Father!

Now that I 
lost my powers.

He's after my 
men's powers.

Hurry!
Father!

Ending#

THE WAR 
IS OVER.

DRACULA'S 
SCHEME WAS 
FOILED 
BECAUSE OF 
THE COMBINED 
POWER OF 
CHRISTOPHER 
AND SOLEIYU.
ONCE AGAIN 
THE WORLD 
IS AT PEACE.

AND THEN...
SOLEIYU HAS 
OVERCOME THE 
DARK CURSE 
AND WILL 
CONTINUE TO 
FIGHT 
DRACULA AND 
HIS FORCES.

SOON AFTER...

THE BELMONT 
FAMILY HAS 
A LONG 
HISTORY OF 
VAMPIRE 
HUNTERS.
THE LEGEND 
WILL ALWAYS 
CONTINUE.

The battle 
is over.
The Count's 
evil plan 
has been 
crushed by 
a father's 
love for 
his son.
Peace has 
returned to 
this land.
And Soleil 
who was 
freed by 
the dark 
spells will 
now inherit 
the name of 
Vampire 
Hunter.
Then on, 
the blood 
in the 
Belmonts 
has become 
legends as 
Vampire 
Hunters, 
making 
people pass 
on the 
story to 
their 
children.

Revisional Differences#

The Japanese Konami GB Collection Vol. 3 compilation, released in 1998, adds a Super Game Boy border, but the game does not use any custom color palette.

The European Konami GB Collection Vol. 4 compilation, released in 2000, adds Game Boy Color support instead, with the whole game being colorized. Additionally, this version is based on the Japanese version, and so it keeps the Japanese song names and keeps the Cross instead of the Axe.

Original release (Japanese)	Original release (English)	Collection version (Japanese, SGB)	Collection version (European, GBC)

The Japanese Collection version updates the copyright date, and removes "TM and" and "Licensed by Nintendo". The European Collection version uses a different logo image than the original, and removes all copyright information from the title screen entirely. Additionally, while not pictured above, the versions included on Castlevania Anniversary Collection are the same as the original Game Boy versions but with "Licensed by Nintendo" removed.

Original release	Collection version (Japanese, SGB)	Collection version (European, GBC)

The European Collection version removes the bottom row of pixels from the "Stage Select" banner for some reason. This change also applies to the "Sound Select" banner in the sound test and the "Password" banner on the password entering screen. This change was possibly made due to the Sound Select and Password banners having the bottom row of pixels being somewhat garbled.

Original	Collection (EU)

Soleiyu/Soleil#

Original (US/Europe)	Collection (Europe)

"Soleiyu" is a mistranslation of the French word soleil, meaning "sun," a reference to the traditional weakness of vampires.

His name was corrected to "Soleil" in the European rerelease included in Konami GB Collection Vol. 4, and officially referred as such for that game's description in Castlevania Anniversary Collection, including its bonus e-book.