Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth (Adventure) is a reimagining of the 1989 Game Boy release Castlevania: The Adventure. Set a hundred years before the original Castlevania, you take on the role of Christopher Belmont, ancestor of series favorite Simon Belmont, in his quest to defeat Dracula. True to the Rebirth series, following Gradius Rebirth and Contra Rebirth, the presentation and mechanics of the original release have been updated for a modern audience.

In the case of Adventure, "updated" is an understatement. The game is so different from the original that the name and protagonist are where the two meet and where the two part. The level design, characters, and items have changed so much that fans of the Game Boy version will wonder what they’re playing. Adventure has six stages, as opposed to four, up to nine lives, infinite continues, and an array of sub weapons – the standard set of boomerang crucifix, holy water, axe, and dagger. Most of this will be a surprise to the returning fan, but one thing that won’t surprise is the design. This is an old-style Castlevania through and through.

If you found the series at Symphony of the Night or were weaned on the Game Boy Advance releases, then Adventure will come as bit of a shock. There is no backtracking through a labyrinthine maze of rooms, solving puzzles with newly found items, armor, magic system, multi-directional whip attacks, or in-level saves. Instead, Christopher has to make due with a limited upgradeable whip, the max being the ability to shoot fireballs for a few seconds, the hearts to allow him to use his sub weapons, and food found hidden inside walls. Adventure was made in a different era, back when a monster hunter collected bags of cash and jewels just because that’s what they did. In Christopher’s case, the loot can also score him some lives, which is a nice but ultimately unnecessary perk. With each level timed, and moderate difficulty, the first play-through will end at about the one-hour mark. But that didn’t stop me from leaping over bottomless chasms to get those sweet bags of cash.

One thing that new and old fans alike will find familiar is the level design. Whether Christopher outside on a moving, hovering platform or ascending a castle tower, there will be plenty of booby traps to evade and enemies to dispatch. Those damnable resurrecting skeletons and agile troll creatures will inspire just as many grunts and agitation as using conveniently placed waterwheels to avoid drowning and dodging a series of massive spears. The enemies are old hat – Death included – by now, likewise the traps, but the stages are well-designed and ideal fodder for those who love to replay levels until perfected. Traversing the levels is something else, however, due to some of the more sensible design decisions, such as being able to jump onto stairs, not making their way in.

Such dated mechanics are going to be a real deal-breaker for many of you. While I grew up on the original releases and can appreciate the linear style, with its own sense of adventure tucked away in hidden items and passageways, and work around its eccentricities, I can see many finding the hodgepodge graphics a little dated, the controls too stiff, the moves too limited, and the platforming too random; because, true to the older releases, you will find yourself jumping onto and through ledges, a painful reminder of how far platforming has come since the 8-bit days. Considering that the original release is of that era, in that regard, Adventure is very true to its roots.

It’s not all bad news, though, as some concessions were made. Levels contain numerous checkpoints, and despite there not being a way to save your progress, you can continue your journey by saving whenever you exit out and utilizing a stage-select cheat on the main menu (hold ‘right’ on the directional pad for a few seconds) upon restarting. There are also Normal and Classic playstyles, the former allowing you to control Christopher whenever he is in the air and the latter being the older method, where control is locked once you begin the jump. In addition, there are a number of highlights for fans, in particular the heavily nostalgic soundtrack that features numerous remixed scores from prior releases. There is also support for the classic controller, in addition to the wiimote and nunchuck-wiimote combo, which feels absolutely perfect. For fans of the earlier entries, it’s like going home again; but for some newcomers, it might feel like going a bit too far back.

Overall: 8.5/10

As archaic as many of the mechanics may be, I couldn’t help but enjoy Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth. I didn’t mind many of the – shall we say – classic sensibilities, often preferring them in many cases, but there are some hang-ups, such as falling through ledges, that should’ve been addressed. Because of those, and the more straightforward design, this will be a tough call for some, especially those who prefer the more open design introduced in Symphony of the Night. For 1,000 Wii points ($10), though, it’s a bargain for old-timers and priced right for the curious.