Konami might not approve of this new Castlevania clone

Retroware, the publisher behind the Angry Video Game Nerd games, is helping make a parody platformer based on the NES game that started it all.

Simon's Quest. It's a game that inspired the first The Angry Video Game Nerd episode, and lives on as one of the most infamous NES titles of all time. It's a cryptic, tough, and generally interesting Castlevania that helped set the stage for greats like Symphony of the Night.

Whatever you think about Konami's controversial classic, they say that imitation is the best form of flattery. Game dev Programancer has teamed up Retroware (publisher of the AVGN games) to make their own Castlevania II clone, complete with a retro style that perfectly matches the old NES era.

The parody platformer is called The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest, and the footage shows the platformer shares quite a bit in common with Simon's Quest. The enemies and environments are different--there's even a Richter-like floor slide and a minecart level that pays respect to Donkey Kong Country--but the naming scheme, overall game mechanics, and visual representation are pretty close to Konami's old-school platformer.

This in no way makes the game look bad. We just really have to wonder what Konami thinks, and whether or not this could spark the Japanese publisher to make another retro-style Castlevania platformer in the same vein.

The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest will release in Q1 2025 on Steam, PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series X/S, and Switch

It's a parody/homage side-scroller set in a dark 8-bit world with optional nonlinear progression, discoverable minigames, and customizable settings. Conquer mansions of monsters with your trusty whip, assemble the perfect equipment chains to eliminate bosses, and gather pieces to resurrect Count Dracula!

After his rival, Stan Helsing, defeated Dracula, Simon felt cheated. To gain back the glory robbed from him, he sets out on a perilous quest of retribution to resurrect the evil Count piece by piece for one purpose: to slay Dracula himself! Traveling across the world of Transylvania, Simon must conquer mansion after mansion to obtain all the items necessary to raise the vampire lord.