Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest

Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest is an action-adventure game developed and published by Konami, released in 1987 for the Famicom Disk System and the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the second installment of the Castlevania series, and it turned away from the straight line of its predecessor: the stages open into a single sprawling land that is explored at will, with townsfolk, merchants and hidden passages scattered along the road.

The game follows Simon Belmont, wounded by Dracula’s curse, as he hunts down the scattered remains of the count and burns them before his own body gives out. It is remembered for that wide, non-linear structure, which later series entries would build upon, and for a day-and-night cycle that darkens the world and hardens its monsters when the sun falls.