Top 5 Most Frustrating NES Moments. #4- Castlevania Medusa Heads

   #4- Castlevania Medusa Heads

If there was any game in the late 80's that took no mercy, it was the original Castlevania. Considered to be one of the best platformers of all time, Castlevania took the players on a journey through the depths of Dracula's castle and pitted you against some of the hardest foes in gaming history. And, if you were tough enough to make it to the end, you faced Dracula himself...possibly one of the hardest bosses in gaming history. It's no doubt that Castlevania was a masterpiece of its time, however, it did have some serious drawbacks. For one, everytime you got hit, you jump backwards, normally into a pit or water. This makes navigating incredibly frustrating since one mess up can send you flying off a ledge to your death. There are also the enemies that you encounter. Most are write offs that'll take about two hits with your whip to kill them. However, there are some that were programmed to piss you off, most notably, the Medusa heads.

I remember when I first saw these monstrosities. They come flying at you, zig-zagging across the screen, and give you little to no time to react. Worst of all, the moment you think you've figured out how to deal with them, the game throws Medusa heads in with other hard enemies, like the knights. So now you're whipping a knight while ducking and jumping over Medusa heads. You think that's enough?

It's not that the Medusa heads are difficult, because like I said, once you figure out their pattern, they're pretty easy. It's just the fact that they fly in the most awkward way, and make it impossible to focus on anything else on the screen. You could be doing just fine in a level, and a group of Medusa heads pop up, and suddenly you're screwed. I can't tell you how many times I've been sent to beginning of the game just because I was knocked off the edge by one of these things. It's left a permanent scar in the back of my mind,  and so many others'. Konami, you're a sick bastard.


Thanks for reading, and remember to check back for the last 3...because things are about to get totally radical man. gnarly....whatever. -____-