The internet has made it easy to find cheats for games, but we miss the tips pages from game magazines, when the discovery of a new code could inspire you to go back to an old game. These codes aren't exactly new, but oldness is the essence of the Virtual Console! We're bringing back the classic codes every week on The VC Advantage.
Super Castlevania IV afforded players more control than any previous Castlevania. You could whip in eight directions, and even let the whip dangle from your hand. You could swing from strategically-placed grappling points. For the first time, subweapons were given their own button. Until the PC Engine Dracula X came along, Super Castlevania IV had the freest movement of any Castlevania game yet. This no doubt left an impression on frustrated players happy to be able to whip up for once, and contributes greatly to the continued enjoyment of Castlevania IV by many over the NES games.
But the move that is most responsible for Super Castlevania IV's specialness, in our eyes, was not related to whipping. In fact, it was probably unintentional. By holding back while ascending or descending a staircase, you could make Simon face the direction opposite his movement, while the forward stair-climbing animation continued. In essence, Simon would moonwalk up the stairs. It's not technically a code, but it is somewhat of a secret that is accessed by pushing buttons in the game, so we feel it's close enough to a code for the VCA.
