"Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest" was released in 1987 in Japan and 1988 in North America. The first release was developed for the Family Computer Disk System; the second was developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game is a sequel to the original "Castlevania," which also ran on the NES gaming system and Family Computer Disk System in Japan. In the first installation of Castlevania, the game’s hero, Simon Belmont, is charged with the defeat of Dracula. By the end of the game, he accomplishes the task and splits Dracula into five pieces. In the sequel, Belmont realizes that he is suffering under a curse that only Dracula himself can cure. In order to heal himself, Simon must revive Dracula, find the cure, and then kill the vampire once again. Not to mention that before he can proceed, Simon needs to recover the five different parts of Dracula’s body that are hidden throughout the world. It’s quite the to do list, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Simon Belmont. Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest was produced by Konami and is one of the first nonlinear video games developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game contains a world map that allows the player to become a role player that can explore and travel at will. Simon can also talk with other characters in the game, which allows him to collect clues or be thrown off track by lying townspeople. In addition to travel and conversation, Simon is also able to visit merchants and buy the tools he needs to reach certain areas of the map or fight his enemies along the way. The form of currency used by the game’s hero is hearts, which he collects after defeating an enemy. Simon’s Quest takes place during the daytime, in which he encounters normal townspeople, and at night. At night, the world is inhabited by zombies. He must fight and win against these zombies to collect hearts and gain experience that will help him during the final fight of the game, against the revived Dracula. Though there are some vampires in the game during daytime, they are stronger in the dark. The more difficult it is to beat a certain zombie, the more hearts the enemy will drop when defeated. The storyline of Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest follows smoothly from the original Castlevania, but there are new elements that enhance game play. Gamers have access to Magic Weapons, which each have a different purpose. Some require Simon to spend some of his hearts, while others can simply be picked up at will. Castlevania II is only the second part in a long, long saga that includes 2015’s "Castlevania: Lords of Shadow II." Previous versions of the Castlevania saga have been released on a variety of gaming platforms, including Microsoft Windows. Castlevania II’s classic soundtrack was composed by Kenichi Matsubara, who also created soundtracks for the Castlevania arcade title Haunted Castle. The song "Bloody Tears" has become something of an anthem for the game, as it recurs frequently.