Daily No. 2 for Castlevania Week is “Cross Your Heart”, the classic Stage 1 theme from the arcade game Haunted Castle (1988). This was essentially a cheap rendition of the original Castlevania, starring Simon Belmont with his big monkey arms, barbarian hair, and a slew of poorly drawn monstrosities. Still, the game had some really great concepts such as a lightning storm that sets the tall grass of the graveyard on fire, collapsing bridges, and stained glass windows that explode into shard monsters. The version here is from Dracula X Chronicles (2008), and it is essentially an arrangement of the version that appeared on the Dracula X (1993) album. Here is the original version for comparison. This version of the song was arranged by Masanori Akita (Time Hollow, Akumajo Dracula Pachislot). The original was composed by Kenichi Matsubara (Castlevania II, Gradius IV). Incidentally, you can buy this album now off of iTunes – the two-disc set is well worth it! (Heck, I thought it was worth it to import from Japan – and that was $30!)
“Cross Your Heart” Akumajo Dracula X (Konami Kukeiha Club)
“Cross Your Heart” has a great feeling of danger and disaster – Simon Belmont’s wife has just been kidnapped on the way from the chapel and he’s in a foul mood. He rushes out to save his beloved, tearing through an old graveyard on the way to the castle. The track has a great harpsichord opening that captures this sense of urgency and action through the rapidly rising and falling notes, but it also has a taste of the baroque. In some ways, the original was a bit over-intense – just like the game’s difficulty. There are some great guitars here for the main melody as well as a strong bass line. Halfway through the loop, at about 0:52, there is even some clapping, which was a nice touch in the original midi version. Looking back, I think it gives the piece a bit of an ethnic feel.
This track first appeared on Akumajo Dracula X (1993) as a midi remix. Now this piece is labeled “Unused Track”, which I assume means it was originally going to be included in the PCE version of Dracula X in the unused level. Or maybe it was just a demo piece.
The title “Cross Your Heart” has gone by numerous translations over the years. Read the rest of this entry ?
