<s>
Castlevania	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Simon	I-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
is	O
a	O
platform-adventure	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Konami	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
originally	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
1987	O
for	O
the	O
Famicom	B-Device
Disk	I-Device
System	I-Device
,	O
and	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
in	O
1988	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
second	O
Castlevania	B-Application
game	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
NES	O
,	O
following	O
the	O
original	O
Castlevania	B-Application
in	O
1986	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gameplay	O
of	O
Castlevania	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Simon	I-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
departs	O
from	O
the	O
standard	O
platforming	O
genre	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
Castlevania	B-Application
for	O
a	O
game	O
inspired	O
by	O
The	B-Application
Maze	I-Application
of	I-Application
Galious	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
introduces	O
an	O
Experience	O
Rating	O
system	O
,	O
also	O
found	O
in	O
role-playing	O
games	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
increased	O
by	O
collecting	O
hearts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
period	O
of	O
time	O
in	O
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
cycles	O
between	O
daytime	O
and	O
nightfall	O
,	O
which	O
has	O
an	O
effect	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
Simon	O
's	O
encounters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
them	O
returning	O
from	O
Castlevania	B-Application
is	I-Application
the	O
Holy	O
Water	O
,	O
a	O
small	O
glass	O
which	O
can	O
disintegrate	O
walls	O
that	O
conceal	O
hidden	O
items	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
Magic	O
Weapons	O
make	O
their	O
first	O
appearance	O
in	O
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Diamond	O
,	O
which	O
attacks	O
enemies	O
while	O
bouncing	O
off	O
any	O
surrounding	O
walls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
takes	O
place	O
seven	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
original	O
Castlevania	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
was	O
designed	O
by	O
Hitoshi	O
Akamatsu	O
,	O
who	O
also	O
directed	O
Castlevania	B-Application
and	O
Castlevania	B-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Dracula	I-Application
's	I-Application
Curse	I-Application
on	O
the	O
NES	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Famicom	B-Device
Disk	I-Device
System	I-Device
(	O
FDS	O
)	O
on	O
August	O
28	O
,	O
1987	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
titled	O
Dracula	O
II	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
Akamatsu	O
created	O
the	O
title	O
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
for	O
release	O
in	O
Western	O
territories	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
asked	O
if	O
Metroid	O
had	O
any	O
influence	O
on	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
Akamatsu	O
instead	O
cited	O
Maze	B-Application
of	I-Application
Galious	I-Application
,	O
another	O
platform-adventure	O
game	O
by	O
Konami	O
that	O
features	O
puzzle	O
solving	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
FDS	O
medium	O
has	O
a	O
data	B-General_Concept
storage	O
limitation	O
of	O
of	O
slow	O
access	O
,	O
whereas	O
bank-switching	O
techniques	O
and	O
solid	O
memory	O
costs	O
allow	O
cartridges	O
to	O
have	O
comparable	O
data	B-General_Concept
space	O
with	O
much	O
faster	O
access	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
artwork	O
for	O
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
and	O
other	O
early	O
Castlevania	B-Application
games	O
was	O
lost	O
during	O
the	O
Great	O
Hanshin	O
earthquake	O
of	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
has	O
seen	O
several	O
re-releases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
16	O
,	O
2002	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
included	O
on	O
Konami	O
Collector	O
's	O
Series	O
:	O
Castlevania	B-Application
&	O
Contra	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
a	O
PC	B-Device
collection	O
of	O
the	O
Konami	O
NES	O
games	O
via	O
emulation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
been	O
re-released	O
on	O
other	O
consoles	O
through	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
is	O
exclusive	O
to	O
the	O
North	O
American	O
and	O
European	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
NES	B-Application
Classic	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
,	O
a	O
miniature	O
replica	O
of	O
the	O
NES	O
featuring	O
many	O
built-in	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
also	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
multi-platform	O
Castlevania	B-Application
Anniversary	O
Collection	O
,	O
a	O
2019	O
compilation	O
of	O
past	O
Castlevania	B-Application
titles	O
,	O
and	O
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
has	O
the	O
distinction	O
of	O
being	O
the	O
only	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
collection	O
that	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
using	O
the	O
North	O
American	O
version	O
instead	O
of	O
its	O
Japanese	O
counterpart	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
soundtrack	O
was	O
composed	O
by	O
Kenichi	O
Matsubara	O
,	O
who	O
later	O
created	O
music	O
for	O
the	O
Castlevania	B-Application
arcade	O
title	O
,	O
Haunted	B-Application
Castle	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Bloody	O
Tears	O
"	O
has	O
since	O
become	O
a	O
recurring	O
song	O
in	O
the	O
Castlevania	B-Application
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
included	O
the	O
FDS	O
version	O
of	O
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quests	I-Application
music	O
,	O
with	O
three	O
bonus	O
tracks	O
from	O
the	O
NES	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
disc	O
includes	O
the	O
audio	O
from	O
Castlevania	B-Application
and	O
Castlevania	B-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Dracula	I-Application
's	I-Application
Curse	I-Application
,	O
covering	O
33	O
tracks	O
with	O
a	O
total	O
duration	O
of	O
1:04.00	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1990	O
,	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Powers	I-Application
NES	O
retrospective	O
Pak	O
Source	O
gave	O
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
ratings	O
of	O
4.5/5	O
for	O
Graphic	O
and	O
Sound	O
,	O
4/5	O
for	O
Play	O
Control	O
,	O
4/5	O
for	O
Challenge	O
,	O
and	O
4/5	O
for	O
Theme	O
Fun	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2008	O
,	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
ranked	O
it	O
as	O
the	O
15th	O
best	O
NES	O
game	O
,	O
comparing	O
it	O
to	O
Zelda	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
of	I-Application
Link	I-Application
in	O
how	O
it	O
successfully	O
added	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
elements	O
to	O
its	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
1997	O
Castlevania	B-Application
retrospective	O
,	O
GamePro	O
called	O
it	O
"	O
an	O
excellent	O
time-killer	O
,	O
and	O
much	O
longer	O
than	O
the	O
first	O
Castlevania	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
called	O
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
the	O
"	O
perfect	O
game	O
to	O
play	O
during	O
1989	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retrospective	O
reviews	O
of	O
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
have	O
been	O
more	O
critical	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
former	O
Castlevania	B-Application
producer	O
,	O
Koji	O
Igarashi	O
,	O
revealed	O
that	O
all	O
the	O
NPCs	O
in	O
the	O
Japanese	O
version	O
were	O
deliberate	O
liars	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
is	O
the	O
second	O
Castlevania	B-Application
game	O
to	O
depart	O
from	O
linear	O
gameplay	O
,	O
following	O
Vampire	O
Killer	O
for	O
the	O
MSX2	B-Operating_System
in	O
1986	O
,	O
and	O
instead	O
feature	O
a	O
non-linear	O
explorative	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
game	O
that	O
drew	O
inspiration	O
from	O
it	O
was	O
Castlevania	B-Application
:	I-Application
Symphony	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Night	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Symphony	O
of	O
the	O
Nights	O
assistant	O
director	O
,	O
Koji	O
Igarashi	O
,	O
said	O
the	O
critical	O
reaction	O
to	O
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
and	O
its	O
gameplay	O
allowed	O
them	O
to	O
pitch	O
Symphony	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Night	I-Application
to	O
Konami	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
plot	O
of	O
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
would	O
also	O
be	O
directly	O
referenced	O
in	O
later	O
Castlevania	B-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
entry	O
,	O
Castlevania	B-Application
:	I-Application
Harmony	I-Application
of	I-Application
Dissonance	I-Application
,	O
the	O
protagonist	O
Juste	B-Application
Belmont	I-Application
recounts	O
when	O
his	O
grandfather	O
Simon	O
had	O
to	O
search	O
for	O
Dracula	O
's	O
body	O
parts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
was	O
briefly	O
the	O
subject	O
of	O
controversy	O
when	O
it	O
received	O
strong	O
publicity	O
in	O
the	O
second	O
issue	O
of	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
covered	O
this	O
in	O
issue	O
50	O
,	O
citing	O
this	O
as	O
its	O
worst	O
cover	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
was	O
referenced	O
in	O
a	O
following	O
issue	O
in	O
a	O
Howard	O
and	O
Nester	O
comic	O
strip	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
was	O
followed	O
by	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
merchandise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1988	O
,	O
Tiger	O
Electronics	O
released	O
a	O
handheld	O
game	O
and	O
an	O
LCD	O
wristwatch	O
based	O
on	O
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2007	O
,	O
a	O
figurine	O
of	O
Simon	O
's	O
appearance	O
from	O
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
was	O
included	O
as	O
a	O
pre-order	O
bonus	O
for	O
Castlevania	B-Application
:	O
The	O
Dracula	O
X	O
Chronicles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Worlds	O
of	O
Power	O
,	O
a	O
1990s	O
series	O
of	O
books	O
with	O
stories	O
based	O
on	O
Nintendo	O
games	O
,	O
has	O
a	O
novel	O
about	O
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
departs	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
plot	O
and	O
introduces	O
characters	O
not	O
seen	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
including	O
junior	O
high	O
school	O
student	O
Timothy	O
Bradley	O
,	O
a	O
video	O
gamer	O
who	O
crosses	O
over	O
into	O
the	O
world	O
of	O
Simon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
and	O
assists	O
Simon	O
in	O
looking	O
for	O
Dracula	O
's	O
body	O
parts	O
.	O
</s>
