<s>
Vampire	B-Application
Killer	I-Application
,	O
known	O
in	O
Japan	O
as	O
is	O
a	O
platform	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Konami	O
for	O
the	O
MSX2	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
a	O
parallel	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Castlevania	B-Application
,	O
which	O
debuted	O
a	O
month	O
earlier	O
for	O
the	O
Famicom	B-Device
Disk	I-Device
System	I-Device
under	O
the	O
same	O
Japanese	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
MSX2	B-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
localized	O
first	O
in	O
Europe	O
and	O
thus	O
,	O
was	O
published	O
without	O
the	O
Castlevania	B-Application
branding	O
that	O
the	B-Operating_System
franchise	I-Operating_System
would	O
start	O
using	O
abroad	O
in	O
1987	B-Application
when	O
the	O
NES	O
version	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
(	O
where	O
neither	O
Vampire	B-Application
Killer	I-Application
nor	O
the	O
MSX2	B-Operating_System
platform	O
were	O
released	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
's	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
on	O
December	O
17	O
,	O
2014	O
exclusively	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
in	O
Castlevania	B-Application
,	O
the	O
player	O
controls	O
vampire	O
hunter	O
Simon	O
Belmont	O
,	O
who	O
ventures	O
into	O
Dracula	O
's	O
castle	O
armed	O
with	O
a	O
mystical	O
whip	O
inherited	O
from	O
his	O
father	O
,	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
slay	O
the	O
evil	O
count	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Vampire	B-Application
Killer	I-Application
shares	O
the	O
same	O
premise	O
,	O
soundtrack	O
,	O
characters	O
and	O
locations	O
as	O
the	O
original	O
Castlevania	B-Application
,	O
the	O
structure	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
its	O
play	O
mechanics	O
differ	O
significantly	O
from	O
its	O
NES	O
counterpart	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
Castlevania	B-Application
,	O
Vampire	B-Application
Killer	I-Application
consists	O
of	O
18	O
stages	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
boss	O
encounter	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
every	O
third	O
stage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
in	O
contrast	O
to	O
the	O
linear	O
level	O
designs	O
in	O
Castlevania	B-Application
,	O
Vampire	B-Application
Killer	I-Application
features	O
more	O
labyrinth-like	O
stages	O
,	O
requiring	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
not	O
only	O
seek	O
out	O
the	O
exit	O
to	O
the	O
next	O
stage	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
the	O
skeleton	O
key	O
required	O
to	O
unlock	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
hardware	O
limitations	O
of	O
the	O
MSX2	B-Operating_System
,	O
Vampire	B-Application
Killer	I-Application
uses	O
flip	O
screens	O
instead	O
of	O
scrolling	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Time	O
Extension	O
placed	O
Vampire	B-Application
Killer	I-Application
fourth	O
last	O
on	O
its	O
list	O
of	O
ranked	O
Castlevania	B-Operating_System
games	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
described	O
that	O
it	O
"	O
is	O
a	O
rather	O
unusual	O
attempt	O
to	O
expand	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
in	O
new	O
and	O
interesting	O
ways	O
,	O
and	O
proves	O
that	O
right	O
from	O
the	O
beginning	O
,	O
Konami	O
was	O
clearly	O
aware	O
that	O
Castlevania	B-Application
was	O
a	O
franchise	O
which	O
could	O
easily	O
evolve	O
beyond	O
its	O
action-platforming	O
origins	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
problem	O
is	O
that	O
this	O
attempt	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
sort	O
of	O
action-RPG	B-Application
hybrid	O
is	O
badly	O
undone	O
by	O
its	O
non-linear	O
structure	O
(	O
which	O
involves	O
searching	O
looping	O
levels	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
find	O
keys	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
MSX2	B-Operating_System
's	O
infamous	O
inability	O
to	O
handle	O
smooth	O
scrolling	O
–	O
screens	O
'	O
flip	O
 '	O
from	O
one	O
to	O
the	O
other	O
when	O
you	O
reach	O
the	O
edge	O
of	O
a	O
room	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
's	O
an	O
interesting	O
historical	O
footnote	O
,	O
but	O
beyond	O
that	O
,	O
Vampire	B-Application
Killer	I-Application
is	O
n't	O
worth	O
the	O
eye-watering	O
price	O
the	O
original	O
version	O
now	O
changes	O
hands	O
for.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Released	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
as	O
the	O
linear	O
Castlevania	B-Application
,	O
Vampire	B-Application
Killer	I-Application
is	O
credited	O
with	O
laying	O
a	O
foundation	O
for	O
the	O
more	O
open-ended	O
metroidvania	O
format	O
.	O
</s>
