| Bram Stoker's Dracula | |
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 North American SNES box art | |
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| Platforms | Mega Drive/Genesis,Game Gear,NES,Super NES,Master System,Sega CD,MS-DOS,Amiga |
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| Genres | Platform Beat 'em up (Sega CD, Amiga) First-person shooter (MS-DOS) |
| Mode | Single-player |
Bram Stoker's Dracula is a 1993video game released for theMega Drive/Genesis,Nintendo Entertainment System,Super NES,Master System,Sega CD,Game Gear,MS-DOS, andAmiga. It is based on the1992 film of the same name, which in turn is based on the 1897 novelDracula byBram Stoker. Most versions areplatform games, while the Sega CD and Amiga releases arebeat 'em ups, and the MS-DOS version is afirst-person shooter. Aseparate version for theGame Boy was released in 1993, followed by anAmiga version in 1994 for North America and Europe.[6] ACD-ROM version for MS-DOS compatible operating systems was released in 1995.[7]
Each console has a different styled genre game based on the film, and in most games the single player character isJonathan Harker, who is one of the main protagonists of the film, as well as the original novelDracula byBram Stoker.Mina Harker, Jonathan's wife, is absent throughout each version of the game and only mentioned in the Sega CD version. However,Lucy Westenra, who is also a character in the novel and film, is present inSNES,Sega Genesis,Sega CD, andAmiga versions of the game as aboss.
TheGame Boy version bears a closer resemblance to platform games such asSuper Mario Land thanhorror films.
The player controls a young lawyer namedJonathan Harker. Harker must free himself fromCount Dracula's captivity, follow him toLondon, and end his reign of terror. It was voted to be the 21st worst video game of all time, according toFLUX magazine.[citation needed]
The game is also on theNintendo Entertainment System. The gameplay is very similar to the Game Boy version, though the NES version has much smoother character animation, colors and better resolution.Master System andGame Gear versions of the game are also similar, but with a wider color palette and more shading effects.
TheSuper NES andMega Drive/Genesis releases were platforming action games that are identical to each other, but have a few alterations depending on the version. In the game, the player takes on the role ofJonathan Harker. Throughout the levels,Abraham Van Helsing will help Jonathan in his quest by providing advanced weapons. The game is of theside-scrolling genre. In the game, Jonathan Harker travels through six different stages (each having between a number of areas, except for the final stage which only has one area) and fights various bosses, such asLucy Westenra as a vampiress,Count Dracula's three brides, Dracula's coach driver, Dracula's fire-breathing dragon,Renfield, and even Dracula himself in multiple forms, such as his bat form, his young form, his evil wolf form and finally his knight form. Levels in the game include the Romanian countryside, a rat-infested old village inn, Dracula's castle, Dracula's cavernous vaults, Dracula's misty catacombs, various locations in London, Lucy's crypt, a graveyard and Carfax Abbey.
The release forSega CD makes use of digitized backgrounds and includesfull motion video (FMV) cutscenes from the film. Released in North America, the player controlsJonathan Harker as he travels through seven stages that are based on scenes from the film.
The release for theAmiga uses digitized graphics for characters that were recycled from the Sega CD game. However, the setup is quite different. There are nine stages in the game to play through. Each stage has a primary task which involves finding and destroying all the coffins that have Transylvanian earth inside, in order to advance in the game. Like in the Sega CD game, Jonathan Harker has to punch and kick his enemies. The player can restore health by finding potions, and extra lives are available to pick up as well. Picking upHoly Crosses allows the player to fire a long-ranged holy beam attack, but only for a short period of time. Staircases and doors can be used to travel throughout each stage.
The release for DOS is played from a first-person perspective, similar to other games likeDoom orWolfenstein 3D. In this version, Jonathan Harker must traverse several large stages to locate and purify a varying number of coffins, while warding off monsters with either a pistol or a knife. When all of the coffins in a stage are purified, Harker must then confront Dracula in one of three forms (his old man, young man, and original knight form).
| Publication | Score |
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| AllGame | NES: 4/5[8] Sega-CD: 2.5/5[9] SMD: 2.5/5[10] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | SCD: 6/10, 5/10, 5/10, 5/10[11] |
| Game Players | SMD: 5/10[14] |
| GameZone | NES: 66/100[12] SNES: 80/100[13] |
| Mean Machines Sega | Sega-CD: 51/100[15] |
| Total! | NES: 60%[16] |
| Amiga World | Amiga: D[17] |
Electronic Gaming Monthly reviewers commenting that the main character's movements are choppy, the battling with birds and bats is unimpressive and dull, and thefull motion video sequences are sopixelated and blurry that it is difficult to make out what is going on.[11]Computer Gaming World stated of the DOS version, "It appears that Psygnosis spent most of theirDracula budget on acquiring the movie license, leaving little for game development and packaging. The game play is uninspired and repetitious". The magazine recommendedVeil of Darkness orDracula Unleashed to vampire fans.[18]Amiga World was unimpressed with the Amiga version of the game, giving it a D and criticizing the "trivial opponents" among other factors.[17]
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