Why Most Players Didn't Get To See The Rare Ending Of Castlevania II: Simon's Quest

Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest is an infamous game, even among some of the most diehard Castlevania fans. The game's North American release fell victim to some poor localization and iffy writing, which resulted in inscrutable lines of dialogue like, "Get a silk bag from the Graveyard Duck to live longer." Castlevania 2 is commonly ranked as one of the lesser entries in the series.

However, Castlevania 2 also has its defenders. To be fair, the game did feature some interesting mechanics, such as a day-to-night progression of time. When night falls in Simon's Quest, enemies multiply and become more powerful. The passage of days can also have an effect on which of the game's endings you receive. While none of the endings of Simon's Quest are particularly noteworthy, there is one that is exceedingly rare. Due to the game's level of challenge and the added difficulty in trying to unlock this ending, it's likely that very few players have managed to see it.

Here's the rarest ending of Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest.

In Castlevania 2, all roads lead to a final showdown with Dracula himself. However, the ending that you get to see is based entirely on how many in-game days it takes for you to solve all of the game's puzzles and defeat the undead overlord.

Taking 15 days or more will treat you to a bummer of a cutscene in which Simon Belmont is buried after he dies in battle against Dracula. A playthrough of 8 to 14 days will see Simon kneeling at Dracula's graveside, finally dying of his wounds and the curse placed upon him. Both of those are the more common endings, and they're total downers.

However, beating the game in under 7 days or less — which is not an easy feat — will reveal one final cutscene. In this one, Simon visits the Count's graveside and survives the encounter, the curse having been lifted. However, after Simon leaves the cemetery and night falls, Dracula's hand bursts from the grave.

That's a pretty cool ending, all things considered, and it's impossible to see unless you manage to beat this extremely difficult game in a ludicrously short amount of time.