Anzu Castle Gracula

Anzu Castle Gracula is a side-scrolling platform game inspired by Castlevania. The player controls an anthropomorphic bird with a chain whip, exploring castles, ramparts, cemeteries and crypts crawling with undead and other nasty creatures. True to the "Metroidvania" genre, the game is non-linear and requires the player to explore multiple paths leading from the central hub in order to find items which will help progress further. Enemies respawn once the player returns to a previously cleared screen. Other mechanics will also be familiar to Castlevania players, such as breaking chandeliers to collect hearts that power ranged weapons.

Anzu Castle Gracula was written in QuickBasic 4.5 and features stylised 16-colour EGA graphics. The game is distributed as shareware, with the unregistered version available for free. While registration/purchase does not unlock new content, it acts as a sign of support for the author. The source code of the game is also publicly available.