In this installment of Hidden Gems, we’ll be looking at the Mondo release of Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest lp. Side A contains the NES version while Side B includes the Famicom version of the video game soundtrack.

Only nine tracks long, this lp release contains the original version of the fan favorite “Bloody Tears.” The version we obtained came in translucent green vinyl. The artwork is superb, close to the original NES box art of Simon’s Quest.

The only negative aspect of this lp is the Famicom version. There is a lot more instrumentation than the NES version, but there is the lack of necessary percussion throughout SIde B. Side A lacks the instrumentations, but the drum beats were indeed present.

In any rate, this classic soundtrack paved way to the supreme soundtracks in the Castlevania franchise: Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse.

We were unfortunate in getting the first pressing since it sold out very quickly on the Mondo website. But that’s not an issue because our classic Castlevania lp collection is complete, from the first Castlevania to Symphony of The Night. Maybe Mondo will release some more Castlevania lp’s in the future.