Original artwork, not a still
Nightfall message
What a horrible night to have a curse.
— Castlevania II: Simon's Quest · 1987
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The line is half warning, half accidental comedy. It names a mechanic every player dreaded, then does it in the stiff English of a rushed translation, which is why it became shorthand for bad game localisation. Castlevania itself leaned in: Order of Ecclesia has Shanoa answer the sunrise line, and an EverQuest II zone borrows the nightfall message.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Castlevania II: Simon's QuestShow the scene
In Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (Famicom Disk System 1987, NES 1988), the clock cycles between day and night as you travel between towns. When night falls, a message announces it with this line, and the enemies outside the villages grow stronger and hit harder. At sunrise a second message says the morning sun has vanquished the horrible night. The Japanese original reads closer to 'the shiver of the night has arrived', so the English wording is a famously loose localisation, one of several in the North American version.
Sources (2)
- Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Castlevania WikiQuotes sectionReference checked
- Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, WikipediaGameplay and release sectionsReference checked
Context reviewed