4 out of 5

Label: Ship to Shore

Produced by: Aaron Hamel, Justin A. Martell

As told more effectively in the Ship to Shore’s vinyl pressing’s generous liner notes by video game historian Jeremy Parish, the short but focused Kid Dracula 8-bit score – from the reliably inventive Konami Kukeiha Club – runs the gamut of light tribute to other classic games, while maintaining a sort of winking-at-the-listener edge that edges it out as notable amongst its era-peers.  The game itself containing parodies / tributes of / to other games (starting with Castlevania), this structure is fitting, but as soon as the casual bop transforms into blazing-paced chiptune tracks with zany scales and button-mashing energy, you recognize how the title (and its music) emerged as its own, jazzy thang.

While the opening theme does repeat and pop up here and there, the score may be lacking a definite ‘this is Kid Dracula!’ song, opting instead for – as mentioned – variations on underwater / sky-based level tunes Kukeiha Club instituted on other scores, but the soundtrack is defined by starting with the recognizable and then just going bonkers with it.

Some clicks on the B-side of my copy, but the mastering is otherwise bright and clean, and the packaging and vinyl well-put together.