View source for Dracula Hunter (lost arcade game; 1979)

{{InfoboxLost
|title=<center>Dracula Hunter</center>
|image=Draculahuntermagazinescan.jpg
|imagecaption=Picture taken of a Japanese magazine.
|status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
}}
'''''Dracula Hunter''''' (aka ''ドラキュラハンター'' ''Dorakyurahanta'') was an arcade game released in Japan in 1979 by the company "Tenkon Kogyo". While it was popular in it's home country, it saw little to no success when several minor attempts to localize it overseas occurred. The game was popular enough to be referenced in the manga ''Game Center Arashi'' where a young boy is on a mission to become the "greatest gamer of all time". That reference alone is one of the few remaining hints of the game's existence.

Multiple photos of the rom board and exterior machine parts have surfaced online through a Japanese auction site, as well as several screenshots of the game in action. A single YouTube video was uploaded in 2012, the description states that the game was recorded from real hardware. We can only assume the uploader owns or knows someone who owns a machine.

==Gameplay==
The game appears to be a mixture between ''Space Invaders'' and ''Galaxian'', where you have to protect a sleeping princess from a horde of vampires and occasional dive-bombing bats. Unlike most shooters at the time though, the player is able to move around freely across the board. The player must kill the vampires and bats by throwing a cross that loops around them, this can make the game rather difficult as you need to get close to the enemy to guarantee a direct hit. The player must also complete the stage by hitting the doorway to Dracula's castle with a cross, this can be difficult due to the one-hit-death mechanic.

==Fan Games==
A fan-made sequel was unofficially released for the Sega Saturn in 1999 called ''Dracula Buster'', which can be easily found through rom & iso hosting sites.

==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed heights=192px>
File:Draculahuntertitlealternate.jpg|An alternate title screen to the game.
File:Draculahunter-flyer.jpg|Flyer for the game.
File:Draculahunter-PCB.jpg|The PCB for the machine.
File:Draculahuntercontrolpanel.jpg|Shots of the control panel for the machine.
File:Draculahuntinstructionpanel.jpg|The instructions that were presumably printed on the cabinet, all in Japanese.
File:Draculahuntadvert.jpg|An advertisement for the machine.
File:GamecenterarashiDHreference.jpg|The game being referenced in "Game Center Arashi".
</gallery>
{{Video|perrow  =2
  |service1     =youtube
  |id1          =YIFfxV4jyow
  |description1 =The footage taken via capture card
  |service2     =youtube
  |id2          =6brD0zRNCtw
  |description2 =A review-type video documenting the game
}}
==External Link==
*[http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%89%E3%83%A9%E3%82%AD%E3%83%A5%E3%83%A9%E3%83%8F%E3%83%B3%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC Japanese Wikipedia article of the game.] Retrieved 15 Sept '19
*[https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm31726729 Footage of the game from Nicovideo.] Retrieved 17 Sept '19
*[https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm21872075 Another piece of footage from Nicovideo.] Retrieved 17 Sept '19

==Sources==
*[http://unmamed.mameworld.info/non_other80.html#DraculaHunter Source of header screenshot.] Retrieved 15 Sept '19
*[https://mamedev.emulab.it/undumped/index.php?title=Dracula_Hunter Source of most of the images.] Retrieved 15 Sept '19
*[https://omnibot.exblog.jp/22287605/ Game Center Arashi manga panels.] Retrieved 15 Sept '19
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20181231061138/http://tuna1215.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-290.html Source of the advertisement scan.] Retrieved 15 Sept '19
*[http://amp.tri6.net/ggg/ Instruction sheet source.] Retrieved 15 Sept '19
*[http://www.slither-gdi.net/drachunt27.htm Original auction page where pcb photos came from] Retrieved 17 Sept '19
[[Category:Lost video games]]