HRG on Castlevania

Ex
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HRG on Castlevania Oct 14, 2020 10:47:05 GMT -5

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Post by Ex on Oct 14, 2020 10:47:05 GMT -5

What better time of year to discuss this venerable franchise than now?

Here's the games:

1986 Castlevania
1986 Vampire Killer
1987 Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
1988 Haunted Castle
1989 Castlevania: The Adventure
1989 Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
1991 Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
1991 Super Castlevania IV
1993 Castlevania (Sharp X68000)
1993 Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
1994 Castlevania: Bloodlines
1995 Castlevania: Dracula X
1997 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
1997 Castlevania Legends
1999 Castlevania (Nintendo 64)
1999 Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
2001 Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
2001 Castlevania Chronicles
2002 Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
2003 Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
2003 Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
2005 Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
2005 Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
2006 Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

2007 Castlevania: Order of Shadows
2007 Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
2008 Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
2009 Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth
2010 Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
2013 Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate
2014 Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2

I've omitted spin-off stuff like Kid Dracula, but feel free to include spin-offs if you wish.

Questions for discussion:

What's your overall opinion of this franchise? What was the first Castlevania you played, and how old were you? Which series' games have you beaten? Do you prefer the classic designs or the "metroidvania" designs? What are your favorite entries, and why? What are your least favorite entries, and why? Are there any entries you still intend to play? Does it bother you that there hasn't been an official new Castlevania release since 2014?

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I'll be back with my own answers later. 🎃

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paulofthewest
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HRG on Castlevania Oct 14, 2020 14:27:30 GMT -5

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Post by paulofthewest on Oct 14, 2020 14:27:30 GMT -5

Oct 14, 2020 10:47:05 GMT -5 Ex said:

What's your overall opinion of this franchise? What was the first Castlevania you played, and how old were you? Which series' games have you beaten? Do you prefer the classic designs or the "metroidvania" designs? What are your favorite entries, and why? What are your least favorite entries, and why? Are there any entries you still intend to play? Does it bother you that there hasn't been an official new Castlevania release since 2014?

I loved 2D version of the series, but I'm on the fence with 3D. I've play Lord of Shadows and I'm going through Legacy of Darkness, but it seem like something was lost in the transition.

My First was 1986 Castlevania followed by III then II and then many more. The first one was great and I thought III improved on the formula. While some people didn't like II, I did. SOTN was great and so were some of the clones, but the formula got a little tiring...

The ones I've beaten:

1986 Castlevania
1987 Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
1989 Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
1991 Super Castlevania IV
1993 Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
1995 Castlevania: Dracula X
1997 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
2001 Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
2007 Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
2010 Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
2014 Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2

I liked both the classic and metroidvania. The only one I didn't like was Lords of Shadow 2. For that one, God of War is a better game, the M-rated material was dumb, and I'm not a fan of anti-heroes.

I just started Legacy of Darkness so I'm *playing* that one. As for the future, I'm sure I'll get to all the classic/metroidvania 2D ones at some point.

No games since 2014? No that doesn't bother me. What would bother me is they make another one and it is terrible. I appreciate a series that quits while it is ahead, or waits long enough for the creative juices to return to make another good name. Let not make games to milk the name.

toei HRG Grand Elder Megadriver Posts: 7,910	HRG on Castlevania Oct 14, 2020 17:05:22 GMT -5 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by toei on Oct 14, 2020 17:05:22 GMT -5 The games in the Symphony vein are dope, the "Classic"vanias are dull, slow, annoyingly-designed trash.

EasyHard
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HRG on Castlevania Oct 14, 2020 17:07:28 GMT -5

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Post by EasyHard on Oct 14, 2020 17:07:28 GMT -5

There was a time in the 2000s that I identified Castlevania as my favorite long running franchise (in so much as this is a nebulous concept to begin with). Certainly the absence of the series has lowered how much I think about it, but I still enjoy the series all the same.

I haven't played the Lords of Shadow games, and the first LoS is the only one I might play eventually. I've never "loved" a game in the 3D hack 'n slash genre though, and there are others I might try first. It's interesting to note how it wasn't until those games that the series was multiplatform...

I've played all the Nintendo and Sony Castlevania games, except Curse of Darkness. I haven't beaten Castlevania Chronicles (didn't like) or Adventure Rebirth (haven't given a proper shot). As someone who likes both the classic and RPG styles I think my opinions on the different games is standard with the exception of SoTN. I don't enjoy Symphony of the Night's lack of proper balancing, and I prefer the followup Igavanias as a result. The equipment and EXP just follows a poor power curve in SoTN. You can avoid grinding and stick to bad equipment and still feel very out of whack in comparison to the enemy strength. It greatly diminishes my excitement to keep playing or revisit it in the first place.

Last Edit: Oct 14, 2020 17:08:42 GMT -5 by EasyHard

Sarge
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HRG on Castlevania Oct 14, 2020 18:44:33 GMT -5

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Post by Sarge on Oct 14, 2020 18:44:33 GMT -5

I like both sets, to be honest. Classic Castlevania is methodical but precise platforming (and sometimes far too hard for its own good), whereas the IGA games are exploratory games that rarely (but sometimes do!) have teeth, but are still a blast regardless.

Also, I might be one of the few people here that enjoyed Lords of Shadow. Even the sequel had some good ideas (and some really, really heavy tonal whiplash).

While EasyHard notes that some of the later Igavanias might have better balance, I'm still not sure anything really rivals the sheer amount of care that was put into the crazy incidental details in Symphony. A labor of love, indeed, and I love finding new ways to play through it, given how many awesome weapons there are to use. It is, depending on which day you ask me, my favorite game of all time or my second-favorite.

Ex
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HRG on Castlevania Oct 14, 2020 21:04:17 GMT -5

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Post by Ex on Oct 14, 2020 21:04:17 GMT -5

>Which series' games have you beaten?

I've beaten all of these:

1986 Castlevania
1987 Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
1989 Castlevania: The Adventure
1989 Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
1991 Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
1991 Super Castlevania IV
1993 Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
1994 Castlevania: Bloodlines
1995 Castlevania: Dracula X
1997 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
1997 Castlevania Legends
2001 Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
2001 Castlevania Chronicles
2002 Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
2003 Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
2005 Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
2006 Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
2007 Castlevania: Order of Shadows
2008 Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
2009 Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth

I've also beaten the Kid Dracula games.

I have played but not beaten these:

1988 Haunted Castle
2003 Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

>What's your overall opinion of this franchise?

Many of the 2D entries are some of the best action-platformer gaming ever made. Awesome series, with enough variety between entries to keep me intrigued. A consistent sense of "gothic style", and not just cookie cutter copies like certain other long running franchises are. Love the 2D stuff in this franchise. Also the OSTs across the spectrum are way above average.

>What was the first Castlevania you played, and how old were you?

It was Castlevania II: Simon's Quest back in 1988. I had a friend named David who had a NES and always had the latest games. I spent the night at his house a few times, and we usually played NES into the wee hours of the night. I thought C2 was seriously creepy when I was 9 years old!

>Do you prefer the classic designs or the "metroidvania" designs?

Ultimately I'd say the "metroidvania" designs are the funnest. But they also tend to be cakewalks, with the exception of Ecclesia. I still very much enjoy the excellent classic design of the earlier entries, especially in that they are generally challenging. Perhaps too challenging for some, as a lot of players tend to despise the pre-metroidvania styled releases, claiming bad controls or wonky physics and other lame excuses.

>What are your favorite entries, and why?

My top 3:

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is ultimately my favorite of the series. It's just pure excellence, representing everything that's good about Castlevania. It's moody and dark, has overland exploration AND a big castle, tons of content, great graphics/audio, a strong protagonist, decent plot, and it's the only "metroidvania" entry requiring the player to have a modicum of skill to beat.

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest is my second favorite entry. Tends to be a black sheep for a lot of people, and they are completely wrong. This game legitimately feels like an adventure across a cursed Transylvanian land. A brilliant action-RPG that kept me enthralled as a kid and again as a young adult. I will admit that C2's replay value isn't that high. Mainly because it takes a while to finish. It's not a quick run like the other classically styled Castlevanias. But the first trip through C2 is unforgettable.

Castlevania on NES, the original game I mean, comes in third. It's just a stone cold classic. Super replayable, tightly designed, extremely well made for its day, and holds up quite well. I would almost put Symphony of the Night in third place, but it's so easy that I find replaying it to be less interesting. That said, SotN is absolutely awesome, and I can understand anyone who says it's the #1 game in this series.

>What are your least favorite entries, and why?

For some reason the 3D entries don't call to me. Not saying they are bad, I just haven't felt much of an impetus to play them. Castlevania: The Adventure on Game Boy is easily the worst game in the series. Haunted Castle is too unbalanced for its own good. Portrait of Ruin is the worst "metroidvania" entry by far, because it reuses is own assets quickly and shamelessly.

>Are there any entries you still intend to play?

1999 Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
2003 Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
2005 Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
2010 Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
2013 Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate
2014 Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2

>Does it bother you that there hasn't been an official new Castlevania release since 2014?

I'd like to say yes, but two truths stop me. The Konami of today is a shell of what it was when this series was good. I don't think modern Konami could make a good Castlevania. However, Iga is giving us the goods with the Bloodstained games. So that's where this series' soul still lives on, with gusto.

Last Edit: Oct 14, 2020 21:05:56 GMT -5 by Ex

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HRG on Castlevania Oct 14, 2020 22:44:01 GMT -5

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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2020 22:44:01 GMT -5

What's your overall opinion of this franchise?

I'm a fan of the series overall, but I can't really get into the 3D stuff or the hyper-Japanese 2D stuff. Bishonen art doesn't do it for me at all. I enjoy the NES trilogy (less so Simon's Quest), Super IV (my favorite of the games), Rondo on the Turbo CD, Bloodlines, Adventure, Symphony, and though I'm not as big on them, Circle of the Moon and Harmony of Dissonance. That other GBA game and the DS stuff I just couldn't get into. Also, I really disliked the 3D Castlevania games (played and had no interest in continuing Castlevania 64, Legacy of Darkness (but only like 5 minutes), and Lament of Innocence). I think that was when I discovered I really don't like 3D platformers in general.

I will say that I am a fan of Castlevania: The Adventure, but never played the sequels. The original gets all the hate, but I think it's a solid little gem.

What was the first Castlevania you played, and how old were you?

I was ten or eleven when I first played Super Castlevania IV. I then went back to play 1 & 3. Simon's Quest I never actually beat and only played it rather late.

Do you prefer the classic designs or the "metroidvania" designs?

I do like both, but I prefer the classic games, especially after Symphony. The anime-esque designs of the later games are stupid.

What are your favorite entries, and why?

Super is my all time favorite, but the original is a close second. It's really hard to rank the rest, but I think Rondo would probably round out the top 3. But this is subject to change based on replaying.

What are your least favorite entries, and why?

I think the DS games as they annoy me more. But as you can see, there are a ton I haven't played...

Are there any entries you still intend to play?

...and don't intend to play. I did only recently get Kid Dracula, though, so I need to play that still. I've only emulated it before, never played it properly.

Does it bother you that there hasn't been an official new Castlevania release since 2014?

It might have bothered me more than Konami, one of my favorite game companies of yesteryear, is now solely a pachinko maker, but I really don't care, as I always have the classic games to play.

EasyHard
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HRG on Castlevania Oct 14, 2020 22:45:56 GMT -5

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Post by EasyHard on Oct 14, 2020 22:45:56 GMT -5

My first game was Super Castlevania 4. I made a point during the SNES era of going back and getting those NES Castlevanias that I missed, although it was a slow road to really put enough time in them (besides Simon's Quest).

My personal rankings are posted below. Ecclesia was my favorite overall for a while, but replaying it recently I think I like Super Castlevania IV more, and maybe even Aria/Dawn could be above Ecclesia. I also have a hard time justifying Castlevania 1 & Bloodlines being below Rondo as well, but I'll retain this order anyway. I think that gives an idea of how tightly packed the top of these two lists are.

I'm in the "Castlevania 64 is a solid game" camp, although my nostalgia for that era was with the N64 anyway so I feel very at home revisiting this weird brand of platforming/combat/adventure. Castlevania 3 is much more awesome in small doses but the difficulty drags out so long that it makes me want to peter out. I don't like Castlevania The Adventure for all the reasons everyone else does, but the very deliberate difficulty with such a limited action set has on a rare occasion been a sustaining appeal for me. (I've also been known to enjoy Ax Battler, for instance

) It also helps that I have more memories for Castlevania The Adventure than Belmont's Revenge (which is a very fine game, but generally fails to excite me).

Metroidvanias:

---
Order of Ecclesia
Aria of Sorrow
Dawn of Sorrow
Portrait of Ruin
Circle of the Moon
Symphony of the Night
Harmony of Dissonance

Classic & 3D:
---
Super Castlevania IV
Rondo of Blood
Dracula X
Castlevania 1
Bloodlines
Castlevania 64 [& Legacy of Darkness I guess]
Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse
Castlevania The Adventure
Simon's Quest
..<gap>..
Belmont's Revenge
Lament of Innocence

Castlevania Chronicles

(Legends = ??, don't recall)

Deleted
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HRG on Castlevania Oct 14, 2020 23:06:34 GMT -5

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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2020 23:06:34 GMT -5

Oct 14, 2020 22:45:56 GMT -5 EasyHard said:

My first game was Super Castlevania 4. I made a point during the SNES era of going back and getting those NES Castlevanias that I missed, although it was a slow road to really put enough time in them (besides Simon's Quest).

My personal rankings are posted below. Ecclesia was my favorite overall for a while, but replaying it recently I think I like Super Castlevania IV more, and maybe even Aria/Dawn could be above Ecclesia. I also have a hard time justifying Castlevania 1 & Bloodlines being below Rondo as well, but I'll retain this order anyway. I think that gives an idea of how tightly packed the top of these two lists are.

I'm in the "Castlevania 64 is a solid game" camp, although my nostalgia for that era was with the N64 anyway so I feel very at home revisiting this weird brand of platforming/combat/adventure. Castlevania 3 is much more awesome in small doses but the difficulty drags out so long that it makes me want to peter out. I don't like Castlevania The Adventure for all the reasons everyone else does, but the very deliberate difficulty with such a limited action set has on a rare occasion been a sustaining appeal for me. (I've also been known to enjoy Ax Battler, for instance

) It also helps that I have more memories for Castlevania The Adventure than Belmont's Revenge (which is a very fine game, but generally fails to excite me).

+1 for "liking" Castlevania Adventure, -1 for liking Castlevania 64.

I will admit that I'm sure nostalgia plays a part in it, but damn i do love the music and I think despite the alleged "clunkiness" of the game, there is a rhythm one can get into it, especially early on. It is too difficult for its own good, though.

Sarge
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HRG on Castlevania Oct 15, 2020 12:20:24 GMT -5

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Post by Sarge on Oct 15, 2020 12:20:24 GMT -5

What's your overall opinion of this franchise?

Extremely positive. And believe it or not, it used to not be that way! I played the games and liked them, but it wasn't until Symphony that I really fell in love with it. And I also continually built up an appreciation for the classic series as well.

What was the first Castlevania you played, and how old were you?

The first one on NES. Not sure how old, though - I'd wager 12 or 13.

Which series' games have you beaten?

It might be easier to list what I haven't beaten, ha!

1986 Vampire Killer
1988 Haunted Castle
1999 Castlevania (Nintendo 64)
2007 Castlevania: Order of Shadows

That's it. There are spinoffs I haven't finished, of course, but I have beaten the Kid Dracula games.

Do you prefer the classic designs or the "metroidvania" designs?

Metroidvania. I still like the classics, but if I had to choose, I'd take the IGA stuff every time.

What are your favorite entries, and why?

Man, this would take a while. But Symphony is the tip top. Of the other Metroidvania games, my favorites there are Dawn of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia, with the former probably being my fave.

What are your least favorite entries, and why?

Of the ones I've beaten, I'd say Castlevania: The Adventure is my least favorite... but I don't outright detest it. Close, though, at times. It's the platforming that gets me - too many pixel-perfect jumps, and I even usually like tight, tough platforming! I think the X68000 game is a smidge above average - it's super frustrating in spots that feels incredibly unfair - and Curse of Darkness feels super bland at times. Oh, and speaking of super bland, Castlevania Legends might be one of the dullest, least interesting games I've played. It feels okay to play, but outside of that it's just incredibly weak as far as layouts and creativity are concerned.

Are there any entries you still intend to play?

Yeah, the MSX game, and I'll probably give Haunted Castle another go as well. I don't have much interest in Castlevania 64 since Legacy of Darkness effectively replaces it. I'd be willing to give Order of Shadows a go as well - I just need to figure out how to run it.

Does it bother you that there hasn't been an official new Castlevania release since 2014?

Wait, wait, I'm pretty sure we did get some new ones - they're just called Bloodstained now, for some reason.

In all seriousness, though, yes, it does bother me a bit. It's a fantastic series, and you'd think Konami would want to capitalize on the success of the Netflix series, but... apparently all they care about is compilations and pachinko these days. Very little of their historical properties is being leveraged, and it sucks, because they have a fantastic stable of IPs.

Last Edit: Oct 15, 2020 12:20:55 GMT -5 by Sarge

Post by Ex on Oct 14, 2020 10:47:05 GMT -5

Post by paulofthewest on Oct 14, 2020 14:27:30 GMT -5

Post by toei on Oct 14, 2020 17:05:22 GMT -5

Post by EasyHard on Oct 14, 2020 17:07:28 GMT -5

Post by Sarge on Oct 14, 2020 18:44:33 GMT -5

Post by Ex on Oct 14, 2020 21:04:17 GMT -5

Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2020 22:44:01 GMT -5

Post by EasyHard on Oct 14, 2020 22:45:56 GMT -5

Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2020 23:06:34 GMT -5

Post by Sarge on Oct 15, 2020 12:20:24 GMT -5