Castlevania Megathread

[bjork]

Bare Knuckle III was great and the best one in every way but the music. Streets of Rage was pretty basic but gave players what Final Fight didn't, and with a far better soundtrack. Plus cop cars with explosive fire arms.

Streets of Rage 1 runs so choppy that it's distracting and it feels like a little kid trying to emulate their cooler, older brother. Have not and will never get the love people have for it. SoR 3 somehow makes it feel less satisfying to hit things and it's ugly compared to 2.

Also keep in mind, without Capcom's supposedly lackluster game to ape, you would've never had SoR to begin with. Sega was content churning out sludge like Alien Storm and Greendog. I love Sega, but let's be real here.

 

[Ikagura]

Streets of Rage 2 was the only good one, though. Final Fight had one bad port to SNES because the hardware wasn't there, hardly Capcom's fault at the time.

Don't tell us that the first game was not good.

What about 4 then?

Bare Knuckle III was great and the best one in every way but the music. Streets of Rage was pretty basic but gave players what Final Fight didn't, and with a far better soundtrack. Plus cop cars with explosive fire arms.

I don't want to digress too much but Bare Knuckles III is indeed making it much better and showing its potential compared to the botched western release of the game. I'd also argue that Story of Thor is a decent answer to Zelda as well.

I think Final Fight 1 is good on its own but suffers from being really hard since it's an arcade game whereas Bare Knuckles/Streets of Rage was more "console-like" and more forgiving.

 

[bjork]

Don't tell us that the first game was not good.

The first game was not good. It feels like an incomplete proof of concept.

SoR4 is an entirely different thing since Sega didn't even do it and came decades later.

 

[Turbo Kid]

Streets of Rage plays exactly like Final Fight. It even has an infinite just like Cody's infinite punch. SOR instead has an infinite grab attack

SOR 3 was butchered through localization, the original is far better than Final Fight 3. And I don't care who did it first, I care who did it better, and that the SOR series.

That's me being real.

 

[bjork]

Streets of Rage plays exactly like Final Fight. It even has an infinite just like Cody's infinite punch. SOR instead has an infinite grab attack

SOR 3 was butchered through localization, the original is far better than Final Fight 3. And I don't care who did it first, I care who did it better, and that the SOR series.

That's me being real.

We can agree to disagree, I guess. They're both games I wouldn't even pick up and play at this point.

 

[Ikagura]

The first game was not good.

Let's not delve too much into the digression.

 

[bjork]

Let's not delve too much into the digression.

I forgot I wasn't allowed to have an opinion, apologies.

 

[Turbo Kid]

I'm not trying to argue. Opinions are opinions, but SOR had some other cool things over Final Fight. The vault over move, the cool ability to land on your feet when someone threw you, the black pepper weapon, it was more than the sum of its parts. Also, Sega had a way of always making their games cooler than the competition. That's subjective of course, but Sonic felt cooler than Mario and SOR felt cooler than Final Fight.

 

[bjork]

I'm not trying to argue. Opinions are opinions, but SOR had some other cool things over Final Fight. The vault over move, the cool ability to land on your feet when someone threw you, the black pepper weapon, it was more than the sum of its parts. Also, Sega had a way of always making their games cooler than the competition. That's subjective of course, but Sonic felt cooler than Mario and SOR felt cooler than Final Fight.

ok

 

[Ikagura]

I forgot I wasn't allowed to have an opinion, apologies.

I haven't said that, the topic is about Castlevania on the 16-bits consoles.

You can still have your opinion but the thread is currently derailing in beat'em ups.

As for Castlevania I think that Symphony of the Night shouldn't have stopped classicvania games from existing, we got around 3 episodes like that but nothing else.

 

[bjork]

I haven't said that, the topic is about Castlevania on the 16-bits consoles.

You can still have your opinion but the thread is currently derailing in beat'em ups.

As for Castlevania I think that Symphony of the Night shouldn't have stopped classicvania games from existing, we got around 3 episodes like that but nothing else.

It's fun to participate in a thing and then play cop about it later.

Anyway, there's a place for both types if they wanted to do them. That 2D Castlevania on the Wii was level based and it was quite good.

 

[Ikagura]

It's fun to participate in a thing and then play cop about it later.

I'm not playing cop I'm just politely asking to get back on tracks. I won't delve further into that conversation thanks.

Anyway, there's a place for both types if they wanted to do them. That 2D Castlevania on the Wii was level based and it was quite good.

It was a good remake indeed.

I am almost surprised Konami hasn't decided to make the Metroidvanias the home console games like seeing a spiritual successor to SotN on the PS2 and the handheld keeping the classic side of things.

Are the 3D, post-64 entries good anyway?

Is Mirror of Fate on the 3DS a classicvania?

 

[bjork]

Are the 3D, post-64 entries good anyway?

I heard good things about the 360/PS3 era ones but haven't played them myself. Watching some footage, it's one of those things where you have to go in knowing it's a reimagined take on an established franchise, but it didn't look awful.

I did play the first PS2 one and thought the samey room designs kind of made it feel a bit bland, but then a friend managed to softlock his progress somehow, so I stopped too and never got back to it.

 

[ONecessario]

Nah.. I have to apologize for having ignored this game, since it was also released on a 16-bit platform.

I have just beaten this masterpiece. I don’t know if I’m suffering from recency bias, but this might now be my favorite classicvania.

 

[throughdarkness]

Nah.. I have to apologize for having ignored this game, since it was also released on a 16-bit platform.

I have just beaten this masterpiece. I don’t know if I’m suffering from recency bias, but this might now be my favorite classicvania.

I was just playing this last night on the MiSTer X68000 core. Actually bought an mt-32 pi hat just to get that epic soundtrack for this one game lol.

My first experience with this one was on the Chronicles release. Back then I was coming off the high of SotN so was disappointed in it. Not to mention it beat my ass harder than I could have imagined possible. But after having played the original release with the mt-32, I can say that I was foolish back then and this one should sit at the table with Rondo, IV, and Bloodlines. Now if only I could beat it.

Post automatically merged: Sep 29, 2025

I heard good things about the 360/PS3 era ones but haven't played them myself. Watching some footage, it's one of those things where you have to go in knowing it's a reimagined take on an established franchise, but it didn't look awful.

I did play the first PS2 one and thought the samey room designs kind of made it feel a bit bland, but then a friend managed to softlock his progress somehow, so I stopped too and never got back to it.

Man, I felt exactly the same way about Curse of Darkness on PS2 back when it released but went back and played it a couple years ago all the way through and have repented. It's held up super well imo. Very tight, fun gameplay. Still a bit bland environments but it's the best 3D CV has been and probably will ever be.

The modern games are alright but mostly because I thought the art design and music was good. It felt like the environmental moodiness of Super Castlevania IV, translated to 3D. Gameplay is not sufficiently CV though.

 

[PhaseJump]

Super IV was all about slow atmosphere and new gameplay with the whip direction.

Bloodlines was more traditional and awesome, tying it's lore into Bram Stoker's original Dracula.

Rondo had the best design and enemy placement, Dracula X remake on SNES butchered everything about it, Dracula X Chronicles was a great 2.5D remake.

I only ever care to play Rondo and Bloodlines.

They're all great, but Rondo is the one for me of these, and apparently for Konami as well since it's the one they followed up on. Bloodlines plays fine but has a thing for me where it feels too visually busy and the colors are too... not bright, but too colorful? Too saturated? Idk, but it detracts from the experience. Super IV is definitely well made, but it makes me sleepy? The slower pace and the music doesn't hit quite as hard as other titles. Also, the "but you can whip 8 ways" thing doesn't hold water for me, because that's why subweapons exist in the series. I've never been a "git gud" kind of person, but it's an unnecessary freedom, as evidenced by the way they've never revisited it.

SOTN followed up Rondo.

Portrait of Ruin followed up Bloodlines.

Never revisiting Super IV is also a bit odd to think about, considering it is a technical showcase and remake of Castlevania 1, something they did again on other hardware.

 

[Turbo Kid]

Bloodlines also drew inspiration from the real life Elizabeth Bathory.

To quote some info from online she...

"was an infamous serial killer –one of the most prolific female ones in history– who's thought to have killed up to 650 victims over her life, all young women. This, along with myths about her bathing in their blood to keep herself youthful, has led to her commonly being associated with vampires. In addition, the Countess was distantly related to the historic Vlad III Drăculea, but, contrary to the game's background, she was his cousin rather than his niece."


Here's a cool metal song about her:

 

[PhaseJump]

Bloodlines also drew inspiration from the real life Elizabeth Bathory.

To quote some info from online she...

"was an infamous serial killer –one of the most prolific female ones in history– who's thought to have killed up to 650 victims over her life, all young women. This, along with myths about her bathing in their blood to keep herself youthful, has led to her commonly being associated with vampires. In addition, the Countess was distantly related to the historic Vlad III Drăculea, but, contrary to the game's background, she was his cousin rather than his niece."


Here's a cool metal song about her:

 

[Ikagura]

Super IV was all about slow atmosphere and new gameplay with the whip direction.

It may be an unpopular opinion but CV IV should've been a sequel to III with Trevor or a sequel to Simon's Quest featuring Simon's descendant instead of being an extended remake of CV I.

Yes I know, the SNES was infamous for being a console producing pseudo-remakes like Metroid III being like Metroid I in many aspects with more areas, Zelda ALTTP being a reimagining of Zelda I with more content and story along many other things.

I'd almost say that Rondo of Blood is the proper Castlevania IV in term of chronology/release (but since it was never called Castlevania V it could still be counted as such).

Bloodlines was more traditional and awesome, tying it's lore into Bram Stoker's original Dracula.

Which felt a bit like a non canon spin-off/gaiden game until Portraits of Ruins made it truly canon by connecting it to other CV games.

Bloodlines also drew inspiration from the real life Elizabeth Bathory.

I'm feeling bad for that woman because most of her story around came from claims but there were no actual proofs. Almost as if people just conspired into making her fall after her husband's passing...

 

[Tonberry]

I hate Castlevania 4, but Rondo is my very favorite Castlevania game, and Bloodlines is great too.

 

[MajesticSiN]

I agree
Super Castlevania IV was too amazing.
I wish they would make another game with those whip mechanics.

 

[Grumpy_Old_Man]

Bloodlines and Rondo for me.
I find Super Castlevania IV too easy, the 8 way whip and an easy way to block most projectiles make the main character too overpowered in my book.

 

[petran79]

I really liked the classic action platformer formula but Castlevania lost me when it shifted to 3D and action rpg platformer. Even managed to beat the difficult Gameboy first game

Those changes felt not classic Castlevania anymore and the ones that praised SOTN were probably new fans or Playstation players who had not played previous Castlevanias before.

While I would have loved to delve into the Mega Man X games for example after the NES games, despite the fact we did not get a SNES or Playstation for that matter

 

[Graves Ruinwalker]

I agree . All 16-bit CVs are peak except Rondo. Its great on its own but i prefer Dracula X more . Rondo is so bland for me and its difficulty is rather dissapointing .

 

[throughdarkness]

Those changes felt not classic Castlevania anymore and the ones that praised SOTN were probably new fans or Playstation players who had not played previous Castlevanias before.

I've been playing Castlevania since I was 8 years old on NES and thought SotN was amazing. Pretty sure the point of SotN was to shake things up, it wasn't intended to be like the classics.

I don't really care whether they went metroidvania or classicvania, they're all best in their genre in my book anyways.