Castlevania Megathread

[petran79]

A lot more people started giving praise to Bloodlines around the mid to late 2010s. It's actually my favorite of the classic Castlevania games, and I consider it the best. Yes, better than SCIV and Rondo. I have this game on the Genesis Mini, Castlevania Collection (Switch [Physical) and PS4), and on my RG35XXH with a modded rom too.

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I remember playing Bloodlines on display at an electronics store the year it was released (PAL version) and was impressed, having played 1&3 on the NES and 1 on the GB a couple of years earlier.
Had I a Mega Drive, it would have been a must buy.
To put that game on display, it must have been popular but being a Mega Drive game, it confused many people, myself included.

But few years later it was overshadowed by Castlevania 64 and Symphony of the Night.

 

[PhaseJump]

I don't know why it isn't talked that much, it even made very poor sales when it released. I've read 40,000 units sold at the time. I don't know how much of this is true but I remember tons of factory-sealed Castlevania: Bloodlines popping on eBay in early 2000s

Bloodlines kicked ass, and Majesco kept it in print. Those carts were made in mexico and probably cheaper to stockpile. I never liked the paper boxes and cheap manuals of that era.

 

[lestagio]

Really the only problem with bloodlines is the limited continues, a first for the series i believe, otherwise i agree, of classicvania it's one of the best (i still prefer rondo though).

Yeah, the limited continues definitely add some annoyances but I really don't think they're all too bad. I managed to beat it by just getting a solid password to stage 6 with quite a few lives left. Even so, if I'm just gonna do it that way, it's an extra annoyance to pop out to the title screen and re-enter a password just to try again. Because stages 5 and 6 are pretty goddamn hard!
I still need to play Rondo before I make my final decision on my favorite classicvania.

 

[Leon]

If you input the cheat codes for extra lives, or playing the japanese version (which you can play in the collection or Genesis Mini), it's no longer an issue. The save states put a kiei bosch on that now.

Rondo I tried to like, but it had too many limitations against it in terms of mechanics. I praise the art direction and soundtrack, but that is all it has going for it to me.

Now it's a non-issue, the point i was making for the time it came out, the first time you play something heavily effects your opinion of it.

 

[BrawlMan]

Now it's a non-issue, the point i was making for the time it came out, the first time you play something heavily effects your opinion of it.

I know. Thankfully, no one has to put up with that ever again, unless they choose so.

 

[MasterEn]

if i remember correctly, a lot of the old nes, snes and other 8-bit and 16-bit games that came out were ports of arcade games. arcade games are designed to get as many quarters out of you as possible.
and from some new info that i learned about a couple of years ago, arcades are still popular in japan. soul calibur 3 had an arcade version of it released after the ps2 version, which did have some balancing tweaks to it along with a new playable character.
the ports of the arcade games were made to be as faithful to the arcade experience as possible, so if you were getting your ass kicked in castlevania 1 or street fighter for the snes. just be glad that you weren't playing the arcade version. every continue would have costed you some extra money to do so.

 

[BrawlMan]

if i remember correctly, a lot of the old nes, snes and other 8-bit and 16-bit games that came out were ports of arcade games. arcade games are designed to get as many quarters out of you as possible.
and from some new info that i learned about a couple of years ago, arcades are still popular in japan. soul calibur 3 had an arcade version of it released after the ps2 version, which did have some balancing tweaks to it along with a new playable character.
the ports of the arcade games were made to be as faithful to the arcade experience as possible, so if you were getting your ass kicked in castlevania 1 or street fighter for the snes. just be glad that you weren't playing the arcade version. every continue would have costed you some extra money to do so.

Castlevania never got an arcade game until Haunted Castle. There was also, the VS. Castelvania cabinet, but those were a small series of modified NES games made converted for arcade. Castlevania always started off as a console game on NES/Famicom.

You're thinking of Contra and Super Contra. The NES versions are actually better than their original arcade counterparts.

 

[MasterEn]

Castlevania never got an arcade game until Haunted Castle. There was also, the VS. Castelvania cabinets, but those were modified NES games made converted for arcade. Castlevania always started off as a console game on NES/Famicom.

You're thinking of Contra and Super Contra. The NES versions are actually better than their original arcade counterparts.

i meant that more in general sense. i wasn't sure if castlevania had arcade ports, but since a lot of other konami games did, and other games in general had arcade versions as well, i was assuming that the arcade game design just carried over to castlevania when it was being made.

 

[BrawlMan]

i was assuming that the arcade game design just carried over to castlevania when it was being made.

That part is true, but that was for a lot of games at the time, and the norm. But again, Castlevania was always console first though.

 

[MasterEn]

That part is true, but that was for a lot of games at the time, and the norm. But again, Castlevania was always console first though.

okay. didn't know that. i figured that konami would go for any and all chances to make some money by having as many ports as possible for all systems.

 

[PhaseJump]

It was ported to all kinds of platforms, and remade multiple times.

 

[petran79]

That part is true, but that was for a lot of games at the time, and the norm. But again, Castlevania was always console first though.

there was also Vampire Killer for the MSX were gameplay is more about finding keys and items to progress to the next flip screen

 

[Ikagura]

I like Bloodline more than CV IV but I don't like the discourse about how the later "wasn't that good" or something like that.

Both can be great in their own way.

 

[BrawlMan]

discourse about how the later "wasn't that good" or something like that.

Both can be great in their own way.

I can tell you where that's coming from. The people saying this a case of hype backlash. Mainly a few that are still sore over a lot of people on retro gaming review sites, YouTube, and James Rolfe praising CVIV like cazy back in the mid to late 2000s. While either not giving Bloodlines much credit, or undermining its own accomplishments and positives. Or going on about how "inferior" it was to IV This was especially true with james, as he had a habit of putting Castlevania IV on a pedestal against every other Castlevania title. James actually did get some backlash from people and fans, when he said IV is much better game than Symphony and Bloodlines. The man is titled to his opinions, but that only proves certain people go to certain places to seek validation for their choices and opinions, or only want to hear the things they wanna hear.I have some minor disagreements with him, but at least James stuck to his guns and didn't relent.

 

[BrawlMan]

Somebody made a Sega Master System version of Castlevania (NES)! There is demo out now of it too.

 

[Guinea]

I was doom scrolling Youtube Shorts and this popped up. The way she says "Belmonts Curse" almost made me choke on my water:

 

[Daman_1985]

Yesterday I just finished again Aria of Sorrow, awesome game, and now I started again Circle of the Moon, my first Castlevania game and one of my favourites, even if it's a little harder than other metroidvania games.

 

[ONecessario]

I’ve always been a bit biased against this remake because of the graphics, but recently I beat it and I have to say: It's probably better than the original.

Yes, the original pixel art is unmatched, but the additions in the remake makes up for its less appealing visuals:
- Two new bosses: Annete and Hydra
- A reimagined alternate stage 5 which in my opinion is way better than the original one.
- An extra Dracula form that is very hard and creative. This is probably the best dracula boss fight in the entire franchise.
- Boss rush mode.

I think the original soundtrack is better too, but at least you can change each stage theme and use the og track.

 

[Ikagura]

I’ve always been a bit biased against this remake because of the graphics, but recently I beat it and I have to say: It's probably better than the original.

Yes, the original pixel art is unmatched, but the additions in the remake makes up for its less appealing visuals:
- Two new bosses: Annete and Hydra
- A reimagined alternate stage 5 which in my opinion is way better than the original one.
- An extra Dracula form that is very hard and creative. This is probably the best dracula boss fight in the entire franchise.
- Boss rush mode.

I think the original soundtrack is better too, but at least you can change each stage theme and use the og track.

View attachment 166477

I'd try it but I'll always prefer the 90's character design and original soundtrack.

 

[Daman_1985]

I’ve always been a bit biased against this remake because of the graphics, but recently I beat it and I have to say: It's probably better than the original.

Yes, the original pixel art is unmatched, but the additions in the remake makes up for its less appealing visuals:
- Two new bosses: Annete and Hydra
- A reimagined alternate stage 5 which in my opinion is way better than the original one.
- An extra Dracula form that is very hard and creative. This is probably the best dracula boss fight in the entire franchise.
- Boss rush mode.

I think the original soundtrack is better too, but at least you can change each stage theme and use the og track.

View attachment 166477

I love this remake, and specially I like a lot the remix of the theme "Divine Bloodlines" here (but I like a lot the original theme too). I specially like about this game thart SOTN and the original Rondo are unlockables, so this a case of 3 games in 1.

 

[BrawlMan]

Triple-III Interview

 

[BrawlMan]

I did a Castlevania III playthrough with the instant character switching mod that removes the pausing. It's also the easier Japanese version with the accurate translation of the story. I have no reason to go back and play either official versions of III now.

 

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

I feel like I should love Castlevania, but I just don't.

Not being able to enjoy it bothers me immensely.

 

[BrawlMan]

I feel like I should love Castlevania, but I just don't.

Not being able to enjoy it bothers me immensely.

It's okay; everyone is different. I don't care for any of the more Metroid style Castlevania games, nor any of the 3D games, aside from Lords of Shadow. Even then, it is more so admiration from a distance. Though I hear Mirror of Fate (3DS/PC) is the best of the three, if you're into the Metroidvania aspects

BTW, Season 2 of Nocturne has been out on DVD/Blu-Ray since January of this year. It's on sale right now and my copy should be in tomorrow.

 

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

It's okay. Everyone is different. I don't care for any of the more Metroid style Castlevania games, nor any of the 3D games, aside from Lords of Shadow. Even then, it is more so admiration from a distance. Though I hear Mirror of Fate (3DS/PC) is the best of the three, if you're into the Metroidvania aspects

BTW, Season 2 of Nocturne has been out on DVD/Blu-Ray since Januaray of this year. It's on sale right now and my copy should be in tomorrow.

^^!

I mean... I literally started my reading journey with a vampire book, so you'd think I'd be all-over this thing. But no.

The "Metroidvania" style became a non-negotiable, unsurmountable hurdle for me.

Maybe I should try the DS ones instead.