What are your favorite Classic-style Castlevania games?

[MasterEn]

Dark Souls seems fitting to describe this type of difficulty.

It's the sort of game that just absolutely crushes you first time and then once you know what is ahead it's not so bad but unforgiving so you have to go all the way back to the start and one tiny mistake will send you back again.

I am at Stage 5, I like it but I have exclaimed obscenities at my monitor many many times in the 4 days or so of having it lol

lots of old games were made by people who made arcade games; so that mentality probably transferred over during development.
home console ports were also considered very expensive back in the day. you would most likely only own a couple of games, so they had to make sure that you got your money's worth of time with it. i think castlevania 1 can be beaten in about 20 minutes. it would take a month solid to learn everything you would need for a hitless, deathless run of the game, at the absolute minimum; if you went all out while playing.

 

[fake-kun]

It's not fun to play like that though, like the game is a near constant battle of frustration with no fun or reward. Like I'm pushed into a corner by an enemy, I have very little time to react, I get pushed into a corner, get Game Over'd twice in a row, having to restart the whole level to get to the same point I don't even know what to do. It's terrible game design with zero respect for the player.

I've played tonnes of old games but this is a special kind of torture

Sounds like a perfect game for me!

 

[Skeetos]

Definitely Bloodlines, 3, and 4. I think they have the coolest gameplay and graphics. The music is exceptional as well. Especially Bloodlines, man does that game go crazy.

 

[RanmyakuIchi]

I have a super soft spot for the original NES Castlevania, but I really dig Super, Rondo, and Bloodlines alot too.

 

[Ikagura]

Definitely Bloodlines, 3, and 4. I think they have the coolest gameplay and graphics. The music is exceptional as well. Especially Bloodlines, man does that game go crazy.

Some games are specifically made to shut up people about the whole "Genesis music is trash" thing that plagued many gaming communities.

 

[Ikagura]

Mega Drive music rocks, the gritty bass is unbeatable

The Yamaha is legit a good soundchip.

I blame the fact most western composers used the infamous GEMS instead of coming with their own music program.

 

[SnickterP]

Almost no one knows about it, but Master of Darkness on Sega Master System is just like an original Castlevania game and is fantastic!

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

Chronicles is PEAK

 

[Ikagura]

Chronicles is PEAKView attachment 20242

While I'm not fan of Simon's design there (he looks like a gogo dancer) I love the remixes.