What are your favorite Classic-style Castlevania games?

[ouyrtuy]

The style of game existed before it had a name. There are tons of early computer games, Zeliard comes to mind, as well as the MSX version of Castlevania, aka Vampire Killer, which is more exploration oriented shows a move in that direction. Iga just likes to self promote and Super Metroid was basically just Metroid but SNES.

Fair point. So, could we agree that those exploration games featuring action belonged to an already existing genre long before Westerners coined "Metroidvania" and long before Metroid? And that IGA simply copied Metroid's formula because they wanted to innovate and attract new fans? I think I better stop. I don't want to flood the thread with my comments. I hate reading myself too.

 

[ATenderLad]

Fair point. So, could we agree that those exploration games featuring action belonged to an already existing genre long before Westerners coined "Metroidvania" and long before Metroid? And that IGA simply copied Metroid's formula because they wanted to innovate and attract new fans? I think I better stop. I don't want to flood the thread with my comments. I hate reading myself too.

For what it's worth, I've enjoyed y'alls back-and-forth. Genre is such a difficult thing to describe, and where books and movies have heaps of critique analyzing how to discuss those mediums, games have only got so many agreed-upon terms. Look at the diverse array of titles that fall under the umbrella of "Simulation", or how anything with a numbered progression system, like gaining levels, is referred to as having "RPG elements". It's tough to say!

 

[Michael Frank]

Favorite Classic-style: Rondo and Castlevania 3
Favorite Metroid-Vania: Symphony 1st place then Circle of the Moon, yeah i know Aria and Harmony might be better but can you tell me the Card System should be brought back in Metroid-Vanias?, because holy molly it´s AMAZING!, all the combinations with the whip, the swords, the familiars, the big screen summons, honestly am i the only one that had a blast when mixing cards to see their effects? also, on a last note, poison healing the goat of card effects.

 

[Jeff]

 

[SkoomaCatJesus]

Bloodlines. I think

I don't really like are Castlevania Adventure, the first Gameboy game, and Castlevania Legends, the third Gameboy game. The second Gameboy game, Belmont's Revenge, I actually really like.

Bloodlines is the last time they truly expressed creative genius. The Adventure and Belmont's Revenge get nasty with timing creativity. It is Symphony of the Night, that I feel, killed the ideas being crafted. Such a shame too. What they had could have truly changed gaming; possibly the creation of an entirely new and distinct genre if perfected.

 

[spectresfrommercury]

symphony of the night or the ds games.

 

[MasterEn]

Some people seem to be confused so I’ll probably reiterate what OP said and say this thread is asking about NON-Metroidvanias hahaha.

there's only like five of those. not many to pick from.
out of the old ones, i like the first castlevanina.

 

[Yousef]

there's only like five of those. not many to pick from.
out of the old ones, i like the first castlevanina.

That message is really old. I forgot I said that.
My favorite is SC4.

 

[MasterEn]

That message is really old. I forgot I said that.
My favorite is SC4.

i didn't even think about or notice the date. this thread just popped up under the what's new tab.
castlevania: circle of the moon is my favorite castlevania. it was the first one i ever saw, owned and beat. good controls, music, interesting card mechanic, and it has my favorite version of carmilla in it. 20/10.

 

[Yousef]

i didn't even think about or notice the date. this thread just popped up under the what's new tab.
castlevania: circle of the moon is my favorite castlevania. it was the first one i ever saw, owned and beat. good controls, music, interesting card mechanic, and it has my favorite version of carmilla in it. 20/10.

Need to play more ot the symphonymanias
Classicvanias are just more fun. I could probably do a top ten of them. I like the GB ones.

 

[RageBurner]

CV3, Rondo and Bloodlines for sure.

 

[Tonberry]

Rondo of Blood is the perfect Castlevania game.

I've never played a Castlevania game, what one do you think I should play first?

Rondo of Blood first, then Symphony of the Night. It’s a direct sequel and you get to play the two best games in the series back-go-back AND you get to play the two distinctive styles of Castlevania games (linear action platformer, and non-linear adventure platformer)

 

[Tonberry]

T

Thanks, I'll start with that! Is the PSP version good? I have been playing a lot of games on that recently so even better if it's a good port

I think it’s slightly worse only because it’s a 3D remake that I don’t think holds up as good as the original, but it includes the entire Symphony as a bonus collectible, so it’s more just a matter of preference.

I’d say the easiest way to play them both would be the modern rerelease which includes both OG Rondo and Symphony (albeit the new dub which has a better script but the voice actors aren’t as iconic. The PSP version has this new dub too)

 

[Darklink]

there's only like five of those. not many to pick from.
out of the old ones, i like the first castlevanina.

Castlevania 1, Castlvania 3, Castlevania 4, Castlevania Chronicles, Castlevania Bloodlines, Castlevania Rondo of Blood, Castlevania The Adventure, Castlevania II Belmont's Revenge, Castlevania Legends, Castlevania The Adventure ReBirth.

I just named 10 lol, and I'm sure I missed a couple. Whereas Metroidvania type Castlevania games are even scarcer. With 7: Symphony, Circle, Harmony, Aria, Dawn, Portrait, and Order.

 

[Tonberry]

I don't have a PS4 so that's not easy for me but getting the games is no problem at all. I am going to play the PSP version

Have fun!
The PSP remake is completely fine, I am just biased because I’m in love with the graphics and sound of the PC-Engine version of Rondo :D

 

[Ikagura]

New Generation aka Bloodline in US and Japan.

Closely followed by Rondo of Blood.

Sorry Super IV and Dracula's Curse.

 

[ciro64]

Does Ponyvania count? ?

It has consumables, equipment and a level system, but it IS linear and one of the three classes avaliable uses the classic whip attack

 

[Judier]

Favourite favourite? Probably Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow. I think those two games made me develop the aura that I feel whenever I think about Castlevania. Good music, good games, and overall, a gothic, dark and sorrowful (pun not intended) feel to it.

 

[MasterEn]

Castlevania 1, Castlvania 3, Castlevania 4, Castlevania Chronicles, Castlevania Bloodlines, Castlevania Rondo of Blood, Castlevania The Adventure, Castlevania II Belmont's Revenge, Castlevania Legends, Castlevania The Adventure ReBirth.

I just named 10 lol, and I'm sure I missed a couple. Whereas Metroidvania type Castlevania games are even scarcer. With 7: Symphony, Circle, Harmony, Aria, Dawn, Portrait, and Order.

i went off of the word "classic" which seemed to me all of the games before symphony of the night. which is why i guess that there only seemed to be a small handful of them.

 

[Ikagura]

Can we count Adventure Rebirth?

 

[Darklink]

Can we count Adventure Rebirth?

I mean yeah? It's part of why I said Classic "style" lol. It plays exactly like any of the other Classic ones.

 

[MasterEn]

I wonder if I am even playing Rondo of Blood correctly or even understand the controls.

It's the most frustrating, clunky, and annoying game I've played in a long time. Constant stress, unforgiving, just straight up brutal at every moment even to the point of getting stun locked in corners after one hit from a boss then losing in seconds.

you probably are playing it correctly. most of the older castlevania games are dark souls levels of hard. i think super castlevania 4 is the only one where the difficulty is reasonable until symphony of the night came along.

 

[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.