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Castlevania Community Thread | What is a man?!
- Thread starter Kokonoe
- Start date
This made my morning. So good.
We could say it's because Richter is strong enough to be able to hold the spell back while fighting.
GhaleonQ
Member
Indeed.
Konami is usually wonderful at fan service, too, which is why I'm annoyed when they don't live up to their own standards.
But that's a good thing! It's the same with "favorite games," though. There's a concentration, maybe, but there are at least 5 with claims to be the "fan favorite."
They're all used extremely well in-game, too. Circle Of The Moon even repurposed the old songs so well that you'd never know most aren't originals.
I think you know what you need to do. Can Shanoa save the day when the player's on a week-long bender?
You're too kind! I have to warm up for December's soundtracks of the year. I wish I still remembered enough of my music theory to write something coherent that way, but, until then, I'll just write about FEELINGS.
Oh, and there's no question that it has the 2nd best Vampire Killer for the reasons you mention. I do think that soundtrack is a little too simple, but it pays off beautifully for the Vampire Killer adaptation.
That's a great list!
I have to say that the riskiest, coolest part of Cross A Fear is the little guitar riff that precedes the brass explosion.
The fact that I didn't even list Riddle is a good hint as to why the game has my favorite soundtrack in the series. (Also, excellent call on its reuses.)
Man, it's amazing how much better Harmony Of Despair's remixes are than Judgment's. I totally forgot about Heart Of Fire.
Scorched Earth = electric piano? This is why I love the series. It was my number 2 for that game.
That's a nice top pick. In the same way that Final Fantasies always have their primary theme and their "Battle 1" theme, this series always has its "bouncy, motivating tune" in the Vampire Killer mode. Like you wrote, that's definitely the series' signature sound.
Nice writeup!
Welp.
Looks like I can't update the OP with significant stuff.
-edit-
I had bigger parts for Bloodlines and Circle of Moon, but I had to delete them as it wouldn't fit. I officially can't add anything to the OP anymore. Although, Circle of Moon and Bloodlines are added now. I had to remove a chunk of the Lord of Shadows part to add those two.
If you want, I think you can ask a mod to duplicate your OP as the second post, in order to add more info.
Don't know if anyone mentioned this, but there is a guy who has been remaking SOTN from scratch. Own engine, etc for a few years. He's at the point where the movement engine for alucard is done and he's working on adding enemies. His plan is to revamp the game making it more balanced.
Check it out and show him some encouragement if you like. His posts on his progress over the years can be pretty fascinating as well.
http://sotnhacked.wordpress.com/
Check it out and show him some encouragement if you like. His posts on his progress over the years can be pretty fascinating as well.
http://sotnhacked.wordpress.com/
F0rneus
Tears in the rain
Add meh on PSN (Helphinx). No mike but I'm always up to play the game.
Never drank that much, haha. But for Shanoa? Errthing is possible. Errthing!
Cool. Done and done!
Starsunder
Member
Beat CV4 today. Still amazing. In my top 4 Castlevanias.
J
Jotamide
Unconfirmed Member
I have that one waiting for me when I get home at the end of the month. How long did it take you to beat it? I need to blast through it and Super Metroid before Uni starts.
kunonabi
Member
It's one of the easier games in the series it shouldn't take too long.
I was curious to figure out what happens after the end of SOTN since Maria at the end chases after Alucard and it is never revealed what happens. Well, it in fact was revealed what happens, there was a full radio drama a few years ago with Maria and Alucard. It's officially canon, fyi.
You can see more about it here.
http://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/index.php/topic,3188.0.html
Hmm, well it was never implied he was holding back unless the translation in the PSP says otherwise. I think a better thing would be to say that since he was being controlled, he wasn't at full skill level.
You can see more about it here.
http://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/index.php/topic,3188.0.html
Hmm, well it was never implied he was holding back unless the translation in the PSP says otherwise. I think a better thing would be to say that since he was being controlled, he wasn't at full skill level.
It's canon? Yuck... maybe it's the translation, or it being a radio play, but it reads like mediocre fan-fiction.
J
Jotamide
Unconfirmed Member
What's with the time for account approval on that site? It took me less to get my account here on GAF than on CV Dungeon.
Nocturnowl
Member
Cheers!
The passing mention of Judgement reminds me of how despite sticking with all the expected themes for the most part there was the odd insertion of Ecclesia's Clock Tower theme which was nice to see amongst the usual suspects. I'm fond of its Mad Forest remix as well.
Harmony of Despair did benefit a bit more from drawing from a wider variety of tracks outside those that get frequently revisited, actually this is also what helps Adventure Rebirth's remix filled soundtrack stand out as well.With such a wealth of great music across all the entries it's nice when they widen the selection for remixes.
Seven Force
Banned
Nocturnowl
Member
More remixes of a remix!
They really do like to mine the obscurities in this series and with good cause.
They really do like to mine the obscurities in this series and with good cause.
I'll go out on a limb here and say the Castlevania and Yu-Gi-Oh! (which is by Konami) games have better music than Capcom games.
Here are my favorites. I can't really stress enough that people check out the Harmony of Despair OST, it is godly. Like really, go check it out right now! RIGHT NOW!
5. An Empty Tome - HoD
I find this song to be pretty unique among Castlevania music, which in turn is pretty unique all in itself. Definitely love the violin and drum use.
4. Simon's Theme - HoD
Definitive version of Simon's Theme.
3. Bloody Tears - Castlevania II
A lot of people will come out and say this some is "bad youknowwhat", but although I can attest to that, for me it feels really adventurous in a not typically bland and loud way, but more subtle.
2. Dracula's Castle - Symphony of the Night
The sound at the beginning is just....MMPH. So majestic and entrancing. It's hard to believe this is a song that is played right when you first start playing the game, it's so unique. I love around the 1:26 part where it goes into a small solo of the high note instrument, I think it's a xylophone or something similar, but little details like that really just set it apart. This song is definitely very close to my favorite song in the Castlevania series which is below.
1. Tragic Prince - Symphony of the Night
It pains me to use youtube for these songs since they sound much better with their actual quality. Haha.
You should totally check out the definitive version of Hail From The Past in Harmony of Despair. It sounds more egyptian-esque.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFMNQTnqGpc
I do certainly agree, that song is really nice and that was a nice read.
Well it is a radio drama. Haha. However, I'm satisfied I at least know what happens now. Would have preferred a Maria game, but whatevs.
No idea, I haven't tried to sign up for that website. It took me 3 months to get approved on GAF, though.
Here are my favorites. I can't really stress enough that people check out the Harmony of Despair OST, it is godly. Like really, go check it out right now! RIGHT NOW!
5. An Empty Tome - HoD
I find this song to be pretty unique among Castlevania music, which in turn is pretty unique all in itself. Definitely love the violin and drum use.
4. Simon's Theme - HoD
Definitive version of Simon's Theme.
3. Bloody Tears - Castlevania II
A lot of people will come out and say this some is "bad youknowwhat", but although I can attest to that, for me it feels really adventurous in a not typically bland and loud way, but more subtle.
2. Dracula's Castle - Symphony of the Night
The sound at the beginning is just....MMPH. So majestic and entrancing. It's hard to believe this is a song that is played right when you first start playing the game, it's so unique. I love around the 1:26 part where it goes into a small solo of the high note instrument, I think it's a xylophone or something similar, but little details like that really just set it apart. This song is definitely very close to my favorite song in the Castlevania series which is below.
1. Tragic Prince - Symphony of the Night
It pains me to use youtube for these songs since they sound much better with their actual quality. Haha.
You should totally check out the definitive version of Hail From The Past in Harmony of Despair. It sounds more egyptian-esque.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFMNQTnqGpc
I do certainly agree, that song is really nice and that was a nice read.
Well it is a radio drama. Haha. However, I'm satisfied I at least know what happens now. Would have preferred a Maria game, but whatevs.
No idea, I haven't tried to sign up for that website. It took me 3 months to get approved on GAF, though.
Yeah that radio drama was canon for what happens after SOTN with Alucard and Maria, there was something(not to sure if it too was a radio drama or not) about the end of Dawn of Sorrow, in which Julius takes up an apprentice to carry on the vampire killer but I haven't seen anything about it in a long while, hope it wasn't some made up thing.
J
Jotamide
Unconfirmed Member
IdreamofHIME
Member
I'm finally playing LOS, but what's the length of this thing?
I beat Chapter 1 which was quite meaty for an opening chapter and then the world map opens and it looks like there's 12 Chapters in all. Is that right?
Are they all as long as the 1st one?
Game is fun enough so far, but feels a little disjointed even so early. Like one minute im in a bog, then a beautiful forest and then an Ice lake on top of a mountain.
I beat Chapter 1 which was quite meaty for an opening chapter and then the world map opens and it looks like there's 12 Chapters in all. Is that right?
Are they all as long as the 1st one?
Game is fun enough so far, but feels a little disjointed even so early. Like one minute im in a bog, then a beautiful forest and then an Ice lake on top of a mountain.
dark_inferno
Member
1. I think there were 13 Chapters.
2. No not every Chapter is as long as Chapter 1.
3. The Beginning of the game has the worst pacing and the worst design. It gets soooo much better after Chapter 3.
Seven Force
Banned
Eh, I'd say that the very best stuff from Konami is just about equal with the best tunes to come out of Capcom. I haven't played any Yu-Gi-Oh! games past Worldwide Edition or Falsebound Kingdom (Whichever came out last, I guess) but yeah, I do remember them having some surprisingly awesome tracks.
Anyway, some of my favorite CV tracks, in no particular order:
Akumajou Densetsu - Big Battle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzLxo5ggE6I
I prefer the Famicom rendition of this track because the extra sound channels make all the difference in this instance. Just listening to this track gives off that "Decisive battle with the lord of all vampires" feeling, almost moreso than any other final battle theme for ol' Drac in the series to date.
Castlevania III - Mad Forest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPbKUdFvbeM
man how does this track even exist on nes hardware
The VRC6 rendition of this track is great. Amazing, even. But the NES version stands out to me the most because of how it's written. Despite the less pronounced bassline, there's a lot of smaller stuff going on in the background. Small little melodies that aren't really all that spectacular alone, but together bring this whole track together.
Castlevania Bloodlines - Calling From Heaven
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cENqIz_x5jU
Man, everything about Bloodlines consistently impresses me. From special effects and graphics techniques you almost never see pulled off on the Genesis to some incredibly clever use of that distinctive YM2612 chip to create some really brilliantly haunting melodies that could only be done on the Genesis. Calling From Heaven isn't so much an example of a sound chip being pushed to it's limit as much as it is a track playing exceptionally well to said sound chip's strengths.
Dracula X Chronicles - Ghost Ship Painting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjWZm6EllqE
For the most part, I prefer the original soundtrack for RoB, but this is one instance where I feel the DxC arrangement completely blows the original out of the water. The original was a pretty catchy track with some neat sounding synthy bits, but I feel like the instrumentation of the DxC version perfectly compliments the kind of atmosphere a haunted ghost ship would have. The percussion is seriously on point, too.
Symphony of the Night - Dracula's Castle
Already mentioned, but still had to mention it. Glad to know I'm not the only person that really loves that bit at the very beginning. Funny how a simple song opening can set the tone for an entire game.
Symphony of the Night - Crystal Teardrops
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWwJEQt90qk
The more I think about it, the more I begin to think this might just be my favorite track in the entirety of the series. If you haven't already caught on, my favorite CV tracks tend to be the ones that almost sort of paint a mental image of the environment that's supposed to accompany it. And maaaaan, does this track have that in spades. The faint sound of water drops in the background are a simple, but integral touch into helping paint that mental image, and thankfully they're faint enough that they don't even come close to overpowering the main melody, but they echo loud enough for you to hear and acknowledge it. And when that organ kicks in and the song slowly begins it's transition back into looping... just orgasmic.
Symphony of the Night - Wandering Ghosts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwuUyIph4Ok
Dat bass, man. <3
As an aside, there's this really neat sort of distorted sound effect that kicks in at around 1:05 for a bit. I don't know what exactly the effect/instrument is, and it's not really all that noteworthy, but it really adds a bit of character into the track. I like little things like that.
Castlevania X68000/Castlevania Chronicles - You Goddamned Bathead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ9OsWNLUOg
Best song title in the entire series. This is not up for debate.
I don't know what it is about this track that I like so much. It just oozes creepy.
Curse of Darkness - Abandoned Castle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiXCote6N6s
Yamane really knows how to craft those melodies that just tend to stick with you. I didn't even like Curse of Darkness all that much, but yet I find myself humming the main melody that kicks in around 30 seconds in at the most random of times.
Adventure ReBirth - Lullaby Sent to the Devil
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unfr_sa-TI0
Youtube comments describe it better than I can:
Neo Rizer said:
Edit: One more
Belmont's Revenge - Praying Hands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6mftPOyQX0
The composition of this track puts even some of the music from the GBA entries to shame. It's that well done. Especially the triumphant sounding bit that starts about a minute into the song before looping.
Dice
Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
Bloody Tears sounds awesome on piano.
Yes, yes I do.
Putting up spoiler tags:
Well sometime after Sotn(well the Tsuioku no Yasoukyoku radio drama part) and during Bram Stoker's Dracula(tie in to the novel), the Belmont family had been told that Dracula would rise in the year 1999 and this would be his true 100 year resurrection(when he's at his absolute strongest naturally) and until then they weren't suppose to use the whip, so they passed it to the Morris family which were a distant offshoot from them that had moved to America. The current heir to the whip was Quincey Morris who, given his character in the novel wasn't a superstitious man but during the final battle, he kills Dracula(with a knife) but dies himself, his son, John sees this, and after returning home, takes up the whip and trains himself with it for the future.
During the events of Castlevania Bloodlines, he and Eric Lecarde(from another distant family of the Belmonts) fought Dracula and his niece, Elizabeth Bartley and put an end to them but John had suffered some wounds which even with the best medicine and magic, couldn't cure and he died some time later passing down the whip to his son, Johnathan who, hadn't been told the full story of the vampire killer or of real reason his father died but found out everything during Castlevania: Portrait of ruin, along with his childhood friend, Charlotte Aulin, herself a distant relative of the Belnades/Fernadez family and close allies to the Belmonts, as it turns out(told to them by the ghost of Eric Lecarde), the vampire killer can't be used normally by anyone who, isn't a pure blood Belmont, using it drains away a non Belmont's life force, use it too much and its death(which was the true cause of John's demise) plus and its power must be unlocked through a ritual, the Lecarde family had been passed down this knowledge and are able to perform it and the current two Lecarde members, Stella and Loretta were able to awake the whip for Johnathan who, had to fight a representation of the last true Belmont to use the whip(which was Ricther Belmont). After defeating Dracula in 1944, Johnathan(we can assume as he would be in his 70's or even one of his decendants) would hold onto the whip till the time of the Demon Castle wars of 1999 and then passing the whip back to the Belmonts and for the young Julius Belmont to then go on to end Dracula(was we knew him) once and for all.
During the events of Castlevania Bloodlines, he and Eric Lecarde(from another distant family of the Belmonts) fought Dracula and his niece, Elizabeth Bartley and put an end to them but John had suffered some wounds which even with the best medicine and magic, couldn't cure and he died some time later passing down the whip to his son, Johnathan who, hadn't been told the full story of the vampire killer or of real reason his father died but found out everything during Castlevania: Portrait of ruin, along with his childhood friend, Charlotte Aulin, herself a distant relative of the Belnades/Fernadez family and close allies to the Belmonts, as it turns out(told to them by the ghost of Eric Lecarde), the vampire killer can't be used normally by anyone who, isn't a pure blood Belmont, using it drains away a non Belmont's life force, use it too much and its death(which was the true cause of John's demise) plus and its power must be unlocked through a ritual, the Lecarde family had been passed down this knowledge and are able to perform it and the current two Lecarde members, Stella and Loretta were able to awake the whip for Johnathan who, had to fight a representation of the last true Belmont to use the whip(which was Ricther Belmont). After defeating Dracula in 1944, Johnathan(we can assume as he would be in his 70's or even one of his decendants) would hold onto the whip till the time of the Demon Castle wars of 1999 and then passing the whip back to the Belmonts and for the young Julius Belmont to then go on to end Dracula(was we knew him) once and for all.
Snkfanatic
Banned
Been playing through Dawn of Sorrow on my 3DS past few days. My first run through and I am loving it. I really love the magic system and all the different combinations you can do. So far my favorite is the Sniper, goes through multiple enemies and objects and I just love how my guy points towards where he wants dead stuff.
I have Order of Ecclesia as well and haven't played it. Is Portrait of Ruin worth it?
I have Order of Ecclesia as well and haven't played it. Is Portrait of Ruin worth it?
Should be possible.
Kontergurke
Member
There never was a clear-cut explanation about it. AFAIK, the first game that introduced the concept of "the Belmont family avoiding the Vampire Killer whip" was Portrait of Ruin, which also introduced the bit about
killing its user if not wielded by a 'true' Belmont
Edit: See Sgblues' post for a more detailed explanation.
Well to be honest, the vampire killer isn't talked about much in Aria or Dawn of Sorrow but
during the end of the Demon Castle wars, Julius used the VK and much of his power to close a seal on Dracula's castle when it was imprisoned within an eclipse that occurred the battle, the event however left him an amnesiac, only knowing his name started with a "J" and he would spend all his time after that wondering around, till the time of AOS and the eclipse of 2035 happened and Dracula's castle reappeared and he was drawn into it, he would still wonder around not really sure of things till he finds the vampire killer and regains his memories and power.
About to finish up Circle of the Moon. Circle of the Moon and Harmony of Dissonance are the only two I haven't played on the GBA. So I'm going to work on that next when I'm not playing any upcoming games (Dragon's Crown).
What are other people's thoughts on the two? I know Circle of the Moon isn't an Iga game, and I'm not a huge fan of the DSS. Well, I'm all right with it until the button code. It's not easy on a keyboard.
What are other people's thoughts on the two? I know Circle of the Moon isn't an Iga game, and I'm not a huge fan of the DSS. Well, I'm all right with it until the button code. It's not easy on a keyboard.
Starsunder
Member
I didn't time myself, but maybe an hour and a half? It's not that hard of a game but there are a good many stages.
drhankmccoyphd
Neo Member
I'm thinking of playing through CV2: Simon's Quest with a guide. Only ever played it as a kid and was completely baffled from what I remember. Is a playthrough worth it from a content tourist standpoint? Story/music/environments worth the trip?
J
Jotamide
Unconfirmed Member
I scored a CV Dual Pack with box and manual for 40 shipping included, and a boxless copy of Portrait of Ruin for $5. It's been a good week. Now to track CotM and DoS.
This is the only way I've ever beaten it. A poor translation did not help the already vague (and sometimes, intentionally misleading) 'clues'.
It'd be an amazing game, even widely celebrated today, if it had 3 things changed;
- Dying does not reset all of your hearts. Nothing is worse than being on the way to buy an important item and losing everything.
- Day/night transition was faster.
-Translation/clues better.
Everything else is good, almost a Survival Horror / Metroidvania before either were really defined as a genre/sub-genre.
As it is, you almost need Save States to negate the horror of that first one. There's some really really nasty portions that feel intentionally mean because you have to cross them loaded down with hearts.
GhaleonQ
Member
New music posts! Give me some time to listen. I know that I just heard them all, but I like looking for throughlines in people's tastes. I'm obviously drawn to medieval and baroque music as well as downtempo electronic. Good writeups, though.
Ha, I used the same. I like every canon game in the series (and Chronicles and Haunted Castle), so I'm not the best judge. However, if you're LOVING the current one, the dual stuff in Portrait Of Ruin should be equally fun.
It's utterly worth it, as it was the 1st experiment in the series with gameplay that wasn't strictly action. Until Rondo Of Blood, it ventured the farthest in that direction. It happens to be 1 of my favorites in the series, too.
So, yes because it's fun, it's important for the series, and it's somewhat important in general gaming history.
Ha, I used the same. I like every canon game in the series (and Chronicles and Haunted Castle), so I'm not the best judge. However, if you're LOVING the current one, the dual stuff in Portrait Of Ruin should be equally fun.
It's utterly worth it, as it was the 1st experiment in the series with gameplay that wasn't strictly action. Until Rondo Of Blood, it ventured the farthest in that direction. It happens to be 1 of my favorites in the series, too.
So, yes because it's fun, it's important for the series, and it's somewhat important in general gaming history.
keisuke999
Member
Playthrough Update:
My thoughts on the GBA Igavanias can be found here:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=73489498&postcount=469
DoS-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Playing this one right after AoS is pretty much like playing Rondo of Blood after playing Dracula X.
It's pretty much the same game, with the exact same mechanics, but with MUCH better sound and graphics.
The story is fine, but to be honest I don't really pay much attention to the story in these kinds of games. I'm far too absorbed in exploration, item hunting, etc.
The only thing new in this game is now when you kill a boss, you have to do this stupid touch screen gimmick where you draw a shape to connect glowing dots.
It's one of those "Welp, we're on the DS now better make it touchy derp derp". It doesn't get in the way very much, but finally managing to kill a hard boss, then having a momentary brain fart and forgetting the right order to touch the dots... sucks.
Other than that, this game is sooooooo awesome.
It's the first of the post-SOTN games that actually feels like SOTN. Many of the same sprites for monsters, some backgrounds and level designs feel very similar. But, there are enough new things to make it fresh enough to be fun.
Unless, of course, you played AoS right before, in which case this will feel like AoS 1.5 or something.
I mean seriously... it's the same game. Even
is straight from AoS.
Something new in this also is you can upgrade your weapons using souls you've gathered.
Only a few weapons are dropped by enemies this time. Instead, you take a weak weapon and infuse certain souls to turn it into a stronger weapon. Something, this means using a 1-time-only soul from a boss, so there's a little give and take, I guess.
At first I thought this was cool, but then I realized that it completely kills the item-looting aspect, since most enemies no longer drop equipment now. So, spending hours killing a Schmoo to get Crissagrim or the Flying Armor to get 2 Heaven Swords is completely gone.
At any rate, if you enjoyed AoS, or didn't play it, I would 100% recommend this. If you didn't like AoS, then you should stay away. It's like 98% the same game.
Time to Complete: 7 hours.
PoR------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I guess IGA realized that he needed to change some things up for this one, since all the GBA ones and DoS have been nearly identical.
So, here comes a game with levels that aren't-quite-connected-yet-kinda-are style.
Instead of having one large castle to explore, you have 1 medium-sized castle and 7 or 8 smaller areas that you reach by jumping into paintings a la Mario 64.
Also new in this one is you have 2 characters to control, each with their own skills and what not.
I found that all they did was take Soma's abilities and split them in half between the two characters.
Jonathon gets all the weapons and sub weapons, the girl basically has the 'Soul' system from AoS/DoS. Not every enemy drops spells, but many do.
Also, most equipment is shared between the two, so you have to be careful with the accessories and some armor as well.
I personally felt that nothing was gained from having two characters, except that you can call them down and have the AI help fight bosses and stuff. I actually found myself using Johnathon solo for most of the game.
New to this game are Quests, which are fetch quests and kill X monster deals. You are given some good equipment from time to time for finishing, and
by doing them, so it's not all bad.
But, it definitely feels like just an easy way to pad the game to take more time.
This also leads me to my next point of this game:
This is almost as breakable as SOTN. Along the same lines as
.
When I say breakable, I mean the game is set up in such a way they if you want, you can sequence break, duplicate items, and so on.
I actually found out how to
without looking it up. I thought that was how the game was supposed to go, until I found myself surrounded by enemies WAY too tough for me. In fact, I got the Double Jump relic before ever fighting a boss. I even went into some boss rooms from the exit side, not knowing I was doing it wrong.
I personally enjoy these things. Not quite cheats, but glitches and/or manipulating the game. (Like when I play Final Fantasy Tactics, I mastered every job by using Accumulate in Sweegy Woods... yup.)
So, if you want that kind of thing, its here. Plenty of it.
As for the game itself, because you are playing a Morris and using whips, it feels like a better version of HoD. You can use other weapons, of course, but all the good weapons seem to be the whips. And once you
you never really need to use anything else.
You can now equip a weapon, subweapon, body, head, foot, and 2 accessories, and there are plenty to find. Item looting is back, and is tons of fun.
This game feels alot bigger than the other Igavanias, besides SOTN of course, but gets repetitive really quickly.
2 of the paintings are pretty much carbon copies of 2 other ones. Again, this feels like padding to make the game last an hour or so longer than it would have otherwise.
The graphics and music, however, are miles better than DoS, at least in my opinion. The way the characters move, the enemy animation, the 3D background the remind me so much of SOTN... love it.
The music has some awesome remixes of classic Castlevania, even some Rondo of Blood songs are in there.
Really, really great stuff.
I usually play these game while listening to podcasts, but this one I played most of it without them.
Play Time: 7 hours 45 Minutes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now I only have OoE left. From what I've heard, this one is very hard and very different from the others. So.... we'll see how it goes.
My thoughts on the GBA Igavanias can be found here:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=73489498&postcount=469
DoS-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Playing this one right after AoS is pretty much like playing Rondo of Blood after playing Dracula X.
It's pretty much the same game, with the exact same mechanics, but with MUCH better sound and graphics.
The story is fine, but to be honest I don't really pay much attention to the story in these kinds of games. I'm far too absorbed in exploration, item hunting, etc.
The only thing new in this game is now when you kill a boss, you have to do this stupid touch screen gimmick where you draw a shape to connect glowing dots.
It's one of those "Welp, we're on the DS now better make it touchy derp derp". It doesn't get in the way very much, but finally managing to kill a hard boss, then having a momentary brain fart and forgetting the right order to touch the dots... sucks.
Other than that, this game is sooooooo awesome.
It's the first of the post-SOTN games that actually feels like SOTN. Many of the same sprites for monsters, some backgrounds and level designs feel very similar. But, there are enough new things to make it fresh enough to be fun.
Unless, of course, you played AoS right before, in which case this will feel like AoS 1.5 or something.
I mean seriously... it's the same game. Even
going to the Abyss at the end
Something new in this also is you can upgrade your weapons using souls you've gathered.
Only a few weapons are dropped by enemies this time. Instead, you take a weak weapon and infuse certain souls to turn it into a stronger weapon. Something, this means using a 1-time-only soul from a boss, so there's a little give and take, I guess.
At first I thought this was cool, but then I realized that it completely kills the item-looting aspect, since most enemies no longer drop equipment now. So, spending hours killing a Schmoo to get Crissagrim or the Flying Armor to get 2 Heaven Swords is completely gone.
At any rate, if you enjoyed AoS, or didn't play it, I would 100% recommend this. If you didn't like AoS, then you should stay away. It's like 98% the same game.
Time to Complete: 7 hours.
PoR------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I guess IGA realized that he needed to change some things up for this one, since all the GBA ones and DoS have been nearly identical.
So, here comes a game with levels that aren't-quite-connected-yet-kinda-are style.
Instead of having one large castle to explore, you have 1 medium-sized castle and 7 or 8 smaller areas that you reach by jumping into paintings a la Mario 64.
Also new in this one is you have 2 characters to control, each with their own skills and what not.
I found that all they did was take Soma's abilities and split them in half between the two characters.
Jonathon gets all the weapons and sub weapons, the girl basically has the 'Soul' system from AoS/DoS. Not every enemy drops spells, but many do.
Also, most equipment is shared between the two, so you have to be careful with the accessories and some armor as well.
I personally felt that nothing was gained from having two characters, except that you can call them down and have the AI help fight bosses and stuff. I actually found myself using Johnathon solo for most of the game.
New to this game are Quests, which are fetch quests and kill X monster deals. You are given some good equipment from time to time for finishing, and
you open the secret dungeon
But, it definitely feels like just an easy way to pad the game to take more time.
This also leads me to my next point of this game:
This is almost as breakable as SOTN. Along the same lines as
using the luck code to fly through the first meeting with Death and keep your Alucard equipment
When I say breakable, I mean the game is set up in such a way they if you want, you can sequence break, duplicate items, and so on.
I actually found out how to
double jump by switching characters
I personally enjoy these things. Not quite cheats, but glitches and/or manipulating the game. (Like when I play Final Fantasy Tactics, I mastered every job by using Accumulate in Sweegy Woods... yup.)
So, if you want that kind of thing, its here. Plenty of it.
As for the game itself, because you are playing a Morris and using whips, it feels like a better version of HoD. You can use other weapons, of course, but all the good weapons seem to be the whips. And once you
upgrade the Vampire Killer
You can now equip a weapon, subweapon, body, head, foot, and 2 accessories, and there are plenty to find. Item looting is back, and is tons of fun.
This game feels alot bigger than the other Igavanias, besides SOTN of course, but gets repetitive really quickly.
2 of the paintings are pretty much carbon copies of 2 other ones. Again, this feels like padding to make the game last an hour or so longer than it would have otherwise.
The graphics and music, however, are miles better than DoS, at least in my opinion. The way the characters move, the enemy animation, the 3D background the remind me so much of SOTN... love it.
The music has some awesome remixes of classic Castlevania, even some Rondo of Blood songs are in there.
Really, really great stuff.
I usually play these game while listening to podcasts, but this one I played most of it without them.
Play Time: 7 hours 45 Minutes.
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Now I only have OoE left. From what I've heard, this one is very hard and very different from the others. So.... we'll see how it goes.
I've been playing through Portrait of Ruin for the last few days, and I really don't know why some of you have been mostly just using Jonathan. There is absolutely no reason not to be using the double team 90% of the time. The only times I switched to just using one of the characters was during segments such as boss battles or the clock tower, where more intricate dodging and platforming is called for.
I argue that the best set-up for most of the game is controlling Charlotte supported by AI Jonathan. Since most of Jonathan's good weapons out-range Charlotte's few weapons, if Charlotte closes into melee range, Jonathan will also naturally be in melee range. It also lets you fully charge Charlotte's magic, while still being able to use Jonathan's Skills. And Charlotte's magic is powerful.Most spells are cheaper to cast than using almost any sub-weapon, and have significantly better range and power. Most enemies die much faster to magic than weapons, and do so at a safer range. Really, using nothing but Jonathan is definitely the hard way to play the game.
I argue that the best set-up for most of the game is controlling Charlotte supported by AI Jonathan. Since most of Jonathan's good weapons out-range Charlotte's few weapons, if Charlotte closes into melee range, Jonathan will also naturally be in melee range. It also lets you fully charge Charlotte's magic, while still being able to use Jonathan's Skills. And Charlotte's magic is powerful.Most spells are cheaper to cast than using almost any sub-weapon, and have significantly better range and power. Most enemies die much faster to magic than weapons, and do so at a safer range. Really, using nothing but Jonathan is definitely the hard way to play the game.
Relaxed Muscle
Member
Is probably the weakest metroidvania but still is a good game, way better than MoF (I guess is not the most hated because most Castlevania fans didn't played it...)
I don't see how anyone could argue that Harmony of Dissonance is a better game than Portrait of Ruin. PoR is still one of the weaker ones though.
J
Jotamide
Unconfirmed Member
I want to think that it paved the way for Order of Ecclesia in terms of variety, so it's ok in my book.
Nocturnowl
Member
Seven Force shares the same favourite SotN music duo as me, hooray!
Crystal Teardrops is so good, the organ bit at the end practically ensures that i'm left standing by the area exit and not leaving until its finished. As for the area itself, I love the thin sheets of ice over some pools of water that you can just smash through, SotN is full of little details like that.
I have a lot of fondness for DoS, gimmicky stylus antics and the added grind for weapon upgrades are definitely low points but the castle layout is my favourite behind the one in SotN. Julius Mode is also a damn good bonus mode, some of the bosses really shine on that mode.
PoR is an unusual one, on paper the idea of two playable characters and the infinite setting possibilities that come from the portraits concept should have made it pretty unique but instead there's something that feels incredibly standard about the whole thing.
There's less sense of character customisation than the Sorrow games and Ecclesia and on top of that Jonathan came across as a lot more enjoyable to play as than Charlotte making the duo mechanic feel a bit half baked. The area theme that I can only describe as symmetrical circus ruins existing in a void of inconsistent gravity is probably my least liked area in any of the games, an incredibly rare case of me not enjoying the music and not liking the map layout, it may have the most unique setting but that's all I can say about it positively. It's still a decent enough game mind you.
Crystal Teardrops is so good, the organ bit at the end practically ensures that i'm left standing by the area exit and not leaving until its finished. As for the area itself, I love the thin sheets of ice over some pools of water that you can just smash through, SotN is full of little details like that.
I have a lot of fondness for DoS, gimmicky stylus antics and the added grind for weapon upgrades are definitely low points but the castle layout is my favourite behind the one in SotN. Julius Mode is also a damn good bonus mode, some of the bosses really shine on that mode.
PoR is an unusual one, on paper the idea of two playable characters and the infinite setting possibilities that come from the portraits concept should have made it pretty unique but instead there's something that feels incredibly standard about the whole thing.
There's less sense of character customisation than the Sorrow games and Ecclesia and on top of that Jonathan came across as a lot more enjoyable to play as than Charlotte making the duo mechanic feel a bit half baked. The area theme that I can only describe as symmetrical circus ruins existing in a void of inconsistent gravity is probably my least liked area in any of the games, an incredibly rare case of me not enjoying the music and not liking the map layout, it may have the most unique setting but that's all I can say about it positively. It's still a decent enough game mind you.
cartman414
Member
DoS was better balanced when it came to weapons/souls, to be fair.
Take the Sypha path.