That's what I kept asking myself!
I will use this thread to discuss my progress in Portait of Ruin from now on. I'm level 11 at the moment. Can anyone tell me where this butcher guy is I need to find?
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Castlevania Community Thread | What is a man?!
- Thread starter Kokonoe
- Start date
That's what I kept asking myself!
I will use this thread to discuss my progress in Portait of Ruin from now on. I'm level 11 at the moment. Can anyone tell me where this butcher guy is I need to find?
Holy shit, there was a castlevania community thread and I didn't even know...
I finished 2 castlevania games recently.
Castlevania Chronicles - Played the Arranged mode because the music is so much better and I have to say it's a great Castlevania game, very tight level design and excellent OST as always.This one deserves to stand among the classics(Rondo of Blood/SC4) even if it's not as good as either of them.
I really need to highlight a particular stage though, it's not amazingly remarkable in terms of level design or even the boss fight but it has the best track in the entire soundtrack and also the most powerful atmosphere of all the stages imo - Delicious.. so good
Lastly I played Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance - Weakest OST and story out of all the three GBA castlevanias. The gameplay however is excellent and very fast paced since you can slide in both directions with L1 and R1. It's also the easiest game in the gba trilogy easily. Music is still good but only a few outstanding tracks. The core mechanics are overall better than all three castlevania games but the level design/boss fights aren't as solid and combine that with the less memorable OST/story, I think this is the weakest castlevania on the GBA.
And with that I finished half of the entire series thus far, still have to play the following games:
Castlevania 2,3 on NES
Castlevania Bloodlines
Castlevania Curse of Darkness
Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia
Lords of Shadow Series
GB Castlevania games
Castlevania The Adventure Rebirth
Already beaten/completed:
Castlevania 1
Super Castlevania IV
Castlevania Rondo of Blood
Castlevania Dracula X
Castlevania Chronicles
Castlevania SOTN
All three GBA games
Castlevania Lament of Innocence
Castlevania Portrait of Ruin
Castlevania Judgement
I finished 2 castlevania games recently.
Castlevania Chronicles - Played the Arranged mode because the music is so much better and I have to say it's a great Castlevania game, very tight level design and excellent OST as always.This one deserves to stand among the classics(Rondo of Blood/SC4) even if it's not as good as either of them.
I really need to highlight a particular stage though, it's not amazingly remarkable in terms of level design or even the boss fight but it has the best track in the entire soundtrack and also the most powerful atmosphere of all the stages imo - Delicious.. so good
Lastly I played Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance - Weakest OST and story out of all the three GBA castlevanias. The gameplay however is excellent and very fast paced since you can slide in both directions with L1 and R1. It's also the easiest game in the gba trilogy easily. Music is still good but only a few outstanding tracks. The core mechanics are overall better than all three castlevania games but the level design/boss fights aren't as solid and combine that with the less memorable OST/story, I think this is the weakest castlevania on the GBA.
And with that I finished half of the entire series thus far, still have to play the following games:
Castlevania 2,3 on NES
Castlevania Bloodlines
Castlevania Curse of Darkness
Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia
Lords of Shadow Series
GB Castlevania games
Castlevania The Adventure Rebirth
Already beaten/completed:
Castlevania 1
Super Castlevania IV
Castlevania Rondo of Blood
Castlevania Dracula X
Castlevania Chronicles
Castlevania SOTN
All three GBA games
Castlevania Lament of Innocence
Castlevania Portrait of Ruin
Castlevania Judgement
I share your sentiments on SOTN; had to really force myself to make it to the end.
Have you tried Dawn of Sorrow? Not as good as Aria but I loved the unlockable
Julius
spyhunterzero
Member
That one is an odd one as it doesn't mention anything about the story beside Dracula kidnapping Simon's bride. It may or may not be a remake of one.
The same thing can be said about Vampire Killer. But yes, although those two are the same story, they are nothing alike.
Castlevania Chronicles is also a re imagining of the original Castlevania. It has more similarities with the NES game than SCIV but it's also pretty much a completely new game, it also has way more levels... My favourite version of Simon is still the red haired one from Chronicles.
This is an opinion I share as well, and it is the only Castlevania game (to date) that I have gotten rid of because I knew with 100% certainty I would never play it again and found it distasteful to even keep in my library. I found it to be entirely paint-by-numbers, and the level design was especially off-putting (lots of copy-and-paste rooms, too many rooms that require you to go all the way left, then all the way right, then all the way left, etc.).
Bloodlines, do it. I just replayed it myself last week (and I was surprised how rusty I was), still my favorite of the "ClassicVania" games (big write up here should be spoiler free).
Wow I've never played Chronicles or really had a listen to the OST. It does seem a bit strange for the series but I really like that version of "Thrashard in the Cave." I always wondered about Chronicles and I guess I'm still a bit iffy on it but that sounds cool.
Also, I second that Bloodlines recommendation. It's crazy to see that this amazing game has only been released on one console.
Guys got some questions about stats.....
With regards to the portable Igavanias, I am just wondering. Which of the following stats are more important what exactly do they do:
1)STR: I know this is strength which I guess should be kept high, correct?
2)INT: Does this stand for "Intelligence" ? If so, why is this important? What is the benefit of having high intelligence?
3)CON: What does CON stand for and why is it important? Is it better to have higher CON or higher INT?
4)MND: I'm assuming this stands for "Mind"? Pretty much the same question as above. What does having a high mind stat give you, if anything? Is it better than CON or INT?
Keep in mind I am currently playing Portrait of Ruin so this especially pertains to Charlotte and her potential as a character.
With regards to the portable Igavanias, I am just wondering. Which of the following stats are more important what exactly do they do:
1)STR: I know this is strength which I guess should be kept high, correct?
2)INT: Does this stand for "Intelligence" ? If so, why is this important? What is the benefit of having high intelligence?
3)CON: What does CON stand for and why is it important? Is it better to have higher CON or higher INT?
4)MND: I'm assuming this stands for "Mind"? Pretty much the same question as above. What does having a high mind stat give you, if anything? Is it better than CON or INT?
Keep in mind I am currently playing Portrait of Ruin so this especially pertains to Charlotte and her potential as a character.
Going off of memory here, but...
I believe Strength affects the base damage of all of your weapons, adding onto whatever their individual damage stats are.
I think Intelligence alters the damage you deal with magic/special attacks, but I might have that mixed up with Mind.
CON is Constitution, and it affects your base defense. How strong you are without wearing anything, essentially. That stacks with whatever you have on as equipment.
I think Mind effects how much magic costs to perform/how much magic energy you have, but I might have that mixed up with Intelligence
I might have all of this backwards though. I remember I looked it up at one point... let me go double check.
Ah, one correction, Mind actually effects defense against magic attacks specifically, whereas Constitution is for physical attacks.
I believe Strength affects the base damage of all of your weapons, adding onto whatever their individual damage stats are.
I think Intelligence alters the damage you deal with magic/special attacks, but I might have that mixed up with Mind.
CON is Constitution, and it affects your base defense. How strong you are without wearing anything, essentially. That stacks with whatever you have on as equipment.
I think Mind effects how much magic costs to perform/how much magic energy you have, but I might have that mixed up with Intelligence
I might have all of this backwards though. I remember I looked it up at one point... let me go double check.
Ah, one correction, Mind actually effects defense against magic attacks specifically, whereas Constitution is for physical attacks.
I'm playing Simon's Quest on and off and it's still as brilliant as I remember. I'm going in blind, just going off memory and those vague hints. The sense of adventure is sublime, especially for a NES game. So many secrets in the game and once you find one, it's incredibly satisfying (like kneeling by the river or dropping garlic at the graveyard.)
I really wish there's something similar to this now. A proper metroidvania, without the stats and a billion different weapons. Just your trusty old whip and holy water. I suppose there's Julius mode in the various games, but then I'm missing out on the sense of adventure and secrets.
I really wish there's something similar to this now. A proper metroidvania, without the stats and a billion different weapons. Just your trusty old whip and holy water. I suppose there's Julius mode in the various games, but then I'm missing out on the sense of adventure and secrets.
Thank you very much Creaking much appreciated my good friend
Do fire and ice projectiles count as magic attacks?
And just to confirm, the more Intelligence you have, the more damage you deal with magic/special attacks?
Thank you very much Creaking much appreciated my good friend
Do fire and ice projectiles count as magic attacks?
And just to confirm, the more Intelligence you have, the more damage you deal with magic/special attacks?
Yeah, pretty much anything that isn't just basic slicing/hitting/whipping/bludgeoning is magic.
That's a bingo!
spyhunterzero
Member
You just say bingo.
amishpriest99
Member
Still continuing onward with Order of Ecclesia. Close to 16 hours in (on the in-game clock) and I still feel like I have a ways to go. I am still really liking it though.
Not sure what to go to after this. Maybe knock out the Lords of Shadow trilogy and get it over with.
Not sure what to go to after this. Maybe knock out the Lords of Shadow trilogy and get it over with
.That's really fun to do on LVL 1 hard mode. Sure you can use ancient armor, but still.
Symphony of the Night and Lament of Innocence as well.
I wish they'd put Curse of Darkness on PSN. I'd like to run through that again.
J
Jotamide
Unconfirmed Member
In for Lament of Innocence.
spyhunterzero
Member
It's all about the pies man.
Have a Nice Day
Member
Even though I can't deny that CoD is overall an above average action RPG at best , it was the most fun I had out of the 3D Castlevania games and I would double dip on it the moment it comes available on PSN. Man, I remember I was blown away after hearing the Abandoned Castle track for the first time.
Also, freakin' Ayami Kojima:
I say the difficulty is fine as long as you don't use the item crashes, or Maria.
spyhunterzero
Member
lol Though I could've sworn that most give you a clue as to it being a branching path.
Some do sorta...but in Stage 2', that section where you have to jump off the bridge? Not so much. I do like that some of the holes dont = insta death or even a seperate end segment, but just drop you in a lower part of the stage that might be a little more troublesome to get out of.
amishpriest99
Member
So since finishing Ecclesia I decided to go to the Lords of Shadow series and play Lords of Shadow Ultimate Edition on Steam. Honestly, after all the opinions and impressions I've read I didn't know where to set my expectations, but to this point (halfway through Ch 5) I'd say I like it for the most part. I've got to say that it's pretty good looking running at max settings and plays pretty well. Really hate the QTE's though. And the soundtrack...it's okay, but very un-Castlevania. That actually might be my biggest disappointment so far, but oh well. I'll stick with it and finish it regardless.
I just finished two Castlevania games: Order of Ecclesia and Circle of the Moon.
The CotM playthrough was my first, and I was actually very impressed. I like how the game mixes the SotN type castle exploration with what feels more like the traditional movement and control of the older Castlevania games. I'm surprised that I never played it.
I bought Order of Ecclesia the day it came out back in 2008, but never finished it. And while I prefer one single game world to explore in a Castlevania game, I really enjoyed being able to explore more natural environments like the forest and water areas. The bit at the end, where you
was a nice surprise.
I actually ran into the typical fake ending problem halfway through Ecclesia, where you can dead-end yourself by beating a certain boss without saving all of the villagers, first. I probably went through that section three times before looking up what I was doing wrong.
The CotM playthrough was my first, and I was actually very impressed. I like how the game mixes the SotN type castle exploration with what feels more like the traditional movement and control of the older Castlevania games. I'm surprised that I never played it.
I bought Order of Ecclesia the day it came out back in 2008, but never finished it. And while I prefer one single game world to explore in a Castlevania game, I really enjoyed being able to explore more natural environments like the forest and water areas. The bit at the end, where you
actually get to go through a more traditional Dracula's castle, although much smaller
I actually ran into the typical fake ending problem halfway through Ecclesia, where you can dead-end yourself by beating a certain boss without saving all of the villagers, first. I probably went through that section three times before looking up what I was doing wrong.
DracoBlade
Member
Nocturnowl
Member
This is what my game nights have been missing.
J
Jotamide
Unconfirmed Member
I would kickstart this so bad.
spyhunterzero
Member
Damn that looks awesome. Would be cool if I could buy it and play it during game night with my friends.
Seven Force
Banned
If not for Julius, this would probably be my favorite Belmont boss fight in the series. Richter hits like a damned freight train.
I don't even play board games and I would probably kickstart it, lol!
The Bankslammer
Member
I recently picked up Castlevania: The Adventure for the first time, and... man, I don't really know what to think of it. As a disclaimer, these are my first impressions after playing the first two levels.
On one hand, I want to say it seems pretty impressive. While a lot of Game Boy adaptations of console series feel "off", this really feels like Castlevania, imo. The moving, jumping and whipping feels how it should, albeit with a few minor differences. The presentation is on point as well. Backgrounds have some really neat detail, everything scrolls nicely, and the music is super rad. Like... on a surface level, it feels like it has what a Castlevania game should (minus subweapons). And I think it's pretty neat that they could accomplish that on their first handheld attempt.
But gosh, playing it, it feels like that surface-level understanding of Castlevania is all it has. From the very start, the level design jumped out at me as being very un-Castlevania-like. Well, maybe not the first room. Walking straight forward and taking out some mooks who walk toward you in a straight line is pretty par-for-the-course when it comes to first rooms in Castlevania games. Except there's waay too much of that in this game.
It's just... not interesting at all. At least give me some stairs or elevated platforms to work with. Though, granted, you also need enemies with interesting attack patterns to work in conjunction with that to make for interesting level design. Enemies I've encountered so far range from braindead to... what the fuck are the bats even doing, is there any pattern to their movement at all? The enemy in stage two who shoots projectiles that bounce off walls is kinda neat, though. I can understand why they wouldn't give you subweapons in this game, because they'd feel rather pointless. Also I guess the whip fireball thing is worth mentioning, but I really hardly noticed or used it at all.
Most parts that weren't straightaways felt like the worst of Castlevania platforming. A lot of really precise jumps, and a lot of going nowhere until I started paying attention to the collision box on my character. It became less annoying over time, but it certainly didn't feel fun or clever. A lot of that probably had to do with the bats bugging the hell out of me the whole way, though. And... for some reason this game really seems to have a thing for barrels? I don't get what the deal with all the fucking barrels is, lol. It just sorta seems to toss them at you when it doesn't know what else to do with the room. (edit: wait apparently they're eyeballs actually? I guess that's more thematically appropriate at least, lol)
Honestly, all this has me more and more curious about ReBirth. My problem with it isn't from a technical or mechanical standpoint, and rather from a design standpoint. It doesn't seem like an issue that would really go away in a remake. But still, my impression is that ReBirth's reception was rather positive. Does it totally change up the levels and throw in new enemies? Or is the original game considered good and I'm just weird? Or does the game become better and I just haven't reached that point yet?
On one hand, I want to say it seems pretty impressive. While a lot of Game Boy adaptations of console series feel "off", this really feels like Castlevania, imo. The moving, jumping and whipping feels how it should, albeit with a few minor differences. The presentation is on point as well. Backgrounds have some really neat detail, everything scrolls nicely, and the music is super rad. Like... on a surface level, it feels like it has what a Castlevania game should (minus subweapons). And I think it's pretty neat that they could accomplish that on their first handheld attempt.
But gosh, playing it, it feels like that surface-level understanding of Castlevania is all it has. From the very start, the level design jumped out at me as being very un-Castlevania-like. Well, maybe not the first room. Walking straight forward and taking out some mooks who walk toward you in a straight line is pretty par-for-the-course when it comes to first rooms in Castlevania games. Except there's waay too much of that in this game.
It's just... not interesting at all. At least give me some stairs or elevated platforms to work with. Though, granted, you also need enemies with interesting attack patterns to work in conjunction with that to make for interesting level design. Enemies I've encountered so far range from braindead to... what the fuck are the bats even doing, is there any pattern to their movement at all? The enemy in stage two who shoots projectiles that bounce off walls is kinda neat, though. I can understand why they wouldn't give you subweapons in this game, because they'd feel rather pointless. Also I guess the whip fireball thing is worth mentioning, but I really hardly noticed or used it at all.
Most parts that weren't straightaways felt like the worst of Castlevania platforming. A lot of really precise jumps, and a lot of going nowhere until I started paying attention to the collision box on my character. It became less annoying over time, but it certainly didn't feel fun or clever. A lot of that probably had to do with the bats bugging the hell out of me the whole way, though. And... for some reason this game really seems to have a thing for barrels? I don't get what the deal with all the fucking barrels is, lol. It just sorta seems to toss them at you when it doesn't know what else to do with the room. (edit: wait apparently they're eyeballs actually? I guess that's more thematically appropriate at least, lol)
Honestly, all this has me more and more curious about ReBirth. My problem with it isn't from a technical or mechanical standpoint, and rather from a design standpoint. It doesn't seem like an issue that would really go away in a remake. But still, my impression is that ReBirth's reception was rather positive. Does it totally change up the levels and throw in new enemies? Or is the original game considered good and I'm just weird? Or does the game become better and I just haven't reached that point yet?
spyhunterzero
Member
Rebirth was a complete change of the game ala Super Castlevania 4. And no, the game is really not good at all or well recieved. Now the sequel did everything right after it, which is the one most others recomend.
Tizoc
Member
One thing I don't think gets talked about a lot regarding Castlevania is their use of 'Hearts'.
With the series roots being in the NES era, back in the day if you see a Heart pick up you would treat it as something affects your health and hitpoints.
Yet in this series they are used to denote how much 'ammo' you have.
Something so simple yet...clever somewhat. Wonder how they got around to deciding on such a thing.
With the series roots being in the NES era, back in the day if you see a Heart pick up you would treat it as something affects your health and hitpoints.
Yet in this series they are used to denote how much 'ammo' you have.
Something so simple yet...clever somewhat. Wonder how they got around to deciding on such a thing.
Your knives, axes, boomerang crosses etc. appear out of thin air by the power of Heart, similar to the power seen in Captain Planet. Otherwise, there'd be no explaining where on earth a given character is keeping all of those knives/axes/holy water flasks/ etc. I guess the boomerang cross has an excuse.
And Bloodlines used gems, for what I can only assume are reasons.
The Bankslammer
Member
Okay, neat. Guess I gotta get to that one, then. Don't think I really feel like continuing on with the original after hearing I'm halfway through the game already and the third level is some kind of vertical-scroller platforming junk.
Oh, and yeah, gonna have to find a copy of Belmont's Revenge. Haven't really been actively seeking the GB Castlevanias and just happened upon The Adventure by chance.
Don't diss stage 3! That's the best level in the whole game, though that's really not saying much now that I think about it... Stage 4 is also better than 1 and 2 and it has some interesting platforming sections.
The game is bad but you may as well push through the end, since you're almost done and the ending theme is nice.
StevieWhite
Member
Bumping this thread for its 500 year resurrection. I recently got to interview Kurt Kalata about the early days of the Castlevania Dungeon - I thought you guys might appreciate it. I had a blast picking his brain about old-school Castlevania fandom.
http://www.subspacebc.com/the-dunge...-with-kurt-kalata-of-the-castlevania-dungeon/
http://www.subspacebc.com/the-dunge...-with-kurt-kalata-of-the-castlevania-dungeon/
Awesome, great interview! Yeah, good ol' Castlevania Dungeon. I remember finding it many years ago and having to read every little thing in there.
Maybe it'd be better for Castlevania to lay dormant for a while. Until Konami decides to not go completely psycho on its big franchises.
Castlevania as a franchise may be gathering dust these days, but I'm quite curious what Iga has to show (if anything) next monday!
StevieWhite
Member
Thanks for sharing, I remember going through his website reading up about all the Castlevania's I never played
Really wonder what to expect (if anything) from Castlevania these days looking at the state of Konami :/
Thanks, guys! Kurt was super friendly. With all the bad news about Konami lately, it was great to reminisce about a time when Castlevania Fandom was nothing but raw enthusiasm.
Lee Chaolan
Member
Started with the hype in the Igavania thread, but if anyone here has Harmony of Despair and would like to return to the party, or have not played it much at all, we're planning some GAF plays for that game on both PSN and 360.
Feel free to join us! HoD thread
Feel free to join us! HoD thread