CyberAngel wrote:
Went through CV4. First 7 stages are a boring slog. Then 8 and 9 combine trial-and-error design with long segments between checkpoints. Caved in and used savestates there just to not redo minute-long stretches 15 more times or so. Then A and B channel the worst of CV3 design. Drac's fight is the most boring in the series besides CV2 (and maybe GB ones but I didn't play those). The game is kinda "okay"-ish in visual and sound departments but doesn't stand out at all. No idea how THIS can be the favourite of so many people. Besides baby duck syndrome due to only having SNES and never seeing Bloodlines.
...No, I'm not gonna play all classic games or anything. Might revisit Bloodlines since I loved it even back when I first seen it but that's about it.
I
love Castlevania IV. I know some people prefer the tight, methodical design of the other classic Castlevania's but IV is meant to be taken in as an experience. Gameplay feels good with the more forgiving air and whip control. The environments are atmospheric AF, and the soundtrack has some absolute bangers on it. But on top of that, the music fits the levels perfectly. The audio and video come together in a way that elevates top tier design to even further heights. The game also has a wonderful sense of progression as you work towards Dracula's lair. You're really on a journey. There are other 16 bit games that animate better, have better sprites, and have better use of effects and such, but few that are as cohesive and come together to be more than the some of their parts than this.
Castlevania IV is not set up to be a challenge that you have to overcome like some of the other games. I never had a goal to 1CC it (although I did eventually just through sheer replay value), since I don't see it as that kind of game. I see it more like a classic Sonic game were you're on a tour of some of the best artistry found in that era. I've probably played through the game a dozen times or so, and I make sure to play through it at least once a year.
The only thing I would change in the game is the vertical section with the saw blades under neath. Other than that, it's pretty much perfect.
It's the Metallica's Black Album of classic Castlevania. Not the first, not the most technical, not the purest, but you know what, sometimes simplifying and going mass market and going hard on production values can be a good call.
And before everyone calls me a heretic, I've played through and enjoyed Castlevania 1, Rondo of Blood (both the PC Engine and PSP versions), Dracula X, and Bloodlines.