Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

[Sumez]

Especially considering you can just walk past all the bosses without fighting them Except from Dracula who on the other hand completely forgets to put up a fight.

[Obscura]

True but sort of misleading; one of them (I think Camilla?) drops an item you need to finish the game. If you walk by her, you'll be stuck later.

[Sumez]

Hmm are you sure about that? I don't recall it. But then again, it's been years, and many of them.

[Obscura]

I thought the cross was mandatory to break the bricks that block the bridge in front of Dracula's castle?

[Blinge]

By the way, if you're going for the good ending, time stops inside mansions so do all your grinding indoors.

Damn, I never knew this. That's useful info for if I finally get around to trying good ending. Having to play such a jank game quickly/perfectly is a real turn off though.

the esoteric hints don't annoy me as much as the trap floors. so fucking annoying.

[Sumez]

I don't really see any reason to go for any specific ending in this game to be honest

[FinalBaton]

the trap floors. so fucking annoying.

Ah, very good point. Those are fucking annoying indeed. Not because they represent a hard challenge, but because they fucking waste your time, having to chuck holy water everywhere in Castles.

Same complaint as the Night cycle : it just wastes your damn time and is no fun.


Still a decent game, but damn does it have some major flaws

[Blinge]

I don't really see any reason to go for any specific ending in this game to be honest

Uh, just the satisfaction of getting the 'good ending' where simon isn't cursed and dead or whatever.

But actually, you are absolutely right..
for once

[FinalBaton]

But actually, you are absolutely right..
for once

Dammmmmmmmmmn!

[Sumez]

I think I can put together an archive of Blinge posts saying "for once I agree with Sumez" much bigger than his "I disagree with you"

[FinalBaton]

I think I can put together an archive of Blinge posts saying "for once I agree with Sumez" much bigger than his "I disagree with you"

ok that was a pretty good retort

[Blinge]

He already has the archive printed and framed!

It's also cause I can't be arsed to fight it out everytime so i keep quiet when i disagree.
love ya.

[dingsbums]

So I finally picked up quite a few FC games that were on my "want list" for a long time .


Now that I played all of them for quite some time here are my thoughts about the titles that are fitting for the thread title .

Alien Syndrome: Really nice overhead action title, I hate some of the latter bosses / patterns but nothing unfair; funny enough the FC port is better as the ports on the Sega consoles.

Dragon Scroll: I always dismissed this game because I thought it was a RPG (I'm not that big on RPGs with a few exeptions) but in fact it's a nice overhead action title. It's from Konami, it's JP only and you can still get it for cheap . Awesome music, nice graphics and tight gameplay = classic Konami.

Dragon Fighter: I never knew it was developed by Natsume but when I knew I wanted it. It's not as polished as the other Natsume FC sidescrollers but it's still a solid game.

Cross Fire: I always wanted this game. It's no Contra but for what it is, it's a pretty good game but though as all hell. Still have to play it more .

Rodland: I love single screen platformers and this is one of the nicest on the FC. Way too easy but a really enjoyable game.

Wanpaku Yume Bouken (Duck Tales): This is obviously a nostalgic one but; the game is still fun and that's what it boils down to in the end .

[BrianC]

Alien Syndrome: Really nice overhead action title, I hate some of the latter bosses / patterns but nothing unfair; funny enough the FC port is better as the ports on the Sega consoles.

The JP Fantasy Zone FC port from Sunsoft is also better than the SMS version.

[__SKYe]

Okay, finally finished Castlevania II.


(by the way, was Dracula 45 years old? )

It took me some 42 in-game days, though the majority of those were spent trying to figure out what the hell I was supposed to do, to move on.
It also took me 2 visits to a FAQ, I must admit, otherwise I'd still be wandering around.

A few words (or rather, a whole lot ) about my experience.

For starters, disregarding the whole RPG/obtuse hints part, I was pretty disappointed with the game after a while.
Like I said before, I really enjoyed Simon's controls/mechanics, and I think he controls even better than the first game, but the same cannot be said for the enemies and level design.
Although at first I liked the level design, I soon found out that the area & enemy variety really isn't that big, and I was especially disappointed with the actual dungeons/mansions. They all have the same basic design and enemies (later enemies have more HP, but you also have a better whip, so it isn't much of a change), but the worst is the complete lack of boss battles apart from Death, Carmilla and Dracula, all of which are painfully easy to beat.

The random pits inside the mansion (where you fall through the ground) are a pain in the ass, and although sometimes you can tell if there is one, because enemies will not cross them, most often you'll have to keep chucking holy water at the ground to see if it's safe to cross or not. Another one of those decisions that might look good on paper, but in practice just serves to annoy the player.

There are also some very tight jumps here, and you're likely to fall into a pit once or twice, on a first run.
Speaking of, overall, the game's quite easy, and you're much more likely to die by falling into a pit, or taking environmental damage (like the spikes in the mansions) than by losing to the enemies, provided you take the sensible route, and don't go to tougher spots too early.

Then, of course, we have the worst offender - the bloody isoteric clues and the lying bastards.

When you start the game, one of the first things you're told is about the clues to Dracula's riddle. A lot of people will say that there're clues at X town/area, but they'll stop at that.
Now, at first, I thought these clues were the things you were told on the towns (like those red NPCs that are inside houses), but eventually, and by sheer luck I might add, I found a book on the overworld (when chucking holy water around, at the cliff where you kneel for the tornado), and it was then that I realized that the 'clues' where these books.
I found a few more in the first mansion, and things were looking up.

You're not even told the name of the towns (NPCs tell you that clues/friends/etc are in X town, but you aren't told the name of the towns you visit), or some of the other locations, and you have to infer from the areas right next to them (like assuming a town was Veros, because Veros forest is right next to it). A pain in the ass.

But then, after exploring pretty much everything, I ran out of places to go.
One very shady spot, was the place where you must kneel in order to be able to safely descend through the water. I immediatelly knew you could descend there, because of the garbage tiles on the top and bottom rows, so I figured I had to just drop down, and the screen would scroll. I was wrong, and died.
Tried all I could think of, besides falling in - dropping garlic on the ground, throwing holy water into the water - but nothing worked, so I assumed you could go down, but you needed some item/skill first, so I moved on.
This was probably the section where I spent the most time, and had eventually to check a FAQ to learn that you need to equip the blue crystal (or red) and kneel for a few seconds fro the screen to scroll down.

My first thought was, how the hell was anyone supposed to know, or figure that out, and it wasn't until a good while later (after acquiring Dracula's eye, which makes the books visible), that I found the book in Veros Woods that said "TO REPLENISH EARTH, KNEEL BY THE LAKE WITH THE BLUE CRYSTAL.". Now I concede that someone having found this would be able to figure out what they had to do, but the worst part is that this particular book is on a tile in the middle of the ground, which you'd have to hit with holy water (since need to cross that water to get the Dracula's eye).

I found several of the books, especially on the first mansion, because they were in sensible places (in thick walls, on dead ends, etc), and I did chuck a LOT of holy water around these woods, but I expected the book to be in a more obvious spot, not in the middle of the damn ground.
I mean, look at this:



You'd have to be throwing HW at every tile in the ground to find this, and I found this rather infuriating.

My other trip to the FAQ was precisely for another kneeling - the one where you summon/wait for the tornado.
Now, while the previous kneeling clue was bullshit to find, at least the clue itself was somewhat clear, but this one, even if you found it, was as isoteric as it gets: "Wait for a soul with a red crystal on Deborah Cliff.".

It's obvious that the 'soul' is you, and that you need the Red Crystal, but what does 'wait' mean? And how the hell are you supposed to translate that to "kneel for 5 seconds"? Utter bullshit.

Unfortunately, all of this crap was entirely due to a most terrible translation. After completing the game, I checked online (no longer fearing spoilers ) and found the clues' original text (translated in English), and they are quite clear in the JP version.

Spoiler

A SYMBOL OF EVIL WILL APPEAR WHEN YOU STRIKE THE STAKE.
JPNver: カシノキノクイヲ アルモノニ ウチコムトキ マオウノ ショウチョウハ アラワレル
Translation: A symbol of Dark Lord will appear when you strike a Oak Stake.

DESTROY THE CURSE AND YOU'LL RULE BRAHM'S MANSION.
JPNver: ブラームノヤカタ カワノ ノロイヲ トクモノ ムカエイレル
Translation: The road to Brahm's Mansion will be heralded by dispelling curse of the river.

A FLAME FLICKERS INSIDE THE RING OF FIRE.
JPNver: セイナルホノオノ ミナモトハ ヒニトザサレタ リョウイキニ イマモ ネムル
Translation: Even today the Sacred Flame rests in a realm hidden from sunlight.

CLEAR A PATH AT BERKELEY MANSION WITH A WHITE CRYSTAL.
JPNver: バークレイノ ヤカタデ シロスイショウヲ カザストキ ミチハ ヒラカレル
Translation: A White Crystal can reveal a secret path in the Berkeley Mansion.

TO REPLENISH EARTH, KNEEL BY THE LAKE WITH THE BLUE CRYSTAL.
JPNver: アオスイショウヲ カカゲ コスイノマエニ ヒザマズクトキ ダイチハ ミズヲ ウケイレル
Translation: When the Blue Crystal hits the sand of a lake beach, the earth will swallow the water.

DESTROY THE CURSE WITH DRACULA'S HEART.
JPNver: マオウノシンゾウハ ノロワレシモノノ ノロイヲ トク
Translation: Dark Lord's heart solves the curse of the cursed person.

GARLIC IN THE GRAVEYARD SUMMONS A STRANGER.
JPNver: ハカバニ ニンニクヲ オクト マモノハ キエウセ ソナタヲ マツヒトガ アラワレル
Translation: Put Garlic in cemetery ground, and monsters vanish. You may also meet someone waiting you.

AN OLD GYPSY HOLDS A DIAMOND IN FRONT OF DEBORAH CLIFF.
JPNver: デボラノガケノ マエニ チョウコウセキヲ モツ トシオイタ ジプジーガ イル
Translation: There is an old Gypsy who lives in southern Deborah Cliff. Gypsy has a Ricochet Rock.

WAIT FOR A SOUL WITH A RED CRYSTAL ON DEBORAH CLIFF.
JPNver: デボラノガケノ マエデ アカスイショウヲ カカゲ カゼヲマテ
Translation: Press a Red Crystal against the Deborah Cliff, kneel, and wait for a wind.

PLACE THE LAURELS IN A SILK BAG TO BRING THEM TO LIFE.
JPNver: キヌノフクロニ クルマレシ ゲッケイジュハ タマシイヲ フキコマレル
Translation: When you wrap dry herbs, such as Laurels, in a Silk Bag, they will be brought to life.

DRACULA'S NAIL MAY SOLVE THE EVIL MYSTERY.
JPNver: マオウノツメハ ジャアクノカベヲ ウチクダク チカラヲ モツ
Translation: The nail of Dark Lord possesses the power to shatter evil walls.

THE CURSE HAS KILLED THE LAUREL TREE.
JPNver: イノチアル ゲッケイジュナキモノ ヌマノノロイニ イノチツキル
Translation: A person without living-Laurels will perish on the cursed swamp.

DRACULA'S EVIL KNIFE BLURS CAMILLA'S VISION.
JPNver:　シニガミガ カクシモツ ナイフニ カミーラノ ヒトミハ クモル
Translation: With the knife which Death hides in his hand, Camilla's eye becomes cloudy.

The USA (and Europe, I assume) really got the short end of the stick with this game, and it was made to be much more frustrating than it should, simply because of a terrible, terrible translation.

And finally, what about those lying bastards?

"Rumor has it, the Ferryman at the Dead River loves garlic."

And I dropped garlic on the ferryman, only for it to sink to the bottom of the river. I also tried to drop it on the shore, nothing happened.
Remember the 1st kneeling spot (where the screen scrolls down, so you can descend into the river)? At one point, I thought that perhaps if I dropped the garlic on the shore here, the ferryman would appear to take me to the other side (since apparently he likes garlic), but did he? Hell no.

"To restore your life, shout in front of the church."

I honestly tried this on each and every closed door, on towns that don't have a church, thinking it would have the same effect as talking to the priest. But did it? You know the answer.

"Dig up the 4th grave in the cemetery for a diamond."

Tried to 'dig' (read: whip, throw HW, throw flames, etc) every grave I saw (in all cemeteries), and as it turns out, you get the diamond from a random dude.

"I'll see you at midnight on the river bank."

...Also tried this... And did she show up?

But to finish it up, even without the translation botching, the action itself is still pretty subpar, and it is nowhere near the first game in that front.

I'm happy to have played it, and honestly, despite everything, even had some fun playing it, but I've no intention of ever touching it again.

The upside is that, now I can play Castlevania III without reserve (and those GB titles too).

-----

By the way, a most amusing Hokuto No Ken reference, I presume?

[soprano1]

More like shitty translation. Hey, could be a Star Wars reference!

[__SKYe]

More like shitty translation.

It's beyond shitty.

Hey, could be a Star Wars reference!

Yeah, I recognized the name from the movies, but I've never actually seen any, so I wasn't sure.
Hokuto No Ken was the first thing that came to mind (I've read that one ), and given old-school Japanese developers' liking of the series, it just felt the most appropriate.

[mycophobia]

I cleared Mystic Warriors with a 3 life start. Now the game is set to default and the 1CC attempts can begin in earnest.

[Sumez]

So I finally picked up quite a few FC games that were on my "want list" for a long time .

Wow, that boxed DoReMi Fantasy gotta have put you back quite a few bucks. :O

[mycophobia]

Got it, baby!

Mystic Warriors 1CC w/ Yuri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z44KHbWUoFs

[Ghegs]

Got it, baby!

Mystic Warriors 1CC w/ Yuri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z44KHbWUoFs

Nice, good job.

[mycophobia]

Thanks!

[BIL]

Always fun to read about CVII from a new player's perspective. Personally I first encountered the game watching a slightly older friend, who I know had a few of Jeff Rovin's infamous "How to Win at Nintendo" handbooks... so I've never been entirely sure how I'd have found it from a fresh start. Even many years later, playing my own cart, I'd still not forgotten all the cryptic kneeling stuff.

Anyone else find the whole "kneel to find" thing amusing even in CV1? I made a point of finding all the treasures in my 2-all run, including the loop-exclusive Moais... at least I think I got them all, but how the fuck are you meant to know, really? I refuse to look up spoilers. ;3 I like that you can find the first Moai by screwing up a platform jump, at least! edit: and god damn it, wouldn't you know... I just found a stage 6 treasure I either forgot about or never knew of. It's in a spot where I make a point of getting the fuck out ASAP. Then again that's 90% of the stage.

The upside is that, now I can play Castlevania III without reserve (and those GB titles too).

Honestly, the primary reason I'd suggest anyone actually play CV2 nowadays is for series lore and historical perspective. It's fun spotting all the callbacks in Rondo+SOTN, and knowing where "Dwelling of Doom" and "Monster Dance" are from on the Dracula New Classic AST, and so on...

Got it, baby!

Mystic Warriors 1CC w/ Yuri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z44KHbWUoFs

Loved the macro-dodging of the train boss's spreadshot with the roll, at 16:33. Even knowing very little about the game, it's obvious how tight a squeeze that fight is. Looks like you got him pretty good this time around.

[mycophobia]

Got it, baby!

Mystic Warriors 1CC w/ Yuri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z44KHbWUoFs

Loved the macro-dodging of the train boss's spreadshot with the roll, at 16:33. Even knowing very little about the game, it's obvious how tight a squeeze that fight is. Looks like you got him pretty good this time around.

Thanks, yeah that whole stage is a sonofabitch. Just to get to the boss with sufficient health you have to memorize the spawn points of every enemy, especially with Yuri because of her thin line of fire. And then the boss himself is so random it's pretty much a crapshoot to get past him without dying even with full health, at least for me. Honestly that stage almost tips the game over into unfair territory, but fortunately the rest of the game is very doable on one life.

Now I'm playing the much less stressful Diet Go Go, which I guess technically isn't thread-appropriate. Where's the single screen platformer thread, lol

[BIL]

Nah, single-screeners and flip-screeners alike are both cool here. One of the thread's earliest and perhaps least-sensical modifications, but it felt right at the time.

Although a dedicated thread could certainly be interesting, with how deceptively labyrinthine certain highlights like Bubble Bobble are!

[FinalBaton]

Anyone else find the whole "kneel to find" thing amusing even in CV1?

It's amusing but I like it! it adds a tiny spec of exploration in an otherwise strictly action-oriented game, without being obtrusive, hehe
it's a fun little diversion

I also refuse to look up FAQs regarding these! I've seen gameplay vids obviously but none I watched had more finds than what I've found by myself before that (or if there was one or two more, then I obviously did not memorize them because I don't remember any extra ones beyond the ones I've found by myself). I like to think that I found a respectable amount of them in my YT no-death run, although I'm sure I'm missing some

[BIL]

Oh yeah, I'm fond of the secret element itself. It's ultimately not that important, but along with the breakable blocks it adds a fun shade of mystery to the castle. There's a distinct logic to the location of most treasures, as well - typically open, reachable ground with no apparent reason to visit. Some of stage 3-1's are a bit random, but a little sense of the unknowable isn't the worst thing for a horror-themed game.

Actually after last night's stage 6 find, I almost wish there was some Good End requirement to getting them all. Almost!

It's the kneel trigger itself that always strikes me as quaint - feels like it's substituting for the "search" command you'd expect in an adventure/RPG. Totally harmless in CV1... but then CVII comes along with its far stronger quest element, and bam! It's still there, with a nice fat promotion to Key Progression Mechanic!

[__SKYe]

Been playing both Akumajou Densetsu and Akumajou Dracula X68k (the proper version this time ) and I'm very much enjoying both.

Starting with CV3, managed to reach Death on my latest playthrough, but didn't find the will to continue after losing against it a couple times. Took both upper routes (Grant & Sylpha), and used Belmont all the way.
Very fun game, much longer than CV1 (both in the number of stages, and their length).
I was very pleased with the variable damage scaling in this game, as opposed to the strict one used in CV1, etc. While some enemies (the bats, for example) will do 3HP of damage right on the first stage, other enemies will only do 2HP, and this goes on for many of the levels, giving it a smoother difficulty curve (at least as far as damage is concerned).
I'm also pleased with the multiple characters, as for me, multiple characters equal multiple (different) playthroughs, which is especially cool if the game is good, and the characters are unique (and they are).

Enjoyed the "improved" Axe Knights. Since you can no longer destroy their axes just by whipping low, each encounter with one is like a mini-boss battle. Of course, if you have a good sub-weapon you can beat them quickly, but if you're going with the whip only, it's like a little challenge, where you're waiting for him to throw the axe, and you have to choose the correct stance (either high or low) to beat him. This goes double if you have the shorter whip.

Enjoyed the bosses for the most part as well, though the Cyclops/Golem you have to fight 3 times, does get a little tiring.

Also, about the art/graphics. Though, much like it has been said, I don't think the FC Castlevania games are exactly good looking games, but I did enjoy the larger variety of locations that CV3 offers, compared to the first game (like the village on Stage 1, the ship, the forest on Stage 2 (or 3?), etc).

The music, on the other hand, is fantastic, especially the JP version, with the VRC6 chip.
Really liked to hear some songs I was already familiar with, from the later games, as well.

Overall, I feel like CV3 is easier than the CV1, or at least it has been until Death.

Oh, and this is where the bonafide Zombies actually make their debut, as opposed to those deranged, cultist look-alike things.



-----

As for Akumajou Dracula (X68000), managed to reach the Stage 5 boss (the She-Wolf), but lost against her a few times.

I must re-iterate that Simon's controls in this game are near perfect, and the only thing I still think they should have changed, is the part where he comes to a dead stop if he hits the ceiling with his head.
His 5-way whipping, along with his free movement during a jump (except when whipping) make for a most fantastic game.

Obviously, I had to do several things differently when playing the proper version (since with the 1HP, hacked version, you could pretty much run through the game without much thought), but I can somewhat consistently reach Stage 5 in 1 life (though I occasionally lose a life in the 2nd Stage, either on the boss (by falling into the water) or on the section preceeding it).

The bosses until before the She-Wolf are pretty easy, but she's a different story.
I think she's my favourite boss fight on this game (even though I'm being destroyed every time), and I really think her fight is quite original.
Since I had previously only ever reached her in the 1HP hack, I never formulated a proper strategy for her, and also never quite understood just how dangerous she is.
I knew that she throws the stones from the background at you, and when they start running out, she throws the clock's digits as well.
Given her evasiveness as well, and the fact that, at best, you can only take 3 hits (the 4th means death), assuming you reach her with full health, I figured the best way to beat her, was to avoid the rocks (and everything else) she chucks at you, until they run out, and she picks up the clocks hands to fight on close quarters. What I didn't know, was that she not only throws the rocks and the clock's digits, but also pieces of the round part of the clock. She also ducks to avoid the Cross.

I obviously lost, but I'm really enjoying the fight. Better luck next time.

Honestly, the primary reason I'd suggest anyone actually play CV2 nowadays is for series lore and historical perspective. It's fun spotting all the callbacks in Rondo+SOTN, and knowing where "Dwelling of Doom" and "Monster Dance" are from on the Dracula New Classic AST, and so on...

True, and these *historical* reasons are especially important for me, since I've been introduced to the series with the GBA games (the first was Aria Of Sorrow, I believe), and really missed many of the connections between those and the previous games.

Anyone else find the whole "kneel to find" thing amusing even in CV1? I made a point of finding all the treasures in my 2-all run, including the loop-exclusive Moais... at least I think I got them all, but how the fuck are you meant to know, really?

Yeah, it's pretty amusing alright.
But what I find even more amusing, is the treasure on the 1st stage's underground waterway (at the end of it, where you need to destroy a block and go to the lower platform to trigger a treasure). Since you need to descend to the platform, and you'll automatically kneel after falling, I wonder if kids back then even figured out, that you need to kneel, since it just happens naturally.

Oh yeah, I'm fond of the secret element itself. It's ultimately not that important, but along with the breakable blocks it adds a fun shade of mystery to the castle. There's a distinct logic to the location of most treasures, as well - typically open, reachable ground with no apparent reason to visit. Some of stage 3-1's are a bit random, but a little sense of the unknowable isn't the worst thing for a horror-themed game.

Agreed, though the kneeling treasures are somewhat obscure, the treasures within the locks are pretty fun to find. And once you find one, you can't help but start whipping suspicious blocks. And then you discover that there are HP restorative items among them.
Fun stuff.

[BIL]

Out of curiosity, which version of III did you play (CVIII/Akumajou Densetsu)? Opinions tend to be mixed on whether CVIII's higher difficulty is exciting or obnoxious, but regardless, its version of Grant is a definite highlight. Very interesting character for traditional CV, basically the opposite of Simon/Trevor. High agility, but no reach and pitiful DEF... and to make things interesting, the game's deadliest melee killer. His stabbing flurries bring heavies crashing down quick. So instead of a methodical, rangey approach, you're encouraged to scramble in close and ventilate 'em before they can squash you.

I really like the contrast of Loop 2's Trevor/Grant team - it's just a shame the game's character switching process is a bit laboured. With Bucky O'Hare or Lickle's lightning-quick swaps, it'd be a blast.

Yeah, it's pretty amusing alright.
But what I find even more amusing, is the treasure on the 1st stage's underground waterway (at the end of it, where you need to destroy a block and go to the lower platform to trigger a treasure). Since you need to descend to the platform, and you'll automatically kneel after falling, I wonder if kids back then even figured out, that you need to kneel, since it just happens naturally.

I was wondering about that! Couldn't quite recall if you'd hit the "hard landing" threshold while landing on the basement's trigger block. Just had a quick look - turns out if you bust the block, then hop up to its ledge and fall off, you'll indeed trigger it automatically. If you head straight down, the drop won't be long enough, so you'll need to duck manually. I'm sure the designers expected the first example to happen at some point... similarly, there's also loop 2's first Moai, who can be unearthed by pratfalling off a ledge - very easily done, with loop-exclusive Medusas besieging the area. There's also stage 5's treasure, which I'm pretty sure is another dead-certain trigger owing to its placement.

Having said all this, the game's very first treasure is IIRC the only one that you can reveal by simply walking over its trigger tile. It's all kinda screwy, but endearingly so in CV1's case. Maybe less so in CV2. ;3

It's quite cool that CV1 even has that "hard fall" effect, imo - it doesn't really come into play, but combined with the game's brutally quick drop speed, it adds a nice bit of oomph.

[__SKYe]

Out of curiosity, which version of III did you play (CVIII/Akumajou Densetsu)?

Akumajou Densetsu.
Though, since the difference between both versions are so pronounced, and the game is quite good, I might just end up playing them both.

I really like the contrast of Loop 2's Trevor/Grant team - it's just a shame the game's character switching process is a bit laboured. With Bucky O'Hare or Lickle's lightning-quick swaps, it'd be a blast.

That it is. Personally, I do prefer to go with a single character from start to finish (a playthrough for each character), but the overly long switch does make playing with both characters more bothersome than it needed to be.

I was wondering about that! Couldn't quite recall if you'd hit the "hard landing" threshold while landing on the basement's trigger block. Just had a quick look - turns out if you bust the block, then hop up to its ledge and fall off, you'll indeed trigger it automatically. If you head straight down, the drop won't be long enough, so you'll need to duck manually. I'm sure the designers expected the first example to happen at some point...

Ha, that's right, I dropped from the topmost ledge, and that's how I spawned the treasure without crouching.
Another one very obscure (if you just think about the method for uncovering it), but that perhaps was also intentional by the developers:

Spoiler

Uncovered by waiting 5 seconds on top of the platform.
Perhaps meant to be discovered by an overly cautious player, waiting on top of the platform for the enemy below to move away.

Many of the locations do seem to have some logic with their placement, but then again, developers back in the day were so prone to do isoteric stuff like this, that I'm not even sure if there was a system to how they put these things on the game.
I imagine it gave great material for game magazines/guides, though.

Having said all this, the game's very first treasure is IIRC the only one that you can reveal by simply walking over its trigger tile. It's all kinda screwy, but endearingly so in CV1's case. Maybe less so in CV2. ;3

Do you mean the one you uncover by jumping over the castle's entrance at the strat of the game?
There's another one on the very first screen of Stage 2, triggered by breaking the wall on top of the first stairs, and walking inside, though you do need to break the wall first.

Also, missed this:

Actually after last night's stage 6 find, I almost wish there was some Good End requirement to getting them all. Almost!

I love when games do give some credit for small things like these, be it a completion rate, a simple message, etc, but I guess the focus back in the day was on the score alone.

EDIT:

Something I forgot to post before about Akumajou Dracula X68000.
For the people familiar with the PSX port only (CV Chronicles), there's one thing that wasn't ported, and that's the loading music track.

It's the first song here (in glorious Roland SC-55 MIDI).

As soon as you load the game, you're greeted with this awesome piece, and quite honestly, it is my favourite one in the game.

EDIT2:

Nevermind, it is in CV Chronicles, but only in the Sound Mode, and it isn't played during loading (since there is none). I apologize for the misinformation.
Still a great song, though.