Top TierwiNteR wrote:Also, I would add briefly that I think a good castlevania guide is probably needed (maybe as a separate topic so it is not completely lost). I have decent knowledge on arcade platformers (and console platformers from 8/16 bit) but I have no idea about castlevania. For example, things like multiple difficulties/loops, overall quality, any specific playstyle suited to given game etc. And also of course, just to sort out the better games in the series (there seem to be too many when you add handhelds).
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood / Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo
Solid and stylish in every way. There are two paths through the game and you can switch freely between them. Unlike most Belmonts, Richter has a bit of aerial control on his jumps. He can also do subweapon super moves called item crashes in exchange for a large number of hearts. There's an unlockable character, Maria Renard, who is very fun and very overpowered. Her mobility and offense are miles ahead of Richter's in exchange for having only 2/3 as much HP as he does.
Castlevania / Akumajou Dracula (FC)
Stellar level and boss design. For me the biggest flaw is how big the gap is between the easier stages and the harder ones. Once you're good enough to 1CC the game, the first three stages pose zero threat. I still like them for what they are. The last three bosses are some of the best on the NES, though they suffer from crippling weaknesses to holy water. The second loop mostly just adds more respawning pest enemies. The biggest change is the beginning of stage 4, which becomes a harsh memorizer.
Castlevania: Bloodlines / Vampire Killer / Castlevania: The New Generation
Fast-paced and action-packed. There are two player characters, Johnny Morris and Eric Lecarde, with a bunch of minor differences between them. Basically Eric is a bit faster and can pole vault while Johnny hits a bit harder and can swing from his whip. Both characters move at the same speed in the air, so Johnny gets a speed boost from bunnyhopping. There are special items that make your weapon far more powerful, but it only lasts until the next time you take a hit. There are only three subweapons but each can be used in two different ways. It's a very solid game and I'd say its only serious flaw is that the bosses are a bit subpar and the final boss rush in particular can really drag on. The US version is more difficult than the JP version.
High Tier
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse / Akumajou Densetsu
A bigger, flashier, and less consistent version of Castlevania 1. It features multiple paths, but unlike Rondo, once you pick a path you're stuck with it for the rest of the game. The upper path is easier and is overall quite solid. The lower path is hit or miss and its falling block room might well be the most unpleasant part of the entire series. Boss fights are a huge step down from the original. You can recruit one of three partner characters and (slowly) switch between them and Trevor Belmont at will. Sypha has poor defense and low melee damage, but overwhelming offensive magic. Grant is the most agile partner, with the ability to climb walls and change direction in midair. Alucard has a ranged fireball attack and can temporarily transform into a bat. There are fairly significant differences between the JP and US versions. The JP version has higher quality audio and its version of Grant has an unlimited supply of throwing knives. The US version increases the difficulty in a number of ways and its version of Grant trades away his slow throwing knives for a quick stabbing attack with poor range but great damage potential. The western version also features a second loop which mostly makes minor changes, but also introduces the supreme terror among pest enemies: the dreaded medusa skulls.
Castlevania Chronicles / Akumajou Dracula (X68K)
A retelling of Castlevania 1. It's long, tough, full of variety, and has a solid selection of bosses. Simon's movement isn't quite as brisk as in the original, but it's not too bad. The playstation port is inferior with slightly altered enemy behavior and hit detection. The game loops but I don't know what changes.
Castlevania: Dracula X / Akumajou Dracula XX / Castlevania: Vampire's Kiss
A retelling of Rondo of Blood. For some reason they reduced Richter's speed to about 2/3 of what it is in Rondo and it feels bad. You can move a bit faster by bunnyhopping, but the ubiquitous respawning pest enemies punish this. You can't play as Maria either. With that said, if you can get past Richter's slowness there is some excellent level design here. The difficulty is overall fairly high, though it's also very generous with lives and hearts. That makes it one of the hardest Castlevanias to credit feed through but one of the easiest to 1CC. Moonwalking > Medusa heads.
Mid Tier
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge / Dracula Densetsu II
A huge improvement over Castlevania: The Adventure. Christopher's still slow but not nearly as bad as he was last time. The level design is quite a bit better too.
Super Castlevania IV / Akumajou Dracula (SFC)
Another retelling of Castlevania 1. The sprites are much bigger and Simon can whip in 8 directions. This lets him attack nearly any part of the screen at any time and it comes at a great cost to the game's tactical side. It's pretty long and the difficulty takes a while to heat up. It's a perfectly competent game but I don't care for it.
Low Tier
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest / Dracula II: Noroi no Fuuin
Similar mechanics to the original, but ruined by poorly implemented RPG elements and abysmal level design. The boss fights are shockingly bad compared to Castlevania 1. It still has some appeal, but Zelda 2, The Battle of Olympus, and Faxanadu are all much better takes on the same basic idea.
Castlevania Legends / Akumajou Dracula: Dark Night Prelude
Sonia is slow, the levels are repetitive, and enemies take too many hits. Who thought it was a good idea to lock you inside that zombie room if you whip one of the secret unlucky candles?
Castlevania: The Adventure / Dracula Densetsu
The worst thing about Castlevania: The Adventure is how unbearably slow Christopher is. It takes five full seconds to cross from one side of the Game Boy's dinky little screen to the other. The second worst thing is that its levels constantly draw attention to his slowness. Castlevania: The Adventure is all about getting caught in the world's slowest traps or failing to jump across a two foot gap because your move speed is just that bad.
Renard + Lecarde 4 lyfe.Marc wrote:I've not used Maria yet, it seems wrong to use anyone but a whip dude in a Castlevania game.