Castlevania Miscellanies

[To Far Away Times]

I'm a shallow person who can't get over how cheap and tacky the visuals of RotN are. The demake games look much better and have a more cohesive style.

Yeah, this was my biggest gripe with it. Even the GBA Castlevania’s look better due to the art consistency.

Also, late in the game there’s an area that consists of nothing but oversized reused assets from earlier in the game. It looks horrible and cheap.

[Steven]

The backer portraits in the game are rather off-putting and look so out-of-place. It's a pretty ugly game in general, so adding ugly stuff to an already ugly game makes it worse. 2D platformers generally look much, MUCH better with pixel art than 3D models, even if said pixel art is just asset flips from Rondo of Blood and SFC Dracula. Sometimes I wonder if Symphony of the Night is the most critically acclaimed asset flip in history.

[Sumez]

Yeah, this was my biggest gripe with it. Even the GBA Castlevania’s look better due to the art consistency.

Also, late in the game there’s an area that consists of nothing but oversized reused assets from earlier in the game. It looks horrible and cheap.

Yeah it almost makes those Saturn-exclusive areas in SOTN look respectable by comparison.

SOTN is a game that hinges a lot on presentation and atmosphere, so I don't think it's unfair to rate a spiritual successor on its complete failure to do the same. It's by far the biggest issue with the game.

[Steven]

That one place in the Saturn version that connects two places that aren't connected in the other versions is awesome because it reduces the amount of travel time in a game that suffers from painfully slow movement. Otherwise, the other Saturn areas are not that bad and just kind of whatever. Everyone always says the art looks out of place with the rest of the game, but the only one that really bothers me is that weird tree dude in the garden, but he dies so fast that it's really not that much of an issue... just like everything else in the game that isn't Galamoth.

I forgot how many extra areas are in the Saturn version, though.

[Sumez]

There are two new areas and all of it looks out of place.

The place you're thinking of is connecting two areas that didn't need to be connected. Did you forget that the game has teleporters? It's a very quick game to get around in in general, even if you don't use those.

[Sima Tuna]

I'm a shallow person who can't get over how cheap and tacky the visuals of RotN are. The demake games look much better and have a more cohesive style.

They are also much better games. Surprisingly for Inti Creates, really.

I'd say the Curse games are among Inti's strongest titles. Blaster Master and Curse franchises are both highly enjoyable for me. As much as Gunvolt caters to the Mega Man Zero hardcore fanboy I am, it just can't match those old MMZ titles.

The less said about Gal Guardians the better.

Maybe it's the Mark_MSX influence, but I've really come around on the importance of graphics in my dotage. Presentation is an extremely important aspect of game design. Not so much for pure graphical fidelity, as consistency of art direction and a cohesive overall vision. When you look at a game like Rastan or Golden Axe, it has a congruent artistic presentation which extends as a thru-line all along the game. Somebody looked at art of Conan the Barbarian or whatever and they said, "draw that!" The game has a clear visual identity. That is the element I think RotN lacks, and it's where Symphony of the Night, Aria and even the NES Castlevanias were so incredibly strong. Castlevania 1's filmic presentation, with movie monsters and sidebar film reels, brings together the game's look. You're playing a horror movie grab bag. Even with NES visuals, it gets across the sense of "place" immediately.

I guess the importance of game visuals is, in big part, all about rooting the player in the world. It doesn't matter if your game is pac-man, Might and Magic V or Horizon: Zero Dawn. The look of the game needs a consistent vision that puts the player in your world.

Bloodstained: RotN has all these weirdly oily textures and bizarre Unity models that don't make any fucking sense and look like garbage.

[Sumez]

Lol yes, I approached Gal Guardians with the mindset of "everyone seems to rave about Inti and I don't get it, but let's give them one more chance - after all I love the Curse of the Moon games".

And that game is just every poor design decision in every Inti game condensed into a single entity. It feels straight up predatory, like let's shit out a random game as fast as possible to rake in on horny castlevania fans. It's hard to imagine the company responsible for it has any passion for action games at all.

[Sima Tuna]

Lol yes, I approached Gal Guardians with the mindset of "everyone seems to rave about Inti and I don't get it, but let's give them one more chance - after all I love the Curse of the Moon games".

And that game is just every poor design decision in every Inti game condensed into a single entity. It feels straight up predatory, like lets shit out a randoml game as fast as possible to rake in on horny castlevania fans. It's hard to imagine the company responsible for it has any passion for action games at all.

I haven't played that Yohane the Parhelion game but it looks like exactly the same kind of thing. My impression of Inti as a company is they have some games they make that they are passionate about, and some games they make because they're a company who make games to sell.

[Steven]

There are two new areas and all of it looks out of place.

The place you're thinking of is connecting two areas that didn't need to be connected. Did you forget that the game has teleporters? It's a very quick game to get around in in general, even if you don't use those.

Teleporters don't work when there is no teleporter in the area that you want to go, which applies to the connected areas in the Saturn version, to or if you haven't made it that far in the playthrough yet. It's also annoying to have to cycle through them instead of being able to select the one you want to go to, which is how they should have made them function in the first place.

If you want to see a game that's actually quick to get around in, it's Super Metroid. You have by default a (surprisingly very fast) run button that doesn't require you to pick up an item that's 75% of the way through only one version of the game and a Speed Booster that never runs out of energy and requires the player to wait for it to recharge. I believe the wolf form allows you to travel very slightly faster than the Speed Booster, and by very slightly I mean like a few extra pixels per frame, but it also has to take a decade to recharge once you run out of magic.

Alucard's default movement speed is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo agonizingly slow, and while that was fine for the older Castlevanias since they aren't massive sprawling open world platformers focused on exploration, that doesn't work for this type of game, which should have relatively fast movement be default. Games like Super Metroid and Zero Mission and even the original Metroid have relatively brisk movement speeds but Alucard's over here imitating a snail when he should be imitating Sonic or Samus instead. Increasing his default movement speed by about 250% would help greatly. Look at Maria in the Saturn version. Her movement speed is much more appropriate for this game!

[ryu]

I thought Gal Guardians was fine. It wasn't particularly impressive, but generally I didn't find any huge problems with it. Sure it couldn't decide if it wanted to be an entirely linear game or more of a RotN clone, but they could have done worse. The inclusion of local coop is also laudable these days.

[Sima Tuna]

I thought Gal Guardians was fine. It wasn't particularly impressive, but generally I didn't find any huge problems with it. Sure it couldn't decide if it wanted to be an entirely linear game or more of a RotN clone, but they could have done worse. The inclusion of local coop is also laudable these days.

The level design is really, really bad. Enemies take too many hits to kill and they block forward progression, leading to an incredibly dull experience. Levels are giant boxes with slopes, which is a problem Inti has in their level design generally.

When you compare CV1 to Gal Guardians, the difference in level design is night and day. You can jump over most enemies or kill them in a hit or two. Platform layouts are tricky but levels don't take ages to traverse. Your weapons feels really good to use, and powerful.

[Sumez]

My biggest pet peeve with Gal Guardians is probably how many enemy interactions is just dealing with enemies one at a time. You'll be facing a string of identical enemies, often in the very same room, and use the exact same approach to take them out every single time. There is no variation, no problem solving, no engagement. Just going through the motions.
This is a common problem with many Inti games, but I've never seen it as pronounced as here.

[NYN]

When you compare CV1 to Gal Guardians, the difference in level design is night and day. You can jump over most enemies or kill them in a hit or two. Platform layouts are tricky but levels don't take ages to traverse. Your weapons feels really good to use, and powerful.

Comparing these two will get nowhere argumentatively, it's stone-dead obvious. How about pitting Symphony's Richter Mode against the Gals? Eager to hear your thoughts about that, considering how Lichter feels off to me, in a hybrid sandbox. The instant DIE-MONSTER boss double-bill at the beginning somehow harmonic and not withstanding that feel.

[To Far Away Times]

Maybe it's the Mark_MSX influence, but I've really come around on the importance of graphics in my dotage. Presentation is an extremely important aspect of game design. Not so much for pure graphical fidelity, as consistency of art direction and a cohesive overall vision. When you look at a game like Rastan or Golden Axe, it has a congruent artistic presentation which extends as a thru-line all along the game. Somebody looked at art of Conan the Barbarian or whatever and they said, "draw that!" The game has a clear visual identity. That is the element I think RotN lacks, and it's where Symphony of the Night, Aria and even the NES Castlevanias were so incredibly strong. Castlevania 1's filmic presentation, with movie monsters and sidebar film reels, brings together the game's look. You're playing a horror movie grab bag. Even with NES visuals, it gets across the sense of "place" immediately.

This so much. You can't make a great game with bad gameplay and great presentation, but you can make a great game with average gameplay and great presentation. Artistic cohesion is everything.

If I am being honest, when it comes to videogames, the "video" part carries more weight than the "game" part.

Castlevania IV and Symphony of the Night are some of my favorite games ever, but they clearly place their emphasis on atmosphere and artistic cohesion over gameplay.

Symphony of the Night may grab some of it's sprites from Rondo, but it has an excellent consistent visual theme. And the music matches the mood perfectly, which enhances the atmosphere which enhances the visuals. It is a fully realized world of strong parts that combine to make an even stronger whole.

When I made my own game I knew I had some serious limitations as an artist. I can't draw to save my life so I made an "asset flip." But even though I started with existing sprites, I spent more time editing sprites and color palettes for a cohesive look than anything else I did in the game. I mean, I put a lot of effort in the gameplay and level design too, but no one will give you the time of day if your game doesn't have a consistent visual theme.

Bloodstained has no visual identity. It is a series of mismatched parts of various quality. Towards the later part of the game, some of those assets are of shockingly low quality and should have been left on the cutting room floor. For me this started getting really noticeable around the 12 hour mark. That would have been a good time to wrap the game up right then and there. I think that's about how long Symphony of the Night is, or some of the handheld IGAvania's, but it took me close to 20 hours to finish it. All that extra content that did nothing to enhance the experience, and only padded the game out to reach a desired run time. A shorter 12 hour experience with that additional game development time spent on a more consistent visual theme would have resulted in a tighter, better looking game that probably would have been received better by it's audience.

[Hazuki]

Alucard's default movement speed is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo agonizingly slow, and while that was fine for the older Castlevanias since they aren't massive sprawling open world platformers focused on exploration, that doesn't work for this type of game, which should have relatively fast movement be default. Games like Super Metroid and Zero Mission and even the original Metroid have relatively brisk movement speeds but Alucard's over here imitating a snail when he should be imitating Sonic or Samus instead. Increasing his default movement speed by about 250% would help greatly. Look at Maria in the Saturn version. Her movement speed is much more appropriate for this game!

Seriously, Alucard's speed is fine in that game. If that's "soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo agonizingly slow", then what the hell is Christopher's speed in Dracula Densetsu? His speed was never a problem to me in the slightest. Not back when the game was new, nor now.

It's an exploration-type of game. Those games are meant to be taken slowly. Explore every corner of the castle while enjoying the visuals, the music and whatnot. What's up with some of you guys and the need to finish every game as fast as possible, as if you're constantly in a hurry or something? Just like sex, it's not too fun when it ends too quickly, right?

[To Far Away Times]

I think it's because Alucard has that ridiculously detailed power walking animation.

It is a fantastic animation, mind you, but I don't think it's technically 100% correct for a walk cycle. It makes him seem like he moves slower than he really does.

His movement speed also isn't zippy like Super Metroid, but if I recall correctly, the rooms in Super Metroid are a lot larger than the rooms in Symphony of the Night. Rather, Super Metroid always felt a bit fast for me, with all the screen scrolling, floaty and loose jumping, and Samus sometimes getting close to the edge of the screen when running in a wide open space.

[copy-paster]

Dracula XX No Miss Best + Bad Ending Route back to back

After playing this game for almost a decade I got the no death run, 2 routes back to back! Captured on stream

Initially I only aimed for Best ending run first since it was the route I practiced, but I got it on my first try on yesterday's stream and I think it would've been too early to end it right away so I decided to do bad ending just for derust, and the magic happens: I cleared it on no death run first try! And I barely practiced alternate stage 5 and the new bosses, but I do remember Cursed Annette has the same pattern as Rondo of Blood's Shaft.

This is an uncut stream highlight to prove that this was indeed happened on single run.

[Steven]

Alucard's default movement speed is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo agonizingly slow, and while that was fine for the older Castlevanias since they aren't massive sprawling open world platformers focused on exploration, that doesn't work for this type of game, which should have relatively fast movement be default. Games like Super Metroid and Zero Mission and even the original Metroid have relatively brisk movement speeds but Alucard's over here imitating a snail when he should be imitating Sonic or Samus instead. Increasing his default movement speed by about 250% would help greatly. Look at Maria in the Saturn version. Her movement speed is much more appropriate for this game!

Seriously, Alucard's speed is fine in that game.

No, it isn't, for the reasons that I stated earlier.

If that's "soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo agonizingly slow", then what the hell is Christopher's speed in Dracula Densetsu?

Partially the result of shit programming/optimization, as the game isn't able to maintain a proper framerate. I'd rather play that than this, though.

His speed was never a problem to me in the slightest. Not back when the game was new, nor now.

Consider yourself fortunate. I never played this game until 2020 or so and was extremely disappointed by most aspects of it.

It's an exploration-type of game. Those games are meant to be taken slowly. Explore every corner of the castle while enjoying the visuals, the music and whatnot. What's up with some of you guys and the need to finish every game as fast as possible, as if you're constantly in a hurry or something? Just like sex, it's not too fun when it ends too quickly, right?

The whole point is to 100% the game as fast as possible, or to low% as fast as possible.

[Mortificator]

Dracula XX No Miss Best + Bad Ending Route back to back

After playing this game for almost a decade I got the no death run, 2 routes back to back! Captured on stream

Initially I only aimed for Best ending run first since it was the route I practiced, but I got it on my first try on yesterday's stream and I think it would've been too early to end it right away so I decided to do bad ending just for derust, and the magic happens: I cleared it on no death run first try! And I barely practiced alternate stage 5 and the new bosses, but I do remember Cursed Annette has the same pattern as Rondo of Blood's Shaft.

This is an uncut stream highlight to prove that this was indeed happened on single run.

I don't like XX, but I liked this run. And wow, the axe is the real vampire killer.

The whole point is to 100% the game as fast as possible, or to low% as fast as possible.

Lol, I promise you that is not the whole point of the game.

[Steven]

The whole point is to 100% the game as fast as possible, or to low% as fast as possible.

Lol, I promise you that is not the whole point of the game.

Then why is there both a timer and a completion percentage and why does Metroid specifically reward players for fast 100%s and fast low%s?

[Sumez]

The whole point is to 100% the game as fast as possible, or to low% as fast as possible.

lol what the hell

[Sima Tuna]

I think it's because Alucard has that ridiculously detailed power walking animation.

It is a fantastic animation, mind you, but I don't think it's technically 100% correct for a walk cycle. It makes him seem like he moves slower than he really does.

His movement speed also isn't zippy like Super Metroid, but if I recall correctly, the rooms in Super Metroid are a lot larger than the rooms in Symphony of the Night. Rather, Super Metroid always felt a bit fast for me, with all the screen scrolling, floaty and loose jumping, and Samus sometimes getting close to the edge of the screen when running in a wide open space.

I really like the way he walks. There's something dreamlike about it, which combined with the afterimages gives the impression he's floating around like a true Lord of the Night.

I agree that Super Metroid feels a little too fast with its default walk cycle. There are many unreactable attacks from enemies if you try to run through each zone at Samus' standard running speed without first memorizing the game.

[copy-paster]

Brought to you by I HATE SHITTY MAME™ gang

And wow, the axe is the real vampire killer.

It is no doubt the best subweapon in the game, glad they kept it as versatile as it was in Rondo. The item crash for Cross can be handy too for bosses.

[Sumez]

It makes me happy whenever the cross isn't automatically just the best subweapon in a Castlevania game. It really is incredibly powerful in some of them due to the way it clips into enemies.

Though of course that leaves scenarios like CV1 where it's not the best because of how ridiculously broken the holy water is, or Symphony of the Night which bravely axed the boomerang style cross altogether - but ended up with the most hilariously overpowered dagger of any game. Like, it's insane that they left it in like it was. I get that you want to take it from being the boring ignorable subweapon it usually is, but holy shit. Right from the get go you can just tear through any boss fight with it.

I guess I just really like the axe due to how utilitarian it is.

[sky-13]

The knife definitely became my favorite sub item in SotN, it’s so fast! The axe and holy water have their uses.

Agunea is super cool but what an absolute waste of hearts.

I’m guessing the boomerang cross was scrapped because in SotN it’s so overpowered it makes most of the actual swords redundant.

Hell, the Chakram is basically the boomerang cross only more unique to SotN.

[Marc]

Just finished Aria. That was great, concise, well laid out, controls well, looks good.... best GBA entry for sure, then Circle, then Harmony.

[BIL]

Brought to you by I HATE SHITTY MAME™ gang

And wow, the axe is the real vampire killer.

It is no doubt the best subweapon in the game, glad they kept it as versatile as it was in Rondo. The item crash for Cross can be handy too for bosses.

AXE MURDA REPRESENT Makes short work of pikemen AND Dracula mkII! Everyone cries about both - they need to HEFT STEEL! (ALSO use that good spacing + footsies on them pikies! )

[Blinge]

How's that Haunted Castle revisited?

[Steven]

Really cool but also really easy.

[Hazuki]

Partially the result of shit programming/optimization, as the game isn't able to maintain a proper framerate. I'd rather play that than this, though.

Doesn't change the fact the game is slower than the typical castlevania. Compare it with Dracula Densetsu II or the FDS/FC trilogy which are also 8-bit games. The speed is perfect in them.

Consider yourself fortunate. I never played this game until 2020 or so and was extremely disappointed by most aspects of it.

Figures. Your posts here suggest that you may not be a zoomer, but someone who only got into the world of video games as an adult rather than a child. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

But if that's the case, then playing the game for the first time only in the 2020s is definitely a huge factor in the lack of impressiveness it caused on you, when there are already a zillion other better or worse options existing at the same time (many influenced by it). But back in 1997, if you wanted a similar enough "metroidvania" (I don't like the term, but am using it retroactively here for convenience) experience, your only other option was Super Metroid.

Then why is there both a timer and a completion percentage and why does Metroid specifically reward players for fast 100%s and fast low%s?

Why wouldn't it? Timer is just a standard feature that started getting added to games around that era. It's there to show how much time you spent playing the game and nothing else. Stuff like RPGs, Simulation/Strategy games and such also have it, and they're certainly on the slow-paced side. It doesn't necessarily mean the devs want you to beat them as fast as possible. Unlike the Metroid series that's obviously made with speed in mind since it rewards you with better endings, the ending from SoTN is the same no matter how fast you clear it.

How's that Haunted Castle revisited?

I still haven't had the chance to play it yet either due to being ultra busy as of late, but will probably be able to do so this week and then post my impressions here. For the record, I'm familiar with the original and have already beaten it multiple times.