Well, this is the first Castlevania I've ever beaten and I'll fully admit I played on Easy Difficulty for this one because I've never played a Castlevania before and the game is hard as is even on this setting.
I will say I like how this game has a variety of settings going throughout all of Europe during the tail end of World War 1, from the Leaning Tower of Pisa to a Munitions Factory, the stages are all filled with a sense of variety and level themes that make sure they don't get old.
I do wish they kind of did more with it though given well, this game takes place during World War One and yet we only see soldier like enemies in that Munitions Factory I mentioned earlier. You would think we'd find more Soldier Zombies and Ghouls roaming the various locales but there aren't really any and it's a tad disappointing.
As for the gameplay it's a solid platformer, though some levels tend to drag way longer than they need to. Stage 4 in particular felt like it was going on for an eternity as the Stage count rose higher and higher to like fucking, Stage 4-13 or some shit.
I personally played as Eric Lecarde in my run because I just thought the Alucard Spear was a cool weapon and I was correct. His moveset being far more versatile than John Morris was also part of the reason. Eric has a high jump that can damage enemies, his spear can be aimed diagonally and twirled around for some extra style and defense, and he has a longer range.
Not to say I didn't try Morris, I did but I enjoyed playing Eric a lot more, and I like his design a lot as well.
Boss Fights in this game though are very hit or miss I find. You either get something really simplistic or an encounter that absolutely sucks balls.
I think the kicker really goes to the Gargoyle boss fight in Stage 3, as it being so high in the air makes hitting it a pain in the ass with your regular weapon, and the relatively small platform you fight it on doesn't give you much in the way to avoid its attacks.
And that's not bringing up the various stage gimmicks, the worst of which is in the final level. I fully expect the Final Level to be challenging, but I definitely think a reverse gravity section was a bit much just for how disorienting it was and the fact that a sizeable chunk of it is placed over a bottomless pit.
Despite that though the game is definitely a visual treat. The Genesis graphics and colors really make the game pop and the usage of red throughout gives the game an ominous creeping feeling as you make your way to challenge the Prince of Darkness.
All in all, Castlevania Bloodlines was alright. It didn't feel like a stellar experience but I could see myself going back to try the other difficulties given time.
I will say I like how this game has a variety of settings going throughout all of Europe during the tail end of World War 1, from the Leaning Tower of Pisa to a Munitions Factory, the stages are all filled with a sense of variety and level themes that make sure they don't get old.
I do wish they kind of did more with it though given well, this game takes place during World War One and yet we only see soldier like enemies in that Munitions Factory I mentioned earlier. You would think we'd find more Soldier Zombies and Ghouls roaming the various locales but there aren't really any and it's a tad disappointing.
As for the gameplay it's a solid platformer, though some levels tend to drag way longer than they need to. Stage 4 in particular felt like it was going on for an eternity as the Stage count rose higher and higher to like fucking, Stage 4-13 or some shit.
I personally played as Eric Lecarde in my run because I just thought the Alucard Spear was a cool weapon and I was correct. His moveset being far more versatile than John Morris was also part of the reason. Eric has a high jump that can damage enemies, his spear can be aimed diagonally and twirled around for some extra style and defense, and he has a longer range.
Not to say I didn't try Morris, I did but I enjoyed playing Eric a lot more, and I like his design a lot as well.
Boss Fights in this game though are very hit or miss I find. You either get something really simplistic or an encounter that absolutely sucks balls.
I think the kicker really goes to the Gargoyle boss fight in Stage 3, as it being so high in the air makes hitting it a pain in the ass with your regular weapon, and the relatively small platform you fight it on doesn't give you much in the way to avoid its attacks.
And that's not bringing up the various stage gimmicks, the worst of which is in the final level. I fully expect the Final Level to be challenging, but I definitely think a reverse gravity section was a bit much just for how disorienting it was and the fact that a sizeable chunk of it is placed over a bottomless pit.
Despite that though the game is definitely a visual treat. The Genesis graphics and colors really make the game pop and the usage of red throughout gives the game an ominous creeping feeling as you make your way to challenge the Prince of Darkness.
All in all, Castlevania Bloodlines was alright. It didn't feel like a stellar experience but I could see myself going back to try the other difficulties given time.