DoctorIssa
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Is that Alucard with the contra spread gun?? A glorious return to form. After the hard to swallow pill that was Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, I am ecstatic that we are back to simple level by level platforming, with cool bossfights at the end.
Castlevania III is just the first Castlevania but bigger. The game plays exactly the same as the first, but is just 2-3 times longer. There is also branching levels meaning there is a lot of room for replayability.
The biggest difference and my favourite part about the game is the ability to find different playable characters that can be super helpful for some sections. You have a guy that can climb ceilings that has a permanent ranged weapon, or as previously mentioned Alucard that has a Contra spread gun and fucking kills those annoying bats with ease. He can also turn into a bat for a limited time and trivialise some platforming sections. Depending on how you play and which characters you choose to come along with you, there is some room for emergent gameplay which is something I never thought I'd see in a NES game.
The difficulty this time around, while still not perfect, is a little more balanced than the first game due to the fact that you have many different ways to approach a scenario. The game was still challenging, but I never got too frustrated while playing as I felt like I was never locked into a single solution if I was stuck at a problem.
This is probably the best of the three from the NES trilogy, considering there is so much content packed into this little game, and it plays the best. If Simon's Quest brought your spirits down, play this one and your hopes will come back up.
Castlevania III is just the first Castlevania but bigger. The game plays exactly the same as the first, but is just 2-3 times longer. There is also branching levels meaning there is a lot of room for replayability.
The biggest difference and my favourite part about the game is the ability to find different playable characters that can be super helpful for some sections. You have a guy that can climb ceilings that has a permanent ranged weapon, or as previously mentioned Alucard that has a Contra spread gun and fucking kills those annoying bats with ease. He can also turn into a bat for a limited time and trivialise some platforming sections. Depending on how you play and which characters you choose to come along with you, there is some room for emergent gameplay which is something I never thought I'd see in a NES game.
The difficulty this time around, while still not perfect, is a little more balanced than the first game due to the fact that you have many different ways to approach a scenario. The game was still challenging, but I never got too frustrated while playing as I felt like I was never locked into a single solution if I was stuck at a problem.
This is probably the best of the three from the NES trilogy, considering there is so much content packed into this little game, and it plays the best. If Simon's Quest brought your spirits down, play this one and your hopes will come back up.
1993
I've been playing a lot of Platinum Games lately, and I couldn't stop thinking about how Platinum Games are kinda like the modern version of Treasure Games, where action, style, mechanics and replayability take front row over any other factors in their games.
I'm a big fan of retro games, but having this thought I just realised I have not played any Treasure titles, besides the original Sin and Punishment. So going through their catalog, as I am now playing through a lot of Platinum titles, I will also be playing through Treasure titles alongside them, and there is no better place to start than their first title Gunstar Heroes.
I really liked Gunstar Heroes. It's like any other run and gun like Metal Slug or Contra, but the chaos is dialed up to 10. There's is just so much happening on the screen with shit exploding and effects everywhere that you can't help but feel so much dopamine rush through your brain.
The game has more of a focus on shooting and dodging bullets however, rather than platforming. There is next to no platforming in this game, so it is safer to say this is closer to something like a shmup than it is to Metal Slug/Contra. There are even some cool shmup sections. The bossfights themselves feel like something that was designed in cuphead. So much fun, but definetly more forgiving than Cuphead.
Speaking of difficulty, like every other retro shmup, I was expecting something hard. But surprisingly I never got a game over and just beat the whole game on my first playthrough on Normal difficulty. So I can see myself giving this another try on hard mode.
There's nothing too deep about Gunstar Heroes, it's just pure mindless run and gun action with a lot of effects happening on screen. Where you'll have the most fun is with the bossfights as it requires some level of thinking as you'll need to understand boss patterns in order to dodge their attacks. What a great little arcadey title that I can see myself replaying. I look forward to playing more of Treasure Games.
I'm a big fan of retro games, but having this thought I just realised I have not played any Treasure titles, besides the original Sin and Punishment. So going through their catalog, as I am now playing through a lot of Platinum titles, I will also be playing through Treasure titles alongside them, and there is no better place to start than their first title Gunstar Heroes.
I really liked Gunstar Heroes. It's like any other run and gun like Metal Slug or Contra, but the chaos is dialed up to 10. There's is just so much happening on the screen with shit exploding and effects everywhere that you can't help but feel so much dopamine rush through your brain.
The game has more of a focus on shooting and dodging bullets however, rather than platforming. There is next to no platforming in this game, so it is safer to say this is closer to something like a shmup than it is to Metal Slug/Contra. There are even some cool shmup sections. The bossfights themselves feel like something that was designed in cuphead. So much fun, but definetly more forgiving than Cuphead.
Speaking of difficulty, like every other retro shmup, I was expecting something hard. But surprisingly I never got a game over and just beat the whole game on my first playthrough on Normal difficulty. So I can see myself giving this another try on hard mode.
There's nothing too deep about Gunstar Heroes, it's just pure mindless run and gun action with a lot of effects happening on screen. Where you'll have the most fun is with the bossfights as it requires some level of thinking as you'll need to understand boss patterns in order to dodge their attacks. What a great little arcadey title that I can see myself replaying. I look forward to playing more of Treasure Games.
So you're telling me Platinum at their prime (no pun intended) made this with a budget of $15 and some pocket lint? It's kinda crazy because you can feel how low budget this game is, yet the gameplay is some of Platinum's very best.
Is that Optimus Prime dodging and activating witch time? You bet your ass that is. This is literally a Transformers Bayonetta game. It's crazy how good combat feels here. When you play Bayonetta, the combat is satisfying in a punchy sense. In Transforms: Devastation, the combat is satisfying in the sense where you can feel the weighty 5 tonne metal clash and bash 10 tonne metal. If you want to play the game purley for the combat and vibes, this game will satisfy you. If you're looking for anything else, unfortunately the low budget presents you with copy + paste environments that repeat 2-3 times in a 6 hour game. Yeah game looks cheaper than a McDonalds Big Mac meal, but if you're into Transformers, Bayo Combat and some crazy metal playing during many of the game's bossfights, you will really enjoy this as much as I did.
The bossfights are easily the best fights pitting you against some of the most iconic Deceptions with their own movesets and strategy while the hypest music is playing in the background. And the game is FULL of bossfights to keep you entertained between all the copy pasted "level" sections of the game.
There is also a good replayability factor here since you can play as 5 different Autobots throughout the entire game. Optimus was my favorite, but I am bias.
This is honestly more of a 3.5/5 game because of how ugly everything about the world in this game is, and it's pretty short, but the combat and bossfights are so goddamn good I bumped it up to a 4.
Is that Optimus Prime dodging and activating witch time? You bet your ass that is. This is literally a Transformers Bayonetta game. It's crazy how good combat feels here. When you play Bayonetta, the combat is satisfying in a punchy sense. In Transforms: Devastation, the combat is satisfying in the sense where you can feel the weighty 5 tonne metal clash and bash 10 tonne metal. If you want to play the game purley for the combat and vibes, this game will satisfy you. If you're looking for anything else, unfortunately the low budget presents you with copy + paste environments that repeat 2-3 times in a 6 hour game. Yeah game looks cheaper than a McDonalds Big Mac meal, but if you're into Transformers, Bayo Combat and some crazy metal playing during many of the game's bossfights, you will really enjoy this as much as I did.
The bossfights are easily the best fights pitting you against some of the most iconic Deceptions with their own movesets and strategy while the hypest music is playing in the background. And the game is FULL of bossfights to keep you entertained between all the copy pasted "level" sections of the game.
There is also a good replayability factor here since you can play as 5 different Autobots throughout the entire game. Optimus was my favorite, but I am bias.
This is honestly more of a 3.5/5 game because of how ugly everything about the world in this game is, and it's pretty short, but the combat and bossfights are so goddamn good I bumped it up to a 4.
Played this game purely because it's a Treasure title. To be fair it is a solid platformer. It's kinda like a Ronald McDonald Mega Man game, but not as intuitive. Enemies take way too may "Magic blasts" to kill. It's like if you're playing Mega Man and you had every single enemy took about 15 buster pellets to kill. It gets old really fast and ruins the pacing of the game.
One of the most "Treasure" things about this game are the visuals. This one of the best and most colorful looking games on the Genesis, and not just in artstyle but also design. I love how whacky and fever dream-y all the worlds and enemy designs are in this game. There's also some uhhhh "questionable" enemy designs that you could call a product of it's time. Crazy how McDonalds back it though.
There are some really cool setpieces in the game that were easily the best parts. But the final levels and the final boss were just awful that it left a bad taste in my mouth.
If anything, this is just a showcase for Treasure to prove how visually pleasing they always make their games. Otherwise from a gameplay standpoint, it's a pretty barebone platformer.
One of the most "Treasure" things about this game are the visuals. This one of the best and most colorful looking games on the Genesis, and not just in artstyle but also design. I love how whacky and fever dream-y all the worlds and enemy designs are in this game. There's also some uhhhh "questionable" enemy designs that you could call a product of it's time. Crazy how McDonalds back it though.
There are some really cool setpieces in the game that were easily the best parts. But the final levels and the final boss were just awful that it left a bad taste in my mouth.
If anything, this is just a showcase for Treasure to prove how visually pleasing they always make their games. Otherwise from a gameplay standpoint, it's a pretty barebone platformer.
1991
Now THIS is the epitome of classicvania. A sort of reimagining of the first Castlevania, this game perfects the formula that is known as classicvania.
All issues I had with the last 3 games are addressed here. The controls are PERFECT. Simon controls so well it doesn't feel like you're controlling a brick anymore. You now have directional whipping which is a godsend and made otherwise difficult scenarios more manageable.
The difficulty is just right. If you're somewhat familiar with this games, you should be able to beat this on your first playthough without any struggles, but you will still die and face some challenges. Only bullshit section is the final boss. I felt like that was even harder than Castlevania 1's final boss. But every other level and boss is just well balanced and designed, nothing feels too cheap when you die. This game has some of the coolest and most creative looking levels in the series.
The music and graphics are phenomenal. Some of the best most hype music in the series so far. Especially when you are in the castle and a lot of the tracks are just throwback remixes. So good. The game itself looks great and effects when whipping and killing enemies are so crunchy and satisfying.
Super Castlevania IV is easily my favorite of the classicvania games (of which I've played so far), and of my now top 10 SNES games of all time.
All issues I had with the last 3 games are addressed here. The controls are PERFECT. Simon controls so well it doesn't feel like you're controlling a brick anymore. You now have directional whipping which is a godsend and made otherwise difficult scenarios more manageable.
The difficulty is just right. If you're somewhat familiar with this games, you should be able to beat this on your first playthough without any struggles, but you will still die and face some challenges. Only bullshit section is the final boss. I felt like that was even harder than Castlevania 1's final boss. But every other level and boss is just well balanced and designed, nothing feels too cheap when you die. This game has some of the coolest and most creative looking levels in the series.
The music and graphics are phenomenal. Some of the best most hype music in the series so far. Especially when you are in the castle and a lot of the tracks are just throwback remixes. So good. The game itself looks great and effects when whipping and killing enemies are so crunchy and satisfying.
Super Castlevania IV is easily my favorite of the classicvania games (of which I've played so far), and of my now top 10 SNES games of all time.
2010
Back in the day when Darksiders initially came out, I was a big action game fan (still am). I loved my DMCs and God of Wars, and so with the combat that Darksiders did have, my expectation was a cool action game but based on the Abrahamic religions as it's backdrop. Instead I got a semi decent action game, but filled with puzzles, dungeons and exploration. I wasn't a big fan of Zelda back then and I thought the puzzles/exploration were boring. I just wanted to fight stuff. So by time I got to the final dungeon, I was overwhelmed and just quit the game.
Fast forward to today, Zelda is one of my favourite franchises of all time. I love the classic Zelda formula of dungeons, exploration and puzzles. So I thought back about how Darksiders was basically a Zelda game with an Abrahamic lore, and wanted to give it another chance with my new Zelda-liking mindset.
Darksiders is a great Zelda clone. It is pretty much an Arbramic Ocarina of Time where it follows the same formula. You explore an overworld, solve puzzles dungeons to get new items that help you defeat bosses and gain access to new areas in the overworld. The more you explore, the more upgrades you will find that will make you stronger etc etc. It's not so different from Ocarina Of Time, you even get a horse.
The one thing that does really separate Darksiders from a Zelda game, besides the setting, is the combat. Zelda combat is usually nothing to write home about, and serviceable. Darksiders takes note of the action games from those days, like DMC and God of War and kind of melds it's combo focused action with Zelda's -targeting system. It works, and quite fun to play, but it's not as mechanically deep DMC or God of War. It feels more like an enhanced OoT combat system, although there isn't much enemy variety so towards the end of the game it starts to feel quite repetrtive
I love the post apocalyptic modern setting, which definitely helps separate itself from the fantasy medieval setting of Zelda to offer it's own unique experience. The lore is quite good, especially if you are familiar with any of the Abrahamic religions, it takes concepts and events and twists it to it's own dark universe. You can tell they really want to set up a larger universe with multiple games, just from this first game which was ambitious of the team and (almost) delivered.
It's not a masterpiece like Ocarina of Time, but it does what it sets out to do very well. Nothing here is ground breaking or innovative. It's just a great all around Zelda clone, which I'm glad I revisited to give a second chance.
Fast forward to today, Zelda is one of my favourite franchises of all time. I love the classic Zelda formula of dungeons, exploration and puzzles. So I thought back about how Darksiders was basically a Zelda game with an Abrahamic lore, and wanted to give it another chance with my new Zelda-liking mindset.
Darksiders is a great Zelda clone. It is pretty much an Arbramic Ocarina of Time where it follows the same formula. You explore an overworld, solve puzzles dungeons to get new items that help you defeat bosses and gain access to new areas in the overworld. The more you explore, the more upgrades you will find that will make you stronger etc etc. It's not so different from Ocarina Of Time, you even get a horse.
The one thing that does really separate Darksiders from a Zelda game, besides the setting, is the combat. Zelda combat is usually nothing to write home about, and serviceable. Darksiders takes note of the action games from those days, like DMC and God of War and kind of melds it's combo focused action with Zelda's -targeting system. It works, and quite fun to play, but it's not as mechanically deep DMC or God of War. It feels more like an enhanced OoT combat system, although there isn't much enemy variety so towards the end of the game it starts to feel quite repetrtive
I love the post apocalyptic modern setting, which definitely helps separate itself from the fantasy medieval setting of Zelda to offer it's own unique experience. The lore is quite good, especially if you are familiar with any of the Abrahamic religions, it takes concepts and events and twists it to it's own dark universe. You can tell they really want to set up a larger universe with multiple games, just from this first game which was ambitious of the team and (almost) delivered.
It's not a masterpiece like Ocarina of Time, but it does what it sets out to do very well. Nothing here is ground breaking or innovative. It's just a great all around Zelda clone, which I'm glad I revisited to give a second chance.
Genesis Ver Review:
Perhaps the first notable Mickey platformer. I mean back in the day, when you had to make a platformer of any existing IP, Mickey would be a no brainer.
In Castle of Illusion, Sega really uses the concept of Disney magic and applies it very well to the aesthetic of their first Mickey platformer. The game is beautiful on the Genesis and the background and sprite work really feels like something out of a 60s Disney movie. Each level feels like some sort of concept Disney has used in the past, from enchanted forests, to haunted castles, you really do feel the magic and this game is just something great to look at.
Gameplay-wise, It is a very solid platformer that does not do anything outstanding to innovate in the genre, but it works well. It takes aspects from both Ducktales with his butt-stomping cane-like bounce, and Aladdin with the apple projectile throwing. This is something anyone can pick up and play, and it's really fun.
Levels work like most platformers in the day, where you usually get through a series of stages followed by a boss at the end. Each boss feels unique and has their own way of strategy needed to defeat them. Bosses are some of the most amazing sprites in the game feeling like they came straight out of Sleeping Beauty or Snow White.
A very standard, but well done platformer that takes advantage of the IP and uses the Disney aesthetic to bring us a nostalgic setting with great vibes. Really enjoyed this one.
Perhaps the first notable Mickey platformer. I mean back in the day, when you had to make a platformer of any existing IP, Mickey would be a no brainer.
In Castle of Illusion, Sega really uses the concept of Disney magic and applies it very well to the aesthetic of their first Mickey platformer. The game is beautiful on the Genesis and the background and sprite work really feels like something out of a 60s Disney movie. Each level feels like some sort of concept Disney has used in the past, from enchanted forests, to haunted castles, you really do feel the magic and this game is just something great to look at.
Gameplay-wise, It is a very solid platformer that does not do anything outstanding to innovate in the genre, but it works well. It takes aspects from both Ducktales with his butt-stomping cane-like bounce, and Aladdin with the apple projectile throwing. This is something anyone can pick up and play, and it's really fun.
Levels work like most platformers in the day, where you usually get through a series of stages followed by a boss at the end. Each boss feels unique and has their own way of strategy needed to defeat them. Bosses are some of the most amazing sprites in the game feeling like they came straight out of Sleeping Beauty or Snow White.
A very standard, but well done platformer that takes advantage of the IP and uses the Disney aesthetic to bring us a nostalgic setting with great vibes. Really enjoyed this one.
While Castle of Illusion felt like a platforming homage to 60/70s era Disney of Sleeping Beauty/Snow White, World of Illusion feels like more of a homage to the 80s/90s era of renaissance Disney, with the exception of one level that is a homage to Alice in Wonderland.
The animations here are really impressive for a Sega Genesis game as they feel like they were ripped right out of a Mickey mouse saturday morning cartoon. While the backgrounds are pretty, they don't feel as detailed or as impressive with the painting-like backgrounds of Castle of Illusion.
Presenting itself as a sequel, the gameplay is not quite exactly the same or an evolution of what was provided in Castle of Illusion. Ditching the Ducktales-like bounce on enemies heads gameplay, this goes for a more Castlevania esque type of platformer. You no longer have a way of killing enemies by jumping or bouncing on their heads, you now have a castlevania whip-like magical cape. To most this isn't probably an upgrade or downgrade as it can be just as fun, but taking away the ability to kill enemies by jumping on their heads to just instead hit them with an attack button is not as fun of a replacement. The only improvement which I really did enjoy was the addition of a run button as I didn't like how slow Mickey moved in Castle of Illusion, so there is a definite improvement.
Castle of Illusion provided a decent challenge. While not as hard as most classic games, you will definitely die and find yourself getting a game over. World of Illusion is not only shorter, but much easier. I don't think I got a game over once. I literally breezed through this on a lunch break. Unfortunately this doesn't leave a lasting impression like Castle of Illusion did, but it's still a good well made game nonetheless.
The animations here are really impressive for a Sega Genesis game as they feel like they were ripped right out of a Mickey mouse saturday morning cartoon. While the backgrounds are pretty, they don't feel as detailed or as impressive with the painting-like backgrounds of Castle of Illusion.
Presenting itself as a sequel, the gameplay is not quite exactly the same or an evolution of what was provided in Castle of Illusion. Ditching the Ducktales-like bounce on enemies heads gameplay, this goes for a more Castlevania esque type of platformer. You no longer have a way of killing enemies by jumping or bouncing on their heads, you now have a castlevania whip-like magical cape. To most this isn't probably an upgrade or downgrade as it can be just as fun, but taking away the ability to kill enemies by jumping on their heads to just instead hit them with an attack button is not as fun of a replacement. The only improvement which I really did enjoy was the addition of a run button as I didn't like how slow Mickey moved in Castle of Illusion, so there is a definite improvement.
Castle of Illusion provided a decent challenge. While not as hard as most classic games, you will definitely die and find yourself getting a game over. World of Illusion is not only shorter, but much easier. I don't think I got a game over once. I literally breezed through this on a lunch break. Unfortunately this doesn't leave a lasting impression like Castle of Illusion did, but it's still a good well made game nonetheless.
I'm relieved to say that this feels more like a sequel to Castle of Illusion rather than World of Illusion, bringing back the Ducktales like butt-bouncing mechanic that made the game so fun.
What differentiates Land of Illusion from Castle is the fact that it has some adventure game elements, rather than just being a straight up linear platformer. You now have a level select screen which allows you to replay levels to pick up items you may have missed or couldn't get to, such as health upgrades and finding new paths which open up new levels. I really like progression here because now there are items you can find my completing certain levels, which you can use to access new areas in previous levels. A lot of people don't like this backtracking aspect, but I really enjoyed it as it gave the game a Metroid/Zelda feel. It makes you keep in mind which areas you couldn't access until you got a certain item to help you get there.
The levels themes found here are slightly more generic than the magical Disney inspired levels of Castle and World. What you get here is the typical island level, the castle level, the desert level, the cloud level, cave level etc etc. fairly generic, but I guess it still works for the simplicity of the GG.
With it being a Game Gear game, unfortunately it is not as pretty to look at as it's predecessors, which is a shame because the aesthetic is one of the best things about the series so far. I would love to see a remake of this that uses Castle of Illusions artstyle. As for now, I think I like this as much as Castle of Illusion due to the progression system, but if it was instead made for the Genesis with the Castle artstyle in mind, it would have easily been my favorite.
What differentiates Land of Illusion from Castle is the fact that it has some adventure game elements, rather than just being a straight up linear platformer. You now have a level select screen which allows you to replay levels to pick up items you may have missed or couldn't get to, such as health upgrades and finding new paths which open up new levels. I really like progression here because now there are items you can find my completing certain levels, which you can use to access new areas in previous levels. A lot of people don't like this backtracking aspect, but I really enjoyed it as it gave the game a Metroid/Zelda feel. It makes you keep in mind which areas you couldn't access until you got a certain item to help you get there.
The levels themes found here are slightly more generic than the magical Disney inspired levels of Castle and World. What you get here is the typical island level, the castle level, the desert level, the cloud level, cave level etc etc. fairly generic, but I guess it still works for the simplicity of the GG.
With it being a Game Gear game, unfortunately it is not as pretty to look at as it's predecessors, which is a shame because the aesthetic is one of the best things about the series so far. I would love to see a remake of this that uses Castle of Illusions artstyle. As for now, I think I like this as much as Castle of Illusion due to the progression system, but if it was instead made for the Genesis with the Castle artstyle in mind, it would have easily been my favorite.
The last of the Mickey Illusion games and I feel the weakest of the four classic titles. Legend of Illusion does the same thing as World of Illusion ditching the fun Ducktales-like gameplay and going for something like a Mega Man game, if Mega Man's buster was limp.
Not following through with the adventure style that Land of Illusion introduced, we are back to straightforward level by level platforming. However everything feels so basic and uninspired this time around.
The level design is the most barebones here and there is no challenge, rhyme or reason. The gameplay itself is not fun as your only method of attack is throwing a weak ass ball that feels like if mega man's pellets were made of Styrofoam. Bossfights aren't very good in this game. Some of them take way too many hits to kill and some of the methods aren't intuitive.
While the game is pretty for a Game Gear game, I will admit, the aesthetics of the game are not my favourite. The theme of the game is medieval Mickey, which is a theme that has been used in Mickey Mouse movies and episodes, so it's kinda like a homage to that. But it's just so uninteresting compared the classical Disney movie inspired settings of the previous titles.
I really didn't enjoy this one too much as compared to the previous 3 titles. Something about it just feels too low budget or made by an inexperienced team. Legend of illusion just sort of lacks the quality and magic the other illusion games had.
Not following through with the adventure style that Land of Illusion introduced, we are back to straightforward level by level platforming. However everything feels so basic and uninspired this time around.
The level design is the most barebones here and there is no challenge, rhyme or reason. The gameplay itself is not fun as your only method of attack is throwing a weak ass ball that feels like if mega man's pellets were made of Styrofoam. Bossfights aren't very good in this game. Some of them take way too many hits to kill and some of the methods aren't intuitive.
While the game is pretty for a Game Gear game, I will admit, the aesthetics of the game are not my favourite. The theme of the game is medieval Mickey, which is a theme that has been used in Mickey Mouse movies and episodes, so it's kinda like a homage to that. But it's just so uninteresting compared the classical Disney movie inspired settings of the previous titles.
I really didn't enjoy this one too much as compared to the previous 3 titles. Something about it just feels too low budget or made by an inexperienced team. Legend of illusion just sort of lacks the quality and magic the other illusion games had.
Man I see what they were going for but this ain't it. Ambitious to try and get a portable castlevania on the original Gameboy but the execution is just terrible.
The game suffers from immense slowdown like it feels like I'm playing this game in a tub of molasses. Everything is so sluggish it just doesn't feel good.
Levels and enemy placement are cheaply designed, just putting shit was either not tested properly or just made on purpose to feel unfair. The final boss being the worst offender. I don't know if it's even possible to kill Dracula's bat form without needing full health.
This is the most sauce less Castlevania and I wish I could get my hour of playing this back.
The game suffers from immense slowdown like it feels like I'm playing this game in a tub of molasses. Everything is so sluggish it just doesn't feel good.
Levels and enemy placement are cheaply designed, just putting shit was either not tested properly or just made on purpose to feel unfair. The final boss being the worst offender. I don't know if it's even possible to kill Dracula's bat form without needing full health.
This is the most sauce less Castlevania and I wish I could get my hour of playing this back.
This is a major step up from the original Castlevania Adventure on the Game Boy. It feels great to play this time and feels a lot like playing the original Castlevania on the NES which is honestly impressive for the Original Game Boy.
Slowdown is almost gone and the controls are very responsive. The levels themselves are designed fairly, in the sense where nothing feels cheap (besides the last few levels but we'll get to that). Enemies aren't whip sponges and are easy to take down. Visuals themselves have the sauce and look nice for a Game Boy game.
This time around the structure is more like Mega Man, where you are given the option to play 4 stages with a boss at the end. Once you complete all 4, you go Castlevania which is pretty much the Wily Castle of this game. It works very well for Castlevania and doesn't feel out of place, except for the fact that there really isn't an order advantage like there are in Mega Man games.
I was only soured by the last few levels as the ending bosses felt kinda unfair and some parts of the level were kind bullishit. Almost enjoyed this one all the way through if it weren't for the last few sections.
Overall, still a good solid Portable Castlevania title, and what the original Castlevania Adventure should have been. Mostly enjoyed my time with this one.
Slowdown is almost gone and the controls are very responsive. The levels themselves are designed fairly, in the sense where nothing feels cheap (besides the last few levels but we'll get to that). Enemies aren't whip sponges and are easy to take down. Visuals themselves have the sauce and look nice for a Game Boy game.
This time around the structure is more like Mega Man, where you are given the option to play 4 stages with a boss at the end. Once you complete all 4, you go Castlevania which is pretty much the Wily Castle of this game. It works very well for Castlevania and doesn't feel out of place, except for the fact that there really isn't an order advantage like there are in Mega Man games.
I was only soured by the last few levels as the ending bosses felt kinda unfair and some parts of the level were kind bullishit. Almost enjoyed this one all the way through if it weren't for the last few sections.
Overall, still a good solid Portable Castlevania title, and what the original Castlevania Adventure should have been. Mostly enjoyed my time with this one.
1990
As a Mega Man fan who is playing through the Castlevania franchise, this was a nice little surprise. A parody spinoff of Castlevania puts you in the shoes of the long time antagonist, Dracula, when he was a child has you jumpn' and shootn' Mega Man style through levels with a boss usually waiting at the end.
Other comparisons to Mega Man is the fact when you defeat a boss at the end of a level you get a new weapon in the form of a charge blast, that you are able to switch. Some of these charge blasts are homing attacks, explosions or even the ability to turn you into a bat for a short period. The only other thing the gameplay does to really differentiate itself from Mega Man is the ability to shoot up (which if Mega Man could do, he would be so OP).
I do wish this game had the structure of a Mega Man game where you could choose your level order, considering bosses do give you weapons this time around, it would have been cool to find an order that gives you your favorite weapons first.
Level wise, the design is more focused on shooting enemies then platforming. There are a handful platforming sections but nothing too hard or stressful. You won't get the disappearing blocks over a bottomless pit type of challenge. Some of the level themes are cool as they take some of the designs from Castlevania and "kidify" them in artsyle. The first level itself is a straight up recreation of Dracula's castle from the original title and it was so cool reliving it. Other levels are more typical levels you'd see in a platformer like the Ice stage or Desert stage - not bad but nothing too great and original either.
The game difficulty is very fair for a NES game and Castlevania game nonetheless. Someone with decent experience with NES platformers should be able to beat this in one sitting with a good level of challenge.
I liked this little fun break from the rage inducing early Castlevania titles, especially as a fan of Mega Man this is a solid MM clone and treat.
Other comparisons to Mega Man is the fact when you defeat a boss at the end of a level you get a new weapon in the form of a charge blast, that you are able to switch. Some of these charge blasts are homing attacks, explosions or even the ability to turn you into a bat for a short period. The only other thing the gameplay does to really differentiate itself from Mega Man is the ability to shoot up (which if Mega Man could do, he would be so OP).
I do wish this game had the structure of a Mega Man game where you could choose your level order, considering bosses do give you weapons this time around, it would have been cool to find an order that gives you your favorite weapons first.
Level wise, the design is more focused on shooting enemies then platforming. There are a handful platforming sections but nothing too hard or stressful. You won't get the disappearing blocks over a bottomless pit type of challenge. Some of the level themes are cool as they take some of the designs from Castlevania and "kidify" them in artsyle. The first level itself is a straight up recreation of Dracula's castle from the original title and it was so cool reliving it. Other levels are more typical levels you'd see in a platformer like the Ice stage or Desert stage - not bad but nothing too great and original either.
The game difficulty is very fair for a NES game and Castlevania game nonetheless. Someone with decent experience with NES platformers should be able to beat this in one sitting with a good level of challenge.
I liked this little fun break from the rage inducing early Castlevania titles, especially as a fan of Mega Man this is a solid MM clone and treat.
Going into this, I had the expectations of a typical retro modern "remake" of the era. You know the type, where it is fairly faithful to the game it is recreating, but uses ugly 3D models for a 2D platformer that strips the original soul the game had while also not getting the controls and physics exactly right thus somehow still not making it the best version to play.
I am happy to say that Castle of Illusion is not that type of remake, but something closer to a remake that takes advantage of the eras Tech to truly make something that enhances the original experience, but also gives it it's own identity to not replace the originals. Something akin to the Resident Evil 2/4 remakes.
Right off the bat, the game is gorgeous. I did not expect a remake from the PS3/360 era to have this much detail, effort and soul in it's artstyle. The original game on the Genesis has some of the best backgrounds and sprites on that system, and somehow the team at Sega Australia lived up to it using their own modern style. As you platform your way through the colourful levels, everything is oozing charm. Even the backgrounds have things happening such a seeing the boss of the level sneaking around, doing their thing. It feels like an alive world and that is very impressive for a 2D platformer.
While mentioning this is a 2D platformer, the game brings it's own unique spin by having 3D platforming sections that work just as great as the 2D sections switching seamlessly between both perspectives like a modern Sonic game. The levels are not a 1-to-1 of the original, but something a bit more remixed while retaining all the aspects that made the original levels memorable.
The gameplay itself retains that fun bouncy Ducktales-like gameplay the original had, yet somehow made it even tighter to play.
All the setpieces from the original are here, such as the part where you need to run away from the giant apple. But this time these set pieces are now remixed into their own big budget cinematic parts of the levels.
Bosses get the same treatment, where in the original they were fairly quick and easy to beat; here they have their own big segments now that make them so fun to fight. They are closer to a boss from something like crash bandicoot.
It is a short game, but feels like biggest budget short game ive played, and I highly recommend you play it if you are a fan of platformers. Get it on steam if you see it on sale, because you'll definitely get a bang for your back. I wish Sega continued remaking these with the other Illusion titles because if they kept this quality up, it could have been the best bunch of remakes we have seen in gaming.
I am happy to say that Castle of Illusion is not that type of remake, but something closer to a remake that takes advantage of the eras Tech to truly make something that enhances the original experience, but also gives it it's own identity to not replace the originals. Something akin to the Resident Evil 2/4 remakes.
Right off the bat, the game is gorgeous. I did not expect a remake from the PS3/360 era to have this much detail, effort and soul in it's artstyle. The original game on the Genesis has some of the best backgrounds and sprites on that system, and somehow the team at Sega Australia lived up to it using their own modern style. As you platform your way through the colourful levels, everything is oozing charm. Even the backgrounds have things happening such a seeing the boss of the level sneaking around, doing their thing. It feels like an alive world and that is very impressive for a 2D platformer.
While mentioning this is a 2D platformer, the game brings it's own unique spin by having 3D platforming sections that work just as great as the 2D sections switching seamlessly between both perspectives like a modern Sonic game. The levels are not a 1-to-1 of the original, but something a bit more remixed while retaining all the aspects that made the original levels memorable.
The gameplay itself retains that fun bouncy Ducktales-like gameplay the original had, yet somehow made it even tighter to play.
All the setpieces from the original are here, such as the part where you need to run away from the giant apple. But this time these set pieces are now remixed into their own big budget cinematic parts of the levels.
Bosses get the same treatment, where in the original they were fairly quick and easy to beat; here they have their own big segments now that make them so fun to fight. They are closer to a boss from something like crash bandicoot.
It is a short game, but feels like biggest budget short game ive played, and I highly recommend you play it if you are a fan of platformers. Get it on steam if you see it on sale, because you'll definitely get a bang for your back. I wish Sega continued remaking these with the other Illusion titles because if they kept this quality up, it could have been the best bunch of remakes we have seen in gaming.
2012
After revisiting the first Darksiders and really liking the game due to it being a generally great 3D Zelda clone, but also being unique enough to bring it's own strengths to the table, I was really looking forward to getting into the sequel starring War's brother, Death. I was keen on getting more of that rewarding exploration action/adventure dungeon hopping gameplay that we all love 3D Zelda for.
There was still a lot of potential Darksiders 1 had that I was hoping Darksiders 2 would reach. Unfortunately, Darksiders 2 doesn't take the strengths of it's predecessor and tries to enhance qualities that were lacking, but rather does it's own new thing. As we like to compare Darksiders 1 to a 3D Zelda game, I like to compare Darksiders 2 to a Prince of Persia game with a touch of Diablo.
The game's greatest strength is it's combat. While it's predecessor's combat wasn't anything amazing, but still fun, Darksiders 2 gives you a nice diverse flexible combat system something closer to a DMC or Bayonetta game. You have your primary weapon, the scythe, and many different types of secondary weapons to choose from such as Hammers, Glaives, Fists etc.
The part I did NOT like was the diablo aspect of it. As you explore and open chests or kill enemies, you will find random loot such as weapons, armor, money, the general stuff. The system is very similar to Diablo where get plenty and plenty of weapon and armor drops with varying stats that you will constantly need to replace over your obsolete under-levelled weapons and armor. In a Diablo game, this system works as the game is designed around it. In Darksiders, this system almost ruins the game for me as it makes these finds very disposable and just destroys the rewarding feeling of exploration and finding chests, because as opposed to Darksiders 1 where you get cool permanent upgrades such as health and magic when you explore, in Darksiders II you know you're just going to get another weapon or armor that you will instantly replace with a stronger weapon/armor that you find a couple of minutes later. There are so many instances where I find an entire optional dungeon with it's own unique boss, and expect some amazing reward, but instead you get another disposable weapon that is already too underlevelled for you. At this rate there really is no point to exploration and just beeline the story, as the best weapons and armor will just come to you as you progress.
One of the elements I wish Darksiders 1 had more of were the dungeons. Every dungeon in that game was amazing and unique, but there were only 4 or 5. In Darksiders 2 that wish is fulfilled... but man what a monkey's paw this is. There are so many dungeons in this game, I think even more than any 3D Zelda game, they're huge and overstay their welcome, including a handful of optional dungeons. But most of these aren't fun. These dungeons aren't the typical clever Zelda type of dungeons, these are closer to Prince of Persia where you are still solving puzzles, but there is more of an emphasis of using wall running and climbing to activate switches and pull levers, rather than a way to solve puzzles with a new an interesting tool you just acquired. You will also be doing a LOT of combat in these dungeons to the point where it starts to feel tedious. I understand that they wanna stress that combat is their strongest suit, but I feel like some of these dungeons are SO long just because they wanna add as many combat sections as they need.
The world, location and story of Darksiders II is no where near as compelling as the first Darksiders. Death's story is not as impactful as War's. The only thing the story brings to the table is the question of what Death was doing during War's imprisonment of the first game. Story-wise, you can completely skip and game and you won't miss out on what's happening overall. The story feels more like an afterthought to just give Death an excuse to do what he's doing. Even the characters introduced are not interesting at all.
The world design does not feel as creative as Darksiders 1, which had an amazing world that merged a post-apocalyptic earth with hellish and divine structures in diverse locations such as deserts, haunted cathedrals, lava chateaus and more. Darksiders II's world is a mix of fairly generic fantasy locations such as Norse inspired plains, and ashy demon realms. 80% of the dungeons feel like they have the same theme of bricky cathedrals overrun by vegetation. It was just so boring all around. They even bring back the post apocalyptic earth level, but it is so much worse as it is a excuse for an hour long really bad third person shooter section of the game.
I was really disappointed in Darksiders II, and already got bored around the 5 hour mark. I wanted to see it through to the end to see if it got better, but never did. While there were some cool moments that got my hopes up, like scaling that massive ghost ship, the game returned to the slog it was right after those cool sections. Darksiders really had the potential to be an amazing franchise, but I feel like Darksiders II prematurely poisoned it before it could fully grow it's legs to run, by becoming the run of the mill action RPG that every action game of the time started to become. This should have sticked to more of the Zelda formula the first game had as I feel like building on that would have grown the franchise to the level it aspired to be.
There was still a lot of potential Darksiders 1 had that I was hoping Darksiders 2 would reach. Unfortunately, Darksiders 2 doesn't take the strengths of it's predecessor and tries to enhance qualities that were lacking, but rather does it's own new thing. As we like to compare Darksiders 1 to a 3D Zelda game, I like to compare Darksiders 2 to a Prince of Persia game with a touch of Diablo.
The game's greatest strength is it's combat. While it's predecessor's combat wasn't anything amazing, but still fun, Darksiders 2 gives you a nice diverse flexible combat system something closer to a DMC or Bayonetta game. You have your primary weapon, the scythe, and many different types of secondary weapons to choose from such as Hammers, Glaives, Fists etc.
The part I did NOT like was the diablo aspect of it. As you explore and open chests or kill enemies, you will find random loot such as weapons, armor, money, the general stuff. The system is very similar to Diablo where get plenty and plenty of weapon and armor drops with varying stats that you will constantly need to replace over your obsolete under-levelled weapons and armor. In a Diablo game, this system works as the game is designed around it. In Darksiders, this system almost ruins the game for me as it makes these finds very disposable and just destroys the rewarding feeling of exploration and finding chests, because as opposed to Darksiders 1 where you get cool permanent upgrades such as health and magic when you explore, in Darksiders II you know you're just going to get another weapon or armor that you will instantly replace with a stronger weapon/armor that you find a couple of minutes later. There are so many instances where I find an entire optional dungeon with it's own unique boss, and expect some amazing reward, but instead you get another disposable weapon that is already too underlevelled for you. At this rate there really is no point to exploration and just beeline the story, as the best weapons and armor will just come to you as you progress.
One of the elements I wish Darksiders 1 had more of were the dungeons. Every dungeon in that game was amazing and unique, but there were only 4 or 5. In Darksiders 2 that wish is fulfilled... but man what a monkey's paw this is. There are so many dungeons in this game, I think even more than any 3D Zelda game, they're huge and overstay their welcome, including a handful of optional dungeons. But most of these aren't fun. These dungeons aren't the typical clever Zelda type of dungeons, these are closer to Prince of Persia where you are still solving puzzles, but there is more of an emphasis of using wall running and climbing to activate switches and pull levers, rather than a way to solve puzzles with a new an interesting tool you just acquired. You will also be doing a LOT of combat in these dungeons to the point where it starts to feel tedious. I understand that they wanna stress that combat is their strongest suit, but I feel like some of these dungeons are SO long just because they wanna add as many combat sections as they need.
The world, location and story of Darksiders II is no where near as compelling as the first Darksiders. Death's story is not as impactful as War's. The only thing the story brings to the table is the question of what Death was doing during War's imprisonment of the first game. Story-wise, you can completely skip and game and you won't miss out on what's happening overall. The story feels more like an afterthought to just give Death an excuse to do what he's doing. Even the characters introduced are not interesting at all.
The world design does not feel as creative as Darksiders 1, which had an amazing world that merged a post-apocalyptic earth with hellish and divine structures in diverse locations such as deserts, haunted cathedrals, lava chateaus and more. Darksiders II's world is a mix of fairly generic fantasy locations such as Norse inspired plains, and ashy demon realms. 80% of the dungeons feel like they have the same theme of bricky cathedrals overrun by vegetation. It was just so boring all around. They even bring back the post apocalyptic earth level, but it is so much worse as it is a excuse for an hour long really bad third person shooter section of the game.
I was really disappointed in Darksiders II, and already got bored around the 5 hour mark. I wanted to see it through to the end to see if it got better, but never did. While there were some cool moments that got my hopes up, like scaling that massive ghost ship, the game returned to the slog it was right after those cool sections. Darksiders really had the potential to be an amazing franchise, but I feel like Darksiders II prematurely poisoned it before it could fully grow it's legs to run, by becoming the run of the mill action RPG that every action game of the time started to become. This should have sticked to more of the Zelda formula the first game had as I feel like building on that would have grown the franchise to the level it aspired to be.