NOTE: This is a review of Henry's story mode. For a full review of Castlevania 64 or a review of Cornell's story, use these links:
https://www.backloggd.com/u/ExSOLDIER/review/135872/
https://www.backloggd.com/u/ExSOLDIER/review/449468/
As I stated in my earlier review of Legacy of Darkness, I promised I would return in October to cover the last playable character of the game—Henry Oldrey.
Henry's campaign is significantly different from the other three characters, acting more like a time trial than anything else. Henry is given seven days to save six children scattered somewhere throughout Castlevania and its surrounding lands. Armed with a pistol and a sword, Henry is an absolute powerhouse. With time being the biggest enemy, knowledge of Castlevania 64's world is essential in finding all of the children under the time limit. That said, I had little trouble locating all of the children with a couple days to spare. Anyone who has played the game previously (which will be everyone considering players must complete Cornell's story to unlock Henry's) should be more than familiar enough with the maps to find the children. Each child is in a less-than-obvious location, but with a little exploration, they can be reached with relative ease.
Henry's campaign being so different from the other three characters helps breathe some life into the game for what was my third full playthrough. The power of his pistol allows players to breeze through combat scenarios and get on with the search. It feels very much like a post-game scenario with its layout akin to Sonic Adventure 2's lost Chao missions.
That said, the final stretch of the game is divided between three locations that are accessible via a coffin teleport. The coffin warps Henry to different locations based on the in-game clock, and as such, traversing these areas can be a little tedious. Forcing the player to sit around and wait or expend a Sun/Moon card and eat up precious time makes the decision to make the teleport function this way less than desirable. Nonetheless, I still had lots of fun and completed the entire campaign in under two hours without a guide.
As the finale to Castlevania 64: Legacy of Darkness, Henry's campaign is a short but sweet bonus to a game I already enjoyed. I know that this game and its earlier incarnation are panned by many, but I found myself having a great time through each of the different story modes. Each character brings something different and fun to the table, the atmosphere is fantastic, and the visuals charming. I am emulating this, so controls are admittedly much better as I am not using a traditional N64 controller, but I do not think for a minute that playing on original hardware would significantly affect my opinion of the game. To any Castlevania fans or fans of retro 3D games in general still on the fence about this one, I say give it a try. Worst case you end up not liking it and move on. But, if you're like me, you may discover a new game you can have hours of fun with and replay several times over.
https://www.backloggd.com/u/ExSOLDIER/review/135872/
https://www.backloggd.com/u/ExSOLDIER/review/449468/
As I stated in my earlier review of Legacy of Darkness, I promised I would return in October to cover the last playable character of the game—Henry Oldrey.
Henry's campaign is significantly different from the other three characters, acting more like a time trial than anything else. Henry is given seven days to save six children scattered somewhere throughout Castlevania and its surrounding lands. Armed with a pistol and a sword, Henry is an absolute powerhouse. With time being the biggest enemy, knowledge of Castlevania 64's world is essential in finding all of the children under the time limit. That said, I had little trouble locating all of the children with a couple days to spare. Anyone who has played the game previously (which will be everyone considering players must complete Cornell's story to unlock Henry's) should be more than familiar enough with the maps to find the children. Each child is in a less-than-obvious location, but with a little exploration, they can be reached with relative ease.
Henry's campaign being so different from the other three characters helps breathe some life into the game for what was my third full playthrough. The power of his pistol allows players to breeze through combat scenarios and get on with the search. It feels very much like a post-game scenario with its layout akin to Sonic Adventure 2's lost Chao missions.
That said, the final stretch of the game is divided between three locations that are accessible via a coffin teleport. The coffin warps Henry to different locations based on the in-game clock, and as such, traversing these areas can be a little tedious. Forcing the player to sit around and wait or expend a Sun/Moon card and eat up precious time makes the decision to make the teleport function this way less than desirable. Nonetheless, I still had lots of fun and completed the entire campaign in under two hours without a guide.
As the finale to Castlevania 64: Legacy of Darkness, Henry's campaign is a short but sweet bonus to a game I already enjoyed. I know that this game and its earlier incarnation are panned by many, but I found myself having a great time through each of the different story modes. Each character brings something different and fun to the table, the atmosphere is fantastic, and the visuals charming. I am emulating this, so controls are admittedly much better as I am not using a traditional N64 controller, but I do not think for a minute that playing on original hardware would significantly affect my opinion of the game. To any Castlevania fans or fans of retro 3D games in general still on the fence about this one, I say give it a try. Worst case you end up not liking it and move on. But, if you're like me, you may discover a new game you can have hours of fun with and replay several times over.