Castlevania on the N64 (or 'Castlevania 64') is emblematic of the difficult transition from 2D to 3D, its failures only more apparent given its surprisingly late release into a world that had already seen numerous early-3D classics, not to mention Symphony of the Night offering an exciting new direction for the series in 2D. With all these points of comparison, Castlevania 64 comes across clunky, unwieldy, and dated by the standards of its own time.
Nonetheless, I actually did quite enjoy it. It sensibly looks back to Vampire Killer for its structure, adopting a stage-based format akin to the linear Castlevania titles but with room for exploration within those levels. Even Super Mario abandoned its traditional structure in the jump to 3D, so Castlevania at least partially doing the same just makes sense. However, given the stiffness and inconsistency of the platforming, perhaps Castlevania 64 should have leaned away from the traditional Castlevania structure even harder, focusing instead on its atmosphere and action-adventure elements. The later stages are a mad dash to the end through platforming gauntlets, and it feels like they just ran out of time for the more ambitious action-adventure stuff and had to fall back on series conventions. It's a shame, as those early action-adventure parts needed more time in the oven too, with some sequences playing out pretty awkwardly.
Still, as I said, I like this game. It's a charming and atmospheric little adventure with a lot of great ideas. As with Simon's Quest, it's a failed experiment that falls below the series' average quality, but nonetheless strengthens the series overall by giving it texture. I'm immediately jumping into Legacy of Darkness to see what that weird hybrid of prequel and expanded version can do to improve on the strong core vision at the centre of Castlevania 64.
Nonetheless, I actually did quite enjoy it. It sensibly looks back to Vampire Killer for its structure, adopting a stage-based format akin to the linear Castlevania titles but with room for exploration within those levels. Even Super Mario abandoned its traditional structure in the jump to 3D, so Castlevania at least partially doing the same just makes sense. However, given the stiffness and inconsistency of the platforming, perhaps Castlevania 64 should have leaned away from the traditional Castlevania structure even harder, focusing instead on its atmosphere and action-adventure elements. The later stages are a mad dash to the end through platforming gauntlets, and it feels like they just ran out of time for the more ambitious action-adventure stuff and had to fall back on series conventions. It's a shame, as those early action-adventure parts needed more time in the oven too, with some sequences playing out pretty awkwardly.
Still, as I said, I like this game. It's a charming and atmospheric little adventure with a lot of great ideas. As with Simon's Quest, it's a failed experiment that falls below the series' average quality, but nonetheless strengthens the series overall by giving it texture. I'm immediately jumping into Legacy of Darkness to see what that weird hybrid of prequel and expanded version can do to improve on the strong core vision at the centre of Castlevania 64.