Veritable classic. You know this because you can still play it in 2024 and still find things to be impressed about. I seriously doubt that I'm about to write anything that nobody knows, but hell with it. Enemy design and variety, environments, muuuusic, the sprites, weapon options, armor options, the obtuse arcane, all of these things are peak video games. The voice acting is terrible, but God, that only makes it better. If you've never played this and have misgivings, set them aside. 2D doesn't age like 3D.
If I had to complain a little, I would agree with the general assessment that the Inverted Castle only served to pad the game out another few hours, but on the flip side, there are SO many new enemies that they added. SO many more boss fights. A real Misfits album worth of Universal Monsters to destroy, plus a few really good optional fights. See? Even my complaints turn into compliments. Some of the enemy placement is really stupid and frustrated me a lot. There. Also I wish bosses required a bit more strategy. Face-tanked most of 'em.
If there are any hardcore Castlevania fans reading this, please suggest the next one I should play! I had a harder time getting into the ones that came out before this and the 3D after. I know there are some good GBA ones, I just don't know what they are.
Also, does anyone else get the feeling that Fromsoft took HEAVY inspiration from this? There were so many areas comparable to the Moonlit Gardens, Catacombs, Lost Izalith, Undead Burg, etc. So many similar swords and enemies. There was an armored bull! It really felt like I was playing 2D progenitor Dark Souls.
If I had to complain a little, I would agree with the general assessment that the Inverted Castle only served to pad the game out another few hours, but on the flip side, there are SO many new enemies that they added. SO many more boss fights. A real Misfits album worth of Universal Monsters to destroy, plus a few really good optional fights. See? Even my complaints turn into compliments. Some of the enemy placement is really stupid and frustrated me a lot. There. Also I wish bosses required a bit more strategy. Face-tanked most of 'em.
If there are any hardcore Castlevania fans reading this, please suggest the next one I should play! I had a harder time getting into the ones that came out before this and the 3D after. I know there are some good GBA ones, I just don't know what they are.
Also, does anyone else get the feeling that Fromsoft took HEAVY inspiration from this? There were so many areas comparable to the Moonlit Gardens, Catacombs, Lost Izalith, Undead Burg, etc. So many similar swords and enemies. There was an armored bull! It really felt like I was playing 2D progenitor Dark Souls.
12 Comments
@EldestBrisingr
Whoa! I really appreciate such a thorough recommendation. Thank you!
You clearly have some issues with them here and there, but you make the Collection sound consistent and like a safe bet. Would you say that any of them live up to Symphony? (The prior ones as well). I've tried the SNES one, IV I think, and the first two NES, but I never really connected with them. I remember them feeling really frustrating
Whoa! I really appreciate such a thorough recommendation. Thank you!
You clearly have some issues with them here and there, but you make the Collection sound consistent and like a safe bet. Would you say that any of them live up to Symphony? (The prior ones as well). I've tried the SNES one, IV I think, and the first two NES, but I never really connected with them. I remember them feeling really frustrating
I actually haven’t played Symphony yet, but I really should. 😔 Maybe that will be my next game. I did have issues with the GBA games, but I don’t regret buying the collection. At $20, it is reasonably priced for what you get.
As for the platformers, I feel like comparing them to Symphony and its successors would be unfair since they are designed very differently. Of the ones I’ve played, I enjoyed Dracula’s Curse for NES (Japanese version is superior), Super Castlevania IV for SNES, and Bloodlines for Sega Genesis. They all have different strengths and weaknesses imo, but they’re not for everyone.
As for the platformers, I feel like comparing them to Symphony and its successors would be unfair since they are designed very differently. Of the ones I’ve played, I enjoyed Dracula’s Curse for NES (Japanese version is superior), Super Castlevania IV for SNES, and Bloodlines for Sega Genesis. They all have different strengths and weaknesses imo, but they’re not for everyone.
@EldestBrisingr
Oh, wow! I looked over some of the lists you made and you definitely seem like a fan of the genre. You've got a ranked list of Metroids 👍 Hollow Knight, Ori, Blasphemous. 😮 Any particular reason why you havent wanted to play Symphony?
Oh, wow! I looked over some of the lists you made and you definitely seem like a fan of the genre. You've got a ranked list of Metroids 👍 Hollow Knight, Ori, Blasphemous. 😮 Any particular reason why you havent wanted to play Symphony?
A mix of laziness and getting distracted by other games last year lol. You’ve definitely encouraged me to pick it up though. Do you know if the mobile version is good? I don’t own a PlayStation or Xbox.
@EldestBrisingr
I don't actually know :/ I bought mine for 360 so long ago because the old PS1 discs were so expensive. I assumed the Requiem collection was the way to go, but I was surprised to see it was a PS exclusive. Apparently it's a port of the PSP version. Is that the mobile one you meant? From what I could tell, they redid the voice acting which makes me never want to buy that iteration. Thats a huge part of the charm gone as far as I'm concerned.
Alright. I did a bit of googling, I definitely see there is an Android version, but I dont think I've ever played a mobile game in my life. The review I read also lamented the loss of the original voice acting as well. I had no idea this game was so hard to access. I'll admit that V.A. probably isnt THAT important, but I have an admittedly excessive fondness for that kind of thing. All of my favorite movies and games have goofy qualities like that; I'm sure it wouldn't affect your gameplay experience and you could watch clips on YouTube if you cared.
I don't actually know :/ I bought mine for 360 so long ago because the old PS1 discs were so expensive. I assumed the Requiem collection was the way to go, but I was surprised to see it was a PS exclusive. Apparently it's a port of the PSP version. Is that the mobile one you meant? From what I could tell, they redid the voice acting which makes me never want to buy that iteration. Thats a huge part of the charm gone as far as I'm concerned.
Alright. I did a bit of googling, I definitely see there is an Android version, but I dont think I've ever played a mobile game in my life. The review I read also lamented the loss of the original voice acting as well. I had no idea this game was so hard to access. I'll admit that V.A. probably isnt THAT important, but I have an admittedly excessive fondness for that kind of thing. All of my favorite movies and games have goofy qualities like that; I'm sure it wouldn't affect your gameplay experience and you could watch clips on YouTube if you cared.
Got it. I have watched clips of the original voice acting, but it’s a shame they replaced it. Konami should have included the PS1 version in the Advance Collection instead of Dracula X. In any case, thank you for the feedback!
@EldestBrisingr
You got it. Thanks for your advice as well. I'm invested in this saga now, so lmk if you ever get a chance to play it!
You got it. Thanks for your advice as well. I'm invested in this saga now, so lmk if you ever get a chance to play it!
Yeah, face-tank bosses was the main issue for me replaying this game, modern metroidvanias has evolve a lot in that aspect.
Finished a playthrough. Not my favorite in the genre, but very fun game nonetheless. The atmosphere makes up for a lot of the shortcomings.
EldestBrisingr
3 months ago
Next up is Harmony of Dissonance. It streamlined the magic system to be less random, but I found everything else to be a downgrade. Enemies and bosses are far easier, the music is worse, and I found the world design very confusing and poorly optimized for backtracking. I know others like it more than Circle, but I personally wasn't feeling it.
Lastly, we have the fan-favorite Aria of Sorrow. You will probably like this one. Great map, good music, and the Tactical Soul System combined the best of Circle and Harmony's magic systems. It is easy though. Some of the soul combos are extremely powerful and even if those don't materialize, stocking up on health potions is a breeze. Still, I definitely liked it more than Harmony. Honestly, you should play all of them and see what you think. The collection is worth the money.
I agree FromSoftware likely took inspiration from the series. If not SOTN, then definitely the old-school platformers with their stiff controls and devious level designs.