not only is melee island one of the video game spaces that i truly want to visit, it really feels like a place i could visit, because it's such a consciously artificial place staffed by jaded workers who are barely interested in maintaining the image of a pirate cove for the latest clueless wide-eyed sap to wander into, and that feels more real and true than any game about a mystical world of pirate lore could possibly be.

the stories this is riffing on - robinson crusoe, treasure island, pirates of the caribbean the ride - are all positively ancient, and are as ramshackle and weary as Melee Island is itself, an island trapped in a cynical world of t-shirt prizes, used car salesmen barely maintaining the facade of their role on the stage, and guys in bars who would much rather be talking about LOOM, the revolutionary new game from LucasArts that boasts a serious and complex fantasy story that uses its experimental interface, to eschew the traditional paradigm of graphical adventures than the tired old pirate role they're trapped in.

time has left a lot of these jokes languishing in the same contextless past that they originally drew on, but the greatest joke of all, the joke of this ridiculous fake invention of what a Pirate was that never had any basis in history, being perpetuated long past the point of relevancy by a staff that truly doesn't really care, has aged like the finest vintage now that disney is the one maintaining melee island.

game kind of falls part imo once you actually reach the titular island but everyone should visit Melee Island at least once in their life. the sets are held together with duct tape and string and the refurbishment job they've done is deeply suspect, but it's still a once-in-a-lifetime destination. just be sure to keep the visitor's guide handy.

Unironically, kind of a good time. This game was a shockingly fun time for me I think it's kind of a mess narratively but the entire Fabula Nova Crystallis series kind of is. And I think this time it kind of works for it. The character writing is improved here with each character clearly having gone through a lot of trauma since the original game and evolving as people. Characters like Snow and Lightning have improved so much here as characters by doubling down on their rivalry it works wonders. This game more than anything just feels like a really somber and depressing ode to these characters and it doubles down on the aspects that people saw as flaws. The plot of the actual story is kind of a mess but the dynamics between the main characters really sells it. The gameplay is also really fun, feeling more like a blend of character action and RPG than final fantasy has ever before. I really love the garb system and how much customization you're given to just one character. Really makes you feel like a powerhouse and it's fun as fuck All in all I just shockingly liked this game a lot. I wish that the other games in this series were this much fun. I can honestly see myself revisiting it. There's something novel about a series that covers the beginning of a new world all the way to armageddon. 6/10

gud game

glad to finally have another Castlevania with multiple playable characters, though there's only two around this time. John Morris is dumb he has a wimpy whip and his swinging isn't really that fun to use it's like he isn't a true Belmont bro!!! if you want to be a real chad you use Eric because he has a cool spear that has more range, can perform a jumping move that lets him skip certain segments, and his spear is called the Alucard Spear (made by cool epic dude Alucard himself) therefore he is the based pick and if you choose him you get all the ladies.

I really like the vibe of this one. instead of venturing in Dracula's Castle and areas surrounding it, you're actually traveling over all throughout Europe chasing down a woman (whoa!) named Elizabeth Bartley who plans to revive Count Dracula once more. during your journey you'll go through Greece, Italy, Germany, France, and England, visiting many of their interesting attractions. the locales are very cool and each one has something unique going on so the adventure always stay fresh until the end, and it's backed up by good level design and fun bosses to tackle.

obviously the graphics are great from what I've described, and the music's pretty nice as well. it's very upbeat and catchy and that's the kind of thing I like from Castlevania so kudos to Michiru Yaname, it's the first Castlevania she composed music for and it surely won't be the last. unfortunately the sound effects are a huge downgrade from the others. none of these sound effects have that satisfying feel, they all sound pretty weak and that is not something that I need in Castlevania. hey at least we get to hear some of those iconic Genesis fart sounds.

I had myself two playthroughs, one with John and one with Eric, and both were a blast, though obviously I enjoyed the latter more. even though the game's pretty difficult coupled with limited continues, give this one a shot if you need some more Castlevania, just don't bother with Expert all you get is an extra sentence in the ending and you're not really missing out it's a lame ending.

I highly recommended this for people that don't have enough money to travel to Europe