Recent Posts

61

General Castlevania Discussion / Dominus has arrived *update*

« Last post by crisis on April 17, 2025, 08:42:31 PM »

Small update, but I just received my Dominus medallions & I thought I’d like to share a couple photos:




The books are from the preorder special edition of Order of Ecclesia from the Konamistyle website back in 2008. The smaller softcover version is what was widely released, and the larger hardcover version was an extremely limited release only in Japan. One of the rarer items in my collection.

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General Castlevania Discussion / Re: Akumajo Dracula PS3/360–still a mystery 17 years later

« Last post by Inccubus on April 17, 2025, 04:53:05 PM »

Definitely a missed opportunity.
With this project getting canned leading IGA to ditch the corporation in favor of going indie, then one has to wonder if any it's concepts made it into Bloodstained?

63

General Castlevania Discussion / Re: Rumor: New AAA Castlevania in Development, Announcement Expected in 2025

« Last post by Inccubus on April 17, 2025, 04:48:28 PM »

Funny thing, earlier I was thinking of posting a question on here to ask what everyone would want in a new 3D Castlevania title.

64

General Castlevania Discussion / Re: participate in the Castlevania series

« Last post by Inccubus on April 17, 2025, 04:45:18 PM »

If the goal is to see what the franchise is about as a whole, then I'd say that Lords of Shadow is not a good place to start.
mostly this is because the game leans more fantasy than the rest of the series and has some clichéd modern mechanics not present in the rest of the series.

I agree with crisis that Super Castlevania IV is a good jumping off point as it sits in a very comfy spot between the original games difficulty and beginner friendly controls.
Plus it's a reimagining of the original Castlevania

Personally, I think a buffet sampler approach would give you a quick summary of what the series is.
Try doing this:

1) Play the first stage of the original Castlevania for NES. [MAKE SURE TO GET A COPY OF THE MANUAL AND READ IT!]
People nowadays tend to forget that the manual was an important part of the experience back in the day and that old games did not have built in tutorials of any kind for the most part.
And if you're feeling adventurous, you could try out Vampire Killer for MSX2. (My personal favorite.)

2) Play the first stage of Super Castlevania IV. [Also read the manual]
This will give you a sense of just how good old-school, linear CV games can be.

3) Play Symphony of the Night up to the first boss you find. This serves as your introduction to the Metroidvania style of games.

4) Play the first stage of Lament of Innocence for a good intro to 3d Castlevania.

5) Lastly try out the first stage of Lords of Shadow.

BONUS ROUND) Play Bloodborne and imagine what a FromSoft Castlevania could be like.

65

Fan Stuff / Re: CHRONICLES OF THE WOLF

« Last post by slograa on April 16, 2025, 10:49:04 AM »

It is available for pre-order on many different sites now like

https://www.play-asia.com/chronicles-of-the-wolf/13/70iccp?srsltid=AfmBOoqXEslaVFAaIj6OmX9082InG6IMy-Qep7DJC9qrugGbinc30oAy

However, you may want to wait to get it from Pixelheart.

Thank you so much! Sorry for the late response!

Can you tell us if it's early summer or late summer ? Either ways it's gonna be terrific.

66

General Castlevania Discussion / Re: participate in the Castlevania series

« Last post by crisis on April 10, 2025, 09:12:37 PM »

Yes and no. Lords of Shadow was a reboot, so in many aspects it’s easier to jump right in. The game has tutorials that can hold your hand as you progress on your journey. It’s not awful by any means. Although there are some “wtf is this nonsense” stuff sprinkled in here & there. The game doesn’t necessarily have a good reputation around here lol

The original Castlevanias from the 80’s/90’s however, are tough as nails. Enemies are tossed at you constantly and you have limited control over your character, so those games require a bit more strategy. Super Castlevania IV is a good game to start with, the controls are tight & the whip mechanics are great as you can swing in all directions. The developers of Lords of Shadow have stated that Super Castlevania IV was their direct inspiration, so take that as you will.

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General Castlevania Discussion / participate in the Castlevania series

« Last post by kyleighterry on April 10, 2025, 12:19:41 AM »

I want to get into the castlevania franchise and found out about Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and i got interested, just wondering if it is worth it as an introduction to what the franchise is about

68

Fan Stuff / Re: Castlevania: Shadow of Ecclesia (Fan Project - New Demo Available)

« Last post by Scarlet starlet on April 06, 2025, 01:06:06 PM »

This project seems to have been revived.
The first part, the Prologue, came out recently and it's good.

https://m.facebook.com/ShadowOfEcclesia/

69

Fan Stuff / Re: Spritework Request & Showcase Thread

« Last post by theplottwist on April 06, 2025, 03:15:21 AM »

These are mockups I made imagining what a Belmont's Revenge remake could look like. This is not a real game.

The images are on the spoiler tag. Use CTRL plus MINUS keys to zoom out and see the images better in case they are too big on your browser (use CTRL plus 0 later to return the zoom to normal).

(click to show/hide)

Initial map screen. This remake would have more like a Simon's Quest/Order of Ecclesia approach to the world and exploration. Reaching the castles is no longer a matter of selecting them. You gotta work your way to them.



Rock Castle



Crystal Castle





Plant Castle



Cloud Castle boss







After defeating the four castle spirits, Dracula's Castle resurrects. The dark fog it spreads changes certain areas in the map.



Dracula's Castle entrance





Christopher meets Soleil in the underground ritual chamber









Christopher frees Soleil but Dracula escapes. Different from the original game, the spirits are brought by Christopher since he's using them as abilities. So Dracula snatches them right away from him, causing Christopher to lose the abilities he had.





The Demon World



Meeting with Dracula









Christopher is unfortunately aging, and Dracula gains the upper hand. But all is not yet lost.







This remake would reimagine the standard battle with Dracula in the original game, as this game's second phase. However, it would rewrite canon a little to make more thematic sense -- Soleil is now here to form the vampire hunting duo with Christopher that the plot of the original game only teased us with.







The battle is over



Bonus: All cutscenes are localized into Japanese as well















I hope you enjoyed. Special thanks go to:
Junki Sakuraba for the portrait artworks.
Nob Ogasawara for the Japanese localization.
ButiaAzul for the crystal shield I used as reference for the sprite

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General Castlevania Discussion / Re: Dominus has arrived

« Last post by crisis on March 31, 2025, 11:27:33 PM »

I was considering getting the deluxe edition too but I have limited space to display everything. All the goodies it comes with will have to be placed in storage, along with all of my other Castlevania rarities. Although I haven’t ruled it out altogether, maybe if I have some extra cash in the near future & find a set for sale


The Dracula figurine is a custom I personally had commissioned (as well as the Altered Beast figurines accompanying it). I have another Akumajou Dracula model kit on the way, it’ll be a few months before it’s completed though. Please ignore the Devil May Cry figure(s)