Topic: alucard gargoyle theory

[crisis]

remember this odd sprite from symphony? the first time i was petrified by those giant plant creatures in the long hallway & he turned into this gargoyle instead of the standard look, i was like WTF just happened to alucard?! it doesnt happen often, but i thought it was awesome & creative, just like with all the many other aspects of the game

ive wondered over the years, could this in fact be alucard's "demon" form emerging? being the son of the king of the underworld, why wouldnt he have a demon form like his father? whether the developers intended this, or just them being silly by adding an odd easteregg, i thought it was creepy & exactly how Alucard would look if he were to transform. i recall he even sprouts wings during one of his finisher techniques in Judgment

what you guys think?

[Shiroi Koumori]

I believe it is his demon form.
Remember when you die in SotN, the picture shows a demon skeleton with a crucifix.

[Inccubus]

I always assumed that the "gargoyle" was a manifestation of his demon form that is brought out by Alucard's anger at being petrified.
As for the game over screen, I always associated it as a reference to Dracul, the dragon.

[zangetsu468]

I believe it is his demon form.
Remember when you die in SotN, the picture shows a demon skeleton with a crucifix.

Huh, I actually never thought of that. Would Alucard have a crucifix though?

Anyway Crisis, I do believe when Alucard double-jumps he sprouts wings momentarily. If he becomes petrified during the second jump he becomes a gargoyle.

[X]

If he becomes petrified during the second jump he becomes a gargoyle.

This is somewhat correct. But the Gargoyle statue Alucard becomes when turned to stone I'm convinced is actually randomized. I did several tests of this as I wanted to see it happen again. Sometimes it took a while others it was fairly quick in the happening. And it didn't matter if I was double-jumping or on the ground.

[whipsmemory]

Huh, I actually never thought of that. Would Alucard have a crucifix though?

Anyway Crisis, I do believe when Alucard double-jumps he sprouts wings momentarily. If he becomes petrified during the second jump he becomes a gargoyle.

On the Japanese\PAl cover artwork he's holding one so it would make sense i guess.

i agree with OP anyhow, i've always thought of the gargoyle form as alucards equivalent to dracula's "true form".

aaalso 1st post here, used to post like, 10 years ago maybe, can't even remember what my username was, glad to see this forum is still going tho (: hi everyone!

[zangetsu468]

Crisis do you have footage?
I'm interested to see, because I specifically recall being able to do it the moment his wings were sprouted (upon second jump)
Also which console are you playing on?

It's a shame they didn't make this form as playable in the game.

[Somacula]

I always thought that Alucard's gargoyle form was a result of him losing concentration for maintaining a humanoid form. Just like Dracula has a bunch of true forms, I think Alucard actually does look like a gargoyle but has to maintain focus so that he retains his appearance. When he gets petrified, he'd momentarily get blindsided essentially and snap back into his true form. Kinda like Mystique.

[zangetsu468]

There were so many things in SOTN that were untapped and random. Given the size of the game (at the time) the amount of items one could find, the amount of familiars to level up (more than enough for 2-3 playthroughs)

Something that happened randomly a few times, I found that if I stood at the very top of a spire in the Holy Chapel with the Sword Familiar active, the music would stop and it would say something for about 2 seconds, not when attacking, not when doing Sword brothers, just being stationery. I can remember the exact phrase, but it was creepy. I think coupled with the Gargoyle and the bleeding fountain, these crept me out the most. (Personally I felt as if Castlevania stopped being eerie after AoS)

[beingthehero]

It's usually something like 'ARE YOU WORTHY TO WIELD ME?' or something like that, right?

[Tanatra]

I believe it is his demon form.
Remember when you die in SotN, the picture shows a demon skeleton with a crucifix.

I always assumed that the "gargoyle" was a manifestation of his demon form that is brought out by Alucard's anger at being petrified.
As for the game over screen, I always associated it as a reference to Dracul, the dragon.

Guys, guys, there is nothing profound or symbolic about the Gargoyle form. Depending on the brilliance of the director/producer, little details with subtle meanings can be quite common in movies and shows ("Breaking Bad" and the first "Matrix" film are great examples) but in video game production the art direction seldom has this much influence, even when it is one of the biggest selling points, as is the case with the CV series. Besides, symbolism and deep developed characters aren't IGA's style.

Crisis pretty much answered his own question:

ive wondered over the years, could this in fact be alucard's "demon" form emerging? being the son of the king of the underworld, why wouldnt he have a demon form like his father? whether the developers intended this, or just them being silly by adding an odd easteregg, i thought it was creepy & exactly how Alucard would look if he were to transform. i recall he even sprouts wings during one of his finisher techniques in Judgment

At best, it was a leftover sprite for an unused form concept that a low-level programmer added in there for shits & giggles; probably the same guy who felt that pizza was an appropriate food item for a game set in the late 1700s.

There were so many things in SOTN that were untapped and random. Given the size of the game (at the time) the amount of items one could find, the amount of familiars to level up (more than enough for 2-3 playthroughs)

Something that happened randomly a few times, I found that if I stood at the very top of a spire in the Holy Chapel with the Sword Familiar active, the music would stop and it would say something for about 2 seconds, not when attacking, not when doing Sword brothers, just being stationery. I can remember the exact phrase, but it was creepy. I think coupled with the Gargoyle and the bleeding fountain, these crept me out the most. (Personally I felt as if Castlevania stopped being eerie after AoS)

The demon & fairy familiars also have something to say if you remain stationary for a few moments after summoning them, regardless of the location. One of the coolest things about SotN is that it is just full of little details like that. Ever approach the skelerangs? They'll cower in fear when you get close to them. The "Verboten" banner that the Rune Sword makes is a nice touch too, though I've personally only ever seen it in screen shots.

The music on the second floor of the Theater in LoI was eerie as all hell, as I felt the same about the "Nightmare" track in CV3 as a kid. The Villa in CV64/LoI wins though for eerie atmosphere and horror,

[Koutei]

I think that it was made for the canceled Alucard's Demonic Megiddo.

http://castlevania.wikia.com/wiki/Demonic_Megiddo
http://castlevania.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:Demonic_Megiddo

[Inccubus]

Guys, guys, there is nothing profound or symbolic about the Gargoyle form.

At best, it was a leftover sprite for an unused form concept that a low-level programmer added in there for shits & giggles; probably the same guy who felt that pizza was an appropriate food item for a game set in the late 1700s.

I have to lol at this because you're basically doing the same thing as we were from a different perspective.
However, as a programmer and a designer myself I can say for certain that there is a reason it was included because someone had to go to the effort of including it whatever that reason may be. Either way it's fun to speculate.

[whipsmemory]

At best, it was a leftover sprite for an unused form concept that a low-level programmer added in there for shits & giggles; probably the same guy who felt that pizza was an appropriate food item for a game set in the late 1700s.

Actually recipes to what would later become known as pizza "margherita" can be found in papers dating back to the early 19th century, but i see your point aha

[X]

Actually Pizza was invented in ancient Greece, so it's not unrealistic to have it in SotN. But maybe the pizza box itself is the unrealistic part of the food item. food for thought guys. <--see what I did here?