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General Castlevania Discussion / Re: That time Climax Studios pitched their own Castlevania back in 2006
« Last post by LuxKiller65 on Yesterday at 01:34:50 AM »Was Michael going to meet Lara in Venice?
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2
General Castlevania Discussion / Castlevania Piano Collections Album
« Last post by crisis on November 06, 2025, 08:01:35 PM »2xLP on blood splatter will be available soon! Fresh piano takes on classic themes. Preorders are up at the link for those that are interested https://www.oksgear.com/collections/castlevania?utm_campaign=castlevania-manawave-11-06-25&utm_medium=sms&utm_source=attentive&externalId=Vr1S5
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Off Topic / Happy (belated) Halloween!
« Last post by Highwind Dragoon on November 01, 2025, 03:25:57 AM »I'll post my thoughts/reviews on the theme parks/Scream Parks that I attended this Halloween season on Sunday night, after I get home from my last Scream Park of this Halloween season.
Sir Henry's Haunted Trail:
5/5
They have three very well designed haunted trails, as well as a awesome hayride. Food options were a BBQ food truck, Buttermilk corn dogs, and a spooky eats concession stand, all of which are very good.
Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream
4.25/5
2 new houses this year Vastly improves the event; Scare-acters are WAY BETTER here than at seaworld's Howl-O-Scream event. Only downsides are that Stranglewood estate and Circus of fear are still here.
Pemberton Haunted Acres:
4/5
Everything I experienced here was good, did have trouble with the "laser swamp" in Backwater Bayou, but the houses and scare-actors were great! Burger at Concession stand was awesome, as well.
Black Water Grave:
4/5
It's good for being a local affair, just don't expect Sir Henry's Haunted Trail/Pemberton Haunted Acres/Ominous Descent levels of budget. Other than that, night was great.
Dr. Grimley’s Haunted Trail:
4/5
First year at this event and it's awesome! Squiggles game was the best maze out of the bunch. Only complaint was that other than the mocktail stand, there wasn't much of a midway, and they used the general store/cafe of Sunsational Farms for food and some merchandise, instead. I think this event needs an escape room like Black Water Grave in Bartow, FL and Sir Henry's haunted trail in Plant City, FL have, and (maybe) an axe throwing game; like Sir Henry's Haunted Trail and Fear Reach Scream Park in Tavares, FL both have one.
Slaughterhouse - Horror House Nights at Port 27:
4/5
Went here on 11/2/25, Slaughterhouse was phenomenal. Only downside was the parking getting in and out. Other than that, one of the better haunted attractions that I attended this Haunt season.
Tales of Terror Haunted Attraction:
Originally 3/5; now 4/5
It's a bit rustic, and the only food offered was spooky treats and bags of chips. Did not have much of a midway, as well. Houses were fine, scare-actors were great. Second house was dark, and had some difficulty navigating parts of it. I attended the event on Friday, October 10th.
Update: After going to Fear Reach Scream Park on 10/30/25, I'm Bumping this place up one star. Just might come back for the Christmas haunt event.
Seaworld Orlando Howl-O-Scream
3.5/5
All 5 houses are a step up from last year, and noticed more Scare-actors and less statues. Need to work on their timing/positioning, though....
Fear Reach Scream Park
3/5
It was Fine/ok. One of the Scare-actors said to me in the first house, "Did you come here to get scared or not? Keep moving!" Personally felt that was very unprofessional to break character like that. Everything else was fine/ok, though. With this place clocking in at a 43 mile drive; vs. both Sir Henry's haunted trail and A Petrified forest being 37 Mile drives each; It's pretty obvious which Scream Park(s) that I'll be returning to next year, or 2027. Even Dr. Grimley's Haunted trail was a 57 Mile drive, and it was WAY BETTER than this.
This is a once and done experience, at best.
A Petrified Forest Scream Park:
3/5
Not bad for what you pay for. This scream Park is squeezed on a forested patch by a busy road, with a rather small midway that nevertheless, has a decent offering of food options. Not a Fan of parking in a shopping center parking lot to hitch a ride on a old school bus with uncomfortable wooden benches, but I've dealt with worse. If you live nearby, it's worth it. The drive distance to the parking lot for me is the same distance to go to Sir Henry's Haunted Trail (37 miles). Going to skip next year, might come back in 2027 if I move closer to this scream park.
To quote another reviewer: "Major props to bus driver Splatter. The only guy who gave energy in the whole event."
Ominous Descent Haunted Attraction:
3/5
Honestly, it was just ok. I hope they can move to a bigger venue in a couple of years, and add another house/trail.
Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights:
2.5/5
Only liked 1/2 of the mazes (5); the other 5 were Blah/not appealing to me. Also gets crowded REAL FAST, even on the Tues., Wed. and Thurs. they are open on. Recommend the "Stay and Scream" option, or buy an express pass or crowbar your bank account open to buy a group RIP tour at $390-$500 per person; or you could take out a small loan of about $3,500-$5,500 to purchase a private RIP tour. This is the most expensive Halloween event in Orlando that is not Mickey's-not-so-scary halloween party.
The Awakening at the Creek:
1/5
Just god-awful.
This was not worth the $20 that I spent on it. I've seen backyard haunts WAY better than this, like Lairs of Fear.
This is more of a neighborhood affair, punching well short and below of being a local affair. Need more lighting on both trails, also got run off the second trail by a chainsaw scareactor. Once and done for me.
The Awakening at the Creek, do better next year.
Sir Henry's Haunted Trail:
5/5
They have three very well designed haunted trails, as well as a awesome hayride. Food options were a BBQ food truck, Buttermilk corn dogs, and a spooky eats concession stand, all of which are very good.
Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream
4.25/5
2 new houses this year Vastly improves the event; Scare-acters are WAY BETTER here than at seaworld's Howl-O-Scream event. Only downsides are that Stranglewood estate and Circus of fear are still here.
Pemberton Haunted Acres:
4/5
Everything I experienced here was good, did have trouble with the "laser swamp" in Backwater Bayou, but the houses and scare-actors were great! Burger at Concession stand was awesome, as well.
Black Water Grave:
4/5
It's good for being a local affair, just don't expect Sir Henry's Haunted Trail/Pemberton Haunted Acres/Ominous Descent levels of budget. Other than that, night was great.
Dr. Grimley’s Haunted Trail:
4/5
First year at this event and it's awesome! Squiggles game was the best maze out of the bunch. Only complaint was that other than the mocktail stand, there wasn't much of a midway, and they used the general store/cafe of Sunsational Farms for food and some merchandise, instead. I think this event needs an escape room like Black Water Grave in Bartow, FL and Sir Henry's haunted trail in Plant City, FL have, and (maybe) an axe throwing game; like Sir Henry's Haunted Trail and Fear Reach Scream Park in Tavares, FL both have one.
Slaughterhouse - Horror House Nights at Port 27:
4/5
Went here on 11/2/25, Slaughterhouse was phenomenal. Only downside was the parking getting in and out. Other than that, one of the better haunted attractions that I attended this Haunt season.
Tales of Terror Haunted Attraction:
Originally 3/5; now 4/5
It's a bit rustic, and the only food offered was spooky treats and bags of chips. Did not have much of a midway, as well. Houses were fine, scare-actors were great. Second house was dark, and had some difficulty navigating parts of it. I attended the event on Friday, October 10th.
Update: After going to Fear Reach Scream Park on 10/30/25, I'm Bumping this place up one star. Just might come back for the Christmas haunt event.
Seaworld Orlando Howl-O-Scream
3.5/5
All 5 houses are a step up from last year, and noticed more Scare-actors and less statues. Need to work on their timing/positioning, though....
Fear Reach Scream Park
3/5
It was Fine/ok. One of the Scare-actors said to me in the first house, "Did you come here to get scared or not? Keep moving!" Personally felt that was very unprofessional to break character like that. Everything else was fine/ok, though. With this place clocking in at a 43 mile drive; vs. both Sir Henry's haunted trail and A Petrified forest being 37 Mile drives each; It's pretty obvious which Scream Park(s) that I'll be returning to next year, or 2027. Even Dr. Grimley's Haunted trail was a 57 Mile drive, and it was WAY BETTER than this.
This is a once and done experience, at best.
A Petrified Forest Scream Park:
3/5
Not bad for what you pay for. This scream Park is squeezed on a forested patch by a busy road, with a rather small midway that nevertheless, has a decent offering of food options. Not a Fan of parking in a shopping center parking lot to hitch a ride on a old school bus with uncomfortable wooden benches, but I've dealt with worse. If you live nearby, it's worth it. The drive distance to the parking lot for me is the same distance to go to Sir Henry's Haunted Trail (37 miles). Going to skip next year, might come back in 2027 if I move closer to this scream park.
To quote another reviewer: "Major props to bus driver Splatter. The only guy who gave energy in the whole event."
Ominous Descent Haunted Attraction:
3/5
Honestly, it was just ok. I hope they can move to a bigger venue in a couple of years, and add another house/trail.
Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights:
2.5/5
Only liked 1/2 of the mazes (5); the other 5 were Blah/not appealing to me. Also gets crowded REAL FAST, even on the Tues., Wed. and Thurs. they are open on. Recommend the "Stay and Scream" option, or buy an express pass or crowbar your bank account open to buy a group RIP tour at $390-$500 per person; or you could take out a small loan of about $3,500-$5,500 to purchase a private RIP tour. This is the most expensive Halloween event in Orlando that is not Mickey's-not-so-scary halloween party.
The Awakening at the Creek:
1/5
Just god-awful.
This was not worth the $20 that I spent on it. I've seen backyard haunts WAY better than this, like Lairs of Fear.
This is more of a neighborhood affair, punching well short and below of being a local affair. Need more lighting on both trails, also got run off the second trail by a chainsaw scareactor. Once and done for me.
The Awakening at the Creek, do better next year.
4
Classic Castlevania Threads / Re: CV3's locale
« Last post by C Belmont on October 28, 2025, 10:36:59 AM »I can't recall if the developers have ever commented on it before but it's most likely a reference to the castle in Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro which had Greco-Roman ruins hidden beneath it.
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Classic Castlevania Threads / CV3's locale
« Last post by Kaneda on October 27, 2025, 11:47:12 AM »Playing through the game for the billionth time, I've noticed the second branching path inevitably leads to levels with a Greco-Roman aesthetic (statues, architecture, monsters). Given that the storyline mentions Dracula corrupting Europe, is the Trevor and company's journey intended to take place partially outside of Transylvania? Castlevania is no stranger to referencing Greco-Roman culture, but it's nearly always within the castle itself. I'd be curious to know if there are any quotes from the crew commenting on this at all.
I'm thinking about creating a video analyzing (among other things) the visual language of Castlevania III and I may or may not include this particular aspect of the game.
I'm thinking about creating a video analyzing (among other things) the visual language of Castlevania III and I may or may not include this particular aspect of the game.
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Fan Stuff / Re: CHRONICLES OF THE WOLF
« Last post by Migami Games on October 27, 2025, 10:54:18 AM »Pre-Orders are now available for Pixelhearts limited edition physicals of Chronicles of the Wolf! 🐺
This version of the physical features special artwork and also includes a download code for Wallachia' Reign of Dracula!
Get it here! 👇
https://www.pixelheart.eu/en/?s=Chronicles+of+the+Wolf
This version of the physical features special artwork and also includes a download code for Wallachia' Reign of Dracula!
Get it here! 👇
https://www.pixelheart.eu/en/?s=Chronicles+of+the+Wolf
7
General Castlevania Discussion / Re: That time Climax Studios pitched their own Castlevania back in 2006
« Last post by theplottwist on October 24, 2025, 07:56:19 AM »-Venice
-Michael Cross, a down-and-out rock star wallowing in guilt over his girlfriend's death
-Michael finds a whip and a crucifix and the adventure begins
I can see why Konami would tell them no without even clicking the video.
These guys were very clearly thinking Castlevania was a "anything goes as long as it's edgy" type deal. The part about "giving the franchise a breath of fresh air" by turning it into the most generic shit ever was hilarious!
-Michael Cross, a down-and-out rock star wallowing in guilt over his girlfriend's death
-Michael finds a whip and a crucifix and the adventure begins
I can see why Konami would tell them no without even clicking the video.
These guys were very clearly thinking Castlevania was a "anything goes as long as it's edgy" type deal. The part about "giving the franchise a breath of fresh air" by turning it into the most generic shit ever was hilarious!
8
General Castlevania Discussion / Ode to Castlevania Update
« Last post by Reinhart77 on October 22, 2025, 11:50:59 PM »Looks like there's an expansion to the Ode to Castlevania expansion for Vampire Survivor coming this month in time for Halloween.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW3ZFbMPD2I&t=33s
16 new characters for one thing. "When we said everyone, we meant everyone". Gotta see how much they meant that. I guess I'll be curious if they're able to include anyone from overseas, such as Desmond or Gabriel Belmont. If they're really reaching in the bottom of the barrel, how about some characters from games that were left on the cutting room floor? Gotta go through that video now to see who they included.
[edit] Let's see, there's Hugh, Arikado, Persephone, Astarte, a Stone Skull, Drolta, Elizabetha, Morris, Lydie, Wizard/Water Magician, Amalaric Sniper, Gremlin, Frozen Shade, Wind, Jiang Shi, Cave Troll, Spectral Sword, Zephyr, Actrice. Hmm, counted more than 16, so must have made a mistake or two. Maybe some of those are characters already in the game (like Olrox). Looks like they're using the same pool of games. They leave out anyone important from those games?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW3ZFbMPD2I&t=33s
16 new characters for one thing. "When we said everyone, we meant everyone". Gotta see how much they meant that. I guess I'll be curious if they're able to include anyone from overseas, such as Desmond or Gabriel Belmont. If they're really reaching in the bottom of the barrel, how about some characters from games that were left on the cutting room floor? Gotta go through that video now to see who they included.
[edit] Let's see, there's Hugh, Arikado, Persephone, Astarte, a Stone Skull, Drolta, Elizabetha, Morris, Lydie, Wizard/Water Magician, Amalaric Sniper, Gremlin, Frozen Shade, Wind, Jiang Shi, Cave Troll, Spectral Sword, Zephyr, Actrice. Hmm, counted more than 16, so must have made a mistake or two. Maybe some of those are characters already in the game (like Olrox). Looks like they're using the same pool of games. They leave out anyone important from those games?
9
General Castlevania Discussion / Re: That time Climax Studios pitched their own Castlevania back in 2006
« Last post by Reinhart77 on October 22, 2025, 11:43:17 PM »cool, first time i heard of this one.
10
General Castlevania Discussion / That time Climax Studios pitched their own Castlevania back in 2006
« Last post by The Puritan on October 22, 2025, 03:20:28 AM »Have we this discussed before? I've been around since the Classicgaming days but I don't remember Climax's proposal for a next-gen Castlevania ever being brought up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2qdVjDtr64
-3rd person action game set in an open world monster-infested Venice
-dual-wield combat system involving a mix of melee and ranged options, including firearms
-day/night cycle, local NPCs wear masks and are peaceful by day but violent by night
-bosses drop masks that unlock new abilities and areas
-protagonist is Michael Cross, a down-and-out rock star wallowing in guilt over his girlfriend's death
-screams beside his hotel room lead him to an encounter with a dying member of the Belmont clan, who gives him a bloody note
-he urges Michael to go to the address on the note and inform "the others" of his death
-his last words are "Take the objects in the room as protection." and "Sara sends her love, don't blame yourself."
-Michael finds a whip and a crucifix and the adventure begins
There are a few more details in the video itself, including concept art, but yeah: pretty sure we would have hated this had Konami given it the green light. Lords of Shadow got some flak for being a "GOW clone". This one looks like it would've drawn its own flak for being a little too Devil May Cry-ish, not to mention taking the Castle out of the Vania and straying too far from the franchise's overall look and feel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2qdVjDtr64
-3rd person action game set in an open world monster-infested Venice
-dual-wield combat system involving a mix of melee and ranged options, including firearms
-day/night cycle, local NPCs wear masks and are peaceful by day but violent by night
-bosses drop masks that unlock new abilities and areas
-protagonist is Michael Cross, a down-and-out rock star wallowing in guilt over his girlfriend's death
-screams beside his hotel room lead him to an encounter with a dying member of the Belmont clan, who gives him a bloody note
-he urges Michael to go to the address on the note and inform "the others" of his death
-his last words are "Take the objects in the room as protection." and "Sara sends her love, don't blame yourself."
-Michael finds a whip and a crucifix and the adventure begins
There are a few more details in the video itself, including concept art, but yeah: pretty sure we would have hated this had Konami given it the green light. Lords of Shadow got some flak for being a "GOW clone". This one looks like it would've drawn its own flak for being a little too Devil May Cry-ish, not to mention taking the Castle out of the Vania and straying too far from the franchise's overall look and feel.