Recent Posts

31

Fan Stuff / Re: Castlevania The Lecarde Chronicles May 2013

« Last post by RichterB on November 26, 2023, 06:18:10 PM »

I feel like I missed a lot. Lecarde Chronicles 1 is getting another pass?! It sounds like spike balls are being worked on and remapping controls, maybe even with an XBox controller?

I haven't had much time lately, but I had started a Hard Mode quest on LC1 with the old build several weeks ago. (Which was hard to get when there are so many virus versions out there.) I am progressing well--Hard Mode seems totally doable with the skills I built on Normal--but I have had a glitch where the Xbox controller jams up when walking sometimes. Like, the character just stops moving as if you've let go of the stick. I don't know if you've seen this in the new build or if you're working on d-pad support. Anyway, I'm intrigued. (Maybe Konami will see the light and release a Lecarde Chronicles 2-pack. )

And I saw an old comment where you said you missed the whip action of LC1 after LC2. I felt the same way. LC2 was absolutely amazing, but there is something special about LC1, too.

32

Fan Stuff / Re: Castlevania The Lecarde Chronicles May 2013

« Last post by Aceearly1993 on November 26, 2023, 04:04:20 PM »

Gathered several test players and their effort greatly helped the Lecarde 1 reworking process! Although the current reworking state cannot be established as completed because the workaround to DMCA trouble is still needing times to be in place...

33

Fan Stuff / Re: CHRONICLES OF THE WOLF

« Last post by RichterB on November 24, 2023, 05:44:56 PM »

Is @Emppixel from Wallachia doing any work on Chronicles of the Wolf? Just curious. Wallachia really is a beautiful game--both backgrounds and sprites. And I didn't pick up on the Sonia Belmont connection before (I can see it now), but even so, Elcin is a really cool character. I don't even need the Miriam skin because the default design is that good. I'll keep an eye out for the supernatural hints near the end. Got to Stage 7 today.

Wallachia is growing on me more by itself. Little things like collecting life extensions in levels, blocking projectiles with the sword, or learning which arrows to use in certain scenarios add more depth than just an arcade run-and-gun shooter. And Stage 6--the platforming in that was definitely not a simple arcade shooter; lots of thinking needed. Also, while I've only gotten 60 gems once, I can pretty steadily get to 30 at least once per level. Maybe the wolf could have been 20 and Radu starts the 30, could have been an alternative. All the same, this is just a game that you have to return to more to understand its nuances. I can see it being in my rotation for a while with the different modes/variations it has. Especially now that the pressure is off to do a perfect run of seven levels to experience it all. Plus...it looks so good!

34

Hardcore Gaming 101 / Re: Blade Chimera

« Last post by PFG9000 on November 24, 2023, 03:21:46 PM »

Looks great!  I love the visuals of Deedlit, even if the level design was a big letdown. And Drainus is a nice Gradius tribute.  I'll keep my eye on this one.

35

Fan Stuff / Re: CHRONICLES OF THE WOLF

« Last post by Migami Games on November 24, 2023, 08:47:41 AM »

Picked up Wallachia: Reign of Dracula as I wait. The game in motion on the Switch looks much better than it does in videos. The sprite work is really incredible. I really appreciate how big the sprites are, too. It's a very well made game that is as advertised. It sort of reminds me of a beefed up version of a game I'd find in an arcade in the 90s. I think the variety of scenarios is nice.

I've made it to Level 6, but then I had to call it a day. (Been a while since I played a game where you have to start over from scratch--which produced a bit of anxiety--but I know that it wouldn't really make sense to have a save system in a game like this. Well, maybe a temporary save like in Harmony of Dissonance would have been nice, but I can respect the vision. And with what I've learned, I know I can get back to where I was quicker. This is like my Contra III and Super Ghouls N Ghosts days.) [EDIT: There is a difficulty-based Stage Select after you've beaten levels. Problem solved. This will be great for working on Trophies, too.] I like how there are bonus modes and trophies to keep some replay value on a game that, by design, will not be too long.

The voices and sound design are really good, and the music is fitting. I don't know if a specific song has totally grabbed my attention yet (maybe Stage 1 a bit), but I can see them growing on me. I think the special helper characters' powers are sort of more limited than I would like because you have to have so many gems to use any of them. Getting to Power Level 2 especially on any regular basis seems out of the question. I'm still getting the hang of switching between arrows in spots and understanding their properties. The addition of a sword is cool, and I like how there are some strategy elements in terms of the keys in the levels and such. (I'm always wondering about the rewards of saving a prisoner versus opening a chest.) The Tower Boss and the War Dragon were very clever, and Dragomir takes the award for coolest design in a game with great art direction. I love how the stages evolve in terms of day and night or weather, or how you go into a well in one of the stages. It's kind of fun to see Migami's take on a more straightforward action game. It has hints of your work on the Lecarde games, but is in a different context.

For some reason the resolution on the title screen and opening cinema seem less than the actual game, but it's not a big deal. The story is well directed and told for what it is.

Anyway, the game deserves a lot of credit. I don't know how it ended up doing, but in terms of quality, it's easily in the conversation with the best indies and deserved credit. It is honestly a much better game than I expected when I first saw the screenshots and trailers. So that's my misjudgment for having certain expectations. I think for me, personally, I would have liked to have seen more supernatural elements, but I know that this was intended to be more of a historical fiction take on the whole Dracula story. That said, I wonder how this ties into Chronicles of the Wolf. Maybe Christian starts the Rose Cross Knights or something? It feels like a separate universe so far. Maybe Elcin's wolf helper is connected somehow, too. All that said, solid, fun, polished game you should definitely be proud of. Do not doubt that you know what you're doing in terms of game design. This is good stuff, even in a different genre. Congrats on getting to flex your creativity on an original IP like this and sticking to your vision for it before Chronicles of the Wolf.

Thanks so much for checking out Wallachia!

As you discovered, you can re-visit any stage you've reached anytime later by the stage selector in the top right of the tutorial screen. It's not in the best spot and we apologize for that. But glad to see that you figured it out!

Because it was our first commercial game, the goal with Wallachia was to do a fun, more simple action game that would honor the great the 16 bit era Castlevania and Contra games (Sonia Belmont at the same time), and present Dracula in a different way than you would expect in his more historically aligned origin era. We wanted to honor those games, without merely cloning them.

While Wallachia stays pretty close to history for its duration, it does, like a prelude,  introduce supernatural elements and has hints of possibilities that could come.

Chronicles of the Wolf is a few hundred years later, where the events of Wallachia are legend, and the supernatural has become apparent reality.

Thanks so much for your feedback!

36

Fan Stuff / Re: CHRONICLES OF THE WOLF

« Last post by RichterB on November 23, 2023, 05:26:53 PM »

Picked up Wallachia: Reign of Dracula as I wait. The game in motion on the Switch looks much better than it does in videos. The sprite work is really incredible. I really appreciate how big the sprites are, too. It's a very well made game that is as advertised. It sort of reminds me of a beefed up version of a game I'd find in an arcade in the 90s. I think the variety of scenarios is nice.

I've made it to Level 6, but then I had to call it a day. (Been a while since I played a game where you have to start over from scratch--which produced a bit of anxiety--but I know that it wouldn't really make sense to have a save system in a game like this. Well, maybe a temporary save like in Harmony of Dissonance would have been nice, but I can respect the vision. And with what I've learned, I know I can get back to where I was quicker. This is like my Contra III and Super Ghouls N Ghosts days.) [EDIT: There is a difficulty-based Stage Select after you've beaten levels. Problem solved. This will be great for working on Trophies, too.] I like how there are bonus modes and trophies to keep some replay value on a game that, by design, will not be too long.

The voices and sound design are really good, and the music is fitting. I don't know if a specific song has totally grabbed my attention yet (maybe Stage 1 a bit), but I can see them growing on me. I think the special helper characters' powers are sort of more limited than I would like because you have to have so many gems to use any of them. Getting to Power Level 2 especially on any regular basis seems out of the question. I'm still getting the hang of switching between arrows in spots and understanding their properties. The addition of a sword is cool, and I like how there are some strategy elements in terms of the keys in the levels and such. (I'm always wondering about the rewards of saving a prisoner versus opening a chest.) The Tower Boss and the War Dragon were very clever, and Dragomir takes the award for coolest design in a game with great art direction. I love how the stages evolve in terms of day and night or weather, or how you go into a well in one of the stages. It's kind of fun to see Migami's take on a more straightforward action game. It has hints of your work on the Lecarde games, but is in a different context.

For some reason the resolution on the title screen and opening cinema seem less than the actual game, but it's not a big deal. The story is well directed and told for what it is.

Anyway, the game deserves a lot of credit. I don't know how it ended up doing, but in terms of quality, it's easily in the conversation with the best indies and deserved credit. It is honestly a much better game than I expected when I first saw the screenshots and trailers. So that's my misjudgment for having certain expectations. I think for me, personally, I would have liked to have seen more supernatural elements, but I know that this was intended to be more of a historical fiction take on the whole Dracula story. That said, I wonder how this ties into Chronicles of the Wolf. Maybe Christian starts the Rose Cross Knights or something? It feels like a separate universe so far. Maybe Elcin's wolf helper is connected somehow, too. All that said, solid, fun, polished game you should definitely be proud of. Do not doubt that you know what you're doing in terms of game design. This is good stuff, even in a different genre. Congrats on getting to flex your creativity on an original IP like this and sticking to your vision for it before Chronicles of the Wolf.

37

Fan Stuff / Re: Castlevania The Lecarde Chronicles May 2013

« Last post by Aceearly1993 on November 22, 2023, 04:29:48 AM »

https://github.com/Aceearly1993/lecarde-1/releases/tag/v0.4.3

Maintenance

38

Hardcore Gaming 101 / Re: Blade Chimera

« Last post by Gunlord on November 21, 2023, 08:54:47 AM »

Super cool! Ill keep an eye on this

39

General Castlevania Discussion / Re: Castlevania Tribute Board Game Kickstarter

« Last post by LuxKiller65 on November 17, 2023, 06:41:00 AM »

I have this board game. If you’d like to see more photos of its contents I’d be more than willing to share.

I think you bought it from me. It's particularly unimpressive, but it's nice that it exists.

40

Hardcore Gaming 101 / Blade Chimera

« Last post by Aceearly1993 on November 14, 2023, 04:20:37 PM »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiocMlIG5lE

New Team Ladybug works... Hope this time it doesn't fall off the problem of lacking the length of main contents (like the author's previous works).