Castlevania Dungeon Forums
The Castlevania Dungeon Forums => General Castlevania Discussion => Topic started by: whipsmemory on April 28, 2024, 01:08:22 AM
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i'm genuinely curious, what do you guys think about this seemingly constant stream of collabs all kind of games are getting with the series? I find it personally really frustrating and i think its ultimately killing the brand for good. Most of these renditions don't look good or interesting at all to me, and i feel like they are really making the brand feel "cheap", I wouldn't know how else to describe it. I know and i see a lot of people on facebook thinking the series is going through some kind of new reinassance, also thanks to the Netflix series, but for me really Castlevania never felt more dead than it is now. It's like watching the dead body of a loved one being marionetted to mock what it used to be in real life. Painful to watch and a little cringe too.
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To me, it makes it clear the rumors of a new Castlevania game are real besides the fact the other IPs associated with some of these rumors (Silent Hill and Metal Gear) have also proven to be accurate. That also makes me wonder what happened to this game as it was supposed to release before any Silent Hill or Metal Gear game, and we're getting loose release windows for a number of projects there. To be the first released to now being the last to be announced makes me think something went wrong with development, as it's an in-house Konami project. I believe a few insiders at ResetEra also confirmed this game exists and given that's a forum where people get banned for bullshit claims like that, you can rest easy knowing something's coming.
The collaborations make that clear, but they also highlight something is off. Why are so many different games and genres celebrating this IP as it doesn't have a game to itself to sell? I don't even mind some of the collaborations. I think Dead Cells and V Rising look to carry some of the identity of the series in ways that are more than cosmetic and in the case of V Rising specifically some of that content is just part of the main game (the whip weapon class unlocks after fighting Simon Belmont who travels the game world fighting monsters). But then there's some I don't really get: why is Castlevania content coming to a game like Dead by Daylight? Because Castlevania content was also in Bail or Jail? All these make sense if they're to raise attention to the series with a particular product, but we've yet to see it publicly.
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yeah i feel the same way as op, now castlevania is a hidden character here, a song there, a reference, whatever you can get to make your game more pop culture or cool. and you are forgetting tons of licensed merch available from many different companies who stamp logos and artworks they didn't make on shirts, mugs, caps, hoodies, socks, pendants and more. this trend started when konami left development and starting licensing his ip to anyone and anything.
i've always shat on iga's games, but seeing where we are now, most of his entries are sweet memories of a time where the series at least existed and had a director that cherished it, even though many did not agree with his vision.
i am currently playing bloodstained (the first one), and while it's once again sotn with a slightly different hat, it's at least... well, castlevania. i do wonder why iga keeps making sotn again and again. i get it, it has fans, i get it, you are proud of having worked on it, but man, just do something else now.
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i can only hope Konami's taking all this money from licensing out their IP and putting it into a new proper game. lol, sigh.
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Personally I don't find any of the collaborations I've seen so far that offensive, most of them seem to spring from a genuine appreciation of Castlevania. Unlike the Netflix show which just unapologetically uses the brand as a vehicle for the show’s writers to proselytize on their favorite subjects.
I love that Simon is getting some attention and not just Alucard. But I do wish Konami would give us something new even if it was just a remake of an old game, or they just made Grimoire of Souls available on more platforms.
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To me, it makes it clear the rumors of a new Castlevania game are real besides the fact the other IPs associated with some of these rumors (Silent Hill and Metal Gear) have also proven to be accurate. That also makes me wonder what happened to this game as it was supposed to release before any Silent Hill or Metal Gear game, and we're getting loose release windows for a number of projects there. To be the first released to now being the last to be announced makes me think something went wrong with development, as it's an in-house Konami project. I believe a few insiders at ResetEra also confirmed this game exists and given that's a forum where people get banned for bullshit claims like that, you can rest easy knowing something's coming.
The collaborations make that clear, but they also highlight something is off. Why are so many different games and genres celebrating this IP as it doesn't have a game to itself to sell? I don't even mind some of the collaborations. I think Dead Cells and V Rising look to carry some of the identity of the series in ways that are more than cosmetic and in the case of V Rising specifically some of that content is just part of the main game (the whip weapon class unlocks after fighting Simon Belmont who travels the game world fighting monsters). But then there's some I don't really get: why is Castlevania content coming to a game like Dead by Daylight? Because Castlevania content was also in Bail or Jail? All these make sense if they're to raise attention to the series with a particular product, but we've yet to see it publicly.
It makes perfectly sense, but just like you I'm afraid something is off, and i think its not unlikely that the new title's development failed and was ultimately cancelled in favor of licensing out the IP for quick cash grabs without any expense on Konami's side. Im less optimistic and i see all of this as a signal thata new game is never coming out, rather than the opposite
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It makes perfectly sense, but just like you I'm afraid something is off, and i think its not unlikely that the new title's development failed and was ultimately cancelled in favor of licensing out the IP for quick cash grabs without any expense on Konami's side. Im less optimistic and i see all of this as a signal thata new game is never coming out, rather than the opposite
Konami did expand one of their development studios last year. The original rumor was it was an in-house game that had notable third party companies developing it with them. Perhaps that changed into a fully in-house project with Konami wanting more direct control over development. Usually when they outsource games they get less involved, as the middling efforts from Silent Hill are a good example to this. The impressions I have from these collaborations is they believe that a new Castlevania game should be seen as a big deal. They never went this length to plug a Konami IP in the last half-decade unless it was within Bomberman. We've seen almost half a dozen collaborations within the last two years that I can recall just off the top of my head for Castlevania. There's even watches with a redesigned Belmont crest not seen in any of the games.
The most recent rumors are it may be part of a deal with Sony to get timed console exclusivity: these rumors surfaced just before people were leaking information of the Metal Gear Solid collections, so almost a year ago.
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i'm a little worried that we haven't seen a new slot or pachinko game in a while.
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Pachinkonami will return like Optimus Prime…
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I feel like more exposure for the series can't be a bad thing, especially since it's been ages since we had a proper new installment. I picked up Dead Cells just because of the CV content. It was...alright. I found it somewhat entertaining, but not enough for me to play it much. It's not that Dead Cells was bad; it's that in 2024, there's just so much better stuff that I'd rather play.
The V Rising screenshots look kinda nice, but again, there's just too many games that are a higher priority for me.
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The recent flood of collaborations means nothing as far as a new castlevania. I can't believe some people here actually think a new castlevania is coming. If a new one didn't happen when Smash and Netflix show were at their peak then its not happening.
Even if we did get one it would suck ass like Lords of Shadow 2 and Grimoire of Souls. We haven't had a good castlevania since 2008.
My advice is move on and support indie devs. The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest looks phenomenal. Look up Programancers recent tweets. It's looking great. And unlike other castlevania projects this one actually has a great chance of actually coming out. Already has a publisher and everything.
Also Curse of the Moon 2 is so far the best classicvania ever made so far. Single mode is so much fun. And single mode + legend hunter is the most fun ive had with any game EVER.
Seal of the Eclipse could also be cool. But that project is obviously is development hell even if the developers wont admit it.
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The recent flood of collaborations means nothing as far as a new castlevania. I can't believe some people here actually think a new castlevania is coming. If a new one didn't happen when Smash and Netflix show were at their peak then its not happening.
Even if we did get one it would suck ass like Lords of Shadow 2 and Grimoire of Souls. We haven't had a good castlevania since 2008.
My advice is move on and support indie devs. The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest looks phenomenal. Look up Programancers recent tweets. It's looking great. And unlike other castlevania projects this one actually has a great chance of actually coming out. Already has a publisher and everything.
Also Curse of the Moon 2 is so far the best classicvania ever made so far. Single mode is so much fun. And single mode + legend hunter is the most fun ive had with any game EVER.
Seal of the Eclipse could also be cool. But that project is obviously is development hell even if the developers wont admit it.
Multiple credible journalists in the games space have mentioned, more than once, that a new Castlevania exists. If it still exists is the question.
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Seal of the Eclipse could also be cool. But that project is obviously is development hell even if the developers wont admit it.
There's nothing to "admit" to. You can ASK like a normal person. You asked last time, I told you there is no structure to do fancy updates. That's it.
Unless a fat wad of cash falls on our laps from the sky, the project is not becoming completed anytime soon. This has been repeated quite a few times. Acting like you know better will certainly not make it come out faster, and absolutely will not instill in us some "drive to release", we owe nobody absolutely anything.
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If a new Castlevania is indeed coming, then I don’t expect it to be anything what we’re hoping for. No “return to form” metroidvania, it’ll probably be a sequel to Grimoire of Souls. So keep your expectations low that way you won’t be too disappointed.
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If a new Castlevania is indeed coming, then I don’t expect it to be anything what we’re hoping for. No “return to form” metroidvania, it’ll probably be a sequel to Grimoire of Souls. So keep your expectations low that way you won’t be too disappointed.
Honestly I'd love another game in the style of Grimoire or even an adjusted Console/PC port tbh. I'd feel way more safe with something like that than Konami giving the IP to some western developer who'd make it a low budget pixel art rogue like or something. Story and graphics wise i think GoS was really on point on what a new Castlevania should look like if they dont want to go full budget on it
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If a new Castlevania is indeed coming, then I don’t expect it to be anything what we’re hoping for. No “return to form” metroidvania, it’ll probably be a sequel to Grimoire of Souls. So keep your expectations low that way you won’t be too disappointed.
It was originally described as a "reimagining" so I don't think it'd be a Metroidvania. If Konami is a trend chaser I'd expect an open world game.
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Unless a fat wad of cash falls on our laps from the sky, the project is not becoming completed anytime soon.
You're absolutely right. I should have said "The game is in development hell and the devs HAVE admitted it"
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You're absolutely right. I should have said "The game is in development hell and the devs HAVE admitted it"
You should actually have said "man, perhaps i should touch grass and stop acting like the devs owe me this game" but go off.
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You should actually have said "man, perhaps i should touch grass and stop acting like the devs owe me this game" but go off.
Your dramatic exaggerated language suggests I'm demanding a fully playable build or something. Im not.
Im asking for a screenshot or something. A crumb.
Or at least acknowledgement the project is still alive.
Im a big fan of the project.
Also "Touch grass" says the guy with 1852 posts on an internet forum.
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Your dramatic exaggerated language suggests I'm demanding a fully playable build or something. Im not.
Im asking for a screenshot or something. A crumb.
Or at least acknowledgement the project is still alive.
Im a big fan of the project.
Also "Touch grass" says the guy with 1852 posts on an internet forum.
This is literally from February. Not past year, not 2022. February 2024. QUITE A BIT more than "just a crumb" or just "an acknowledgement the project is still alive."
https://twitter.com/demoncastlewar/status/1754068636480774220
You've been asking for updates like we've been missing for years. This is just flat out not what is happening and YOUR dramatic response makes it look like it's been years of silence. I responded you in kind, that's all.
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I look forward to the next update in 2025
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heheheh yous guys remember “SotN Hacked” by Esco? He’s been developing that for well over a decade and it’s still not done. Granted, he’s basically a one-man team, but I doubt it’ll ever be fully completed because he’ll never be satisfied with the end result. This is common with amateur developers. Same situation with Mega Man X: Corrupted, the videos look great but they’ve been programming it for over a decade too & it’s still not done.
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I do remember SoTN hacked.
But I'm still over here waiting on Oddity. 😔
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This is literally from February. Not past year, not 2022. February 2024. QUITE A BIT more than "just a crumb" or just "an acknowledgement the project is still alive."
https://twitter.com/demoncastlewar/status/1754068636480774220
You've been asking for updates like we've been missing for years. This is just flat out not what is happening and YOUR dramatic response makes it look like it's been years of silence. I responded you in kind, that's all.
This looks great, have you guys tried to get in touch with Konami? If you can showcase a playable demo that actually looks like that I think it wouldn't be unlikely for them to give you rights over the IP. This looks way better than any Castlevania related content we've had so far from smaller developers. Either way keeping an eye open for this project, take your time with it!
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This looks great, have you guys tried to get in touch with Konami? If you can showcase a playable demo that actually looks like that I think it wouldn't be unlikely for them to give you rights over the IP. This looks way better than any Castlevania related content we've had so far from smaller developers. Either way keeping an eye open for this project, take your time with it!
Actually it’s quite the opposite unfortunately. Konami will never just say “here you guys have at it” especially to amateur developers. MercurySteam is an established company so they got to do it, but fan made projects such as this have little to no chance.
Granted they are more lenient to the IP than Nintendo whom are infamous in shutting down fan projects left & right, but there have been dozens of CV fan hacks over the years and not once has Konami took notice & offered them a job.
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there have been dozens of CV fan hacks over the years and not once has Konami took notice & offered them a job.
I wish we got a game directed by Thaddeus
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Actually it’s quite the opposite unfortunately. Konami will never just say “here you guys have at it” especially to amateur developers. MercurySteam is an established company so they got to do it, but fan made projects such as this have little to no chance.
Granted they are more lenient to the IP than Nintendo whom are infamous in shutting down fan projects left & right, but there have been dozens of CV fan hacks over the years and not once has Konami took notice & offered them a job.
I'm not 100% sure about it, hacks are one thing and most of the fan projects use ripped assets and honestly are quite obviously "home made" Umbra on the contrary, at least from what has been showed so far, looks completely on par with the Bloodstained INTI games, if not even superior in terms of quality. Surely a playable demo on par with what has been shown so far in videos needs to be on the table , but im faithful if they can keep that level of polish it'll definitely surpass anything we've seen so far in the homebrew community. That said, Konami also seems to be very uncautious on how the CV IP is used, there's one guy in germany who has been profiting over Rondo of Blood for years publishing and making GOOD BUCKS over and over again with all kind of bootlges and nothing ever happened to him, i think he didnt even get a cease and desists or anything. Not to mention they gave all the physical release rights for the collections to LRG despite the bad record they have (they even have been found selling burned CD over pressed ones recently, LOL), or the insane amount of vinyl LP licensed right and left. They gave the OK to the Dead Cells guys after he politely asked the current producer of the series at an expo or something, and tbh Return to Castlevania doens't really look any good to me. I'm sure they devs love the series and did their best etc, and of course that is Dead Cells style so its not like they were going for something different in the expansion, but hell that is such a HUGE step backward from where the series got 15 years ago on the DS. That is to say, I'm quite confident if someone presents them with a decent quality prototype and the numbers for necessary amount of money return on Konami's side, they'd give out the IP for a full game in a blink.
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As far as Konami picking up Seal of the Eclipse, crazier things have happened, and successful games like Sonic Mania started from the fan community and ended as an officially published game, but that isn't common.
I have some experience pitching to Konami. A few years ago, Konami Europe started an indie publishing program, which ended up publishing games like Skelettack. This publishing program is for games more like Seal of the Eclipse and Carpathian Night, which are smaller games made by truly indie individuals or studios. I pitched Carpathian Night to them, and they reviewed it, but they felt it wouldn't be a good fit because the messaging would be confusing - a Konami game that looks and plays like Castlevania, but isn't Castlevania? And since this is a completely separate program from anything related to their main IPs, its not really in their power to just turn CN into an official Castlevania game. We did end up getting rejected.
I think Konami would only be willing to talk to established studios with a proven track record for anything Castlevania related, but they also have avenues open for smaller guys like us with original indie games, but we just weren't a good fit.
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Toxic Positivity
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That’s interesting bits of info you provided for us @VladofWallachia. If you recall Dave Cocks also pitched his “original idea” to Konami, flat out saying that it was a brand new IP for them when it wasn’t (skip to 4:00)
https://youtu.be/cE4YxIYIkJM?si=7tR911yYI32TcR6f
So for Konami to reject your idea but accept MercurySteam’s, I feel is kind of shady on Konami’s part & even misleading, but I guess we’ll never know what fits the standard criteria for them.
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That’s interesting bits of info you provided for us @VladofWallachia. If you recall Dave Cocks also pitched his “original idea” to Konami, flat out saying that it was a brand new IP for them when it wasn’t (skip to 4:00)
https://youtu.be/cE4YxIYIkJM?si=7tR911yYI32TcR6f
So for Konami to reject your idea but accept MercurySteam’s, I feel is kind of shady on Konami’s part & even misleading, but I guess we’ll never know what fits the standard criteria for them.
Well I pitched to Konami of Europe's (then) new indie game publishing program, while MercurySteam, a well established company with a track record, pitched to Konami.
Konami just released another Contra game, Operation Gulag, developed by a third party developer, WayForward. I would not be surprised if we eventually see a similar partnership with a new Castlevania coming out of it.
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I wanna say I remember the indie contest project they had distinctly NOT having CV on the list of franchises they opened up to the indie crowd, so it wouldn't have ever really worked for any of us in here anyway, but I might be misremembering a detail or five
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I wanna say I remember the indie contest project they had distinctly NOT having CV on the list of franchises they opened up to the indie crowd, so it wouldn't have ever really worked for any of us in here anyway, but I might be misremembering a detail or five
Yes, I remember that contest, I asked the same contact from Konami of Europe about it, and we weren't a good fit for that contest for the same reasons as before.
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I have no idea what they plan to do with this franchise
I have been playing Lords of Shadow and Legacy of Darkness for the first time in 2024...guess which one I liked and which one I didn't...
Legacy of Darkness surprised me so much, it really is Castlevania in 3D, while the PS2 games and LoD are not. Only missing the Carrie playthrough at the time I write.
Gabriel's adventure, on the other hand, is a massive slog. I just finished the second Lord of Shadow (the boss not the game I mean) and damn it, only the story and nice visuals get me going. I hate the whip so much, Reinhardt's FEELS SO MUCH BETTER in comparison in spite of having 1 single attack.
Whatever happens to this rumoured new Castlevania game, I'm 100% sure I will not like it. Konami just isn't confident anymore in the style of game we cherish so much (both Classic and Metroidvania).
Also I may be an isolated case but bad dialogue aside I really liked the Castlevania stuff in Dead Cells and I'm kinda disappointed there isn't more.
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I wanna say I remember the indie contest project they had distinctly NOT having CV on the list of franchises they opened up to the indie crowd, so it wouldn't have ever really worked for any of us in here anyway, but I might be misremembering a detail or five
Yeah i remember that too, if im not wrong the developer of La Mulana won the contest to revive some IP i don't remember the name of. The fact CV wasn't there, too, should be a pretty strong hint at a new title being in development(hell). Looking back at it, i think it should have been on the list, we'd probably have certainty of a small yet decent game coming by now, maybe something along the lines of Adventure Rebirth
I have no idea what they plan to do with this franchise
I have been playing Lords of Shadow and Legacy of Darkness for the first time in 2024...guess which one I liked and which one I didn't...
Legacy of Darkness surprised me so much, it really is Castlevania in 3D, while the PS2 games and LoD are not. Only missing the Carrie playthrough at the time I write.
Gabriel's adventure, on the other hand, is a massive slog. I just finished the second Lord of Shadow (the boss not the game I mean) and damn it, only the story and nice visuals get me going. I hate the whip so much, Reinhardt's FEELS SO MUCH BETTER in comparison in spite of having 1 single attack.
Whatever happens to this rumoured new Castlevania game, I'm 100% sure I will not like it. Konami just isn't confident anymore in the style of game we cherish so much (both Classic and Metroidvania).
Also I may be an isolated case but bad dialogue aside I really liked the Castlevania stuff in Dead Cells and I'm kinda disappointed there isn't more.
The 64 titles are definitely solid, and I really wish we'd got them on the Switch virtual console. Actually I'm surprised they aren't already, the MD had Vampire Killer, the GB got Legends, given the small 3rd party catalogue on the 64 I'm seriously surprised it hasnt come out yet. Maybe there's a new collection in the way, or maybe next Halloween? Who knows.
Regarding Lords of Shadow, it should have been it's own IP, i have nothing else to say about it, i really can't stand it
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There are sections of CV64 that are straight up obnoxious, but at least there’s decent platforming present. Even though the camera sucks. And I still maintain the castle portions from Lords of Shadow 2 were the best looking out of all the 3D CV games. There’s parts where you’re walking across a balcony bathed in moonlight, and it’s simply breathtaking. Those parts they nailed, it’s a shame the rest of the game wasn’t 100% like that. But perhaps we’re getting off topic.
I truly believe the next CV product (I hesitate to call it a game) will be another Grimiore of Souls. Cell phone only, with microtransactions.
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I don't remember where I mentioned this (maybe the WANTED section of DCTP?), but I once suggested how it could be fun if the CV gang did something else, a la Parodius or Mario Party.
Vampire Survivors recently demonstrated what else could be done with CV elements (completely coincidentally (https://youtu.be/XQVdR8mJrds?si=8hjmSbDw5jGtED7c&t=416)) and took off so hard it recently added a Contra DLC including a rendition of the Simon-ish robot from Hard Corps as an unlockable character; just one remove from CV explicitly being in VS.
I wouldn't be that surprised if Konami just straight up commissioned--if not signed--poncle to create a standalone VS-formatted CV.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YEfRYKRr8s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YEfRYKRr8s)
here we go again LOL
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i'm enjoying the love from all of these. the trailers are always fun to watch at the very least.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YEfRYKRr8s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YEfRYKRr8s)
here we go again LOL
I'm losing count now. Is the 4th? 5th? Vania DLC in non Vania games?
With how busy I've been, I haven't had the chance to try any of this stuff.
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https://youtu.be/mV2T3B9yixw?si=__RV2Da1j3Mdvh8m (https://youtu.be/mV2T3B9yixw?si=__RV2Da1j3Mdvh8m) - Smash Bros
https://youtu.be/osfElsTiofo?si=D5ztgPN722Llsp-C (https://youtu.be/osfElsTiofo?si=D5ztgPN722Llsp-C) - Brawlhalla
https://youtu.be/xveyurCavdo?si=DwBPw2puicsppc8 (https://youtu.be/xveyurCavdo?si=DwBPw2puicsppc8) - Jail or Bail
https://youtu.be/i8nPR7aB62c?si=RzbdlU9fG23UjxW3 (https://youtu.be/i8nPR7aB62c?si=RzbdlU9fG23UjxW3) - Dead Cells
https://youtu.be/CkFP-XzRWrk?si=06BHVWyE1tUNQt4h (https://youtu.be/CkFP-XzRWrk?si=06BHVWyE1tUNQt4h) - V Rising
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YEfRYKRr8s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YEfRYKRr8s) - Dead by Daylight
6 starting from Smash Bros that I can think of. Did I miss any?
Edit: Oh, since Smash isn't a DLC, I guess that would make 5 CV DLCs in non-Castlevania games. Also since Jail or Bail is a Konami game, that would give us 5 collaborations as well.
Looking through some of these old trailers - this is when original style Simon Belmont really made a come back.
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https://youtu.be/mV2T3B9yixw?si=__RV2Da1j3Mdvh8m (https://youtu.be/mV2T3B9yixw?si=__RV2Da1j3Mdvh8m) - Smash Bros
https://youtu.be/osfElsTiofo?si=D5ztgPN722Llsp-C (https://youtu.be/osfElsTiofo?si=D5ztgPN722Llsp-C) - Brawlhalla
https://youtu.be/xveyurCavdo?si=DwBPw2puicsppc8 (https://youtu.be/xveyurCavdo?si=DwBPw2puicsppc8) - Jail or Bail
https://youtu.be/i8nPR7aB62c?si=RzbdlU9fG23UjxW3 (https://youtu.be/i8nPR7aB62c?si=RzbdlU9fG23UjxW3) - Dead Cells
https://youtu.be/CkFP-XzRWrk?si=06BHVWyE1tUNQt4h (https://youtu.be/CkFP-XzRWrk?si=06BHVWyE1tUNQt4h) - V Rising
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YEfRYKRr8s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YEfRYKRr8s) - Dead by Daylight
6 starting from Smash Bros that I can think of. Did I miss any?
Edit: Oh, since Smash isn't a DLC, I guess that would make 5 CV DLCs in non-Castlevania games. Also since Jail or Bail is a Konami game, that would give us 5 collaborations as well.
Looking through some of these old trailers - this is when original style Simon Belmont really made a come back.
Good job listing all of those!
It's impressive but not surprising how Smash is the only one who actually got it right in my opinion.
Oh, what i wouldn't give up to get a new classic stage based game developed with those graphics and overall direction... the Dracula stage and fight in Smash was incredible
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I got the Castlevania Amiibos for Smash, but was disappointed they didn't actually unlock the characters to play as in the game. It was too much work to unlock them for me. I just wanted to play as Simon and Richter right away ><. Maybe one of these days I'll get around to it, but it's been half a decade already ha. I can enjoy Smash, but only dabble with it.
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Although I do agree with what others have said previously, about these constant CV DLCs and skins being placed over well-established franchise, and yes it can be a bit annoying, but also these are the content that’s technically keeping CV alive at this point. It hasn’t faded into obscurity because these developers are fans too & trying to keep the IP relevant by including them in these games.
Say what you will about these CV add-ons, but don’t forget for a while Konami was only interested in pumping out CV-themed pachislot vending machines. There are many, many other dead series that aren’t getting these homages/DLC content, and besides this forum there are a lot of people that enjoyed the Netflix show, so Castlevania continues to remain in the public conscious. We may even get a Nintendo DS collection for the Switch soon, which might be what all the “rumors” are alluding to.
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Although I do agree with what others have said previously, about these constant CV DLCs and skins being placed over well-established franchise, and yes it can be a bit annoying, but also these are the content that’s technically keeping CV alive at this point. It hasn’t faded into obscurity because these developers are fans too & trying to keep the IP relevant by including them in these games.
Say what you will about these CV add-ons, but don’t forget for a while Konami was only interested in pumping out CV-themed pachislot vending machines. There are many, many other dead series that aren’t getting these homages/DLC content, and besides this forum there are a lot of people that enjoyed the Netflix show, so Castlevania continues to remain in the public conscious. We may even get a Nintendo DS collection for the Switch soon, which might be what all the “rumors” are alluding to.
I've been long hoping for the DS collection, but I'm afraid with the silly DS' dual screen and touch gimmicks its not going to happen, they'd need to work around it, which is way more tedious and time consuming than just making an emulator and dumping the roms inside with an interface, I'm afraid. Which is a shame because all three titles are among the best Vanias ever made. I sincerely hope I'm wrong tho because i want to replay those games on modern systems so badly.
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M2 did the previous collections and made a System 16 version of Fantasy Zone II "just because." They also developed The Adventure ReBirth so clearly they have a lot of love for Castlevania. I'm sure they'd program a serviceable workaround for the mostly pointless touchscreen mechanics. If that's what these banal crossovers are leading up to, then Konami can keep whoring out the series—but the crossovers themselves do nothing for me. At least during the dire times of Lords of Shadow we still got new games. I'll take mediocre games over no games at this point.
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The dual touch screen indeed poses a problem, but if they were dedicated they would think of a solution. It’s not impossible.
If a Switch DS collection would happen, then they could include: Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin (the weakest of the IGA trilogy but it does have its moments of greatness), Order of Ecclesia, and maybe even Mirror of Fate. As a extra bonus they should include Adventure ReBirth. I skipped the last collection but I would be ALL OVER this if they make it happen.
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A true-to-form stage-by-stager would be swell. 😎
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A true-to-form stage-by-stager would be swell. 😎
I've given up on any halfway decent Castlevania game being made. Just look to the indie devs—and to that end, Odallus: The Dark Call is as good a Castlevania or Demon's Crest as any. It's ancient at this point (9 years) but still a gold standard. Then there's newer fare like Demons of Asteborg, or something in between like the GnG-inspired Battle Princess Madelyn: Royal Edition (Switch-exclusive but possibly better than the original multiplatform version). Konami would just pawn off CV to another developer and end up with something mediocre like Cuntra: Operation Gallagher.
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Did you say Demon’s Crest? :unf
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I’m hoping that the Switch 2 will actually have multiscreen capabilities and designed in such a way that ports from the DS, 3DS, and Wii U would be super straight forward. I’d rather wait to get a DS Collection on that system anyways if that’s the case.
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Odallus: The Dark Call
I both loved & hated that game. Mainly because of its difficulty. I enjoy a challenging game but there were moments in there that really frustrated me. Probably the reason why I dislike the “Souls/Borne” genre; They seem to prioritize extreme difficulty over fun & creativity. Devil May Cry however can be hard but it’s also a blast to play. My days of grinding constantly for hours just to get stuck on a boss for days/weeks are over.
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I both loved & hated that game. Mainly because of its difficulty. I enjoy a challenging game but there were moments in there that really frustrated me. Probably the reason why I dislike the “Souls/Borne” genre; They seem to prioritize extreme difficulty over fun & creativity. Devil May Cry however can be hard but it’s also a blast to play. My days of grinding constantly for hours just to get stuck on a boss for days/weeks are over.
Speaking of which, do any of you guys like the idea of having a new game embrace the soulslike formula? I've been thinking about it but im not sure it would work with CV tbh. If another big 3d game is made I'd rather have a DMC like combat, similar to LoI
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What's soulslike?
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“soulslike” are games that take inspiration from Dark Souls, Demon’s Souls, Bloodborne, Elden Ring, Stellar Blade, etc. Although those games look amazing & a lot of effort was put into them by the developers, which I appreciate & admire their dedication, they’re just not my cup of tea. The gameplay is slow, methodical, and every choice you make counts, and like I said they’re known for their extreme difficulty.
@whipsmemory Personally I would prefer a new 3D Castlevania to not take that route, but if it was done differently than the rest, then of course I will give it a chance.
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Indie Developer Discovers His Game Crossed Over With Castlevania Whilst He Slept
https://hard-drive.net/hd/video-games/indie-developer-discovers-his-game-crossed-over-with-castlevania-while-he-slept/
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Indie Developer Discovers His Game Crossed Over With Castlevania Whilst He Slept
https://hard-drive.net/hd/video-games/indie-developer-discovers-his-game-crossed-over-with-castlevania-while-he-slept/
lmao
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Speaking of which, do any of you guys like the idea of having a new game embrace the soulslike formula?
The problem with soulslike is that the feature that meshes best with Castlevania is DS1's level design, and in 15 years they never managed to replicate the quality of that, which you would need for an entire castle. Nowadays "soulslike" amounts to rolling infinitely in corridors (or in a shallow open world) with particular care to PvP stuff. Not my cup of tea.
Aside from that, the platforming in soulslikes is extremely awkward and weak. And the whips in those games are terrible and do not resemble Castlevania's vampire killer at all (LoS also had this issue).
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The problem with soulslike is that the feature that meshes best with Castlevania is DS1's level design, and in 15 years they never managed to replicate the quality of that, which you would need for an entire castle. Nowadays "soulslike" amounts to rolling infinitely in corridors (or in a shallow open world) with particular care to PvP stuff. Not my cup of tea.
Aside from that, the platforming in soulslikes is extremely awkward and weak. And the whips in those games are terrible and do not resemble Castlevania's vampire killer at all (LoS also had this issue).
Well, either way its not like the Castles map are that much interconnected usually, tbh thats why we usually have to rely on teleports a lot. Surely some areas may connect at times, but not to the point we ever had plenty of shortcuts between dramatically distant areas of the castles, also because those map usually mostly develop horizontally, while Dark Souls, at least for the most part, privileges vertical exploration, which surely would work very well with a Castle like architecture if done properly, yeah. On the combat, the whips do indeed feel awful in those games, but i think if they were to make a game in this style of gameplay an arsenal of weapons as we usually have in most metroidvanias would be privileged, and i can see that work. The real problem i think is the pace is too different from both the exploration based vanias and the action ones, surely because of jumping, but overall because of a faster pace of action and movement overall. Tho I also think that if done properly it could still work well, but as I said before, id rather get a more action oriented game, even tho these seems to not be very popular anymore unfortunately. Again regarding the whip, i think Lament of Innocence had the best whip wielding gameplay we had in a Castlevania game, i honestly think it was extremely thrilling and you really got the feeling of swinging a whip, differently from LoS as you said yourself, where it just felt like you were swinging punches in a mobile game or something like that. Castlevania 64 was also cool with the whip i think, i wish the whips in the Souls game felt more something like that
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Empty collaborations reek of a PachinKonami sacrificing their once beloved franchise harder than Griffith sacrificed the original Band of the Hawk/ Falcon… 🏹 🦅💥🩸
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A lot of current anime have weird/useless collaborations in Japan and that's fine by me. It satiates the fans and give stuff for the hard core ones to do (like collecting those coasters/ whatever that they give out in collaboration cafes).
If the vania collabs brings in the money, I just hope Konami puts it in developing something new.
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I can't say I'm bothered by these cross overs.
On the other hand I feel like I'll finish my own Castlevania fan remake before the next true installment of the series is released.
In the mean time I've kept my addiction at bay by replaying the old games, trying out every romhack I can find, and searching out similarly flavored indie titles.