Castlevania Dungeon Forums
The Castlevania Dungeon Forums => General Castlevania Discussion => Topic started by: Vampire Killer on June 01, 2012, 06:46:33 PM
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I've recently become the proud father of a beautiful baby girl ;D
Anyhoo, as with any gamer that becomes a parent, I plan on eventually weaning her into the gaming culture. Of course, being a Cv fan, I'd love to introduce her to the Cv series. But, there's a problem. I figure the first Cv she plays will have to not be anything scary. I figured for that the original 8-bit titles would be great, but then the problem with those is that they can be really difficult, especially for a young child (around 4 or 5 I suppose, considering my little bro beat Super Mario when he was 4).
So, anyone care to throw out some suggestions on what could be viewed as a kid friendly Cv? (other than Kid Dracula of course)
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I'd say Portrait of Ruin is pretty kid-friendly, provided that she doesn't go anywhere near Nest of Evil of course. (Gergoth)
Oh, and I also think Aria of Sorrow doesn't have that much scary-nasties.
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Congrats!
I would say DoS has a very light-hearted atmosphere that isn't too scary. Though, some bosses might be a little frightening.
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I would say DoS has a very light-hearted atmosphere that isn't too scary. Though, some bosses might be a little frightening.
The most notable ones are Puppet Master and Gergoth (again).
And why do I keep mentioning Gergoth, you ask? Because I don't think a phallic zombie dino is anywhere close to being kid-friendly. :-X
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congratulations and what a fun post to ponder. i grew up with a sister 10 years younger than me. i don't remember her getting into the Castlevania games i played, but it didn't take her long to beat me in Street Fighter. one thing that she loved was playing as a girl character that she could relate to, first Chun Li, and then even more so, Sakura. perhaps along the same lines a game with a young girl protagonist who you're daughter could relate to might be the right thing. guess that would have to be Maria in Rondo of Blood or Portrait of Ruin, or Carrie in C64 and Legacy of Darkness. of course, there's plenty of scary stuff in any Castlevania game, so I don't know what the proper age is for introducing this is. i guess it depends on the individual.
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Grats man!
Super Castlevania 4 I would think is great for kids. Play through it again and see if you find anything objectionable. But it's the right difficulty for someone starting to game and it has a password system so she won't get frustrated.
I would also suggest watching some of the universal horror movies that inspired Castlevania to help give her a taste for the atmosphere and just because a lot of the movies, especially the Frankenstein and Wolf Man's, are a lot of fun. Though she might be a little young at 4 or 5 and of course you could watch it with her mother first to see if you both approve.
The Original Dracula Trailer (1931) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiYbxIrFsik#)
congratulations and what a fun post to ponder. i grew up with a sister 10 years younger than me. i don't remember her getting into the Castlevania games i played, but it didn't take her long to beat me in Street Fighter. one thing that she loved was playing as a girl character that she could relate to, first Chun Li, and then even more so, Sakura. perhaps along the same lines a game with a young girl protagonist who you're daughter could relate to might be the right thing. guess that would have to be Maria in Rondo of Blood or Portrait of Ruin, or Carrie in C64 and Legacy of Darkness. of course, there's plenty of scary stuff in any Castlevania game, so I don't know what the proper age is for introducing this is. i guess it depends on the individual.
Excellent suggestions! I think an unlocked Carrie from LoD would be good. And yeah if she gets scared just give it a break for a few years, don't want to give her nightmares or anything. Different people have different sensitivities when they're young. Though I think the vast majority of the "horror" in Castlevania is strictly fun semi-goofy Halloween fair.
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Congratulations!!! I'd say the most kid friendly CV is RoB Maria mode. It has cute animals, bubbly letters when you die, happy music, and a much more cutesy ending.
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perhaps along the same lines a game with a young girl protagonist who you're daughter could relate to might be the right thing.
While Charlotte from PoR may be older than Maria and Carrie, I think she also fits the bill.
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just be sure to skip past the sacrifice scenes in Rondo of Blood and Legacy of Darkness!
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The Kid Dracula games?
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Pandemic Entertainment, Killer Experience (Peke) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2a3OAmqEEY#)
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LOL Crisis that's just, wow XD great.
That reminds me that there's also "Hasslevania: The Quest For Shuteye" a freeware fan parody game I've not played much but looks to be very kid friendly.
Hasslevania Game Play (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwElzeAK4KA#)
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Pandemic Entertainment, Killer Experience (Peke) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2a3OAmqEEY#)
lol, perfect!
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The most notable ones are Puppet Master and Gergoth (again).
And why do I keep mentioning Gergoth, you ask? Because I don't think a phallic zombie dino is anywhere close to being kid-friendly. :-X
Funny. They're the two bosses I was thinking of. ;D
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Aside from the horror factor that you might be concerned with I had more in mind the profanity. PoR had some light swearing in it so I'm not sure if that's a game for her to get into as she might hear that and say it after. I'd start her off on the NES titles first. CV I would be a good start as the enemies come off as more comedic then horrific. CV II would be the easiest out of the three to start off with as well if CV I is too hard for her.
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>Swearing in PoR
Forgot about that. I don't suppose a text hack to make it more kid-friendly would be a viable option?
>CVII
Don't forget to point out who's lying and who's not.
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Darn, I'd forgotten about the swearing in PoR.
See, that's the problem. Some Cv's would be ok, but for a few small things or really creepy bosses.
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I haven't played Cv: Chronicles in quite some time, how is that as far as scariness goes?
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Well, little children can be scared quite easily. Even if you would let your kid play one of the less scaries ones there still is lots of accidental nightmare fuel. It might be something you don't consider to be scary at all, so it's really hard to tell if a Castlevania is scary for a child or not. For example, when I was little I was already terrified by Medusa Heads, or just the game over screen of CV64. Little things that are not that scary for adults at all. Therefore I would say a kid friendly Castlevania game does not exist.
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Well, little children can be scared quite easily. Even if you would let your kid play one of the less scaries ones there still is lots of accidental nightmare fuel. It might be something you don't consider to be scary at all, so it's really hard to tell if a Castlevania is scary for a child or not. For example, when I was little I was already terrified by Medusa Heads, or just the game over screen of CV64. Little things that are not that scary for adults at all. Therefore I would say a kid friendly Castlevania game does not exist.
Well I'd say that's a little bit of a harsh assessment. Many if not most of us first started playing the series when we were kids, yourself included. It's more a matter of taste for the individual child. And there's the thing, you can't really shape what your kid is going to like, or what scares them for that matter. You can make suggestions but if it doesn't click with them it's just not going to work.
I mean it's not like Castlevania is Silent Hill, as egoraptor put it "Goofy skeletons throwing bones - When are you gonna run out and fall apart!?!" but if the kid gets scared just let them play something else. 4 or 5 is a little young to be sitting in front of a screen that long anyway, should be running around building up a healthy metabolism and muscle.
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Yep, Portrait is absolutely kid friendly :)
Still, my little brother has been playing Castlevania since he was 3 (He's 9 now) and he began with the Classicvanias and Curse of Darkness if I'm not wrong (Thanks, gamegenie in xbox emulator). He beated LoS like a boss, faster than me I think hahah.
I think violence in CV is very tasteful and you won't have major problems with any of them (Except, perhaps, Dawn's last boss)
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I haven't played Cv: Chronicles in quite some time, how is that as far as scariness goes?
Actually is the most cartoon-ish of classicvanias. Not bad idea at all
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How young would you be getting her started? I was rocking Super Castlevania IV when I was 5, so I think that's a good model to follow. ;D
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I'm thinking around 4 or 5. Depends on when she has enough dexterity to properly work a controller.
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actually, Harmony of Despair might not be a bad choice for an intro game. it doesn't have any cut-scenes that might be questionable. some levels are more scary or not-kid friendly than others, but you can always skip them if you want. there's a wide variety of characters to choose from, she can pick her favorite. if you have the PS3 version, you can play the game with her to help get past any of the parts she might get frustrated at and you could bond over it.
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Now that I think about it, too bad they never brought back the Kid Dracula series. Done right, that could be a pretty nice little "entry level" kid friendly series to gear tikes for later CV fandom. :)
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Well, little children can be scared quite easily. Even if you would let your kid play one of the less scaries ones there still is lots of accidental nightmare fuel. It might be something you don't consider to be scary at all, so it's really hard to tell if a Castlevania is scary for a child or not. For example, when I was little I was already terrified by Medusa Heads, or just the game over screen of CV64. Little things that are not that scary for adults at all. Therefore I would say a kid friendly Castlevania game does not exist.
The chainsaw man in LoD. I did not get over it for years till PoR came out.
And as for the most kid friendly Akumajyo Dracula X Peke ;)
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Congrats! I'm thinking CV1 or CV3, because the older games leave more to the imagination.
About the fear, I heard in psych 101 humans are only born with one fear: Loud noises. All others come from watching people, or when you associate things like blood with injury. Nobody's born afraid of skeletons throwing bones.
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Have you forgotten your roots, Vampire Killer?! Do as you have done. Start with the NES classics, 1 or 2. Spare the rod, spoil the gamer!
Let not another pansy gamer come to exist, if you can help it.
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I agree with uzo. Start with the NES games. They're really only as scary as you make them.
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Yes. Realistically they're the most intuitive. They were easy to pick up, easy to learn, and engaging with ample challenge. It worked well for us when we were young, so it should serve equally as well here. I recommend this approach with all classic games.
Also it's a good idea to get them started off on the classics first, so that the imagery and tech level are introduced early on. Starting them off on something like Lords of Shadow may breed a spoiled attitude where graphics are concerned. Step them through the ages in order, and you'll find out why games worked so well back then. It's a good chance to observe what worked and what doesn't from an adult perspective. Note their favorites, and common similarities between them.
Or maybe games just won't be her thing. Don't force it if it isn't.
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Or maybe games just won't be her thing. Don't force it if it isn't.
Agreed. She'll only resent you and gaming in general if you try to force it too much. Though if you remain a gamer into her teen years she'll probably say she hates it then to rebel anyway. I only became a gamer when I was an adult myself. Played some games as a kid but was more an avid film-buff most of my early life.
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Don't introduce her to video game at such a young age. It might make her a slave to video games.
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Don't introduce her to video game at such a young age. It might make her a slave to video games.
Bullshit.
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In all honesty though, I think it all comes down to how you introduce her to it. Do it wrong and she might either be a gaming addict like Pemburu said or hate it for various reasons like Ratty said. Do it right, however, and she might come to love gaming without being addicted to it.
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Bullshit.
In all honesty though, I think it all comes down to how you introduce her to it. Do it wrong and she might either be a gaming addict like Pemburu said or hate it for various reasons like Ratty said. Do it right, however, and she might come to love gaming without being addicted to it.
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Well although most people are suggesting the older games, why not start her with whatever's new in 5 or 6 years? Unless its still as violent as LoS I mean. I'm sure most of us started playing any game that was new at the time, then out of curiosity saught out the older games.
I know that not everyone is the same, but was young I started with a Sega Genesis which was still new at the time, and I grew to love games pretty naturally. Even though I grew up with modern consoles, I still went back to play the classics to better understand the franchises I loved.
Perhaps it will be the same for your daughter, just wait and see as she gets older.
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There's a Castlevania clone on the NES called "8 Eyes" that isn't scary, but it's really not any good either though it does have a 2-player co-op mode where one player controls the hero's pet hawk.