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The Castlevania Dungeon Forums => General Castlevania Discussion => Topic started by: Lumi Kløvstad on August 25, 2012, 03:50:23 AM

Title: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Lumi Kløvstad on August 25, 2012, 03:50:23 AM
I've never been clear on exactly what the curse Simon was trying to heal was.

The context of the game makes it seem like something overtly supernatural, and yet I've read in a lot of articles and fan discussions that it was lingering wounds from his first foray, including but not limited to, and quite hilariously, a bad back.

Somehow, the thought of Simon being punked by a really bad backache makes me laugh, because then you could say "if only he had a better chiropractor, our hero would have liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiived!"

That said, I tend to think of the curse as something directly done to him by Dracula, as a spite for killing him. After all, canon states that Dracula cursed pretty much a whole freaking country to go batshit crazy and homicidal as a spite for killing him the first time. Where's the difficulty in cursing one man when he can do that?

Anyway, discuss/enlighten. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the matter.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Phoenix7786 on August 25, 2012, 04:22:51 AM
Castlevania I and II In Brief (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCK34chWYxA#)

:D
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: VladCT on August 25, 2012, 04:45:56 AM
Some say that his body was rotting because of the curse. Either way I believe it involved him dying very slowly.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Havatchu on August 25, 2012, 05:12:06 AM
It's just a videogame.

Plotholes like this are essential.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Inccubus on August 25, 2012, 06:21:56 AM
No plothole at all. IIRC, the Japanese manual for CV2 says in no uncertain terms that his body was rotting because of the curse. The US manual was, of course, a pathetic excuse for a replacement. This is why I normally disregard anything any US material has to say. Anyway, a popular theory is that he was cursed with leprosy. I don't think it was anything that specific or severe.

If there's any plothole here at all it's unfortunately the entire plot of the game. I mean, really, how the hell does it make any sense to lift Dracula's Curse by summoning his ghost and immediately destroying it... again. What the hell was to stop him from immediately placing another curse on Simon? The entire thing is completely counter intuitive. Now if they actually had built the endings around prossessing certain equipment for, say, a ritual cleansing or something like that. And while your at how about putting lesser vampires in each mansion guarding the orbs? That way you could have the stake be required to pin them down long enough to use the Vampire Killer to put them down. Of course, you'd have to put the stake merchants somewhere other than in the same building as the vampires. And then instead of the act of bringing together the body parts just summoning Dracula's Wraith, it should bring back a funky ruined Demon Castle. An undead Castlevania if you will. Then you can put a bunch of bosses in the castle for some real action.
...
...
...
Yeah, I know that's basically what they did in OoE, but I swear I had that idea years before the DS hardware had even been developed, let alone the CV games that came out on it.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Nagumo on August 25, 2012, 10:36:43 AM
Yeah, the curse is slowly killing Simon.

If there's any plothole here at all it's unfortunately the entire plot of the game. I mean, really, how the hell does it make any sense to lift Dracula's Curse by summoning his ghost and immediately destroying it... again. 


From what I know, Dracula appearing at the end was not a result of Simon burning his body parts. His ghost was born from a sixth body part that Simon didn't manage to collect. That's what the offical timeline says, at least. 
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Jorge D. Fuentes on August 25, 2012, 11:59:35 AM
Well I can somewhat explain the plot of CV2 using some wonderful existing theories from other series.
**ahem**

Perhaps, when you collect the body parts to do a Summon, you're not just doing a regular summon but rather, like Dracula's regular Resurrection methods, you're gathering all of the evil of the surrounding area, harnessing it, and channeling it... INTO the flux capacit-errrr I mean, into the PEDESTAL.  Thus, by bringing all of the evil together into Dracula's Remains, you're essentially cleansing the countryside.

It is similar to how every 100 years, upon a natural resurrection, the evil of the land as it grows summond Dracula.  By gathering all of the evil in the ritual, you're taking all of his 'curse' and bringing it to one concentrated spot.  The resurrection is a result of this ritual and the gathered parts.

I think it has been established that a prematurely resurrected Dracula just does not have the power that a full-power properly resurrected Dracula possesses.  It is possible that the Dracula that Simon defeats in "Castlevania" is a full-power Dracula, with enough magic power to put a hex on the entire area around his castle, while the Dracula summoned in "Simon's Quest" is just too weak to do such a thing.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: X on August 25, 2012, 03:48:09 PM
Quote
Perhaps, when you collect the body parts to do a Summon, you're not just doing a regular summon but rather, like Dracula's regular Resurrection methods, you're gathering all of the evil of the surrounding area, harnessing it, and channeling it... INTO the flux capacit-errrr I mean, into the PEDESTAL

LOL!! Couldn't resist, could you  ;D
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Mooning Freddy on August 25, 2012, 06:26:44 PM
Leprosy is an interesting theory. It's a terrible disease, and the closest real life disease to zombification.
It's obvious why people in the dark ages considered it as a disease caused by magic or a punishment from god.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Aridale on August 25, 2012, 09:03:47 PM
I think you got that backwards... leprosy _is_ real =D
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: GuyStarwind on August 25, 2012, 10:27:45 PM
The curse was forever changing hair color. When he finally destroyed the remains and killed Dracula it was red and that's why most newer versions of him have red hair.*Yes I know his hair is not red in CV2 but just go with it!*
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Nail_Bombed on August 25, 2012, 11:05:27 PM
I always thought it meant he gained some kind of wasting disease, like what was known in those times as consumption. Basically I thought Dracula gave him cancer.

Anyhow, I think Brentalfloss can tell us all about it (when is it not a good time to post this?):

Castlevania II WITH LYRICS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl9ikroWXSs#ws)
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Lelygax on August 26, 2012, 12:04:28 AM
Basically I thought Dracula gave him cancer.
So thats the cure for cancer, lets kill Dracula lol

Anyhow, I think Brentalfloss can tell us all about it (when is it not a good time to post this?)
I have seen that before, I and a friend even subbed that video to our language xD

On topic, I think that the curse simple doesnt allows Simon to recover from any injuries, so the cuts in his flesh will open more and more becoming fatal (in real life exist something similar, if someone by cause of some disease, doesnt produce white blood cells)
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Ahasverus on August 26, 2012, 04:32:25 AM
If we suppose it's the same curse Dracula gave Quincy Morris in the novel the curse doesn't let the wounds heal, so the probably severe injuries acquired in the first Dracula battle were still intact and slowly killing him.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Mooning Freddy on August 26, 2012, 04:40:17 AM
(in real life exist something similar, if someone by cause of some disease, doesnt produce white blood cells)

Dude, it's called AIDS. Well, not exactly, but similar effect.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Lelygax on August 26, 2012, 05:04:45 AM
Dude, it's called AIDS. Well, not exactly, but similar effect.
Thats not quite it that Im saying, that disease that I cant remember the name only doesnt lets your wounds heal easily, they heals pretty slow and you skin are more sensitive too, so if like, you knock your leg in something acidentally, like a chair, it have more chances that it will bleed and make a moderate wound. Sorry for my broken english, but that disease really exists, one of the causes that my grandfather died is because of that, and no, its not AIDS.  :-\
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Nail_Bombed on August 26, 2012, 08:27:32 AM
Thats not quite it that Im saying, that disease that I cant remember the name only doesnt lets your wounds heal easily, they heals pretty slow and you skin are more sensitive too, so if like, you knock your leg in something acidentally, like a chair, it have more chances that it will bleed and make a moderate wound. Sorry for my broken english, but that disease really exists, one of the causes that my grandfather died is because of that, and no, its not AIDS.  :-\

Think that's called hemophilia.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Mooning Freddy on August 26, 2012, 06:29:38 PM
Think that's called hemophilia.

Yep. But unlike AIDS, it's a genetic disease caused by a dysfunctional chromosome.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Ratty on August 27, 2012, 06:00:50 AM
If we suppose it's the same curse Dracula gave Quincy Morris in the novel the curse doesn't let the wounds heal, so the probably severe injuries acquired in the first Dracula battle were still intact and slowly killing him.

That makes a lot of sense. Perhaps Quincy was unable to resist the curse for as long as Simon did because his magical Belmont lineage was so diluted that his inborn resistance to the supernatural was comparatively paltry. And since he dispatched Drac with a bowie knife he presumably did not have the protection of the Vampire Killer like his descendants in Bloodlines and Portrait did. If you accept the events of CotM as canon after all, the whip is powerful enough to aid even a non-Belmont/Belnades resist the corruption of the castle and defeat an early resurrection of Dracula.

As for the effects of Dracula's curse on Simon well, I had always just assumed it was unhealing wounds.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: xscientist5000 on August 28, 2012, 01:16:40 AM
A bad back. lol. He jumps pretty high for having a bad back. Maybe the Vampire Killer was the only thing keeping him alive during the curse.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Lelygax on August 28, 2012, 01:29:28 AM

Taken from Mr P.'s site:

The text was translated by "Help Me":

"Seven years has passed since the shocking last scene in 'Akumajou Dracula'. We now
journey back to the setting where it all happened, back to the countryside of
Transylvania. Our hero, Simon Belmont, has defeated Dracula, putting his flesh back
to sleep for another hundred of years.

However, he had to sacrifice his own body after the battle. His back was injured
during the death duel with Dracula and from that day forward, his body began to
slowly decay and now he felt that his time of death was nearby.

One morning, Simon was at the Belmont family's resting ground, a graveyard located
before the angel's hill.

Simon was looking back at his own life.

Suddenly, Simon felt something behind his back and when he turn around a young woman
was standing within the morning mist. The woman spoke to Simon.

'Your life has been taken over by an evil curse. Right now you're in danger.

However, within your own heart, you might able to defeat the evil if you wager your
life and stand up with courage with the power granted to you by God.

You must return to the source of your curse, the one who place it on you years ago,
you must ressurect Dracula. Finding Dracula's immortal body and destroying it won't
be simple.

Dracula's body was demolished when you defeated him seven years ago and now you must
bring him back. His body has been splitted into five different parts located above
ground. You must bring forth Dracula's body back to his burn stronghold, Castle
Dracula, and seal him in. And with the seal, you might be able to put an end to his
legacy. And you will recover from the curse placed on your back's wound.

However, even with this method, there's no guarantee that Dracula will be destroyed
forever. (Note: Contributor JPCVFAN says that the line's actual translation is "Only
by this method can Dracula be permanently eliminated.")

After the woman finished her words, she dissappeared with the mist.

Simon now returns on a journey with new determination. This time there's no turning
back! Fight Simon!

Please remember the bitter memories of Transylvania!"
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Inccubus on August 28, 2012, 03:59:10 AM
And here I was hoping for 'ass-rot' to be the disease. Oh, well. Crippling back injury with flesh-eating virus it is.

Seriously, though. That sounds like a pretty bad translation. I think I'll have the guys on the translation forum of ROMhacking.net give it a go.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: X on August 28, 2012, 04:42:28 AM
I would like to see this too. Having a better translation of that story would be a juicy read.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Lelygax on August 28, 2012, 01:12:39 PM
I would like to see this too. Having a better translation of that story would be a juicy read.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Inccubus on August 29, 2012, 08:42:05 AM
Translation by DarknessSavior:

Quote
Seven years have passed since the dramatic final scene of "Demon Castle Dracula" (Castlevania).
The stage is once again set in the remote countryside of Transylvania...

The hero Simon Belmont defeated Dracula and set his body to rest for another long 100 years.
However, the battle took a toll on Simon's body.
Simon injured his back during the deadly struggle with Dracula, and he could tell that his body was getting worse as the days went on.
He could feel the time of his death closing in.

One morning, Simon went to the grave on Angel Hill where the members of the Belmont family slumbered.
There, he started to ponder the live he had lived.

Then, Simon felt a chill run down his spine.
When Simon turned around, he noticed a woman standing in the morning mist.
The woman spoke to Simon.

"An evil curse has been placed upon your life. You are in danger.
However, if within your heart lies the courage to put your life on the line and fight evil, God will surely grant you power."

"The power of the evil curse placed upon you grows by the day.
Once the power has reached it's peak, Dracula will rise once again.
There is only one way to destroy his body for all eternity.

Seven years after Dracula's body is destroyed, it begins to resurrect itself.
In other words, the five parts of Draculas body have appeared on land once more.
If you act while the power of the curse is still weak, find the pieces of Dracula's body and burn them
to ashes at his stronghold: Dracula Castle, he will be sealed away for good.

Sealing Dracula away will certainly cause the Legend of Dracula to finally come to an end.

Once the curse is lifted from you, your back injuries will surely heal.

There are no other ways but this to destroy Dracula once and for all."

Once the woman said her final words, she disappeared again into the morning mist.

Because of this, the hero Simon Belmont had gained a newfound determination. There's no turning back for him now!

Fight on, Simon! Please. Remember bitter memories in TRANSYLVANIA!

Wow. I think this is pretty concrete evidence that Konami never intended nor expected for Castlevania to become the huge series it ended up becoming. Also, it also means that the crazy-ass shoe-horning & retconning really started with Bloodlines. Before that point all the games that had been released either fit (mostly) neatly together with CV2 being the end point or were a remake of CV1. Now I'm curious about the real stories for the rest of the games on the timeline between CV3 and CV2.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: uzo on August 29, 2012, 10:59:27 AM
A woman spirit appears, at the Belmont family graveyard...

The origins of Sara Trantoul revealed? Perhaps this was the spark that drove Iga to write about the spirit in the whip.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Lelygax on August 29, 2012, 01:38:37 PM
I dont know if thats true, but in some sites they call that garbed (coated? sorry for my english) people that you summon with garlic by the name of "spirit" or "ghost" something like that. It really makes a sense, atleast for the ones that only appear in graveyards, but why garlic?
Someone ever checked the japanese game or a japanese manual before to know if there are more things that we dont know? Since I dont understand a shit of japanese I cant check it by myself, but if I knew I would for sure share this information as much as possible in the internet.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Flame on August 29, 2012, 02:04:24 PM
A woman spirit appears, at the Belmont family graveyard...

The origins of Sara Trantoul revealed? Perhaps this was the spark that drove Iga to write about the spirit in the whip.
That's certainly an idea...
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: X on August 29, 2012, 02:48:19 PM
Wow. Now the CV2 story is really cleared up. But I am curious as to why the best ending in the game has Drac's hand come out of his grave? Didn't the backstory claim that Dracula would be permanently killed by burning his remains to ash?
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Inccubus on August 29, 2012, 02:50:08 PM
A woman spirit appears, at the Belmont family graveyard...

The origins of Sara Trantoul revealed? Perhaps this was the spark that drove Iga to write about the spirit in the whip.

Never thought of that. It doesn't explicitly state that the woman is a spirit, but I think it's pretty clearly implied. And it would make a hell of a lot more sense.


Wow. Now the CV2 story is really cleared up. But I am curious as to why the best ending in the game has Drac's hand come out of his grave? Didn't the backstory claim that Dracula would be permanently killed by burning his remains to ash?

I'll have to look into that.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Nagumo on August 29, 2012, 04:10:38 PM
You guys know that Mr P's site has translations for the Japanese manuals of all the games, right? I've been using them as a source of information for years.

Dracula Curse:
Quote

"15th century Europe. During the Dark Ages, there was a man who was feared by all. A man who has stopped being human. His name was
Count Vlad Tepes, otherwise known as Dracula. His territory was located at the outskirts of Transylvania, at the Wallachia territory, where he
used a taboo art to ressurect an evil deity. The deity granted him power and in exchange, he summoned several apparitions from the spirit
world in order to scorch and massacre the entire nation of Wallachia with darkness.

He felt he could extend his presence even further and now he's plotting to take all over Europe. The East Orthodox Church were desperate to
solve this situation, that they immediately dispatched a powerful army to Wallachia, but they never came back.

As a last resort, the Pope made a request to a man from the underworld, a man who uses a forbidden art and a pair of Vampire Hunters to end
Wallachia's oppresion.

The first one that was entrusted by the Pope was Sypha Belnandez at the East Orthodox Church, an apprentice monk in pursuit of becoming
a priest. Sypha's ability is a powerful type of magic that harness it's power from the atmosphere and can manipulate fire, ice and lightning bolts.
Sypha's attacking strenght is great, but he doesn't use weapon and is most vulnerable to any damage received from an enemy's attack. Sypha
lost his parents when he was young and was found wandering near the monastery, where he remained at the once-beautiful Wallachia. Sypha
knew that the place in his memories was now tainted and he accepted the pope's request to liberate Wallachia.

Around the same time, within Wallachia, a group of rebels were corvertly plotting to overthrow Count Dracula. However their human strenght
was no help and they were no match for Dracula's dark powers. Some of men were teared to pieces, others were senteced to be skewered and
some were transformed into hideous monsters. Grant Dinesti, carefree man from Wallachia was among them.

Those who tainted their hand once don't know when to stop. Count Dracula was not sastified with the power he already had after selling his
soul and body to the devil and he wanted to have more. The contract he made with the devil was also applied to his own son.

The son opposed his father, who still had a human heart even after getting rid of soul, as his own body was no longer human as well and it
finally went to the point that he slesyd reminding himself of his hate for his father. However, he cannot challenge his own father, who is an evil
spirit himself, all alone as the odds are agaisnt him. Although his relationship to Dracula is a burden for the Cross, nonetheless, Adrian
Fahrenheit Tepes opted to fight anyway. He changed his name to Alucard and infiltrate Wallachia underground with the purpose of destroying
his father and restoring the beauty of Wallachia, he began searching for a comrade that shared the same ideal.

The Pope was in predicament once again. Sypha, the vampire hunter who was sent out to Wallachia did not returned after the promised period.
The Pope assumed that since Sypha didn't return, his mission was already a failure and he was more likely dead by now.

This is when a genuine Vampire Hunter from the Belmont family appears to fullfil the Pope's request. The Belmont family, with their tenacious
willpower and seemingly bottomless strenght were treated no differently from the actual vampires and were just as feared. Because of this, the
Belmont family lived far away from common people, becoming almost folkloric. The Pope searched in all directions until he met a man with
Belmont bloodline. A longhair young man who was Ralph C. Belmont.

Go back in time more than a hundred years before Simon Belmont's time, when the the battle between Dracula and mankind began."

The Adventure:
Quote
"Transylvania, a small country in Europe, is associated even today with a demon's legend. With his powerful evil power, the legacy of
Count Dracula has been dreaded by the people. However, no matter how many times Dracula comes back, he never manages to fully
change the world into darkness as he is always put away by Simon, a descendant of the Belmont clan. However, the devil Dracula has
existed long before his first confrontation. Not as the devil Dracula, but as an evil sorcerer. Count Dracula was a fanatical demon worshipper,
who built a dark castle at the outskirts of Transylvania and conducted evil rituals every night. He has summoned several demons from the
other world to serve him and he himself has been trying to get eternal life by becoming a demon king possesing evil powers. With each
day, Count Dracula's evil powers became more frigtening, as he spread fear and terror to the people of the village. Until one day, a man
stood up. It was Christopher, an ancestor of the Belmont family. Christopher rushed to the dark castle. Many demons and traps layed out
are waiting for him at the castle. Will he be able to defeat the transformed devil, Count Dracula, as expected?"


The origins of Sara Trantoul revealed? 

I really like this theory but the PoR timeline says she was a gypsy woman. It contains a lot of information from Japanese sources, so I consider that timeline to be a reliable source.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: uzo on August 29, 2012, 04:54:18 PM
I really like this theory but the PoR timeline says she was a gypsy woman. It contains a lot of information from Japanese sources, so I consider that timeline to be a reliable source.

Ah. Guess not then.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Inccubus on August 29, 2012, 07:01:21 PM
You guys know that Mr P's site has translations for the Japanese manuals of all the games, right? I've been using them as a source of information for years.

Yeah, but they mostly seem to not up to par. The translation he has for the story of CV2 is riddles with errors.


I really like this theory but the PoR timeline says she was a gypsy woman. It contains a lot of information from Japanese sources, so I consider that timeline to be a reliable source.

This is from official supplementary sources related to PoR? Got any links? I'd like to see.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Munchy on August 30, 2012, 07:38:25 AM
Simon's curse is to whip enemies twice as much at nighttime.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Nagumo on August 30, 2012, 01:03:26 PM
This is from official supplementary sources related to PoR? Got any links? I'd like to see.

http://www.vgmuseum.com/mrp/cv-por/bonusmaterial4.htm (http://www.vgmuseum.com/mrp/cv-por/bonusmaterial4.htm)
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Inccubus on August 30, 2012, 01:32:13 PM
Wow... that's fucking stupid. They just made up a 6th body part. Way pull shit outta their asses after the fact. You'd think they could have come up with something better.

EDIT: Hold on a sec. This is that same document that claims Grant is a pirate. Is there a version of this in Japanese? I don't trust anything that was officially translated. They seem to almost always "improve" things by making shit up for no good reason that wasn't in the original Japanese text.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Nagumo on August 30, 2012, 02:42:39 PM
Wow... that's fucking stupid. They just made up a 6th body part. Way pull shit outta their asses after the fact. You'd think they could have come up with something better.

They didn't make that up. The sixth body part was already mentioned in a guidebook from 1987. Most likely it was original intent. I made a topic about it once...

I noticed that bit about Grant, too. It's possible that they added some stuff but I can confirm most of the information is from valid Japanese sources, and there are no other inconsisties as far as I know.

This timeline was just released in English, by the way.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: X on August 30, 2012, 02:56:02 PM
Quote
This is that same document that claims Grant is a pirate.

Actually I don't mind if Grant is a pirate. I find it gives him more character then just an acrobat. Besides pirates excel in acrobatics due to their climbing all over the ship's rigging's.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Inccubus on August 30, 2012, 05:02:28 PM
Being able to climb rigging doesn't make you a good acrobat. Plus 13th century ships didn't have tons of rigging like later vessels associated with piracy. But I suppose it's at least plausible he could have been a pirate. Although, I doubt he would even remotely resemble a golden age pirate of any sort.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Lelygax on August 30, 2012, 09:02:28 PM
Being able to climb rigging doesn't make you a good acrobat. Plus 13th century ships didn't have tons of rigging like later vessels associated with piracy. But I suppose it's at least plausible he could have been a pirate. Although, I doubt he would even remotely resemble a golden age pirate of any sort.
So "thats" why Konami dislikes Grant, they hate piracy.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Flame on August 30, 2012, 09:20:38 PM

(click to show/hide)

I could practically hear the opening movie music.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: TheouAegis on September 02, 2012, 05:08:58 AM
The lady in the mist could have been a witch or sorceress.

As for Grant, it was obvious by the Japanese manual that he wasn't a pirate, he was a member of the Danesti. They were always trying to overthrow Dracula because the Danesti and Draculesti were constantly vying for rule of Romania for decades upon decades. Why the hell would a pirate try to overthrow Dracula, in a clock tower no less?
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: X on September 02, 2012, 03:58:22 PM
Quote
Why the hell would a pirate try to overthrow Dracula, in a clock tower no less?

Grant was captured, transformed then sent to guard the clock tower while the rest of his family were brutally murdered. It's probably Dracula's way of spiting the Dynasti family from attempting to overthrow his family for such a long time.

Quote
Being able to climb rigging doesn't make you a good acrobat. Plus 13th century ships didn't have tons of rigging like later vessels associated with piracy.

What about CV3's Haunted ship of fools? That's a BIG ship! And I do believe that CV3 took place in the 15th century not the 13th  ;) Besides pirates are thieves. They will work up any and all skills in order to help them acquire their riches. And that includes acrobat skills. Acrobatic skill doesn't just mean that you are mid-air somersaulting all over the place. It means that you are athletically fit. You can run for prolonged periods of time without getting tired, fighting in the thick of combat without needing to get in your second wind and being able to do all sorts of other feats that any normal person would gawk at.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Inccubus on September 02, 2012, 10:44:45 PM
Lol at bad spellings. It's 'Dinesti'.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Inccubus on September 02, 2012, 11:09:17 PM
What about CV3's Haunted ship of fools? That's a BIG ship! And I do believe that CV3 took place in the 15th century not the 13th  ;) Besides pirates are thieves. They will work up any and all skills in order to help them acquire their riches. And that includes acrobat skills. Acrobatic skill doesn't just mean that you are mid-air somersaulting all over the place. It means that you are athletically fit. You can run for prolonged periods of time without getting tired, fighting in the thick of combat without needing to get in your second wind and being able to do all sorts of other feats that any normal person would gawk at.

My bad. Yes, it does take place at the end of the 15th century. I sometimes forget that you add a number to get the century not subtract one. However, the size of ship that is represented in the Ghostship stage is still out of period by at least 100 years or so. Let me put it into perspective, Columbus sailed 3 ships to the new world which happens about 20 years after CV3. Those ships were average for the time. The Nina was about 55 tons, the Ointa was about 90 tons, and the Santa Maria was about 200 to 300 tons. An average 4 masted Galleon, 200 years later, is 500 to 600 tons. The Ghostship in CV3 is a 5 masted monster with not only Galleon style rear gallery, but a forward gallery too. That thing is totally out of place. Especially for an area as small as the Black Sea.


EDIT: Oops, 2x post. feel free to delete the otter one.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: X on September 03, 2012, 02:07:05 AM
Quote
Lol at bad spellings. It's 'Dinesti'.

I was actually debating this when I wrote it. In the end I chose Grant's CV3 name  ;D

And as for the haunted ship being out of the time period? Yes it is. I kinda forgot that Columbus sailed for the Americas in 1492 and Dracula was assassinated in 1476. Only two decades earlier. As far as i know (history wise) the biggest wooden sailing vessel made during the rule of Briton was the HMS Victory. A 'Ship of the Line' class. Aren't discussions like this one fun??  :D

But getting back to Dracula cursing Simon. I think it would have been more successful if Dracula cursed Simon with ED to prevent further propagation of the clan.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Inccubus on September 03, 2012, 05:44:23 PM
These discussions are indeed fun & LOL at ED.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: beingthehero on September 03, 2012, 10:36:19 PM
feel free to delete the otter one.

(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi228.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fee35%2Fbeingthehero%2Fotter02.jpg%3Ft%3D1346718904&hash=d96a6725d356d93808b58535b10d6b8840829285)

WHY WOULD YOU DELETE SOMETHING THIS ADORABLE
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Lelygax on September 04, 2012, 02:10:43 AM
But getting back to Dracula cursing Simon. I think it would have been more successful if Dracula cursed Simon with ED to prevent further propagation of the clan.
What is "ED"?
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Phoenix7786 on September 04, 2012, 03:08:06 AM
Erectile Dysfunction.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Lelygax on September 04, 2012, 03:39:18 AM
LOL I thought that it is some type of sexual dysfunction because of the "D", thanks xD
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Orlox on September 11, 2012, 01:04:02 PM
He is 2x weaker at night
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: TheouAegis on September 11, 2012, 02:54:36 PM
Historically, it's Danesti, not Dinesti. It's the family line that was Dan I's offshoot of the House of Basarab in Wallachia.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: TheCruelAngel on September 11, 2012, 03:28:38 PM
I think we're still wrong on the curse, we need a real doctor to help us diagnose this...

(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_lsioi9GvcW1qcd31o.jpg&hash=32d3a7f27ac60b478b78ac6cea5558ddf2478926)

 ;D All kidding aside, regarding the oversized ghost ship in CVIII, this kind of proves Dracula's ability to pull objects from the future to his domain. Motorcycle skeletons anyone? (Though personally I always thought they ran off alchemy/magics...)
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: TheouAegis on September 11, 2012, 09:02:44 PM
Yeah, Castlevania makes itself out to be demonic and magical (all those glyphs and stuff), but the series, especially IGA's games, are clearly influenced heavily by H.P. Lovecraft and colleagues. The Mythos is full of alchemy and said glyphs were alchemic in nature as well. You have gravediggers (granted, that was based on The Undertaker), The Creature, hunchbacks/Igors, some things that were possibly based on The Hound (a Lovecraft story about a demonic dog that terrorized a couple grave robbers), the various laboratories, the lower castle levels with glyphs and runic symbols, and a bunch of other things I'm probably overlooking. Sure, IGA included witches in his games and Dracula was referred to as a sorcerer, but Castlevania is clearly an alchemic creation. Oh! The crystals that bosses drop. I'm almost certain that's alchemic in nature, kinda like the Philosopher's Stone. They actually will play a significant role in the stories of my games (planning on making more than one if I ever stop hacking and get back to programming).

I'm glad I'm not the only person that noticed the doctors in House always think it's Lupus.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Lelygax on September 11, 2012, 09:13:29 PM
Anyone noticed that Judgement's Simon have some tatoos? I think thats not a real tatto, but the accursed seal.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: Inccubus on September 12, 2012, 02:00:56 PM
OK, we're all wrong about that name.
It's Dăneşti, and it's pronounced duh-nesh-tee.

Also, I don't think there a very heavy amount of Lovecraftian influence in CV. Certainly the presence of "Cthulhu" in several of the games is self-evident. However, most of the rest is pretty generic and common throughout many horror themed media.
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: X on September 12, 2012, 03:24:17 PM
Yeah the only other Lovecraftian item that makes itself apparent aside from Cthulhu is CV64/LoD's Necronomicon intro
Title: Re: So... what WAS Simon's curse, exactly?
Post by: TheouAegis on September 12, 2012, 11:40:26 PM
You're just not looking hard enough. Even Shaft veers close to Lovecraft. Remember, the Mythos isn't just about the aliens sleeping under us. I'm sure somewhere in Castlevania there's even a reference to the Dreamlands, I just haven't picked up on it yet.