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The Castlevania Dungeon Forums => General Castlevania Discussion => Topic started by: Lelygax on July 24, 2013, 06:33:34 PM

Title: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Lelygax on July 24, 2013, 06:33:34 PM
Please, define castlevania telling me what you like, what you dislike, what you want and what you dont want (and what is a man?!) :rollseyes:

If someone needs a explanation for this, its for my personal researchs for the future and this can be used for posterior reading too if a lot of people help in this. I would like if even some of these dodo birds users appeared here to help, but I need more luck for that  ;D

Stairs, pits of doom, stages? We're better with or without them? We really need exp or levels? We need 100 levels or only 10? Candles or barrels? We need more games with partners? This is a little example of what I expect from this thread. Even if I personally isnt very fond of LoS, try  to not make this thread in a war, so please be polite.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Dracula9 on July 24, 2013, 09:43:46 PM
For me, Castlevania isn't as strictly defined by gameplay as it is by ideology and "feel." While I'm not going to say the series can exist without the good ol' whip-cracking, spike-jumping, stair-climbing tradition, those aren't my defining factors. For me, it really boils down to how the game in question feels. Does it feel like a Gothic (or Neo-Gothic in some cases) epic across a pocket dimension of barely controlled chaos? Does it feel like a brief interlude amidst an expansive history of good against evil?

I tend to like the smaller things on the whole; such as historical accuracy of how a certain buttress is stacked, or how a piece of music can affect ambiance in a given area. I like being able to explore areas more, as opposed to having to hurry through to avoid timers running out; I like to stop and sight-see, to take in the timbre of a grand hall or a forest or a dungeon, to really get a feel for and appreciate not only the effort put in by the designers, but for the character of the area, and moreso, the game.

For instance, while a good many others will say negativities about LoI's platforming systems, I'll be busy admiring an adornment on a tapestry or at the way a certain enemy moves or attacks. While they'll argue about the timeline placing of it, I'll be noting that Walter looks silly in that tiny little throne of his.

I guess a tl;dr would be that Castlevania is more defined by artistic direction and/or "feel," in relation to gameplay, but with a more prominent role, instead of the other way around. I think this is why I still like LoS even when I agree with most of the points against it, or why the discussed "bad" platforming in LoI doesn't bother me in the slightest.

And a man is a miserable little pile of secrets. You know that.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: darkwzrd4 on July 24, 2013, 10:17:18 PM
To me it is about the war between "GOOD" and "EVIL". The setting of which is Dracula's castle (aka Castlevania). The forces of evil are lead by either Dracula or someone who allies themselves with him. There heroes are those who fight evil. Usually the Belmont clan who wield a mystical "holy" whip that is especially effective against those who ally themselves with the forces of darkness. Other heroes include Alucard (Dracula's traitorous son), the Belnades clan (a bloodline with powerful elemental magic revolving around fire, ice, and lightning), and others.

My favorite style of game is the Metriodvania (though I can do with out the leveling up if there are items the permanently increase your stats placed throughout the game). I just love being able to explore the areas and having different weapons, but the leveling up makes the games too easy. I wouldn't mind having instant death traps like bottomless pits, quicksand, collapsing ceilings, etc.

What I would love is a game that incorporates all these things. LoI is a good example, but most of the areas were very flat (it was better and CoD though). LoS probably did it the best. I just don't like being limited to wielding a whip the whole game and the fact that the enemies had way too much health. I don't like fighting enemies with that much health while trapped in a room and running though sections with little or no enemies. The older games didn't do that. The enemies were placed in most rooms, You were rarely locked in rooms until the enemies were taken care of, and some rooms has infinitely re-spawning enemies. And what ever happened to medusa heads? Not to mention I hated the titan fights and all the shimmying found in LoS1.

Truly, what I would love to see is a 3D remake of SotN. Not 2.5D side scrolling like DXC, but actual 3D like LoS1, LoI, and CoD. It would keep most of the areas the same layout, but the prospective would be different as the camera will be behind Alucard. It would have plenty of platforming, exploration, and everything else we liked in the original SotN just in 3D. Though I would want the leveling system removed and overpowered weapons like the crissargrim to be nerfed. Imagine fighting bosses like Scyllia, Galamoth, and Dracula's "true form" in a 3D environment. I'd also like to see Richter and Maria as playable characters with their own stories and equipment. For example, Richter's story could be about attacking the castle trying to prevent Dracula's return (which is likely what would have happened if he wasn't brainwashed and control by Shaft). Maria's story could be what she goes through searching for Richter in the castle and running into Alucard. If executed properly, it could be the best CV ever.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Lelygax on July 24, 2013, 10:25:32 PM
Dracula9 - Nice to see you being the first one to share opinions in this thread. You did answer in a way that I expected, that is doesnt being restricted be anything and sharing your thoughts as a whole, without restraints. Thanks, this only adds fuel and now I want more opinions xD

edit:
Darkwzrd4 - I think that the level up system is unbalanced too, SOTN is so easy with all these powerful items, a ton of ways to heal yourself and so many stat points vs so many weak enemies.

Basically you two want a Castlevania that maintains the feel, exploration and item-finding but have more features from the classic games isnt it? PErsonally, me too. Even so, its cool to see opinions from another people, because small details or differences ever appears; :P
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: crisis on July 24, 2013, 10:32:07 PM
For some, it's man with whip fights monsters in world of nightmare, Dracula may or may not be wearing a mask

For others, it's Ayami Kojima drawing elegant characters while Michiru Yamane composes beautiful music to set the mood, & IGA dictates story & aesthetic

For me, it's a combination of everything; gothic atmosphere that has thick ambience, with excellent tunes that'll stay stuck in your head long after you shut the game off, swinging pendulums with spike traps & medusa heads, creepy monsters mythological or original, and loose ties to real-world history. I'm OK with Dracula not being Turk-slaying Vlad Tepes to the T, this is a fictionalized version after all. I like how he's in an eternal struggle against mankind & God for his own losses. I like how he quotes from the Bible, "For what profit is it to a man, if he gains the world, but loses his own soul?" I like how Gabriel is essentially a Castlevanized version of Anakin/Vader, because I too like the story of Anakin/Vader (the rise, fall & redemption), as cheesy as the prequel trilogy was to some. I've learned to accept it, and while it's not the most original approach, it's still cool nonetheless. I like how he too is in an eternal struggle against mankind, God AND Satan.

People keep saying that a FPS Castlevania would be a dealbreaker for them, but they have yet to play Akumajo Dracula: The Arcade (pretty sure none of us has), which is the closest to FPS the series has gone, so how can you be 100% sure you won't like it? Some people love classicvanias, others metroidvanias over the classics, but I love both styles. 3D games are hit & miss but no matter what any of us say they ALL have their good moments. So I guess to sum it up, as long as they keep the gothic atmosphere/aesthetic in tact, memorable music, awesome enemies & good gameplay, 2D or 3D, i'm happy.





tl;dr Simon's Quest Tiger handheld is all i need
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: X on July 24, 2013, 10:57:53 PM
As some of the others had already stated, Castlevania means many things. To me it's the whip-wielding Belmont hero/heroine, platforming, mood-fitting music, stage by stage or exploration via Metroid style, etc. But what I truly feel isn't Castlevania is the LoS games.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Lelygax on July 24, 2013, 11:16:23 PM
crisis - I found this really touching, IDK if its because the way that you expressed this.

X-
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Maedhros on July 24, 2013, 11:17:57 PM
A game with great gameplay and good music.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Kingshango on July 24, 2013, 11:52:19 PM
A monster mash massacre with methodical combat, platforming with a sick ass soundtrack to boot.

And a miserable pile of secrets in every wall and candle.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: TheouAegis on July 24, 2013, 11:58:03 PM
Horror movie homages. Creative level design (I still find things in Rondo that I missed the first couple times playing). Passable stairs (fuck the ropes). Pits of doom. Although I still want to know how Simon and the guys in CotM fall so far like nothing happened. ... I will admit some pits shouldn't logically kill you while others should. And whipping. No fucking swords. It's about the motherfucking whip. Why is Simon a badass? Because he uses a whip! Why is Alucard a badass? Because he's the son of Dracula. ... Yeah, it's all about the whip.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: DoctaMario on July 25, 2013, 01:56:46 AM
I'm not even sure anymore. Once upon a time I'd have said "Castlevania 4," but the series has changed so much over the years. I'd say probably a dark mood, not necessarily gothic, dilapidated atmosphere, a hero fighting monsters and Dracula.

i don't find the Sorrow games or any of the DS games to be very "Castlevania" in my opinion (some of that has to do with the characters, some with the environments) but it's all part of the thing we call Castlevania, so it fits in there somewhere.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Belmontoya on July 25, 2013, 02:01:07 AM
Castlevania 1 on NES, Castlevania 3 Dracula's Curse, Castlevania Bloodlines, Super Castlevania 4, and Castlevania Rondo of Blood.

These games are all perfect Castlevania's in my opinion. The absolute paradigm being Super Castlevania 4.

Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: crisis on July 25, 2013, 03:09:04 AM
I feel Ayami Kojima has embodied the essence of the entire saga with this artwork

(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv119%2Fc0mbat%2FBooklet20Front.png&hash=f7742f730c01fda34c5422505ffef9744e5c3861)(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv119%2Fc0mbat%2FBooklet20Back.png&hash=3d1990a55422ed826d8b3f41513ececd23b0e6ce)
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: VladCT on July 25, 2013, 03:25:36 AM
Having grown into a more music-oriented person when it comes to games, I feel that Castlevania just isn't Castlevania without the diverse, memorable music.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: RichterB on July 25, 2013, 03:53:52 AM
Good question! I may have to come back with more thoughts later. But...

Castlevania has a certain amount of varying potential. The 16-bit era showed that with just the interesting differences/quirks between IV, Bloodlines, Rondo, and Dracula X; moreover, the differences between all of the games through SotN prove that. The insistence on trying to replicate SotN rather than leaving it as one-off like Simon's Quest and then trying to totally reinvent the wheel with Lords of Shadow is where I take great issue with the series...

I'll break it down like this:

*It can be either 2D or 3D. (Castlevania 64/LoD was the best proof for me of the latter).
*Needs whip as primary weapon.
*Needs sub-weapons. (And the double/triple shot item is nice, too).
*Needs candles.
*Limited or no combos/super moves.
*Limited to no "arena" combat.
*Limited but not sluggish mobility--the character just can't be Superman or a ninja.
*Death pits/spikes!
*Stairs; the addition of ropes is acceptable, but not a substitute.
*Platforms that have interesting manipulation to them--they flip, they drop, they swing, etc.
*Action and platforming happen together, not separately, driving you forward.
*Stage-based structure of some kind. (Progression map is a plus!)
*Manipulation/use of environment is a plus.
*Gothic atmosphere that pulls from Hollywood Monster movies, but with a touch of elegance.
*Levels outside of the main castle--a journey to the castle.
*Catchy music that mixes genres of old and new.
*Classic good versus evil narrative (against all odds).
*Light puzzle elements and occasional open environments are acceptable, so long as it maintains a stage structure.
*The story is loosely locked in an actual historical time frame rather than a fantasy land/time (which LoS has done).
*Branching paths like CVIII is a plus (not like how they were done in Rondo, though).

So, broadly, the definitive Castlevania games for me are probably:
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Super Castlevania IV
Castlevania: Dracula X (SNES)
Castlevania 64/Legacy of Darkness
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Runner up:
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: X on July 25, 2013, 02:56:27 PM
Your link is broken there Lelygax. Got another address that'll work? I'm not sure what you were trying to link to.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Pfil on July 25, 2013, 06:13:00 PM
To me, Castlevania is what defined my tastes in everything, or put in another way, it is the only thing that I found in my life that reunites everything I love. Haunting, gothic scenery, the best music in the world, based on classical, baroque, with touches of metal, jazz... great gameplay, be it with death pits or a gigantic castle with a lot of RPG elements (that's my favourite kind but I love both); and when it got perfect for me, it even added full anime look to the formula.
And I'm glad to read that so many people find the music to be the most or one of the most important parts.
For me, without the music it just isn't Castlevania, no matter how beautiful the stage and the characters are.
Music is the first thing I like, then there's the gothic, haunting, romantic horror look.
If I have those two elements I'm already happy and I love the game.
But as Judgment and CV:HD have proven, it's better to have the full package in the game, with gameplay and story.
I'd love to have death pits inside MetroidVania games, and I have no problem in the games being difficult, though I'm OK when they are easy too, that doesn't change how much I like a game.
And... what is a man? If he looks like Juste Belmont, it's something I want to take home when I return and display besides my bed lamp  :P
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Lelygax on July 25, 2013, 11:23:33 PM
Quote from: X on July 25, 2013, 02:56:27 PM
Your link is broken there Lelygax. Got another address that'll work? I'm not sure what you were trying to link to.

Sure. Fixed and here is a quote:

Quote from: Lelygax on July 24, 2013, 11:16:23 PM
crisis - I found this really touching, IDK if its because the way that you expressed this.

X-
(click to show/hide)

Pfil - Now I want to whisk you away for that kind of answer S2
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Belmontoya on July 26, 2013, 12:34:01 AM
@Pfil

I feel the same way as you when you said that Castlevania defined your tastes in everything. In fact, Castlevania was the first thing I remember attaching myself to. When I got Castlevania 1 on NES I was so young I think it took a year or two before I passed level 1. But I would play for hours regardless, just soaking up the atmosphere, the artwork, gameplay, and music.

For me, I would have to say that every element is equally important. I could not put an emphasis on the music over the artwork or the gameplay, even as a musician, because each component is tailored for the other and they all feed off of each other. When you are playing a quality Castlevania game, these elements mesh in a seamless and breathtaking way. But if I played a Castlevania with amazing music that lacked in every other department, I would be disappointed. I think the gameplay programming is as much an art form as the music is, just like the artwork and everything else.

My best childhood memories are sneaking out of my bedroom in the middle of the night to play Castlevania while my mom was asleep. I would sit in the darkness usually alone or with my brother and play for hours. These moments would make me so happy I would be on the verge of goosebumps. Castlevania has been in my blood for so long, it transcends what the definition of a video game conventionally is for me.

It's wonderful that we all have a place here to express that.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Pfil on July 26, 2013, 01:51:44 AM
I agree so much with those feelings Montoya!
In fact, Castlevania is the sum of all perfect components, because every Castlevania quality title is a merging of excellent music, aesthetic look and gameplay, be it more action oriented or more RPG oriented.
And I totally understand what you say about CV 1. I started with SotN, but I was SO CRAZILY attached to it that I went looking for every other game in the saga. And while it was like, I don't know, 2002 maybe? when I played the rest of the games, I still find even today that the NES trilogy has some of the most hauntingly beautiful graphics of all time, with its horror romantic approach that is at the same time scaring, fascinating and breathtakingly beautiful.
I agree it's wonderful we have this place to express ourselves, because many people would think we are weird when we love so much something they just can't understand.
+1 to you!  :)
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: GuyStarwind on July 26, 2013, 02:58:31 AM
To me Castlevania is the tale of the struggles of the Belmont family vs Dracula and his minions. For the events in the game itself I believe this is the best way to describe it...

"To hold the CV title, it oughtta have Gabriel waltz into Dracula's castle, thrash all sorts of halloween baddies that bleed from the eyes, climb a clock tower while getting pelted by medusa heads, smack Death across the face, eat nachos with Alucard, trudge through the castle's basement, fight the legion, super jump your face into the ceiling, get to the throne room, and ruin Dracula's anus after he's done throwing those glowing fireball-rocks at you."

That's from a gamefaq conversation when LoS 1 was still coming out. Shame not all of it came to pass. Obviously it's silly but I really do think CV is about a guy(preferably Belmont) with a whip in a giant castle fighting a variety of monsters.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Briraka on July 26, 2013, 04:31:05 AM
To me, Castlevania is the monster mash, be they from movies, mythology, or religion, in video game form. The art must contain a theme of gothic horror, either the more Hammer horror structure of the early titles, to the big lavish architecture of post Dracula X.

The music could range from the atmospheric soundtrack of Super Castlevania, Rondo's more up beat techno music, Harmony of Dissonance's chiptunes, to Judgement's rocking tunes. Although if you were to ask me, my ideal CV soundtrack would be one with arrangements similar to the ones in the 8-bit games with an acoustic/orchestral instrumentation.

Gameplay-wise, I prefer the classic-vania's. It's not that I don't like exploring, but I tried out PoR, HoD, and SotN but I could never get anywhere because I didn't grind enough to get through a certain part, or I just got lost. I mean seriously? Slogra and Gaibon as the FIRST boss in SotN? :o
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: X on July 26, 2013, 05:08:49 AM
Quote
I mean seriously? Slogra and Gaibon as the FIRST boss in SotN?

Yeah they were kinda down-graded since their first appearance in SCV4. A shame really since they were quite tough prior to SotN.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: JR on July 26, 2013, 06:30:24 AM
I've never thought of any entry in the series as not being a Castlevania game, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have ideal characteristics in mind. To me, the stuff I'd like to see would be a Belmont going through a Hammer horror-inspired Castle to battle Dracula, with infectious music, and a seamless combination of platforming and combat (and not one separated from the other, either, but having both elements blended perfectly, like the early games).
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: A-Yty on July 27, 2013, 09:39:21 AM
Attitude, action, atmosphere.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Dark Nemesis on July 27, 2013, 09:57:06 AM
Action platforming, Gothic atmosphere, the kind of music we had since Castlevania 1.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Inccubus on July 28, 2013, 10:02:42 AM
O_O TESTOSTERONE O_O
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Dremn on July 28, 2013, 12:05:59 PM
Great platforming, a little bit of forward thinking when dealing with enemies and obstacles, great music, gothic imagery, and one dude strutting through a castle with a vampire killing whip. All of this in perfect harmony, not divided into sections in the level design.

Castlevania always felt like a big obstacle course, it's just the player's wits versus the game. That's pretty much why I keep coming back to the original games. The first game is a great example of near perfect game design that bases it's design around the limitations of the player, and I wish Konami would create more games like it. ReBirth pretty much nailed everything I love about the series.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Lelygax on July 28, 2013, 02:38:40 PM
Wow, a lot of people sharing thoughts, even more than I expected, thanks guys.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: The Silverlord on July 28, 2013, 08:39:14 PM
Dark forests and full moons, rolling fogs, chilly looking lakes and distant mountains, decrepit landscapes, crumbling masonry.  Creatures of the night like mermen, skeletons and undead knights;  superstituous townsfolk, mysterious and powerful characters like the Ferryman or Death; enigmatic, motivated individuals like Alucard or Renon.

Good versus evil, strength and courage, resolve; simple but powerful themes.  Excitement, immersion and atmosphere. A sense of the scale and weight of the quest, with deeply rewarding gameplay.

Traversing down the entry hallway smashing monsters and candles with Vampire Killer playing.  Symphony even turned the lights out for a bit, and had the fantastic Dracula's Castle theme playing.
 
The final stairway to Dracula's chamber.  Hard fought for and you feel tension!  CV IV did this last section masterfully, with great build up and atmosphere and the Room of Close Associates theme playing.  Symphony also featured the staircase which was higher up and you needed soul of bat form to get up there.  Amazing that Dracula wasn't there!

So many more moments, very lucky to experience them and here's to many more!
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Neobelmont on July 28, 2013, 10:27:50 PM
I'm not the best at this since it's really hard for me to describe it. But the feeling I got when I saw this scene in dracula's curse(there is a reason why this is my favorite game in the series  ;) ) for the first time  I had a feeling that I could not explain even to this day concerning games.

(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F25.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m7227dVXNp1rai2tpo1_400.png&hash=000429311eabd872cefbe926123220673438ae15)

This scene(With it's music, atmosphere, and that little man  looking at the cross) as well as the rest of the game helped me like games. Before I was scared of games almost hated them (I freaked out when Mario lost a life) Other game series helped as well like zelda and pokemon but this one scene will forever be in my brain till I die.

Cv III is the first castlevania I was introduced(my brother was is a cv fan who prefers the rpg ones I'm the complete opposite) to, GBA classics castlevania was my first owned one portrait of ruin was my second( I do tend to get mixed up between the two but I remember getting that gba box brand new) After portrait of ruin I started to really get back into the series and after acquiring most of the games I know what makes the series for me and while it's not the same feeling I got when I saw cvIII for the first time not even close it still defines cv for me and that is

1: It's always been about the Belmont clan vs Dracula. They are the main characters and when they disappeared I was like why have we not have a Belmont in any new games which is why one of the reasons why I loved Los is because I played as a belmont again.

2: Platforming after playing so many MV I got tried of them and no challenges(for the most part  ;) ) in alot of the rooms but in the classics I was jumping and striking and multitasking like no tomorrow.

3: The music. For me music in the series is a big factor and I like all of the series soundtracks except for Mof I cannot remember one song that makes me go oh yeah, just .... ah no.....  The music in the series just blends well for me like one of my favorite songs in the series is new messiah in the crystal castle just so good. But for some reason I prefer that action focused
and even the 3d games music over the metroidvania ones like I prefer bloodlines soundtrack over symphony's soundtrack or that even if curse of darkness was lacking what saved it for me was that awesome sound track this game has so many goodtracks. Also Cv has made me want to learn how to play music. I play a keyboard and I'm going into piano 2 this upcoming semester so yeah I love the music in this series  ;D

4: Artwork: I wish I could draw as well as any of the artist in the series but that's why I practice I may get there I may not but there will be result one day dang it  >:(

5: Balance of difficulty: I don't agree with lvl1 handicaps I prefer a good balance of difficulty which the classic provided for me. It was hard yes but possible.

6: Skill over just pure grinding: This is what made me like the older ones and 3d ones instead of the RPG ones. With the exception of OOE And CotM you could just be so op that it takes the fun out of it if an other rpg cv was made take a page out of darks souls and make it just one +1 stat to one thing or something because one can get rusty that way I've seen people like this on CV:HoD like that it's not that hard to dodge an attack. I still remember how hard CV:III is and how many game over screens I got till I beat that level which brings me to my final reason

7: Satisfaction and endings: When I beat a classic game the endings were so awesome. Almost every single one of them I can recall like daylight... The MVs not so much. The only one I really remember was PoR's Richter ending that put a smile on my face and that's it. Satisfaction wise I was like okay PoR was swell but when I beat Dracula's curse I was like Oh....OH.... OH YEAH  ;D

CV III made me like gaming PoR made me like CV again after beating all the rpg ones and playing most of the classic( no belmonts revenge or legends for me  :( ) The Belmont's and that difficulty along side great art and music makes cv to me and while I like most CV's those classic get me  ;D
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Maedhros on July 29, 2013, 12:04:37 AM
I loved when Belmonts were downplayed. Having them playable everytime was getting tiring. It was the same gameplay every fucking time. And since I never cared about story or other trivial things like that (gameplay was and still is my main focus while gaming, except it it is a RPG, even though I'm a completionist and end reading/doing everything that the game offers, even reading the story), having a guy that used a whip was really tiring.

Castlevania III was really cool, because it introduced other characters, with different styles of gameplay. That showed to me that they could make a game where the main character wasn't a whiping guy. And they did, with Bloodlines first (Eric Lecard), then Rondo (Maria was one of the main characters). Then Alucard and the others. For me, that was bliss.

It's not that I don't like Belmonts, but fuck... at least put some variation on the gameplay. They did some of that, with multidirectional whipping (which broke the subweapon system, so no really that good), item crash (that was amazing at the time)... but it really wasn't enough for me. So yeah... I don't even care if the game has or not a Belmont on it.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Flame on July 29, 2013, 08:18:13 AM
A whip wielding hero, Dracula, and a Castle, and strong classic horror/gothic influences.

That is Castlevania to me. That said, I'm open to change, and willing to see unique interpretations and visions on the matter. Im just as satisfied by a Classicvania, a Metroidvania, or a Modernvania/LoSvania.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: Trevorcard on July 29, 2013, 09:14:44 AM
Growing up with Castlevania games on the Nes and Super Nes and Genesis I have a nostalgia for the whip wielding Belmonts who goes through annoying enemies, difficult platforming and maddening bosses to get to the end. SOTN introduced me to the notion that a game with a Non-Belmont could be good as well.

My prerequisites for a Castlevania game is a atmosphere of horror with challenging gameplay in a world in which a hero faces against the creatures of the night.
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: chainsawmidget on July 30, 2013, 01:52:34 PM
Castlevania isn't so much horror as it is the Halloween Special of videogames.  If it was a movie, it would be hosted by Elvira and show on late night TV. 

Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: X on July 31, 2013, 04:12:33 PM
Quote
Castlevania isn't so much horror as it is the Halloween Special of videogames.  If it was a movie, it would be hosted by Elvira and show on late night TV. 

That sums up my personal feelings of Castlevania as well! To me it's like experiencing that thrilling Halloween nostalgia. You can literally feel it when the season is changing and the Halloween holiday is encroaching. you can't wait to dress up and go out trick or treating. Castlevania is just like that; An exciting Halloween action/adventure that you want to experience over and over again. At least with the old cannon anyways. With the new cannon it's like somebody just egged your house  :P
Title: Re: What is Castlevania for you?
Post by: A-Yty on July 31, 2013, 04:54:01 PM
Quote from: X on July 31, 2013, 04:12:33 PM
At least with the old cannon anyways. With the new cannon it's like somebody just egged your house  :P

(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg841.imageshack.us%2Fimg841%2F9053%2F2592020old20cannon.jpg&hash=7854639c694be16160c29540eb45da1700aa8575)
Good old cannon.