Topic: Castlevania The Adventure ReBirth discussion

[Dremn]

I absolutely love ReBirth, it was completely unexpected and a real treat. It's one of the only reasons I turn my Wii on lately. I really hope they make another one, maybe they could bring Sonia back into canon somehow if they decided to make Castlevania Legends ReBirth.

[RichterB]

So I beat Level 2's boss finally (rather tricky and a nice change of pace). Level 3 is INSANE! This level is the definition of Castlevania taken to the extreme. Strategic traps and monsters galore! (It's almost Contra territory as far as intensity). The continuing references to The Adventure GB and Belmont's Revenge are awesome. The multi-path system is deeper than I originally thought. To actually survive (maybe it's because I'm on Hard Mode), you almost have to mix and match different sections of the paths. I hear there's a level select feature, but I'm trying to play this through genuinely. The overall challenge reminds me of the toughest levels in Castlevania III. I'm pleasantly surprised that this isn't some nostalgic piece you can whip through in 30 minutes.

When you look at everything that's packed in these levels, this is the most ambitious 2D Castlevania in a LONG time. Every level feels like two levels (switching up dynamic set pieces and motifs), to the point that you feel you've come a long way by the time you near Level 3's end (which I feel I'm getting very close to). It reminds me why I love Castlevania, and shows a distinctly different design philosophy than the Castleroids. By and large, Castlevania has gone way too soft and mainstream until Rebirth, IMO.

Rondo (which I finally got to play through PSP a few years back) was too middle of the road. It had some interesting level ideas, but they were often too short or lacking in challenges (compare the pirate ship of Rondo to the pirate ship in CVIII: Dracula's Curse). Moreover, the branching paths felt scatterbrained in their placement/execution. IE: You could basically cut a level by more than half by facing a hidden boss early. There wasn't much tension in choices, either, because you could go right back with the level select, and keys weren't in play like in Dracula X SNES. As for Castlevania IV, Rebirth does not reach its heights, as that game was pushing all sorts of boundaries. But Rebirth still evokes the same kind of breakneck thrills as the best CV games. I can't wait to see what other surprises this game has.

[uzo]

Wait till you get to Death.

Rebirth, while not graphically consistent, is still a great game because the levels and controls are astounding. Each segment breathes uniqueness and creativity. I just found Dracula disappointingly the same old crap, but worse. It reverts him back way too far. Death was great with all new attacks, but Dracula is literally reverted to CV1 standards. Form 1 has ONE attack. Period. Absolutely no variation.

[RichterB]

Conquered Level 3 and Level 4. 3's main boss played it a little safe for me as far as design, but 4's boss was great. Haven't seen a platforming-based boss in a long time. (Return of Bone Dragon King in Level 3 as mid-boss was nice). I couldn't beat Level 4's bridge section, so I took the alternate spider route, which was even cooler. I've gotten to the Frankenstein mid-boss in Level 5, but I come up just short of beating him (ground attack catches me while low on life) and had to throw in the towel last night. Good stuff. This game eats hours up, reading and reacting to the level designs' challenges. Level music in 2 and 4 were unfamiliar to me (rare tracks), but great to hear some Belmont's Revenge tunes in Level 3 and Aquarius makes its grand return in Level 5 (if only there were aqueducts!).

[RichterB]

Wait till you get to Death...but Dracula is literally reverted to CV1 standards. Form 1 has ONE attack. Period. Absolutely no variation.

Lives set to the Default (3) and Challenge set to Hard, I have beaten Rebirth straight through stages 1-6 (only used stage select option to *practice* on level 5). When all is said and done, Level 5 was the hardest, I think. Death was formidable; Dracula was actually tougher than I expected thanks to his awesome third form (which almost seems a teaser to Lords of Shadow mixed with ideas from CVIII). I must say, the lack of an actual Stage 6 surprised me (it was just the staircase). I wonder what developer M2's background is with Castlevania?

When playing the game straight through, I've learned that the Key-based short-cuts are a must. It occurs to me that money sacks and point scores are more important in this game than in any Castlevania since the 16-bit era, if not more so. Sometimes you need to fight the midboss to have enough points and thus continues to complete the stage. Also, random point, but I realize how much I've missed boss life gauges; the hit points idea never gives you the same kind of tension. I've fooled around in the stage select trying some alternate routes (beat the tricky bridge path on Level 4 finally). I've also dabbled with the motion controls controller configuration, which is actually very cool and functional!!! Makes the game really unique.

I'm still going to be playing this game from time to time. It is a real gem. I think it may be my favorite 2D release since Dracula X SNES. I feel kind of sad that the adventure is over, but if it was any longer, it would be a super pain to play straight through. I've only played this game on Hard, as I wanted it to last longer, but I wonder how the other modes play. The Classic option seems ridiculous to me given the stage design, but I might give it a go sometime. Here's hoping for a sequel, which I plan to post about shortly...

Also, I am definitely going to be checking out Contra Rebirth when I get a chance.

UPDATE:

If you haven't played Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth on Hard Mode, you haven't played the game. (I just tried out Normal Mode, and the levels are altered in layout to be easier, enemies take less hits/are slower, and the amount/variety of enemies is considerably downsized. I beat Normal Mode in one sitting without a Game Over--and that was using the Motion Controls).