Topic: Making Curse of Darkness better

[Thomas Belmont]

I don't think Curse of Darkness is a terrible game, however, I just feel that there was no reason for it. It didn't advance the story any and it took place only three years after Dracula's Curse. Also, I wanted to once again play as Trevor Belmont. I don't like how it allowed another non Belmont to defeat Dracula. So it got me thinking. What, besides playing as Trevor, would have made me like the game more? Playing as both Trevor and Hector.

Just imagine how awesome it could have been. The introduction movie begins. It shows flashbacks of Trevor's victories over Alucard, Grant, Sypha's rescue, and, finally, the slaying of Dracula. It would also introduce Hector and Isaac and show their origins. Now that the opening movie is over, you start the game as Hector. After a short time, you meet up with and do battle with Trevor. After Trevor defeats Hector, you then begin playing as Trevor. You'd alternate between each character. Each having his own level. You can always go back and play the level as the other character later though to get items only the other player can get to.

Trevor's path would once again pit him against both Death and Dracula, finally ending Dracula's "curse," while Hector's would lead to his revenge against Isaac. It would have been cool to have had Hector's and Isaac's battle take place after Trevor kills Dracula and the castle is crumbling.

Would anybody else have preferred a similar approach?

[crisis]

Here's how I woulda done it:

- Set the game just three weeks after CV3, instead of 3 years
- Shorter levels, a lot more emphasis on platforming instead of dungeon crawling
- Gave Hector "Speed Shoes"
- A small secret area of the game where you can access Alucard's coffin but NOT interfere (more like a visual piece)
- I like how you put switching the gameplay from Hector to Trevor, reminds me of DMC4
- Since Hector was a Devil Forgemaster, I woulda put in subtle hints that he may also be a distant relative of the Cronqvists (woulda added a unique twist) and add more sense as to why he's capable of defeating Dracula
- Grant woulda played a role in the story, and have him killed by Zead or Isaac towards the end (to add tragedy to the plot)
- Dracula's Castle would be totally revamped
- Hector's wife would be seen through a flashback scene
- Trevor would be seen alive & well during the ending (even though we already know he was)
- Alternate endings (not drastically different from one another, but subtle differences)
- The St. Germain scene at the end when he reveals he'll travel to "the final battle" would be a hidden scene AFTER the credits, and ONLY seen if you complete Hard Mode

[DragonSlayr81]

Making it better, IMO, would result in what I've dubbed "Castlevania: Curse of Darknes - The Vampire Killer Cut". Here's what it would include:

- Most areas are cut into two separate areas(Mortvia Aquaduct and Temple become two different stages, with the tower to the Skeleton Diver appearining at the end of the aquaduct, and a new boss apearing in the templ). Larger areas will contain multiple stages(particularly the Abandoned Castle and Dracula's Castle).

- Stage/area layout is far more platform friendly and features overall better level design(no "every path in the Forest of Jigramunt looks the same" BS). Each area would be chocked full of variety(Eneomaos Machine Tower would actually resemble a real clock tower that CV a 3D CV could be proud of). An example, using Jigramunt, is that your trek through that stage would lead you venturing into the forest, through a brook, near perilous strctures(like those buildings in the Mad Forest), graveyard of statues(nod to the place you rescue Sypha from the Cyclops), over the marshlands on a ruined bridge(nod to CV2) and up into the treetops to cross to the other side where you fight the forest's boss, THEN you go to the cave(which is it's own large area of cool tunnels, forgotten catacombs with Alucard's coffin easter egg, and a subterranean coliseum leading to the Minotaur battle). There should be nods to familiar locations in CV3(like I said with the Mad Forest nods). What the Abandoned Castle did with CV1's castle, the majority of CoD's locations should've done with CV3's world.

- All characters from the original CV3 make an appearance(some, like Alucard, a cameo). Grant and Sypha SHOULD'VE appeared, and been tied deeper to the story. Cordova should've been an interesting story point, where you enter the town and people are sounding a bell(in Silent Hill fashion), running for the houses and locking up as monsters start pouring in. There you'd meet Grant and aid him in taking out the monsters, splitting up to find the source(which of course, is Isaac at the ruined church courtyard). They should've also had flashbacks to the events of CV3, showing what exactly they were all doing at the time, how Hector and Isaac managed to leave before Trevor and crew stormed the castle, Alucard's familiarity with the Devil Forgemasters and Hector's past which was explained int he comic(and SHOULD'VE appeared in the actual game via cutscene). Add a little more umph to the world, everything was so dead. Garibaldi Temple, show it being inhabited by evil monks who have pledged allegiance to Dracula and are lead by none other than Zead/Death.

- More explained story points. Explain why the Abandoned Castle resembled the castle from CV1, and why Dracula's Castle looked nothing like any Dracula Castle in any CV games before or since. Explain the significance between the Belmonts and the Infinite Corridor, why the entrance was in the Abandoned Castle's keep, why it takes a Belmont's blood to open it, and, well, everything about it.

- For each new area, add a boss. Mortvia Aquaduct and Temple would have two different bosses. Garibaldi Temple and Monestary would have two different bosses. Forest of Jigramunt and Cave would have to different bosses. Dracula's Castle, in particular, will have many bosses other than Death, Isaac and Dracula. Some old classics could return(Phantom Bat, Mummies, Frankenstein's Monster). My personal idea, interestingly enough, was that the final boss was NOT going to be Dracula. Dracula IS fought, defeated, but when Hector attempts to forge Dracula's curse into something else, he gives it a physical form, a sort of dark chaotic energy(like DoS's Menace) and battles it. This creature is the red beast seen in that infamous Kojima poster(the apocalyptic beast).

- Trevor mode is it's own unique game with it's own story(that takes place during Hector's adventure). You see the story through Trevor's eyes, and venture around Wallachia trying to discover why Dracula's Curse remains after Dracula's defeat years ago. In the normal game, you encounter Trevor, and sometimes fight him as a boss. In Trevor mode, you play the otherside, and encounter Hector, sometimes fighting him as a boss. Other than that, some of Trevor's bosses differ than Hector(Trevor might fight some more familiar CV bosses, like Bone Dragon King and Leviathan, in place of some of the bosses Hector fights).

- Personally, even though it wasn't known at the time, i'd like to see a hint at the future descendants of Hector and Julia being intertwined with the Belmonts centuries later(perhaps Shanoa is a distant descendant).

[Successor The Cruel]

That game is full of missed opportunities. More important than anything, I'd like the level design to be much better. That's all it would take to get me to be a big fan of the game. It would have to be a lot better, though. The stages would have to be completely rebuilt, as well as some of the mechanics. Hell, even some of the enemies and how they function. They're set up to be arena brawler combatants, and the whole arena brawling thing has g2g.

Captivating characters and cutscenes, though, with a powerful soundtrack and stellar voice acting. Ayami Kojima's Trevor redesign totally rocks. That's, by far, his best look yet to me. She really should have gotten away from the silver/white/platinum haired protagonist, though. It was beyond redundant at that point. Props to her for not making Leon like that.

All the nice little additions won't save Curse, though. From a technical standpoint, it's just bad. The foundation is what really needs to be addressed. No matter how much is piled on top of it, I don't think it will make it much better.

[darkwzrd4]

• First off, I agree that it shouldn't take place 3 years after CV3.  I think 3 months is more appropriate.  It gives the curse a reasonable amount of time to take hold of people, but not too long.
• Next, all the heros from CV3 should make an appearance.  And, Alucard should be the one to break up the first fight between Hector and Trevor.  Not to mention that St. Germain should not exist.  Instead, Alucard should fill the role of warning Hector not to seek revenge.
• There should be 2 stories: one from Hector's point of view; one from Trevor's point of view.  There would still be the battles between them, but in Trevor's story you be fighting against Hector.
• The different areas should actually have platforming.
• The whole Infinite Corridor thing and its connection to the Belmont bloodline should be explained.
• Dracula's Castle should be divided into different areas like it is in other games instead of being just another building with multiple floors
• The Bosses should actually match the areas you fight them in.  For example, if there was a lab area in Dracula's castle, you would fight Frakenstein's Monster.

[X]

Curse of Darkness was not a good sequel to CV III. There are just so many things with it that didn't panned out well. My personal recommendations?

-No St. Germain. He didn't add anything vital to the story except to mention at the end of CoD, the final battle. But he never gave us anything more then what we already knew so it was a wasted effort. He was a wasted opportunity.

-No Hector Vs Dracula. Killing Dracula is the job of the Belmont clan alone. Instead Hector should've fought death and then end the game there.

-The two 50 floor towers that you have to gauntlet your way through. Get rid of them. They don't add anything really substantial to the game except to take up space. It's just a poorly executed excuse to get you to use your flying devils more often when such a gimmick should have been integrated into the basic level designs of the other arias.

-The stages. Shorten them up and have more platforming segments like CV 64/LoD did. Also more variety when it comes to the monsters and also have more bosses. They should have also been more interactive. Breakable pots, statues, building segments, iron fences, windows, dead trees, you get the idea. Also there should have been more life-ups and magic-ups to collect as there was hardly any unlike LoI which had lots.

-Though I liked the abandoned castle it should have been in ruins rather then looking intact. It is after all one of Dracula's former castles and therefore it should have collapsed in on itself. Also the climb to the up-most tower keep is something we all know doesn't exist after Dracula is defeated. It crumbles away to nothing.

-Dracula's Castle. Too much like a cathedral and not nearly Castlevania-ish enough. It needs a solid redesign.

-The infinity corridor. Never really explained as to what it is nor why the Belmont's blood acts as a key to open it. It should have never been implemented into the game.

-The original CV III trio. They should have been included in the story in some form or another. After CV III we hear nothing of them except Trevor's talk of "Many brave warriors beside me". It's as if they never existed in the first place. Stupid.

-Trevor. The whole tailcoat thing didn't come about till late 1600s to the early 1700s and it's been used in almost every game that Ayami Kojima has done the art for. It's unrealistic for the time which the game takes place and it's been used so often that the player can't help but want something new. Trevor should've worn an outfit similar to his CV III look and also his face should not have been so feminine. The scar didn't really help with that either.

-Hector's look is definitely more feminine then that of Trevor and could have used something to detract it. Like giving him some facial hair like with Julius Belmont. Also he's slow as molasses. He needs to be brought up to speed like Leon was.

-Issac. God this guy is borderline homogeneric if not already there. His outfit was totally wrong for the times and even more-so for a CV game. Tight, shiny leather pants that don't even come up to the tops of the hips?? Also questionable were his actions especially with Trevor after he stabs him. A kiss on the cheek from a pretty boy? That's not Castlevania. Issac would have been better-off as a complete woman as he was already half-way there. 

-Julia. She was alright as far as NPCs go. Her voice acting was solid and her character look was far better then what we've seen in LoI in terms of Sera's design. I see no real issues with her and she is also your standard shopkeeper.

-The prologue. Rather then what we got we should have been treated to a far more in-depth story with cut-scenes of what Hector did after the events of CV III up until his wife was lynched under false allegations.

-The epilogue. We know what happens to Hector and Julia but what about Trevor?? He is not mentioned. At all. It's as if he was dropped off the face of the game. This is just one way of telling how badly a story is written when an important character suddenly disappears without an explanation.

-The Graphics. They had not changed since LoI and CoD was made years later!

-Music. It's all good. Nothing to complain about here really.

All in all, CoD was a disaster. More-so the Castlevania II I find.

[Super Waffle]

I think it needed a female main character with an optional vampirization ending.

[KaZudra]

- Deeper Combat (xxy xxxy xxxxxy xxxxxxy are just dumb)

- Different Cutscenes depending on Devil (Dialog variety)

- Better Platforming, 50 miles of flat got old

- Devil Fusion a la SMT games

- a Snow Area, cause snow areas are badass

- better maps, Breakable walls lead to branching paths

- Pachislot additions such as Trevor vs. Issac, ect.

- Devils as material for High Tier Weapons/armor

[thernz]

You can make Curse of Darkness better by making a completely new game.

[Pfil]

Converting it to HD, taking out the invisible walls between areas and adding some platforming like the N64 games would make it perfect, for in the atmosphere and soundtrack it already is (at least to me).

[beingthehero]

Weirdly enough, I liked Dracula's Castle because it had a more cathedral-like appearance to it, at least once you were past the outer walls. But yeah, going through there was a lesson in tedium, and needed to be broken up. It didn't help that Dracula's Castle quickly became monotonous, so that the THUMP, THUMP THUMP, THUMP THUMP THUMP of the song begins to match the headache you get from the level.


But yeah, the game would need a critical redesign in order to restructure the levels include more platforming, as well as making the land feel 'real' instead of a series of corridors. It had all of Lords' ambitions in having the player actually travel throughout Wallachia, but KCET just couldn't get past making everything an arena.

[mistressalucard]

I really enjoyed Curse of Darkness, so much so I have it for xbox and PS2.  However, I would have loved to have had the following added:

Trevor should have been with Hector as he enters the castle.  He should have fought Dracula.  Either you can pick who you wanted as your lead fighter or you could switch, but I never bought the being stabbed and taken out route for Trevor.

Also during Trevor's mode I would have loved to have had new cutscenes for his story.  But I know they usually don't with the bonus characters.  That would have been perfect to see Trevor back in action on his own and then facing off against Dracula at the end.

At the very least he should have had another cutscene a the end when Hector and Julia return, even if it was just Sypha coming to get him and Trevor and Hector speaking one last time.  Then have Hector and Julia leave together for her house.

But I still love the game and the fact he's in it at all.

[PyramidHead]

First of all - this game needs platforming! A lot of it. + it would be fun to fight 64's and LoI's bosses in the towers. (why not? This trick works fine in Portrait of Ruin). Everything else is not so important for me. But I agree - playing as both Hector and Trevor would be less monotonous. Trevor could have "friends" (Grant, Sypha, Alucard) as an alternative to "innocent dievils".

[Foffy]

Its biggest issue is level design. You can make it better by not making an anemic series of copypaste hallways that drag on for the sake of useless padding.

I guess in order to make it better they'd basically have to redo nearly 98% of the game in terms of area design, huh?

[Belmont Stakes]

Platforming, LOI's secondary weapons, orbs and relics, Trevor as the hero, Leon's whip techniques tempered with some stop motion done by Adam Winrich, bring back jumping over fireballs and those crazy boss battles from the original game but in 3D, update the graphics.