Topic: Whatever happened to Mathias Cronqvist?

[DragonSlayr81]

I think IGA means well, but he always gets himself in a corner during the developement process. It's like this, I truly believe he WANTS to write a long and detailed story, but for a good story, pacing is KEY. CV games are generally pretty short. You'd need to expand the game's hours to pace the game's story out across the adventure and try not to make the development lop-sided. That's something a lot of RPGs do well BECAUSE of the hours it takes to unravel the plot. You have many instances of character intereactions, spaced nicely across periods of dungeon exploring and time progression. IGA seems like he goes in saying, "Okay, this is going to be deep. I've come up with THIS idea, THAT idea, I'll flesh it out during the course of the adventure......WHAT? I only have a short time to flesh it out?!! MANNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!". Had there been more instances in LoI, or even more in CoD, where you actually have more than a few scenes within each area(and each area was just pure mindless exploring), perhaps he could've fleshed out some things better. I'm all for more cutscenes, especially if they'd be used to add more depth to a story.

[A n t r a x x]

In Reply To #31

You know I'll give you that one for the handheld games (due to cart space restraints and the general sparse dialog in those Castletroid titles); but the PS2 ones could totally have been fleshed out better. There's really no excuse not to build Mathias' personality better and then develop it. Show less of Walter and more of him, for instance.

As it stands, they mention Mathias as an afterthought in the prologue and show him one more time in the game. THAT'S IT. You can't build a good, believable character that way; let alone one that's to encapsulate the concept of our favorite villain.

And Curse.... as much as I generally like the cast, there was no real story twists after the first few parts at all. It basically plays out like you thought it would. Also Dracula's appearance feels forced in that one.

[Alexc2808]

In Reply To #18
Did you not even play the game?  Mathias was so upset because his wife died of disease (viewed as by the will of god) while he was out risking his life for god.  If I believed that, I'd be pissed too.

And he chooses Leon because leon is renowned for being the best warrior around, he was only person who had a chance.

And he wanted the Mathias reveal to be a surprise.

[The Last Belmont]

Alright, so I've now accepted that he IS Dracula, without the need for any reincarnation in 1431. They're the same person.

Anyway, but we've had 4 games - 5 if you count Order of Shadows - since Lament of Innocence with, to my knowledge, no mention of Mathias whatsoever.

IGA gave Dracula an interesting origin story and a history with the Belmonts, and then pretty much forgot about it.

I'm not really sure what I want from replies to this, but I was just making an observation.

The thing that gets me about the

[A n t r a x x]

Not to mention, if Dracula were so righteous about his beliefs, why wouldn't he just kill himself and defy God's creation that way instead.

Seems to me you could avoid a lot of bullshit, and without having to betray your best friend or humanity itself.

[warfreak]

Well firstly, perhaps Mathias wasn't that good of a Christian. He was devout enough to go to the Crusades and everything, but he always believe Elisabetha would be there waiting for him when he came home. I suppose he was made that God took her so early from him. ..Or he could have had an insane side from the very beginning.

It is an attempt to humanize Dracula and to give him motivation instead of just being a random evil force. Also, it actually gave the Belmonts reason to hunt him down. To be fair, the Dracula in the 1992 "Bram Stoker's Dracula" movie was very similar: Vlad fights for God, goes off. Elizabetha dies, Vlad gets angry, decides to renounce his faith and become a vampire. ..I'm not sure if he was called Vlad, but yeah.

Not to mention, if Dracula were so righteous about his beliefs, why wouldn't he just kill himself and defy God's creation that way instead.

Seems to me you could avoid a lot of bullshit, and without having to betray your best friend or humanity itself.

That would have been too common, I suppose? Plenty of people kill themselves, I guess Mathias just wanted to have greater revenge for Elisabetha. He might have wanted company with Leon, too --> woman he loves dies or something. [I haven't played LoI, so I'm not sure about this one] Betraying humanity is the best thing to do if he wanted to have ultimate revenge against a superior being. o_O

[darkwzrd4]

This is my understanding:

After Elizabetha dies, Mathias finds the crimson stone, which has the vampire curse, and is corrupted by the curse.  That plus the grief of losing his beloved wife is what drives him mad.  The fact is that for some reason he needed a powerful vampire's soul.  My guess would be either to complete his transformation or just to give himself a power boost (it isn't explained well enough). 
Also, I don't think that he started to hate humans until Lisa was killed by humans.  I mean how else could he have fallen in love with her.  If I wasn't human and my human lover/wife was killed by humans, would want revenge too.  I just don't think that I would go as far as he does.

Of course, this is all speculation.  The details aren't explained well.  Maybe, everything will be explained in a future game or in manga.  After all, there is suppose to be some manga that explains somethings in CoD that weren't mentioned in the game.

[Nagumo]

Not to mention, if Dracula were so righteous about his beliefs, why wouldn't he just kill himself and defy God's creation that way instead.

Seems to me you could avoid a lot of bullshit, and without having to betray your best friend or humanity itself.

Don't Christians believe that you go to hell when you commit suicide?

What could be a better reason then revenge for Mathias to betray humanity?   

[Long John Silver]

that'd be a single thing though and i doubt it could affect god much. on the other hand, becoming a demon, continuously twisting the faith etc. would a bit more. humans die and go to hell all the time, but if one of them becomes a part of hell it's something different.

I think the coolest dracula creation would have been at the point when Mathias steal walters ebony stone and fuses it with his crimson and (shoot I forget the third one) The fusion of the three should have summoned Dracula's true devil form to inhabit the form of Mathias or combine with his body to give rise to  a totally new life form.

leon smashes ebony stone into pieces with his first strike.

and rinaldo said the vampires don't need philosopher's stone because all it does is grant eternal life or something, and vampires have that already.

[Abnormal Freak]

The origin of Dracula according to Igarashi is about as retarded as the origin of Darth Vader according to Lucas, and about equally cliched for why they turn evil. What I do is I ignore the story of Lament of Innocence, just as I ignore everything about the Star Wars prequels and pretend they don't exist. This makes things far more satisfying.

Actually, to be honest, I don't remember LOI's story too well, but I think I recall Mathias' story being similar to the one in Bram Stoker's tale (that is, if Coppola's film is faithful, since I haven't read the book, lulz), but somehow made really dumb. It just bothers me.

[Alexc2808]

In reply to the last belmont...

Dracula has ALWAYS been obsessed with his dead wife.  In every incarnation of the character.  Do you know anything about the actual story?  The whole Dracula novel is about him trying to take Mina because she is the reincarnation of his lost love.  I don't understand why you love 1 dimensional characters so much.

Characters need a motivation beyond, I am tough and bad.  That is just stupid.

And about him being a whiney pussy, losing a spouse is the 2nd hardest thing a human being can psychologically go through.  It does not make him a pussy because it affected him so.  And for you to say so is insanely disrespectful to anyone who has ever lost a spouse.  I really am starting to think you're about 13 or something.

And about christianity, we won't even get into that, as I am an atheist.  If I told you what I believe the true purpose of christianity is, I'd probably get banned.

[fallenangel86]

The origin of Dracula according to Igarashi is about as retarded as the origin of Darth Vader according to Lucas, and about equally cliched for why they turn evil. What I do is I ignore the story of Lament of Innocence, just as I ignore everything about the Star Wars prequels and pretend they don't exist. This makes things far more satisfying.

Actually, to be honest, I don't remember LOI's story too well, but I think I recall Mathias' story being similar to the one in Bram Stoker's tale (that is, if Coppola's film is faithful, since I haven't read the book, lulz), but somehow made really dumb. It just bothers me.

hmmm..... *patiently awaits mel brooks lament parody*

mathias: so you see, leon, evil will always triumph, because good is dumb

[A n t r a x x]

And about christianity, we won't even get into that, as I am an atheist.

[Alexc2808]

In Reply To #43
You keep saying "no regular person..."
He was not a regular person.  He was a crusader.  He fought for god, risked his life, KILLED for god.  And god "Mercilessly stole away the one I(Mathias) loved most"  It is clear that Mathis became a little crazy after that, which is 100% understandable.  As is his hatred for god.  And no, killing himself would not be as much of a "fuck you" to god as becoming immortal.  It is a direct remark at god saying "I will not do as you wish".

This is revenge, but a far more complex and well thought out revenge.  It is a better origin than any other Dracula origins spun out throughout the ages.

Don't forget Mathias was essentially a genius.  So he would be able to formulate plans that most of us would not.

[The Last Belmont]

leon smashes ebony stone into pieces with his first strike.

I thought he just negated it's power?  and that mat absorbed it?, (have to watch that scene again, been awhile)