Topic: Hour and a half impression of OoE

[Slayer]

Ok, I just started playing this game yesterday (living in a college with limited access to game stores is a bitch).
Anyway, I'm about an 1:30 minutes in but have probably been to at least 10 locations or so.

First off, I like the glyph system.  I think it's a nice way of combining the soul-system and the standard weapon system. I also find the MP gauge a cool way to ensure that weapon spamming doesn't ensue, thus limiting characters empowerment.

Also, I like how the weakness and immunities of enemies are more profound than in past games. For example, Luminance (which I'm guessing is a Holy weapon) will destroy massively any enemy you encounter who is of the purely demonic sort (skeletons, whatnot.) But once you start using them on more human creatures (Gravedigger), the weapon's usefulness is shortened from a typical 20 damage to a measly 2 damage. I think this is a cool way of really showing the in-depth weakness system that CV games have. By enforcing them in standard weapons in this way, you can't just bash every enemy you encounter with a sword anymore.

Graphics are really good this time around, from the shadow effects in the Prison, to the floating droplet of water in the warp rooms. Animations are really well done for the new characters, and though there seems to be a lot more puppet animations this time around, which look nice once in a while but become cliche after seeing them for more than ten years. Recycled sprites are also somewhat of a problem: I'm seeing enemies I just killed in PoR, and that's somewhat annoying to me...

Sound, well...where should I start...I'm not going to say the music is bad. Quite the contrary, it blows the crap out of many other games I have played. But, really, the choice of music isn't always appropriate. When I'm fighting in a bloodied dungeon and my roomate tells me that the music I'm listening to is extremely campy, I think we get to the understanding that a strong imbalance is occurring. Unfortunately, it seems that the majority of the songs I've encountered so far in the game are up-beat battle anthem style songs, albeit well composed, that would sound more appropriate in a generic anime. The exception, though, would be the underwater level, which maintains the somber and dark tone of music that I appreciated in past CV games.

The new map system is interesting, though.  I like how the game takes place across a European landscape instead of solely in CastleVania (which I'm guessing will be the last stage or something, with the name in the title and everything.) It kinda removes a little of the repetition I started to encounter in the last few CV games.

Lastly, difficulty.  Holy crap, why am I dying so much?  Should I be dying so much? I can only guess so. Potions are on the rare side, like Circle of the Moon, and even smaller enemies seem to pose a serious threat this time around. I remember literally' plowing through the same types of enemies in past CV games, but now I'm dying by there hand somewhat often. Despite this, I welcome the challenge. One of the things that was beginning to dissapoint me about these CV games was their lack of challenge. This game seems to be my past thoughts' antithesis.

[child_of_lileth]

i think the difficulty was somethin that made the game more fun for me. the last few were just too easy till the last couple of bosses. but this one actually forced me to level up every time id get to a new boss.

i usually just do minimum level runs my first time through the rpg style games, but this one just wont let me do that. i think its better for it to be that way though

[Xain]

I'm about as far as you are Slayer and i have the same thoughts. (Haven't formed an opinion on the music yet though) I really like the challenge but I'm most impressed with the weapon weakness upgrade. Right now i have a set for slashing weapons. smashing weapons and last reserved for magic suitable for the area.

[Bafeel]

When I'm fighting in a bloodied dungeon and my roomate tells me that the music I'm listening to is extremely campy,

Well, the music for Prison Island definitely doesn't fit the location.

[despondency]

I don't know how far the posters in this thread have gone with their game, because I'd like to comment on some things pretty far in the game. Nevertheless, speaking of the difficulty, I do agree that the enemies are quite a problem this time, and I certainly appreciate some of the boss patterns, but, without telling exactly where (in case of spoilers), one thing about the difficulty that totally pisses me off beyond mad is that in some parts of the game, it degenerates into dodgeball that you can't win. There are some places in some parts of the game where the combination of terrain and enemies are just unforgivable, forcing you to restart 100 times just to get LUCKY to get out alive.

[thernz]

The only occurrence I can recall that happening to me is Hard Mode with the guillotines in the Prison Island.

[Xain]

Well, the music for Prison Island definitely doesn't fit the location.

Yeah i would agree to that. But Somulus Reef and that first water stage...awesome music.

[dark_soul]

Lastly, difficulty.  Holy crap, why am I dying so much?  Should I be dying so much? I can only guess so. Potions are on the rare side, like Circle of the Moon, and even smaller enemies seem to pose a serious threat this time around. I remember literally' plowing through the same types of enemies in past CV games, but now I'm dying by there hand somewhat often. Despite this, I welcome the challenge. One of the things that was beginning to dissapoint me about these CV games was their lack of challenge. This game seems to be my past thoughts' antithesis.

im glad im not the only one who's experiencing this, when playing SOTN and DoS i still can get out of the level with only low HP even with low quality weapons or something, but in OoE you won't survive if you don't have the proper glyphs to use against the enemies, plus extra harder on bosses, sometimes i tend to restart the boss fight when i find it's weakness just to obtain that crappy medal XD

[Bizarro Belmont]

I think the diffuculty really adds to the game. It took me forever to get to Dracula's castle and even when I did, I was surprised at all the multiple sections. I was bracing myself for the generic piece of shit they threw together in Curse of Darkness. Plus the final battle is a real trip. Then the two "secret" dungeons ate up a lot of my time beating.

The only real letdown for me was Death. His fight sucked.

[Iori E]

First post, LOL.

The game was short.