Topic: Castlevania The Adventure Rebirth first impressions

[superDioplus]

Since no one is visiting the temporary forum anymore, I will post my impressions here.

These are the impressions I have spending about 1 hour playing the game.

I've played about 2 stages and half and will talk about my impressions on this game.

About the story, there is a prelude kind of scene featuring screenshots from the NES games, and texts accompanying saying that Dracula have been once again revived and Christopher is up to save the day. Nothing special. After that, I haven't encountered any story telling scenes.

The design, at first glance this game looks alot like the X68k title and the MD title combined, the character sprite is well done, Chris moves a little bit like Richter but generally he kinda resembles Simon in X68k. The stage layout has been completely changed from the original Adventure game, though there are some elements remained. Such as the tiny platforms with huge gap in between and the floating platforms. Most of the emenies have been redesigned, like the crow, the thing that spits out a ball which attacks you.

Bosses are comepletely new. One thing I need to mention is that mid-bosses have been added, like when you have progressed about half of the stage. The first mid boss is the classic giant bat, the second is a huge slim. First stage boss is a super large bouncing eyeball which can grow out little eyeballs rolling around(you can only kill them by crouch attack). Second stage boss is a mutant man which can throw rocks at you, he can grow buffed like Hulk, and can turn back and looks like a skinny guy and jumping around.

Classic sub-weapons like cross, dagger and axe are as effective as in old school castlevanias. The fireball whip in the original game have been altered, when you get hit you can still have it, only there's a time limit, it's the green bar just below the health bar. When the time ends, your whip will go back to a normal chain whip, until you have got another power-up later on. You can have only one fireball on the screen which means you can't swing whip multiple times and try to make bunch of fireballs like in the oroginal game.

Controls, you can change the direction while jumping now though the facing direction will not change. the attacks seem fluid, though there are only two buttons available, whip and jump. You can't change the whip's direction like in Super IV or Bloodlines. Also, after I quited to the title screen, a message saying an option called "Player Style" is now available, I tried to set the style to classic, and now I can't change direction when jumping, dunno about other changes though.

Now, the music. It seems to me that the Sound source or sound chip is the same as the other two rebirth titles, so it sounds a little bit like X68k, the arcade and MD combined. The music track in the prelude is the music plays during the map demo on Dracula XX SNES, dunno the title. Every stage beginning a short tune will play which originally from the very beginning of the Vampire Killer on the X68k title, then followed by the actual stage BGM. The first stage BGM is "Reincarnated Soul" which I dissapointed a little about not being "Battle of the Holy" it was suppose to be in the original. Second stage BGM is "Sent to the Devil's Requiem" from Haunted Castle, it sounds a bit strange for a stage BGM though. The third stage is "New Messiah" from Belmont's Revenge.

According to 2ch, there are 6 stages, and the BGM for the rest are

LOAD BGM from X68k
Aquarius from Castlevania III
Vampire Killer from Castlevania I

update:
Stage boss bgm: Final Battle from Haunted Castle
Map Demo: Start BGM from the original Adventure

No stage BGMs from the original Adventure title as 2ch gamers stated.

Also, there are hidden rooms which you can only access by aquire a key as a sub-weapon, same as Rondo. Rope actions seem to be cancelled accroding the 2ch gamers. When the game starts, a map screen will apear, and Chris will walk through the screen just like the classic Castlevania and X68000 version, kinda nostalgic? There are also alternate passage ways exist which some can not be entered for certain reasons, maybe a switch or a key somewhere....

There is no save option, once you exit the game and return to title screen(or wii menu), you will have to start all over again, however, as stated in 2ch there is a stage select option somewhere, and maybe triggered by pressing right and start at the same time during title screen, I need to confirm this later on.

edit: at the game select screen, put cursor on "game start", then hold right on the direction pad for a few seconds. There you go.
 
Overall, it's pretty decent, aside from the letdown which it's not a exact remake of the original like the first Chronicles.

update: first stage gameplay
http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/26860

second stage normal route
http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/26862

second stage alternate route
http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/26861


2ch source thread
http://jfk.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/famicom/1252843995/

[Sindra]

In Reply To #1

So basically, it's a new game that just happens to be associated with Castlevania Adventure by title and Christopher only?

I guess I fail to see the point. The Chronicles games did well (at least DXC did), so why not put forth a little extra effort by throwing in remixes of the original game's music and revamp the boss sprites? Even if this was meant to be a "filler" until LoS or any other Castlevania game came out....they could have given it a little more love. What I see looks cool, but it's a bunch of little things that they seem to have left out that disappoint me. I was looking forward to playing it too.....now not so much. (I probably still will though....if my significant other DLs it on his Wii)

[Ahasverus]

All I can say i... was it that hard IGA? 
This game is an excellent tribute, not only for The original Adventure, but the other classic castlevnia series, from the way that Chris walks upstairs - like Simon in Haunted Castle -  or the forgotten music - Aquarius for example - or the demonic  form or Dracula - That ends with the super model IGA Dracula *special exception the genius Ecclesia one* -or the three forms from Castlevania III, it honors the old Vanias, and it made me happy, another great thing: NO RECYCLED SPRITES! Wow Iga, you surprised me, it was great, only the protoplasm is recycled, the others are completely new.
And what about the bosses? Those BEAUTIFUL bosses, scaled and rotating, that Death, wow, spectacular. 

Just to say: it's one of the best classicvanias ever, up there with III and ROB and IV, great and made with love.

Iga: This project had no much money, and you made a good work - and new sprites - is it that hard? :

[bobby digital]

Man just played this on my friend's wii, this is the best of the rebirth titles!  I love the x68000 styled music(and the game has a feel of that and bloodlines while mixing in stuff from the classic CV:A) and it's a classic castlevania through and through. The only thing i was disappointed with was the dracula battle, but there's a surprise there too!  Christophers sprite is good, all the enemies have new sprites, and I noticed some recycled backgrounds but nothing as bad as the previous 2 ds games.

Oh, and in the credits the first name that scrolls is none other than IGA as producer.

[Profbeanburrito]

I can't wait to play this. I'm a little disappointed with the music, but it still looks fun. And it's an original game, so I like that.

Is this actually out in the states yet?

[UnManuel]

My comments as far as I can tell:

- Gameplay looks pretty easy, even lame.
- Sounds like a Hannah-Barbera cartoon, literally (the giant eyeball dropping sound, the slime killing sound, etc).
- Maybe disposing ropes is not as cool as one can think.
- There are seemingly interactive shiny things in the background, but when Christopher whips them nothing happens.
- Oddly chosen music.
- Graphics are OK.

[bobby digital]

I hope you realize the videos on youtube are of the game on easy.  There are more enemies and some stages have reworked layouts in the harder difficulties.

EDIT:you should understand too that I was incredibly skeptical of this game to begin with (especially from the screenshots)-it's fun and worth playing. 

[Eric Roman]

My mostly negative opinion of the game (abused music, AoS sprite hacks) wasn't helped by the absence of other Adventure trademarks, Gobanz and Death Bat (known as Gobanz in JPN).

[DragonSlayr81]

Just seen the entire playthrough. Wow, the level design is sick and there seems to be a level of trap/enemy placement that rivals some Mega Man games.

Love the bosses. I wonder if they have actual names, because I'm kinda wondering if the boss of Stage 2 is either Jekyll/Hyde or Cursed Grant.

Love that just about ever monster from the original CV Adventure are accounted for(I think with the exception of the worms). Nice to see Zeldos back again.

[le052383]

I am confused.  I thought the first adventure game was considered bad in regards to level design, Christopher's slow walking animation,and controls. Not to be mean or anythin' but now people are disappointed that rebirth has Christopher walks fast(a complaint I have read on youtube) and doesn't have the old levels?

Seein as how IGA somewhat redesign that secret level in DXC, I can imagine he reconstructed the lvls in this game because of complaints from the original ver

[DragonSlayr81]

Well, to me, the Giant Bat mid-boss looks a bit like the Death Bat. It kinda has a humanoid body(even though it's basically acts like the Phantom Bat).

Other than that, the level design is way better than the original CV Adventure. I love what I'm seeing.

[le052383]

Well, to me, the Giant Bat mid-boss looks a bit like the Death Bat. It kinda has a humanoid body(even though it's basically acts like the Phantom Bat).

Other than that, the level design is way better than the original CV Adventure. I love what I'm seeing.

I agree

The bat boss looks half man much like the boss in the original version.

I am suprised that the worm enemies, the guy w/ the two boomerangs, and the two-legged creature are in this remake.  It seems that all the norml original enemies, (with the exception of the knight boss,) are in rebirth

The level designs are also better than the old version, imo

[Super Waffle]

Soundtrack: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KJ6NPC96

[OldSchoolArikado]

In Reply To #6

Cmon Guy:

1- You can select the dificult (Easy, Normal, hard)
2- The sounds is the some of the x68000 or others of snes and genesis, whats the problem? is a Rebirth, the intention is the tribute
3- Oddly choosen music? Aquarius, New Messiah, Riddle, Reincarnet Soul and more is Oddly Chosen? man go to Doctor and see your ear plz...

In Reply To #13

Many Thanks man!!!!!

[Amduscias]

Giggdti giggdty woooooooot !?!?!?

In Reply to... lol man! its not a Chronicle, its a REBIRTH, its a complete different thing, it takes classic elements and works it in the best way for the wii thing

The details were good, the only thing that i complain about the game is the "limit time" it doesnt let u explore the entire stage, since u can see it has the elements of secret passages from Rondo, and the effects are sweet.

Maybe the sound of the throwing bone its weird but the reason could be the same of that familiar sound on the music, did someone remember... Sunset Riders?