Topic: Critic's Corner -Mr Cox(or team) please read for honest fan feedback.

[cecil-kain]

OK -so fan reaction to the game is scattered everywhere, so I'm about to fix that.  If you want to gripe about the game or sing it's praises, here's the place to do so.   Just remember, this is Konami's THIRD ATTEMPT at establishing a 3D Castlevania engine that really works.  If this game fails, we may not see another Castlevania on a home console for a long, LONG time if EVER.  So it's in everyone's interest to be supportive in your words, if not with your dollars.  Let's tell Cox and company what they need to hear.

My opinion
-An in-game mapping system is badly needed.  This lack of one, combined with fixed (and sometimes inconsistent) camera perspectives, become more and more disorienting in the larger stages.

-The QTEs should be OPTIONAL --not scripted.  Perhaps there could be a nice reward for finishing off a boss monster with style, but I should be able to bludgeon that troll into oblivion with my Combat Cross if I want.

-Not everyone wants to pay attention to which button is triangle X O and square all the time.  Please be consistent in button functions.  For example --when pounced by Wargs.

-The tutorials are often ill-timed.  On one hand the newbies are forced to learn essential gameplay skills in the heat of battle, while on the other hand your veteran players get annoyed at the constant onscreen instructions.  May I suggest a training arena (separate from the main game) to learn all these skills.

-Some sort of targeting system would greatly improve combat, I'm shocked that NONE of the 3D Castlevanias have even tried this...  This relates to the fixed camera issue for quite a few players.

And one last thing --I may still be too early in my game, but I sense something missing from the atmosphere...  Something important.  MYSTERY.  Castlevania needs a healthy helping of mystery with its darkness --they go together like peanut butter and jelly.

More to come later....

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

CV64 and LoD have targetting systems with the R button.  It's similar to Zelda's "Z-Targetting", only with the R button (tap to switch targets).

But back on topic:
I completely agree with the post above.  There's no particular way of knowing who you are attacking, although the enemies do cut you a break and attack you in 'old kung-fu' one-at-a-time combat for the most part (at least so far).

The jittery camera?  It's not needed.  I don't need the look of the game to look like there's a jacked-up-on-coffee cameraman following me.  A smooth camera is fine.
The constantly-switching camera angles, coupled with the fact that when the camera angle switches, the controls stay the same (meaning if you are holding UP on the control stick to walk into a room and the camera switches to a side room, but you're still holding UP, you'll walk LEFT instead of UP... it's not a smooth switch from one camera location control to the other)is a bit on the obnoxious side, especially in places like the maze garden.  If there's no in-game map, don't mess with my internal GPS by switching my viewpoint to 'the other size of the room' mid-step and on top of that, mess with my controls in the middle of a sprint.

That's all for now, there'll be more stuff later.  Still a great game, though.  Nice job on Chapters IV and V.  Those feel more CV-like than the earlier stuff (which feels like Pan's Labyrinth).

[Kale]

I'll add more when I beat the game.

But dear lord..... have a controllable camera. The fixed one really annoys me. There are times where the enemies are right next to me, but behind the camera because the camera thinks it's a good thing to zoom in really close to Gabriel.

In game map/minimap would help tremendously. I want to know where I've been and where I can go without looking back and forth to make sure I'm been there already or not.

I also think the absorbing buttons are in an annoying spot, clicking and holding those buttons should never be something that should be used in the heat of battle. EVER.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

I suppose it was done that way in order to have the control over absorbing Light and Shadow magic...

...but why not just pool them together and auto-absorb 'em?  You already toggle them with L1 and R1 (unless there's some Light/Shadow story element I've missed... on Chapter VII now).

In the early levels you have this film-like framerate which got me used to the look, but in the later levels you have this very silky smooth framerate which leads me to believe that the early levels are either taxing the system too much or were just stylistically done that way.  If I had to choose, I'd go for the smoothness of the framerate of the later levels, rather than the way the early levels are.

[Kale]

I suppose it was done that way in order to have the control over absorbing Light and Shadow magic...

...but why not just pool them together and auto-absorb 'em?  You already toggle them with L1 and R1 (unless there's some Light/Shadow story element I've missed... on Chapter VII now).

Most likely is, but the button scheme for it sucks.
What they should do is have you hold the button to absorb, and press to activate.

[Munchy]

I know this will sound pretty cruel, but thus far the platforming has been brainless. Castlevania has always been about methodical timing with jumps; in this game, once you know how to move, there's no skill required whatsoever. It feels too scripted and automatic.

Also, it was said earlier that there would be few, if any QTEs, that they took away from the game because the player is too busy trying to read which button to hammer. I was excited about this and find that... there are dozens of QTEs so far. What happened?

[crisis]

LoS really starts to pick up at Chapter 4, it loses the "ancient Mayan city" vibe & goes into more gothic territory, which is pretty awesome. My only complaints thus far:

- Camera (although not a huge one, it can be improved upon but most games are like that anyway)
- Cheap deaths (I died more times executing a swing-jump than fighting the enemies/bosses)
- Music (not varied enough)

Otherwise this game rocks. Looking forward to the rest of the game.

I thought it would've been nice if the hooks Gabe latches onto, were designed to look like the "bat-hooks" from SCIV. That would've been pretty neat & a cool homage. Oh well.

[Kale]

I know this will sound pretty cruel, but thus far the platforming has been brainless. Castlevania has always been about methodical timing with jumps; in this game, once you know how to move, there's no skill required whatsoever. It feels too scripted and automatic.

Also, it was said earlier that there would be few, if any QTEs, that they took away from the game because the player is too busy trying to read which button to hammer. I was excited about this and find that... there are dozens of QTEs so far. What happened?

I agree. Platforming is forced. You can't really miss except when you press down at the wrong spot. When you don't have to jump out, you can't jump out. When you can't jump off, you can't jump off... it locks you in, so you have no control, makes me sad.

And I too was disappointed in the number of QTEs, but for the boss fights, they haven't been too annoying or hindering.

[PFG9000]

I'm only halfway through the second chapter, but so far, the production value just blows me away.  I thought it would be solid, but this is a very, very detailed and polished game.  You can tell a ton of work went into it, there's just little flourishes and extra touches everywhere.

It doesn't feel very Castlevania-ish yet, but I have most of the game to go yet.  So I'm staying optimistic about that.  The only thing I didn't like so far was the boss of the first chapter.  It felt like a blatant rip-off of Shadow of the Colossus.  I know fans speculated about that from the screenshots, but when they throw in stuff like "R2 to Grip" and Navigating-platforms-on-a-moving-boss-while-trying-to-find-the-glowing-runes-which-signify-its-weak-spots...well, it's just too much like SotC.  I don't have an issue with having some gigantic bosses in the game, and I don't even have an issue with climbing them, but this one was just straight out of SotC.

[Thunderbrand]

As I said in the other thread, I'm only in chapter 2 but I'm very happy with this game overall. I only have a few minor gripes:

- When you return to a level to find an item you missed, you have to redo the boss fight if there is one. I had to go back to the Bog to get a gem I missed and was a bit dissapointed having to fight the Swamp Troll again after it took me several times to beat him before. (Thankfully theres no reason to return to the Lake and fight the Ice Titan again.) The one bonus to that is when you redo a level it's a good way to gain EP, plus there are hidden items to find once you acquire new abilities.
- The score only has 20 tracks. The game has 46 levels so I was hoping for a longer score, cuz the music is GREAT!
- I agree with an earlier post that said QTE's should be optional. Sure they make for a good cinematic but sometimes they really interrupt the flow of the fight.
- I also agree that an in-game map system would be helpful. Sometimes it's very hard to tell where the little nooks & small pathways are.
- A free-roaming camera would be nice, not just to see all the enemies but to just stop and pan around and look at the GORGEOUS environments. That said, the fixed camera isn't bad. If you have enemies attacking offscreen, just run a few steps away and re-center yourself until they attack again. No big deal. Plus this helps to get some distance and ready your next attack.

I'll add more to my review as I progress through the game but so far I love it. I think it's well done and very fun to play.

[cecil-kain]

There is something a tad off on jumping from platform to platform --on the other hand I think the grappling functions of the Combat Cross are brilliantly executed.  Also did anyone else get that Grant Danasty vibe while ledge crawling?

[crisis]

The game doesn't feel "Castlevania" in the first few chapters, but once you hit 4 it'll start to show more, trust me.

[Thunderbrand]

The game doesn't feel "Castlevania" in the first few chapters, but once you hit 4 it'll start to show more, trust me.

That seems to be the consensus from those who have gotten that far in the game. Truthfully, I suspected the same thing when I read through the guide. Seeing how the game is laid out, it seems to keep building upon itself and the whole "world" is very vast. This is where the CV2, CV3 and CV4 influences are evident IMO.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

It really is a beautiful game, though. Very nice..

EDIT:
I hate hate hate hate hate that I can't target floor switches with my abilities.  Supposedly you can FALCON PAWNCH the floor switches, but the ability has to land right on the stupid spot and 9 times out of 10, it doesn't.

[e105beta]

I don't have much of an issue with the camera, unlike most. So far I've been too engrossed to notice the jittery cam, and while the fixed camera can be frustrating because at times I just want to look around, I'm pretty sure the nooks and crannies hidden by the camera are done on purpose. I mean, the hidden rooms in a metroidvania are completely hidden. You stumble upon them by whacking walls in slightly suspicious spots in fits of exploration, not because the game goes "LOOK AT THIS SPOT! SOMETHING IS HIDDEN HERE!". I've noticed the same trend with the hidden rooms in LoS. You see a spot and go: "Hmm, I can't see the top of that ledge. Is there a body there?" or "Those rocks look suspicious".

As for the map comments, I would have liked a map on the bog level, and in Agharta, though with words like labyrinth being thrown around in-game, I have to wonder if the "lost in a maze" feeling was intentional.

The only time I had trouble with the auto-targeting was when I was fighting Malphas. I'd go to strike her, and Gabriel would pull a 180 and attack the witch-child behind me. A bit annoying when you're running on almost no health and need to kill her as quickly as possible. Other than that, Gabriel's whip strikes tend to be large enough to accomplish what I want, though knives tend to fly off at random enemies sometimes.

Maybe it's just because I'm playing at knight, but while I see a use for every single combo, I can't get some of them out (heavy combo 9x, I'm looking at you) because I need to dodge. I don't mind it, as it keeps the fights feeling fast-paced and makes me feel awesome when I pull off a long combo, it just makes me wonder if it could have been done a different way.

Also, somethings don't need QTEs. I'm extremely lenient on QTE usage and thought the button mashing enhanced the struggle feel when you're pounced by a warg, but the QTEs where I'm mashing a button to pull down a bridge with no enemies around and no visible action from Gabriel feel forced. I mean, I got the stake upgrade, just stab the cross in there and open the gate. The only thing failing the QTE is going to make me do is have to start over. Unless there are enemies I have to race against, it's just pointless.

I also loved using the chain whip for platforming. Some of the best moments were when I was running on a wall, jumping off, the hooking to another grip point. It felt realistic but fun at the same time. It could be fine-tuned a bit, however. Sometimes I felt like I was dying not because the section was particularly hard, but because the game let me descend to low with my chain, then I dropped off and died. An easy fix would be to just make Gabriel stop at a certain limit, and if you want to drop, you drop like you would off a ledge. Also, more collapsing platforms would do the game good. I was never bored while platforming, but I felt like most of the segments were lacking a sense of urgency and timing that most platforming games have.

And maybe another suggestion for the next game, if it ever comes: make a downside to the grab. While yes, combat gets boring when all you do is grab and I don't find myself doing it too often, I tend to accept a bit of boredom if it comes with the instant kills that the grab provides after dying 10 times on a group of gremlins trying to fight them legitly.

On the plus side, the game is amazing, and I love it. It's a very pretty game, and the atmosphere is excellent. While even I'll admit that it didn't largely feel like Castlevania until Wygol village, I didn't really mind. Keeps things feeling fresh.

The AI is great, which has become rare for these type of games. I loved fighting Cornell because it seemed like he'd never give me the attack I could counter. If I expected a blockable attack, he'd do an unblockable, and if I was in a combo he'd do a shockwave attack. If anything, the rising strike ability is the most useful in Gabriel's entire arsenal.

I say congrats, and I'm looking forward to the DLC.