Topic: Castlevania Marathon by Sumac

[Sumac]

Good. More or less.
I tried to complete one JRPG, but gave up on the final boss and decided to return to the Castlevania Marathon.

[Lelygax]

Well, atleast you are back and still doing what you like. ^^

[Sumac]

Lelygax, by the way, I see you are fan of Umineko?

[Lelygax]

Yes, I love Higurashi and Umineko, I've read Umineko VNs, some manga chapters and watched the anime (Deeeeeennnn!!! Why did you choose a fast and poor way to make this adaptation, why?!). I watched Higurashi anime and OVAs too. Thanks for asking. What about you? Did you like Umineko too?

[Sumac]

I haven't read VNs or watched anime, but I read summaries and discussions about it (I usually always do that, before read or watch something) and along the way I spoiled it though and thorough. Usually it doesn't affect my interest to the story in question, but in this case...I've become very uncertain about it. Hence, why I ask your permission to ask you several questions about it in PM.

[Lelygax]

Feel free to do so, the only friendly warning that I can do is that this story is cool because of the mysteries involved in it. If you discover all the mysteries before reading/playing the game you will spoil almost all the experience of the game itself. But as I said, fell free to ask questions.

[Sumac]

I finished Legacy of Darkness and Circle of the Moon (100% + all cards) and review for Castlevania 64 still in the works. Crap. It teakes much more time, then I hoped.
Now, since all planned games for this cycle is out of the way, I hope I will be able to finish this review for the next weekend.

[Lelygax]

Cool, take your time, if needing more time means more quality, we can wait patiently.

[Sumac]

Cool, take your time, if needing more time means more quality, we can wait patiently.

If I take my time to finish them, then they most likely will never be finished. That's why I put some deadlines for myself.

[RichterB]

I hope I'm not interrupting. I can put this in a spoiler box if you want. (I do hope you'll at least have a minute to glance at the post I have linked below about the lost elements of the N64 era, to sync with what you did for Bloodlines).

So, Sumac, what you're doing here is absolutely amazing. I just discovered this thread today. It really offers some clarity on the identity of "Castlevania," varied as it seems on the surface. (Particularly with the rise of the LoS-verse). I have some more reading to do later. I am really excited to hear about the N64 entries! I like how analytical you've gotten. You're fair, pointing out strengths and weaknesses.

I think how much individual fans care about a given game in the series depends on which quirks stick with them. Like, for instance, you make some valid critiques about CVIII, and some points I might be on the fence about, but the sheer scope and variety within that game (which you dually noted) is a marvel and unique factor that gives it extra credit for some in the community (including myself). But like I said, you're fair. Castlevania: The Adventure, even while ripping its controls (which I can understand), you rightfully note its novelty/creativity. (And building off that, you gave Belmont's Revenge the time in the spotlight that is deserves). Like you've noted, aside from a few really neat elements, the Castlevania for the Sharp Computer (aka Chronicles) always struck me as a game that came too late, particularly since it tries to cover some ground already done better in SCVIV.

You're one of the few people I've found here who has a similar view of Rondo of Blood to me. While not quite to the level of CVIII, it's packed with all kinds of neat features that make it admirable in its ambition; yet in Rondo's case, it's not really consistently "fun" or "attractive," especially on replays. I'm not sure if you phrased this quite the same way, but I found some of its "puzzle piece" design (to paraphrase) to be counter-intuitive, where you really could skip out on level designs too early (and in too jarring a manner) for their own good; and to that point, the way you can't rescue everyone in one go, and the fact that you can go back to other levels with a stage select sort of made the game's design seem less "consequential" and more slapdash casual/sandbox-ish.

By that same token, you made my day with your Dracula X review. This game has received so much flak over the years. You noted that it didn't get as tiresome as Rondo to play through the game, and I've found it to be one of the most "fun" games to return to in flow and challenge (even if some in-game logic is odd or old-school). I love SCVIV, but Dracula X is one of those ones I find I can replay many times and feel excitement. (Especially with that great music and those pretty visual touches!) You said it has a slower pace than Rondo of Blood, but from my recent playthrough of it and SCVIV, it has a more snappy/arcade pace to it than the more measured SCVIV. (Particularly with the way you can jump off stairs as well as jump on). One of its unique quirks is that it actually has an end of stage SCORE SCREEN (w/ password progress notation), where you can get a 1UP for beating a stage with no damage! It may be the most arcade-paced of the Castlevania games, and it makes it fun and challenging to pick up and play, learning all of its various strategies with the sub-weapons and such. The Axes are my personal choice against Drac--it really works well on both forms; though, I can see how the Boomerangs would do the job. (I want to note that the backflip, if you do remember it, can prove useful; though, it is easy to forget. It really helps to not get hit by the Bat boss, for instance).

You know, like you said, this game has an old school-ish vibe (though not completely, as it's still a bit looser/faster than the original games), but it's often more fair in its challenges than people give it credit. You noted the hit box/knockback protection from ducking and the back/upward hit boxes for the whip (later added to The Adventure Rebirth). All of that is very useful in dealing with the odds stacked against you, to say nothing of the sub-weapons (I like the Boomerang's new Item Crash better personally, seeing that many Boomerangs is crazy and quite useful if you match the angles with the tiered level designs and/or faster enemies). Anyway, I wanted to add one more thing on this point, and that's the "meat." It knows it's asking you to do some crazy things with that key, but it places meat right where you'd need it, so long as you're strategic and careful about it. The meat appears in the Dullahan battle where you're saddled by the key, and again with the Minataur (where you might have kept the key by mistake) in a breakable platform no less, as well as in the falling spike pendulum room that serves as a halfway point to rescuing Maria and/or getting to Atlantis (depending on how you play). Plus, there's meat with Dracula, who has two forms. It's trying to help the still-learning player along with its stiffer challenges, and making strategies for more skilled players to keep in mind. Level 1 and 2 provide meat right before their bosses (hidden in breakable floors, so they're not all in candles like you thought, as was already noted with the Minataur). This gives a fair breather to first-timers, or a relief for experts experimenting with different ways to play.

Some of the wording you used for the game could be confusing to first-timers, though. (It's understandable given the scope of what you're doing; I'm just noting it). You don't mention the flames as Mode 7 at first (citing only the title screen--I love that slashed X and the unique personality it conveys), and later note that there is Mode 7 with the flames. You note there are no alternate bosses or paths, and later note the extra bosses and alternate stages. Yes, it's different than the definition of what Rondo did, but it's still "alternate." And it's interesting in the sense that the player, if they don't know any better, has no idea what the  consequences are of these bosses/keys/stages the first time through, since each path is "can't-turn-back consequential" to what happens (whether it's falling off the pillars in Stage 3 or losing the key in Stage 4). There are several path combinations that can come out of these few simple forks in the road, as opposed to Rondo's numerous forks that, while interesting, scramble the flow of the game and the sense of progression starts to feel more random. Of note, the basic concept behind the Witch Annette battle has been retconned back into Rondo of Blood via Dracula X: Chronicles, where you fight a Vampire Annette if you don't rescue her earlier. (Seems like IGA liked the internal logic of some tragic in-game consequences to the plot). Anyway, bottom line, you got it right. Dracula X and Rondo are two different experiences (similar on one level to Castlevania 64 and Legacy of Darkness). In this case, each game has it's own identity and internal logic, but Dracula X comes off as the more fun and challenging one, while Rondo of Blood comes off as the more ambitious and experimental one. Personally, I find the in-game art of Dracula X, exemplified by Stage 1, the Atlantis Stage, and the Clock Tower to give an edge to it over Rondo in the "soul" department, making Rondo the more soulless one with a lot of its drab, black, and tiled backgrounds. (You'll notice that Rondo uses more of the NES block-tile platforms than Dracula X's more naturalistic formations). But I digress.

Bloodlines is a cool game I'm always curious about, but have played only a handful of times (due to circumstances of availability) with significant respect toward its creativity and special effects. (Come on WiiWare, give me a Console Wars-era break with this and Contra: Hard Corps!) I really liked that you covered the lost content! That stuff looks like some really interesting atmospheric and gameplay quirks could have been exploited. Like Castlevania 64 and Legacy of Darkness--neither of which used the full content planned: http://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/index.php/topic,4917.0.html--I always wonder A.) What could have been, and B.) Why future games didn't try to build off those neat missing/unused pieces and their legacy. 

Well, keep up the good work! (I wonder if you might sneak in Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth at some point. If you do, make sure to check out the different level designs in Hard Mode, which changes the whole strategic importance of things like the keys in a very cool way). Anyway, the reviews are one thing, but going the extra mile to show off the earlier games seamlessly was something else altogether! Bravo!

(I edited this post a few times, the final edit being about the clever use of "meat" in Dracula X).

[Sumac]

RichterB, thank you for all the kind words!!
I know there are some omissions and mistakes in the reviews (like I had forgotten to mention wallmeat in the Dracula X and I wrote review after I made video playthrough, where I used it). I write reviews usually without much of a plan and, sometimes, get overwhelmed by the amount of text, so I forgot to write about some things. Maybe, I'll make "modified versions" of my past reviews, with mistakes and omissions fixed.

I certainly plan to make an article about "what could have been in CV64 / LOD". As of now CV64 reviews is 14 pages long and I haven't even finished it.

Sadly, some games will be ommited from this Marathon: Curse of Darkness, Judgement, Dracula X Chronicles, Adventure ReBirth and Mirror of Fate. Maybe, someday I will be able to play them, but most likely not in the next few months. The cream of the crop would have been, if somehow disk with Ressurection was finally bought and uploaded on the internet (it does exist, as far as I know), but I don't think it will happen soon, if at all.

[RichterB]

RichterB, thank you for all the kind words!!

I certainly plan to make an article about "what could have been in CV64 / LOD". As of now CV64 reviews is 14 pages long and I haven't even finished it.

Sadly, some games will be ommited from this Marathon: Curse of Darkness, Judgement, Dracula X Chronicles, Adventure ReBirth and Mirror of Fate. Maybe, someday I will be able to play them, but most likely not in the next few months. The cream of the crop would have been, if somehow disk with Ressurection was finally bought and uploaded on the internet (it does exist, as far as I know), but I don't think it will happen soon, if at all.

Sumac,

You're welcome and don't worry about omissions. It's easy to forget when writing so much. I didn't even mention the "moonwalk" ability in Dracula X. I think it's in a few other games, as well.

Anyway, 14 pages sounds about right!

I finished up the reading, by the way.

SotN does create a conundrum for the series, and I think you’ve noted one of the biggest issues in your review: “Platforming doesn't pose any danger in the game, because there are not insta-death pits or spikes.” This has become a mantra, by and large, for modern Castlevania, when the contrary was one of the bread-and-butter staples beforehand. Every time I thought the Metroidvania style would evolve to solve this, like PoR, whose portraits afforded the possibility of more linear, traditional level design and traps, it was avoided. Some call it too old-school or unfair to have insta-death traps. Only The Adventure Rebirth delivered, and did so perhaps best in Hard Mode. However, for it to come from a download-only game seemingly made from a shoestring budget and a fair number of borrowed resources, that’s sad and pretty telling. I played SotN in earnest only after having played through CotM. SotN has undeniable artistic charm (and its Inverted Castle does provide a certain sense of "scope" for all its ridiculousness), while CotM presents the Metrodivania style with more restraint and a sense of old-school feel and challenge; however, I don’t rank either in my top ten Castlevania games.

But here’s the thing: SotN (for “Metroidvania”) and Rondo of Blood (for “Classicvania”) have become the “new standards” for the Castlevania series, reinforced by the release of The Dracula X Chronicles. As a result, Castlevania’s starting identity is very skewed away from a lot of what you or I (and others) seem to cherish most about the series. (In other words, what makes the series really unique). After years of waiting, the alternative was Mercury Steam and Mr. Cox, who alternately claimed to be mixing Castlevania 1, 3, and 4 in their two Lords of Shadows entries while taking them to their "logical modern evolution." I don’t know that you’d agree with that (I certainly do not), and if LoS is supposed to represent what the pre-SotN games were and should be, then the Castlevania franchise has really been skewed through the looking glass away from what it was, even compared with all of its experiments along the way where you have four games in the 16-bit era (IV, Rondo of Blood, Bloodlines, and Dracula X) with different concepts, but the same fundamentals. LoS-verse is an extreme on the opposite end that has little to do with either Classicvania or Metroidvania, particularly the former.

Like I said before, the only game to give me a strong taste of what this series was about in recent times has been The Adventure Rebirth, which was, despite some cool design elements with the multiple key paths and some clever/novel bosses, very much a low-budget nostalgia game doing just slightly more than the bare minimum to represent the old identity of Castlevania. And even doing that, so little, it made a bigger impact on me than any new Castlevania entry in some time. A lot of its bonus features (3 different layout designs and enemy placements for each stage based on difficulty settings, as well as variable controls that allow for such things as motion-controlled whipping, and a optional stage select for pick-up-and-replay/practice) added up, along with a nice selection of CV songs. (I've currently and tentatively placed this entry #10 on my favorites list).

As an aside, despite SotN's updated effects, I sometimes find the overall art direction/presentation of SCVIV to be superior somehow. There seems to be more attention to detail going on in the backgrounds of SCVIV. I agree that Legends was an underutilized opportunity that ends up feeling like the barest bones of a Castlevania game, unrefined, and bland. If not for the character of Sonia and some of the booklet production art design (that shows off the bosses better), it'd be all the more forgettable. A shame, because it does have a few interesting quirks/elements, but none of them came off as interesting in-game as even the first Gameboy Castlevania.

I've never heard of any Resurrection build that was near completion. A lot of what I've seen in the past has been just empty rooms. The game was a strange animal on so many levels. One wonders what it would have turned out like. From screenshots, demo reels, and articles, it strikes me as maybe a more linear version of Castlevania 64 with less platforming, more focus on flat-land direct action, and little to no puzzles or RPG elements. Given the hardware, it obviously had more graphical power under its belt than the N64 games. Strangely, when EGM announced its cancellation--and I just noticed this particular piece of the article for the first time--an unimpressed Konami had intervened on the American team and handed over the development to the Kobe Japan team, who had just made their first 3D games on the N64 with CV64/LoD. According to this published EGM article, which doesn't name sources, the Kobe team said the game design couldn't be rescued and that "it'd be easier to start from scratch." Of course, that never happened. What a strange tale.

EDIT: I'm refreshing my memory on this game from this interview: http://www.castlevaniadungeon.net/features/orduyan.html I found this fascinating, and read into it what you will: "When the game was cancelled, it was eventually sent back to Japan so they could look at it for reference for future 3D Castlevanias."

EDIT 2: The above interview claims it was Konami internal politics/the rise of the PS2 over Dreamcast versus the state of the game content in the decision to cancel it.

You know what always intrigued me? It was a hoax game, but Shin Dracula X's screenshots that fooled magazines back in the day looked pretty impressive.

Well, I hand the reins of the show back to you. (I can’t believe how well you dispatched the irritating She-Wolf boss in the Sharp game). I’ll be sure to read your upcoming reviews.

[Sumac]

RichterB, again, thanks for the kind words and insight on your vision of the series. 

I withhold detailed opinion on LOS, until review, but my general thoughts about this game is well-known around the place. I think, for all of its shortcomings it a good heir to the legacy of the classic part of the series.

I've never heard of any Resurrection build that was near completion.

I've heard different sources cited different rate of completion of this game. Some sad it was 30% complete, others - 80%. I think version on the disk was 30% complete, though I can be mistaken.
I plan to make small article about this game, since it was quite an interesting thing and certainly deserved separate mention in the project.

I can’t believe how well you dispatched the irritating She-Wolf boss in the Sharp game. I’ll be sure to read your upcoming reviews.

T'was all training. Thanks. 

As for Castlevania 64 review - I think, I will trim it a bit and maybe rewrite some parts. I once started writing it from scratch. Remaking it for the third time would be rather annoying.

[Sumac]

Thanks to all those kind words and interesting discussion with RichterB, I was able to finish CV64 review today!! Though, in some respects it's more like a walkthrough, rather than just review. Oh, well. I don't think it is a bad thing.

Castlevania 64 review by Sumac.
Part 1:
I learnt about Castlevania on Nintendo 64 way back in the 2006. At the time I already was aware about Symphony of the Night and other "metroidvanias", but I never ever heard about Castlevania 3D games on obscure (at least in my place) console from Nintendo. So, naturally my interest was enormous, when I found not one, but two Castlevania games in the catalogue of the Nintendo 64 ROMs on one site. Intro, with the Malus playing heart-wrenching melody on the violin, really impressed me, and set the right tone for the game. Overall, my first impressions from the game were positive. It was not like any Castlevania I've played before, not only because it had additional dimension, but because of the very different style the game used, when being compared to anything that was done before. Now, 7 years after I gave it another try. And here's my review.

Castlevania on the Nintendo 64 (Demon Castle Dracula Apocalypse AKA Castlevania 64) is a game with a troubled development. It was first 3D game for the Kobe division of Konami (KCEK) and apparently they set a very big goal for themselves. Like introducing three characters with never before seen gameplay in the series - magic user with homing attack, melee fighter and gun user. Also, the game should have boasted a lot of other features, but sadly, goals were too ambitious and executives were too stupid and ruthless. In short, to make it for the deadline, a lot of stuff was cut from the game, including those two unique characters (though, they still made it into the game, but not in playable form). So, what gamers received in January of 1999 was a very watered down version of the promised game.

Apparently, storyline also fell victim of the deadline and pathetic managers. While in general, story makes sense, there are visible traces of multiple rewrites and "not quite plotholes". Interestingly, there is controversial information about placement of this game in canon. There were some statements, supposedly from the developers themselves, that CV64 was always should have been a merely spin-off of the main series and not part of the main storyline. However, some early rumors kind of refute this. I'll cover rumors and "what should have been's" in additional article about CV64 and its enhanced version / prequel Legacy of Darkness.

On the first glance story of the Castlevania 64 is your usual Castlevania fare - two brave people go to the Dracula's Castle to fight evil Count himself. However, thanks to the cinematic presentation and special accent on the melancholic mood, it looks rather refreshing and interesting. There are two playable characters, each having their own reasons to fight Dracula. Reinhardt Schneider - heir of the Belmont clan and pretty much "Standard Belmont" in everything, except for the name. He follows calling of his blood, which, unsurprisingly, calls him to fight Dracula who once again rose from his grave. During his adventures Reinhardt meets cute female vampire, named Rosa, who unlike most of the vampires, doesn't want to kill Reinhardt. She is so disgusted with what she became, so she even wants to commit suicide. In the end of the game, she sacrifices her (un)life to save Reinhardt from Grim Reaper’s attack and dies. This was enough to anger Reinhardt to the point, where he was able to defeat Reaper for good. Later he battles Fake Dracula and evil count himself in two forms. In his good ending Rosa resurrected somehow and with Reinhardt, she goes back to her parents to tell them news about her survival. Also, there are some hints on romantic feelings between Reinhardt and Rosa. In his bad ending, Reinhardt takes Malus as his apprentice.

Carry Fernandez goes to fight Dracula to avenge for the death of her parents (who were killed by the patriarch of the family, that went insane because of Dracula influence) and her stepmother. Her archnemesis is an Actrise - witch who sacrificed 100 children, including her own child, to preserve her beauty. She wants Carry to sacrifice her power, and much like Reaper in Reinhardt's route, make Carry battle someone who she doesn't want to fight - her own vampirised cousin. Later, Carry defeats Actrise and Dracula. In her good ending she visits grave of her mother. In her bad ending she promises to marry Malus, when they will grow up. Overall, story is somewhat more akin to dark fairy tail. There are few supporting characters, good and bad, but sadly, they appear very scarcely. And there is impression, that in the middle of the game, some of them fall from the face of the Earth, only to appear before the final battle. There is good explanation to that, but more about it later. Also, dialogues in this game are not voiced. Only on separate occasions characters do speak short lines. The only exception - is the Fake Dracula who's monologues are fully voiced, at least in European version of the game. In American version - only his introduction monologue in the second level have voice acting. I think lack of voices is a good think for this game. Characters speak in overly theatrical manner most of the time, and had it been voiced, then CV64 possibly ended as even larger HAM, than SOTN.

Graphics haven't aged well. This is where 2D games have a clear advantage. For example Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night will never look particularly dated, while games of the early 3D era, like CV64, will look hilarious and poor by the modern standards. As for me, I always played games for the gameplay and story, so aged graphics doesn't bother me in the least. And this is why this game will not receive any negative points from me for its looks. Models of the characters look decent and not very blocky. Some enemies look impressive - like Armored Knights and Drago. Some not so much - like Skeletons, who look like they were made out of folded paper. As for locations - some of them look very impressive, in particular Villa and Clock Tower, some - look overly monotonous and generally poor - like Waterway and Tower of Science. Special effects are good for its time, I guess. I was particularly impressed with Fake Dracula's morphing into mist and special effects in the Drago's death sequence.

Music doesn't follow suit set by the previous games. Instead of "catchy tunes" music in this game is quiet and ambient, written to enhance atmosphere of the locations and compliment cinematographic approach. Some levels are even devoid of any background music and that works quite well. For those reasons, though, some people consider soundtrack of this game as bad. Another good thing about music in this game, is that most of the melodies are soft and not very loud. Since player will spend a lot of time in some stages, hearing lopped loud tune for, like 2 hours, would have been a chore rather than pleasure. Sadly, supporting characters doesn't have particular personal themes. Since characters do not voiced in the game, music has very important purpose here - to convey the mood of the scenes and pretty much "talk for the characters". Also, it was the first Castlevania game, where, like in the movie, music changes according to situation on screen. It happens not often, but that makes those rare moments even more memorable. Like Symphony of the Night, CV64 doesn't rely on the music from the past titles very much. Only two tracks were taken from the past titles without changes - Dancing in the Phantasmic Hell (boss theme from the Rondo of Blood) - which plays during boss battles with Actrise and Grim Reaper. And Dance of Illusions (Dracula's battle theme from ROB and SOTN), which used during battle with Fake Dracula in the Castle Keep. There is also Bloodlines, once again from ROB, which was heavily arranged. Its used on the title and Game Over screens. Bloody Tears appear in the game several times, but its usually interwoven with the other melodies. My favorite tracks from the game are Invisible Sorrow and foreboding Gear. Though, as it usually happens with Castlevania games, I like the whole soundtrack in its entirety.

Now, before I move to the gameplay description, few words about general style of this game. Castlevania 64 is nothing like previous games in that regard. Early titles of the series embraced rugged, medieval and somewhat horroresque style. Later, series moved onto some strange union of anime and gothic / barocco styles. Castlevania 64 is channeling something close to a survival horror and old horror movie. Cutscenes made to look very movie-like with close-ups and dynamic angles where neccessary. As described before. music sometimes changes depending on the situation during gameplay and in most cutscenes. Of course, average graphics make everything seem less movie-like, but, I must say, in a way it gives certain charm to the game. As if you are watching amateurish attempt to make a horror show, which is awkward, yet somehow fascinating. Characters are moving in a puppet-like manner, convenient angles used, when virtual operator needs to hide some graphical shortcomings. Coupled with atmospheric backgrounds and ambient music, its all creates uncanny experience and specific, one of a kind, atmosphere. Mix of the somewhat old game technologies and old cinema tricks.

[Sumac]

Part 2:
Now about gameplay. This game is some sort of a cross between action, platforming and puzzle genres. Levels in the first half of the game require finding something in order to proceed and there is usually some amount of backtracking involved. Approximately in the second half of the game, levels become more straightforward, though occasionally you still need to find some keys to go further. Puzzles are usually pretty simple - find key to open the door, push lever or step on the platform to activate or deactivate something. Though, sometimes it is required to make some actions to receive further clues, like for example you must talk with Rosa in order to receive key from Vincent in Villa. There is THAT ONE PUZZLE in the Castle Center, that most likely was the reason for a lot of fun and rage (most likely rage) for many gamers, back in the 1999. As for platforming, well, this is probably the weakest part of the game. But before, some of the basics. Your character will grab edge of the platform automatically, if you hold jump button. To climb on the platform you must press forward, it doesn't matter which direction your character faces. You can shimmy right or left, while holding on the edge of the platform. There are three reasons why platforming in this game is usually badly regarded. First, more often then not, it is hard to estimate distance to the platform you want to jump to. Sometimes platform visually can look further or closer, that it really is. Hence, sometimes the only way to be sure, if you can reach it, is to jump towards and see what happens. Even first person view, a unique feature for the Castlevania series, can't help to determine real distance to the platform. Second, characters are practically weightless, so when they jump, it is hard to choose correct speed. Sometimes it looks like you should land right on the platform, while in reality you overjump it. Third problem is a camera. While it often does a decent job, by providing you with the best angles for the situation possible, sometimes those angles fail to trigger for some reason. Also, usually camera should reveal direction in which you need to go, and, once again, sometimes it fails to turn into appropriate direction. In those situations you can run around, which sometimes makes camera remember where it should be postioned. Otherwise you can use first person view to search for a correct route yourself and right after you find it, camera usually will take its appropriate place. Those camera related problems especially annoying in the platforming heavy levels like Tower of Sorcery and Tower of Science. In the former, it is already hard to find normal route and estimated distances, because of the level structure, but with camera acting like it does, competing this level becomes a truly arduous task of trial and erroe. Though, pretty much in every level, there is place where camera goes awry. Another place where it can be critical for your progress, is Castle Center. While you carry Nitro on the narrow road, camera sometimes can take very strange angles. Those problems are not very very critical to the playthrough, but can be rather annoying and certainly reduce enjoyment from the game. Also, playable characters follow rules of physics and have some inertia in their movements. Thus mean, you can't instantly stop while you're runing. The character will move several inches forward and go into braking animation. The same thing occurs, if you try instantly turn the corner, while running - character will skid on the corner. Combined will sometimes unwieldy camera angles, that makes pretty much impossible to run on the narrow paths and turning. While it's an interesting idea, to make characters follow certain rules of the real world, it feels rather unpolished in this game.

There are several camera modes in the game. During normal game you can choose between three camera modes: Normal View (focuses on player), Battle View (focuses on enemies), and Action View (supposedly focuses on the field as a whole, though I am not sure about it). Also, player can use First Person View - it is useful to look around the locations and sometimes can help to determine, where you need to go. Though you can't move or fight while using it. During some platforming sections camera goes into special position, to provide the best angle for the  section. There is special Boss View, that triggers during some boss fights. Usually in this mode, camera focuses on the boss.

There are two playable characters: whip user, Reinhardt Schneider and magical girl, Carrie Fernandez. Both characters have two types of attack - primary, long-range, attack and secondary, close-range, attack. In case of Reinhardt his primary weapon is a whip and his secondary weapon is a short sword. Since this game was a rather early attempt at making an action game in a 3D environment, there were no defined rules and formulas on "how to make a good 3D action". In case of Reinhardt developers decided to transit traditional 2D whip mechanics into 3D. Sadly, it's not exactly working. Reinhardt whip can strike in only one direction, though, it has a rather big hitbox (so if two enemies stand close to each other, there is possibility, that both will be hit). The biggest issue with "2D-like whip attack" is that there are no "crowd control" moves. There is auto-targeting system. As soon as enemy will be close enough, target will appear on his body, indicating, that he will be hit be weapon. With that system you don't need to turn exactly to face the enemy. Sometimes you can even attack foes with your back turned, though, most likely it's some sort of a bug. While generally enemies can be dealt one at a time, sometimes they like to swarm your character from all sides. Vampires in the Castle Center and Cerberuses in the Villa absolutely love to do this. When player gets surrounded by several enemies from different sides, he is pretty much doomed to lose some part of his life or frantically run, using close-range attack to hit enemies and escape from tight situation. Auto-targeting system, which allow to attack only one enemy at a time, and lack of wide circular attacks, don't allow to deal with them all together. There is Holy Water, that allow damage several enemies at once, but its generally weak and not really helpful in such cases. Those situations can be rather fun and thrilling, but in general this is something, that really shouldn't be in the 3D action game, where enemies can attack player from more sides, that one. Despite  this shortcomings, action in this game is rather dynamic and fun, but a bit ill-conceived. Happily, there are rarely monsters who can deal big damage to your character, so even, if you end up surrounded and hit, it most likely will not seriously hamper your progress. Overall, Reinhardt feels like 2D Belmont brought in the 3D game.

Carry Fernandez is an unique character and her gameplay is a sort of strange subversion of the Reinhardt's flaws. Her primary attack is an energy ball. Normally, it uses auto-targeting system, flying at the closest enemy; however, it obviously has more range, than Reinhardt's whip. Her secondary, close-range weapon is a pair of iron rings. They range is smaller, than that of the sword and they're less useful in tight situations. Albeit, those situations can be mostly averted, because Carry's primary attack can be charged to become a homing energy ball. All you need to do, is just to find a save spot and shot your enemies with homing attacks. Because of this ability, almost all Carrie's boss battles have similar tactic - run around the boss, charge homing attacks, kill boss. It actually removes element of challenge from actions scenes in the game and make it overly easy, to the point, that 2 of the 3 final bosses can be defeated without much of a trying. Like in case with Reinhardt, if Carry ends up being surrounded, you can only try to run from enemies using short-range attacks. I must say, while playing as Carry is certainly easier, playing as Reinhardt was much more enjoyable to me. Not only because playing as him is closer to traditional Castlevania experience, but also because challenge is more apparent and his set of levels is more interesting. Also, Reinhardt expectedly heavier and slower, than Carrie, but not by much.

Like in past Castlevanias, characters can use subweapons. They are classic bunch: Cross-boomerang, Axe, Holy Water and Dagger. Holy Water acts almost like Holy Molotov Cocktail, setting earth on fire for several seconds. Axes have limited homing ability and, I think, they are the most powerful subweapon in the game. It's actually fun to watch, how they change they trajectory following movement of the target. It is especially noticeable, if you using them in the battle against Demon Bull. Cross-Boomerangs can hit enemies at least twice, though they are not very strong. And Daggers are pretty useless, as always. Unlike most games in the series, subweapons in this game, use jewels as ammo, not hearts. They can be found in breakable torches and sometimes they fall from killed enemies.

Now about general features. Like Simon's Quest, this game has day and night cycles. During the day enemies are weaker, during the night - they stronger. Day and Night cycles have another use - in some levels there are certain doors, which can be opened only during the night or only during the day. If you don't feel like waiting for the right time of the day, you can use Sun Cards and Moon Cards. If you use Sun Card - sun will vanquish the horrible night, if you use Moon Card - horrible night will have a curse, so to speak. There are two endings for each character - one good and one bad. Bad ending occurs if you spent more than 16 days of ingame time to get to the Castle Keep, so don't use Sun / Moon Cards too much.

Like in SOTN some enemies can inflict different hostile statuses on your characters. Sadly, there are only two of them and they largely similar. First status is Poison. It can be inflicted by poison spitting enemies, like Lizard Men and Spider Women. During this status, your lifebar will slowly decrease. It can be cured with Antidote Ampoule. Second bad status is Vampire. Some vampires can turn your character into (surprise!!) vampire, though they will not stop attacking you, if it happens. During this status your character can't use primary attack and will die / completely turn into vampire after some amount of time. It can be healed with purifying sphere. There were rumors, that initially this status should had a largely different effect, but more about it at another time.

Like in many other games of the series, you can collect Gold. Like in Symphony, you can spent money on some useful items. There is merchant in this game, probably the most extravagant this series ever known - demon Renon. By finding contracts in different parts of the Castle you can summon him and buy some goodies, like Roast Chicken, Roast Beef, that'll restore health, antidotes, Sun and Moon cards and the like. Also, there are traditional for the series weapon upgrades. However, there are no visual changes in weapon, after you pick them up and, I had strange impression, that they wear off after some time or you lose them after being hit. White jewels save your game and green jewel unlock Hard Mode - it can be found only once in the beginning of the game. 

Now about levels. Level structure is probably the strongest feature of this game. Almost all locations thought out to the smallest details to actually make sense (at least given the setting). When you see how meticulously levels were planned, you can't help, but will be amazed how much thought and effort developers put to the some stages of this game. While most of the levels are fairly simple and, some of them are rather small, there is always feeling of ongoing adventure.

Level 1 - Forest of Silence.
Eerie and creepy place. A perfect starting point for this game. Its atmosphere enhanced by the lack of the background music. All you will hear here are just your character and enemies. There are several statues and crypts in the area, making this place look even more desolated and haunting.

It's fairly simple and straightforward location with minor puzzle elements. The whole level divided into several sections separated by gates. All of them must be opened with the help of the levers, that usually present in the same area as the gate (except for the last one). The beginning of the stage is very unusual in that you fight first boss of the game, almost immediately after you began to play. Developers decided not to waste time to make player familiar with controls and battle system, and throw him right into the fry from the start. Happily boss - Giant Ape Skeleton, rather similar to Paranthropus enemy from the Rondo and Symphony, is not very bright. He will summon regular skeletons to chase you and distract from him. After you deplete his lifebar, G.A.S. will escape into nearby ravine. After that you must find first lever to open the first gate. After you do that, miniboss, WereTiger, will be summoned, almost on your head (literally). He is slow, but has strong punches and can grab and throw your character. After activating second lever, you will be forced to jump on set of platforms to climb back to the surface from yet another canyon. In order to open final gate, you must locate two levers. First lies on the small island on the bottom of the ravine - it will open gate leading to the area with yet another lever located, which will open gate to the boss of the stage. The main enemies on this stage are Skeletons and very annoying Exploding Skeletons, who try to explode nearby your character. As Reinhardt you can have some troubles with them. There is also random WereWolf subboss, but you can just escape from him. Boss of the stage is Giant Ape Skeleton, who returned to get his vengeance on you. He uses the same tactic as before, but has more lives and summons more Skeletons. After some beating he will lose his hand and legs, which will leave him weak and easy to destroy. If you feel like overwhelmed by amount of Skeletons you can provoke G.A.S. to make a swipe with his club. If Skeletons are close to him, he will crash them to boney pieces. The battle with him, while maybe not the hardest is ceratinly epic and leaves a good, if strange, impression about the begining of the game. In general, this level shows what to expect from the game - action and some adventuring / puzzles. After defeating the boss, you will be treated to rather epic version of traditional Castlevania scene, where character steps on the drawbridge and enters the haunted ground of the Dracula's Castle.

There are two statues in the forest - one have only plinth, another is complete. Go to the side of the plinth with small golden tablet and press use button - you will receive Chicken Roast and Roast Beef. Another Chicken Roast can be found in one of the coffins on the second level of one of the three Crypt-like buildings, near the end of the level.