Topic: Castlevania N64: What was Lost to History?

[RichterB]

I'm digging through the N64 articles on this site and IGN, and I already picked up a few new things I didn't know or that added insights/confirmation from the development of the game(s):

A.) Originally, you were going to be able to do the whip-wiggle manipulation move from Super Castlevania IV, SotN, HoD, etc by holding the attack button and moving the analog stick around.

B.) Originally, it looks like some sort of one-on-one versus mode was going to be included, ala, quote, "Virtua Fighter" and "Tekken." Some people have interpreted this as some sort of boss rush mode or even as a game made up of linear boss stages. It's unclear what exactly the director meant. He stated it likely wouldn't make it in, though, due to time constraints on developing the main quests.

C.) Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula and Neil Jordan's Interview with a Vampire were used as visual references.

D.) Originally, the night and day mechanic was more advanced. Vampires behaved differently according the amount of light, and could be destroyed by being tricked into direct sunlight. Also, your field of vision would narrow during night, allowing more enemies to sneak up on you.

E.) Originally, Cornell had no primary ranged attacks.

F.) As of January 1998, the game was roughly only 10% complete. That's a quick turnaround for what would be a January 1999 release.

G.) Mario 64 and Tomb Raider II were noted as being similar in terms of basic movement controls by its creators.

H.) Character names shifted quite a bit. Carrie "Eastfield." Reinhardt once had the Belmont surname, and something similar to Reinhardt's name was once attached to Cornell as a surname.

I.) Characters had multiple endings based on specific player choices. There is one instance of this in the final product, but it was more complex originally, with a system based on conforming or contradicting a given character's personality.

J.) Moon phases would affect certain enemies' strengths.

K.) Cornell's sister was once a werewolf who was executed by villagers.

L.) The Crystals were originally replaced by a power meter that drains.

M.) Director was a fan of Castlevania long before he began work on CV64, which he was excited about. Like IGA, CVIII was his favorite in the series.

N.) There was talk of gathering information to find Dracula, perhaps like Simon's Quest. Villager's houses are mentioned, along with indoor locations where villagers may turn into vampires in the shadows.

O.) Various heroes might prove to be bosses depending on who you play amongst the 4.

P.) For Legacy of Darkness, the director and producer spent time in Transylvania where they watched a festival-marathon of black-and-white Dracula movies (which they found more tedious than helpful).

Q.) Originally supposed to take place around the same time as Richter Belmont's quests.

R.) Originally, there would be hidden moves for the characters not noted in the instructions, which I take to mean something along the lines of Richter's flying kick, uppercut, etc from SotN.

S.) The following links show or mention other lost elements, including a larger game world, Cornell's wall-jump, Reinhardt's ability to swing across gaps (ala CV4), super attacks (ala item crashes), other status ailments/cures/boosts/event items, etc:

http://www.unseen64.net/articles/castlevania-64-beta-analysis/

(11:40-12:54 of the following) Season 3 Playback Castlevania: Legacy Of Darkness Review

Unused art/character designs within the following gallery. (i.e. There's a scientist-looking vampire and a red-haired woman perhaps related to Coller's quest)...
http://www.vgmuseum.com/mrp/multi/officialart.htm#cv64

Does anyone know of anything else, or maybe further clarifications? I thought I once read that Cornell and Koller/Kola would have been prisoners that needed to be rescued to be played ala CVIII, but I can't find the corresponding article anymore...

Given everything that ended up in the two games**, and the fact that there was still quite a bit of innovative or dynamic material left over and unused, it's amazing that this was the very first attempt at a 3D game or a Castlevania game by these developers. The learning curve was huge, but they gave it 100%, even if deadlines caught up to them. They had crazy ambition here. It seems between the change in direction for 3D Castlevania over the last decade, a good deal of these ideas will be lost to history.

**A footnote: CV64 accomplishments that DID make it in the game:
*Multiple unique characters (up to four in LoD, two in CV64) with alternate levels/bosses
*Full 3D gameplay (ala Mario 64, so it's not "on-rails")
*Multiple endings based on performance
*Level Design features spatial depth (vertical and horizontal--not flat hallways)
*day-and-night cycles with time-sensitive events (like Simon's Quest)
*Weather effects (rain, lightning, moving clouds, and "fog"--the last one likely being a graphical shortcoming that actually helped)
*Dynamic, real-time lighting (next to candles, for instance)
*spot-on atmosphere
*death-defying platforming of all sorts (including ledge grabbing).
*environmental/enemy hazards (medusa heads, spikes, guillotines, buzz-saws, cannons).
*innovative survival-horror/suspense elements
*Vampires that pretend to be human and vampires as regular enemies besides bosses
*status changes, including poison and vampirism
*manageable questing with inventory items (meat, keys, cards, cure ampules, etc)
*interesting, involving plot (characters like Rosa, Vincent, Renon, Malice, Henry, etc)
*3D in-game cinemas
*Some voicing
*Unlockable alternate costumes
*Long and short-ranged attacks (IE: whip + sword)
*upgradable sub-weapons (in LoD)
*There is a useful slide and duck/crawl play mechanic
*Diverse mix of old and new enemies in 3D

[Highwind Dragoon]

I think the main reason a lot of those features were ditched was:

1. The fact that the n64 cartridge format couldn't handle most of those features in the final game.

2. Konami forced KCEK to rush Castlevania 64, so it could get on the market at the beginning of '99.  (Imagine how much better it would be if they would've released the game in January 2000, instead.)

But yeah, I still like Legacy of darkness, but it's only my 3rd favorite Castlevania game, due to the lack of regular enemies in the later levels. 

[Lumi Kløvstad]

I say we give this team another shot, this time on current or next gen software. Show them that old list and say to them: "remember all this. This time, we'd like it all in the game."

[GuyStarwind]

I really enjoy Castlevania 64 a bunch. I wish a few of these things were still in it. Mostly I only which they would have kept the Belmont last name though.

[crisis]

"remember all this. This time, we'd like it all in the game.

And don't forget to add QTE's."

[Sinful]

Yeah, I've been reading up on this sites scans for this game (and others) and checking out the mags I have for more info as well... only found previews and reviews for this game in EGM so far... though I recall something else, like a feature of the game when it was really early in EGM (like the first running off development computer shots that showed first imaged of the game). But I could be wrong and memory may of mixed things up with something else or something?... Need to check again to see what scans are available here and what's not from what I have.

But yeah, more people saying they really love this/these N64 vania game(s). Interesting, very interesting. And true to form too. ... Wonder if I'll end up thinking the same as I can never fully agree with the masses myself?

[Dark Nemesis]

"remember all this. This time, we'd like it all in the game.

And don't forget to add QTE's."

Lol!!!

[xscientist5000]

Thanks for this list!! It's amazing what could have have been in the game, even though it still turned out to be my fav CV. Mainly because of the survival horror element, cut scenes/story.

"C.) Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula and Neil Jordan's Interview with a Vampire were used as visual references."

From Bram Stoker's Dracula there is def the villa fountain and the maze garden. I'm not really sure what else besides Dracula's vampire women if you could even say they came from the movie...

But what is from Interview with the Vampire? The only thing that comes to mind is the Villa house itself. It looks like Brad Pitts farm house that got burned down.

[xscientist5000]

Also want to say:

In CV64s Tower of Execution, you can still see the hooks that I strongly think were meant to be whip hook points. They put them in and never took them out.

[Pemburu Vampir]

Also want to say:

In CV64s Tower of Execution, you can still see the hooks that I strongly think were meant to be whip hook points. They put them in and never took them out.

I want a picture.

[Sumac]

Villa and Castle appearance were based on real-life castle and mansion. It was noted in the book with CV64 art (scans could be found on CVD).

[X]

From Bram Stoker's Dracula there is def the villa fountain and the maze garden. I'm not really sure what else besides Dracula's vampire women if you could even say they came from the movie...

There is also the Big Metal girder stretching across the ceiling in the crypt located beneath the hedge maze. That I noticed would been inspired from Bram Stoker's Dracula as that castle had them all over the place. When I first saw it I instantly knew where they got the idea from.

[RichterB]

I want a picture.

See picture link below:
http://www.unseen64.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/whippoints-300x225.jpg

If that fails, go to this link and scroll down until you get to the appropriate picture: http://www.unseen64.net/articles/castlevania-64-beta-analysis/

One thing I forgot to transcribe here, and I'll edit it in, is that the creators also said there would be hidden moves for the characters not noted in the instructions, which I'd take to mean something along the lines of Richter's flying kick, uppercut, etc from SotN.

[Munchy]

I say we give this team another shot, this time on current or next gen software.

Unfortunately I think most of who made up KCEK has since left Konami. I remember reading that many of them are now members of Good Feel, who recently made Wario Land Shake It! and Kirby's Epic Yarn.

I would totally be down for a Good Feel made Castlevania though.

"And don't forget to add QTE's."

AAAAUGH

...

...we also would like sex minigames and a story that appeals to America's disenfranchised youths plz

[kingu]

I.) Characters had multiple endings based on specific player choices. There is one instance of this in the final product, but it was more complex originally, with a system based on conforming or contradicting a given character's personality.

J.) Moon phases would affect certain enemies' strengths.

megaten??