Topic: I need some opinions on Castlevania Rebirth...

[Claimh Solais]

I just realized that this game came out almost six years ago and I still haven't played it yet. So I was just wondering how everyone feels about the game. Worth the price? I've heard from some that it's a nice throwback to the Classicvanias, with the Classic Mode itself being a nice touch. But I've heard from some that the stages tend to drag on for a bit too long.

So yeah. What did you all think of it? Is it worth the price? Worth a playthrough? Worth more than one playthrough? Etc. etc.

[beingthehero]

I liked it a lot, and it definitely feels like Rondo of Blood 2. The music is incredible, so let's get that out of the way.

As for the length of stages, I thought the clock tower stage really take forever to get through. Stage 2, the entry hall, did drag a bit too with the cavern section. But yeah, it's worth to play through. Excellent Dracula fight, too.

The biggest selling point I can think of is that there are new medusa head, skeleton, and merman sprites.

[piscesdreams]

If you're looking for a Classicvania experience that is well crafted, it's worth the price. This is a game for a few bucks that would have been $50 back in the day.
Great music, it rehashes some graphics but manages to make them feel fresh; but for the most part it has a lot of new sprites. If you've never tried it, I say go for it. You've got "nothing to lose"

[Dremn]

The last good true Castlevania game in my opinion, one of the best things I ever spent 10 bucks on.

Play it with classic jumping on for the complete experience.

[theplottwist]

I just realized that this game came out almost six years ago and I still haven't played it yet. So I was just wondering how everyone feels about the game. Worth the price? I've heard from some that it's a nice throwback to the Classicvanias, with the Classic Mode itself being a nice touch. But I've heard from some that the stages tend to drag on for a bit too long.

So yeah. What did you all think of it? Is it worth the price? Worth a playthrough? Worth more than one playthrough? Etc. etc.

Only loses to Rondo because there are no alternate levels and no extra characters.

[uzo]

It is a lot like if Bloodlines and SuperCVIV had a baby. Totally worth the play, though it feels like a well put together fan game than an official title given all the graphical borrowing from different styles, scales (SotN mixed with GBA titles), and things like a touhou boss.

[RichterB]

It is a fantastic game. For me, it was the best Castlevania since Aria of Sorrow. Despite being a low-budget title in terms of overall production values and innovations, there is a lot to this game.

Each lengthy level has various paths dictated by secret passages and/or keys, and these become increasingly strategic depending on which mode you play the game on.

It has three modes of play: Easy, Normal, and Hard. Each mode has alternate platforming and enemy selection/placement layouts.* In addition, there are settings that alter how you play the game. You can choose to have classic controls where there is no mid-air jump control, or you can have surprisingly accurate and fun motion controls. Hard Mode is the most complete game for content overall, but it might be too challenging to start with. There is also a hidden level select cheat that lets you practice any stage you've reached. The music is a nice mix of classic and rare tunes from the series. Bottom line, there is a lot of ways to enjoy/experience this game.

While it has "The Adventure" moniker, it has only a few homages to the original game, which can be a bit disappointing. In terms of gameplay, it's probably closest to a stripped down/more focused Rondo of Blood. Anyway, it's worth the money if you're a fan of Classicvania. It's better overall than Contra Rebirth.

*If you want to know some of the mode differences, I documented some below:

(click to show/hide)

Here's some of the biggest changes I've noticed (with a few of the most impressive enemy additions):

LEVEL 1: This one is largely in enemy placement/numbers. No big deal.

LEVEL 2: Water sections have more bottomless water pits with more mermen and jellyfish. The second key is guarded by a number of fleamen, a knife-throwing lizard, and a zeldo, instead of one fleaman. You have to deal with an additional knife-throwing lizard while going up the stairs prior to this, too.

LEVEL 3: The opening section has no safety platform above the first jutting spike-spear and puts a barrier of red skeletons and a bone pillar to stop you from advancing without dealing with said spike-spear. Medusa heads are everywhere on the vertical sections with the jutting spike-spear gauntlets. Vertical sections have less "safe spots" and more flipping platforms/spikes working in conjunction with the platforming. The broken bridge section has a ton of red skeletons and one skeleton is placed with only a pixel-perfect margin for error (this one can be cheap).

LEVEL 4: You start out coming from a staircase above the knights and fleamen, and have to drop down while using the chandelier strategically. A red skeleton chases you as you deal with the bone pillars in the second room. The first vertical section now features more enemies, including medusa heads, on new sets of stairs that end in platforms that flip if you don't transition to the next set of stairs fast enough. If you take the tower route, there is only one tower (not two), making it a different climb. The collapsing bridge has many more enemies that come from all directions. The spider route has more knife-throwing lizards that team up with the rats.

LEVEL 5: The platforms of the platforming section after the second rolling eyeball launcher have been considerably narrowed, and medusa heads/floating eyeballs are added to the poltergeists and skeletons, forcing you to cleverly use the flipping wooden platforms to your defense. Pixel-perfect jumping is required even as you dodge/whip your foes. There is no crucifix/rosary to destroy enemies, including an additional floating eyeball, in the downward clock section. No extra life behind first locked door, only score items. Getting to the rewarding shortcut requires surviving a new platforming section that was once essentially solid (with collapsing platforms and bats still in place). The latter pendulum platforming section has different platforms and enemies involved.

LEVEL 6: Same as before, but Dracula takes more hits and his final form will REALLY give you a fight now. Better bring some axes.

Also of note: I pointed out a few things, but items are scattered differently in Hard Mode, too, and you lose more life when hit.

All of these changes make the progressive challenge of the levels more fitting and force you to really mind your use of sub-weapons at the right time. Bosses, more often than not, require you to learn their patterns, and not just whip away. It takes longer to learn, and longer to master. It can make a game that takes 30 minutes to an to hour to beat more like three hours to 3 1/2 hours long because of all the many things that can go wrong (player-caused). It's a more rewarding, complete experience, though, with nothing ever feeling remotely empty.

Now, I know that some Castlevania games have more enemies during a "second quest," but I don't recall any actually having variations on their physical platforms and layouts on any extra mode. I thought it was impressive that they took the time to make these changes, and I haven't heard many, if any, talk about it here.

PS: In case anyone is wondering, Easy Mode starts you off with 20-some hearts every level, damage rates are very forgiving, and Dracula only has two forms.

[shelverton.]

It feels a bit less 'epic' than Rondo and Super CV4, and I found that the levels lacked clear identities, or something. Still, it is a superb classicvania, the best of the ReBirth games, and well worth playing. I wish this game was on the 3DS eShop. Or in a physical 3DS collection with Contra and Gradius.

[X]

I'd say it is worth the price to play it now when compared to its first release. I enjoyed it but found wanting something more akin to an actual modern translation of the gameboy 'The Adventure' rather then the rebirth that we got instead. While its not a stellar title as would be other classicvanias, I would still recommend it for a good throwback to classicvania play-style.

[Claimh Solais]

Well, I'd say from the replies that it's worth a purchase. I guess I can dust my Wii off and finally get around to this game. Some other questions about it are though...

-How long is one playthrough generally? I wouldn't imagine that long, couple hours tops maybe.
-What's the level of difficulty? Maybe in comparison to other games in the series.
-How hard is the Hard difficulty?
-Are there any unlockables or secrets in the game?

[Foffy]

Well, I'd say from the replies that it's worth a purchase. I guess I can dust my Wii off and finally get around to this game. Some other questions about it are though...

-How long is one playthrough generally? I wouldn't imagine that long, couple hours tops maybe.
-What's the level of difficulty? Maybe in comparison to other games in the series.
-How hard is the Hard difficulty?
-Are there any unlockables or secrets in the game?

- Playthroughs match that of Classicvanias. If you're good, they're less than an hour long.
- The game scales a lot based on difficulty and playstyle. For example, if you play with Classic controls, you are limited to Christopher's EU/JP subweapons from Belmont's Revenge (you get the Cross and Holy Water, and I believe the Knife, Stopwatch, and Axe get removed), get a NES era jump you must commit to, and Christopher's fire attacks can be taken away if the enemy hits you once (the regular game lets you use it until a timer runs out, which also exists in Classic; it's just getting hit instantly ends the power).
- Hard not only adds enemies, it actually changes the level design. Some stages have totally new layouts on the hardest setting.
- You can unlock the Classic control setting by playing the game once. You don't even have to beat it; play the game and quit to the main menu to unlock it.

[RichterB]

Well, I'd say from the replies that it's worth a purchase. I guess I can dust my Wii off and finally get around to this game. Some other questions about it are though...

-How long is one playthrough generally? I wouldn't imagine that long, couple hours tops maybe.
-What's the level of difficulty? Maybe in comparison to other games in the series.
-How hard is the Hard difficulty?
-Are there any unlockables or secrets in the game?

-I don't care how good of a Castlevania player one is. I'd be hard-pressed to believe anyone can beat this game fresh on Hard Mode (where there are more enemies, different patterns, and different traps) in one sitting. If you have an interest in "Classicvania" and you're playing on Hard Mode, you're going to be dumping hours into this game just to beat it. I think it takes about 30 minutes once you get everything nailed down, but I believe when I first beat it--after dumping hours in for several days to a week, that session took me a bit over 3 hours. There are unlimited continues; but one you run out of 1-ups, you start back at the beginning of a stage.

-When the mode is cranked up, challenge is somewhat like the SNES Castlevania: Dracula X, I guess. It's hard to compare. The game really is rather unique in some ways.

-BUT: Remember, each mode is basically a different game, so you're getting multiple potential playthroughs, and the easier ones are VERY easy and rather stripped down.

-Unlockables...There is the Classic mode stuff, and also a Stage Select that's earned when you get to a given level. You just hold right at the title screen to activate it. Each stage has at least two routes, and there are a number of various score bonuses or sub-weapons that are hidden in each stage. When you play on harder modes, knowing the hidden routes/short cuts and where to get 1-ups and sub-weapons becomes crucial.

Can't recall much else right now.

[theplottwist]

This game has something that is so small, yet I like it so much: The whipping animation and when it hits the enemy feels so freaking satisfactory 

[GuyStarwind]

It's a good solid CV IMO. Worth the money and has the charm I originally loved about the series. A Belmont with a whip in a giant castle fighting bad guys. No xp, armor, potions, over the top gimmick systems but just simple whipping and sub weapons.

[BLOOD MONKEY]

It feels like a spiritual successor to RoB, for the most part. The only thing I don't like is that it re-uses music from CV: Bloodlines. :I