Topic: Castlevania Confessions

[Lumi Kløvstad]

There are certain sections of CV4 that I'd love to watch you play.

I'm taking about a super slow, gradual rotation here.

Related confession: I have never beaten Super Castlevania IV or Bloodlines.

[Lumi Kløvstad]

I just now realized that I prefer Castlevania: Dracula X on the SNES to Rondo of Blood. I've played both more times than I can count, but I just plain prefer the SNES port. I prefer the level design immensely, as well as the fact that it's one of the few games that really experimented with the Dracula battle at the end.

But DEAR GOD MARIA'S ARTWORK.

[coinilius]

I just now realized that I prefer Castlevania: Dracula X on the SNES to Rondo of Blood. I've played both more times than I can count, but I just plain prefer the SNES port. I prefer the level design immensely, as well as the fact that it's one of the few games that really experimented with the Dracula battle at the end.

I absolutely loved Dracula X on the SNES as well.  A great game, and I don't see why it's level designs get criticized so much.

[X]

A great game, and I don't see why it's level designs get criticized so much.

The only criticizing I do about SNES Dracula X is that the levels don't have a smooth transition like that do in other CV games. The majority of the time it seems that once you exit a part of the stage you appear in another part of the stage with no smooth transition--Like you just been dropped into another room. There are almost no doors save for the prison stage. And only two that I can count off the top of my head. It makes the environments feel somewhat claustrophobic because of this, but not to the extent of where it could be an issue for players. This is one of the few issues where Rondo outshines SNES Dracula X. Other then the lack of characters you need to rescue (Tara and Irisue).

[theANdROId]

-- I'm not terribly fond of CV4.
-- I can't beat CV3...at least not without save states or cheating.  Regardless of which path I take, I always seem to get stuck in a few places.  For example, I don't think I could ever beat the Ghost Ship.

[zangetsu468]

The only criticizing I do about SNES Dracula X is that the levels don't have a smooth transition like that do in other CV games. The majority of the time it seems that once you exit a part of the stage you appear in another part of the stage with no smooth transition--Like you just been dropped into another room. There are almost no doors save for the prison stage. And only two that I can count off the top of my head. It makes the environments feel somewhat claustrophobic because of this, but not to the extent of where it could be an issue for players. This is one of the few issues where Rondo outshines SNES Dracula X. Other then the lack of characters you need to rescue (Tara and Irisue).

Maybe this is true for a couple of stages where the environment seems to completely shift. However, most of the game seems pretty cohesive to me. Particularly levels 1, 4 and 5' off the top of my head. The regular level 5 (one of my personal favourites) with the jazz theme (can't access youtube atm to find the name) is more random, but I wouldn't say it feels "claustrophobic"

Also not the first time it has actually happened in CV. CV1 for example, you exit the catacombs an all of a sudden the music shifts and you fight flea men and eagles only to go back into a cave to fight Frankenstein/ The Creature and Igor.

Something much less cohesive about Rondo's level design, specifically level 1 (Town of Aljiba) is that if you go the regular way, you fight the Wyvern and you're standing in a town. If you go the unorthodox way by breaking a wall, you head where it's clearly underground, yet all of a sudden you open a door and there's a damn bridge with an open sky and a river below which seem to be some kind of ruins to an aqueduct or some shit. Understandable that this is a different area entirely but it's not illustrated in 3d and therefore makes absolutely no sense. You walk underground and emerge to find an open sky under an area which should be solid earth. The same can be said about Simon's Quest, specifically after kneeling with Crystals. Why is it that in SOTN before the first Throneroom where Richter resides you can see an open mountainscape yet the sky has a fucking ceiling made of blockwork?

A lot of things don't make sense in videogames, but I don't necessarily believe that they have to. I also, however, don't believe that DXX/VK's level design was lazy, uninspiring or unfinished, I think the final boss is one of the greatest we've seen. No CV has dared to revert to Platforming with Dracula 101 since this time. However, one detail that irks me is that in the final stage as you walk up the stairs you can see Castlevania in the scenery, as if it's so far away. Realistically they're showing you that you're entering the castle, but this was illustrated very poorly in hindsight. 

[X]

However, one detail that irks me is that in the final stage as you walk up the stairs you can see Castlevania in the scenery, as if it's so far away. Realistically they're showing you that you're entering the castle, but this was illustrated very poorly in hindsight. 

Forgot about that too! That was just F'in lazy on Konami's part.

[zangetsu468]

Forgot about that too! That was just F'in lazy on Konami's part.

Yep, plain and simple. I think they just didn't want to leave the background as a blank night sky. Although I would much preferred a scrolling screen with parts of the castle in the foreground and a nice large sharp moon crescent looming in the sky of the background with only a silhouette of the throne room visible. Just poor illustrative technique because reasons.

[Lumi Kløvstad]

Yep, plain and simple. I think they just didn't want to leave the background as a blank night sky. Although I would much preferred a scrolling screen with parts of the castle in the foreground and a nice large sharp moon crescent looming in the sky of the background with only a silhouette of the throne room visible. Just poor illustrative technique because reasons.

Alternatively, it's like in Lords of Shadow 2 where the Castle is the size of goddamn New York City.

[Crying Freeman]

I just now realized that I prefer Castlevania: Dracula X on the SNES to Rondo of Blood. I've played both more times than I can count, but I just plain prefer the SNES port. I prefer the level design immensely, as well as the fact that it's one of the few games that really experimented with the Dracula battle at the end.

But DEAR GOD MARIA'S ARTWORK.

I love the old school feel of DracX. It feels like the more natural follow up from CV3. Rondo has more content, is is technically more well made and polished, but the difficulty in DracX feels better, the control feels better and the basic gameplay/action feels better.

If I had to decide between the two, I'd play DracX any day. I do really love the replayability factor in Rondo, I love playing as Maria (Richters fun to play as too, but I've gone on before how he pales in comparison to other CV character's fun factor), the CD quality sound is good, and it was a perfectly realized project, but DracX is overall the more fun game for me (plus it's a hard game where I like the challenge a lot because of the control and enemy patterns).

BTW, glad I'm not the only one who loves the Drac battle in the game. The devs really wanted to make a new final boss here instead of trending the same ground(or lack of ground lol)

[Lumi Kløvstad]

Am I the only one who totally went

upon seeing all those endless stacks of books in the Order of Ecclesia library? I mean, every version of the Castle has an impressive as hell library, but Ecclesia's had me all "HHMMMMMMMMMPHHHHHHHHH SO MUCH WANT THEY HAVE SO MANY BOOKS THEY RAN OUT OF PLACES TO PUT THEM".

[X]

I also liked that library stage design. Books all over the place. Reminds me of a wizard's tower or something.

[beingthehero]

I don't care if it makes me a Turbo-Nerd among Castlevania fans, the CVII version of Bloody Tears is the best NES-era song.

[Lumi Kløvstad]

I don't care if it makes me a Turbo-Nerd among Castlevania fans, the CVII version of Bloody Tears is the best NES-era song.

While not the BEST in my view, it's definitely up there. Probably in my top 3. I'd rank Vampire Killer top since it's the first thing gamers heard in the whole franchise and still holds up today, and Clockwork (on the Japanese CVIII cartridge) just for the sheer complexity they pulled off.

[Neobelmont]

I had to use restore points to beat dracula in dracula x.