Awesome remake, the music is done a great service here but the drums are a little sharp to listen to for a long time,
graphics aren't as good as I was expecting for a sharp game but some of the effects and lighting and extra details look great either way.
The game itself is very fun, you could beat it in a sitting and I don't find it hard until stage 15 and even by then its not frustrating
the bosses however are really easy
the game is comprised of 24 stages divided into
I don't remember how many blocks honestly.
Either way play it, enjoy it
won't cost you that much (unless you play the sharp version like I have) and won't take much of your time either

Review is for both versions, which are significantly different in many respects.

Castlevania (1993) has the reputation of being the hardest of the bunch, which I only think it's true if you don't try to replay it a second time. I think what made so many people mad was the fact that the game is basically pulling a Ghost n' Goblins on you, and that's really frustrating. But I would still play this because the look and the style is so magnificent.

It's lucky that we have the PSX version as well! The port launched just before the Igarashi era and it felt like a Greatest Hit compilation of every memorable level up to that time. It was fun to play, accesible, gorgeous, and had a banger soundtrack to boot. What a nice send-off to a whole era of design.

It feels better than Super Castlevania IV in its moment-to-moment gameplay, and, as always, the music and presentation are superb (on the X68000 version at least); but I just do not like the level design at all. It's not fun! The platforming is insipid and tedious throughout, and the game loves to swamp you with enemies that are extremely difficult to hit or require numerous hits to kill.

A shame, because there are so many nice atmospheric touches in this, and I would love to see what else they came up with in the later levels, but I just can't bring myself to slog through it.

Surprised by this one since I'd heard it was a bit middling. It's actually a ton of fun! Feels like it channeled a lot of the NES Castlevania energy, which I guess makes sense, since it's technically a remake. In actuality, it's a completely different experience after the first stage. So I guess it would be more of a reimagining? I don't know what the appropriate terminology here is but it's good shit regardless. Excellently crafted stages filled with unique enemies and combat encounters, satisfying sound effects with phenomenal arrangements of classic tracks, and a diverse set of ways to move through each of it's many challenges. It has the same problem as the older games do though, in that it's too fucking hard. You get a bit more leeway than some of these older titles, as the amount of dodging is lessened and there are more healing items scattered about, but it still doesn't change the fact that the game has some pretty ridiculous requirements for you. The clock tower stage ends with what is both the hardest room in the game, followed by the hardest boss in the game, and dying to the boss sends you back to the beginning of the hardest room in the game. This is dumb and also not fun and also annoying. Don't do this if you're reading this and also designing a video game right now. Some of this is remedied by difficulty options in the PlayStation version, but the easy mode feels like a hard mode in basically any other platformer. Regardless of the difficulty problem, I did power through with some help from my buddy, "pause and create a save state", but it didn't feel as abusive on the saving as I get sometimes. That's because repeating parts of this game was fun to do because, for the most part, it has pretty strong design. I might even like it better than the original Castlevania! 4/6

whoa this kinda good

this is a pretty excellent Classicvania right here, well at least the Arrange Mode is, Classic Mode can be a bit more difficult than it should be. I kinda made the mistake of making my first playthrough Classic Mode and then playing Arrange Mode after. suffice to say, my first playthrough was very rough, but thankfully my second playthrough was not only a more enjoyable time due to being more familiar with the level design, but also due to enemies dealing less damage to you as well as removing knockback when you get hit. that said it still has its annoying moments, like enemy placements that are almost guaranteed to get you hit, unexpected things popping out of nowhere to deal damage to you, and the entirety of Clock Tower and the Tower of Dolls, I hate dolls I do not trust those soft and dumb looking menaces to society

3/4 of this game's music styles are epic to listen to. yeah I said 3/4, going to be honest with you the default FM music for Original Mode is kinda STANKY for the most part. I don't know guys it doesn't sound right to me, and this is coming from a guy that loves his FM synthesizers. if it's your favorite version of the OST though, kudos to you, enjoy this game's music however you want to. if we're talking about the Roland GS music though, woo boy! such a huge improvement from the FM music, god every track from this version is great, it almost feels like CD quality at times, this is my go-to choice right here. I mostly quickly skimmed through the Roland LA music, but from what I've heard it seems like a balance between the FM and Roland GS music. it's alright. obviously Arrange Mode's music does not mess around either, the remixes are excellent. oddly enough, I feel like it isn't as consistent as the Roland GS music. while they were a few tracks that I truly loved, the rest of the remixes were just "neat" is all. I will say that Arranged Mode's Trashard in the Cave went SO much harder than it should have. man it doesn't even sound like it belongs in Castlevania, it sounds like a Street Fighter III track or something similar (this is good). now that I think about it, every version of Thrashard in the Cave is a banger, even the FM one. this game's OST is now apart of the top three along with Symphony of the Night and Akumajo Densetsu (in no particular order).

graphics are pretty nice to look at too. I was too focused on the game's music that I don't really have much to say about how the game looks sorry about that! I will say that I do prefer the original sprites for Simon more than the new ones he was given in Arrange Mode, as well as preferring his more classic styled design than the one Ayami Kojima. I love her art I think she's one of the best video game artists out there but I prefer my Simon Belmont to look like bootleg He-Man. her Simon's still pretty cool though, and the Dracula design she drew for him in this game is so epic, I might even like it more than the Symphony of the Night design. speaking of Dracula I like how both versions of his sprites look like you smash his jaw open when he gets to half health I think that's pretty funny and hardcore.

I had a really fun time with this one, I could see myself coming back to this game someday and polishing up my skills on Original Mode, I mean this is the first Castlevania I completed twice! it's tough to say whether I prefer this or Super Castlevania IV. there's more of a challenge in this one and the music is a lot more of what I prefer, but I really like how Simon played in SCIV and that game's Dracula fight was so much more memorable and climatic (the one in this game was kinda easy lol!), so I will say that SCIV has the slight edge, but this comes VERY close. I might be giving this game more credit than I should since I just got done with a mediocre Castlevania and a hot garbage one right before, but I don't care please give this game a shot it's pretty nice :^)

Dracula also hogs all the high scores in Time Attack are you really going to let him get away with that

Sei lá, eu comecei curtindo mas vai ficando cada vez pior, acho melhor que o Super Castlevania IV, mas ainda não chega nem perto do original na minha opinião.

A trilha sonora ao menos, é fantástica. Quando eles vão na loucura nos arranjos com jams incríveis, é de arrepiar, mas se eu ouvir a música da Clock Tower mais uma vez eu vou simplesmente enlouquecer, pois além dela ser horrível, tem um dos bosses mais injustos da franquia.

Não é um jogo ruim, só tem as bullshits de sempre que os Classicvanias costumam ter, e perto do fim eu já estava de saco cheio, o jogo não tem nenhum trecho ou boss lá muito memorável e deve cair no esquecimento bem rápido. Como último adendo, eu joguei a versão ''arrange'' que dizem ser melhor balanceada, e de fato é, tirando as últimas duas fases.

Grinding out a 1cc in the original mode of this game was downright painful at points. Chronicles original mode is widely considered to be the hardest Castlevania game due to the scarcity of healing, the high damage dealt by ALL enemies past the first few stages and some platforming setups that are at the level of precision that speedrunners obsess over in other games. Some sections like the falling gears in the clock tower cross the line over into bullshit design.

However finally getting that 1cc gave me a massive sense of elation that made the grind worth it, and I grew to appreciate the tightly-structured design and pacing of the levels, as well as the awesome soundtrack. Castlevania Chronicles is very fun and as a remake it surpasses the original NES Castlevania as long as you can stomach the difficulty that is very punishing even for classic Castlevania standards. The arrange mode is good too with great if somewhat less fitting remixed songs and a time attack stage select.

After playing the hell out of it Castlevania Chronicles is probably tied with Castlevania Bloodlines as my second favourite Castlevania game, with my favourite being Rondo of Blood.

Review is for the 'Arranged Mode' of the rerelease. The original version has ridiculous difficulty, and not the good kind. While this version features some overcorrection (the second boss is rendered trivial by the removal of knockback), it is overall far more enjoyable.

Immediately following a sort-of remake of the original Castlevania in Super Castlevania IV, the next entry is... another remake of the same game? Granted, this one is a bit closer to the original, though it expands the level design and mechanics considerably.

Chronicles is an odd one. The mechanics are limited compared to IV. It allows downwards and diagonal-down whip attacks in mid-air, otherwise operating as in the original. Mid-air control is back, easing some of the tricky maneuvering present in the borrowed level design. IV's reliance on the SNES' Mode 7 for many of its most interesting moments was unfortunately not possible here, leading to the game feeling like a step back.

Despite some unfavourable comparisons to other entries, Chronicles is still an enjoyable ride. The music remixes are hilarious and brilliant, it looks pretty good, and most stages are solidly designed. While I prefer the tightness of the original, Chronicles is a worthy game on its own terms. Definitely check it out if you like this style Castlevania.

Estou a cada vez mais pensar que classicvania vai ser tudo assim até um deus vir e mudar essa merda, esse aqui tem seus momentos geniais MAS pelo menos tem muitas e muitas partes fodas, cara esse jogo é lindo demais, acho que um dos mais bonitos, os cenarios disso são a perfeição da perfeição.

Infelizmente eu tenho muita coisa a reclamar, principalmente com os bosses e algumas fases muito chatas, como a penultima e claro a ultima fase genial, tive que usar save state nas duas ultimas (na parte dos bosses) pra não ter que repetir toda aquele inferno de fase de novo.

Enfim, é isso, eu já to começando a me acostumar com todo classicvania ser uma bosta no level design a partir da metade do jogo.

Overall 9/10

Good:
- Amazing And Intricately detailed sprite art. Especially for 1993, with some great enhanced special effects on the PS1 Arranged Mode of the game.
- Fantastic musical compositions on both Original/Arranged Mode. Thrashard in the Cave, Wicked Child, Tower of Dolls, and Moon Fight are my personal original tracks.
- Original Mode also contains the option to use 3 different Sound Chips, basically extending the game’s soundtrack since different sound chips make the music sound different/add extra flourishes.
- There are many different stages, and almost all of them have entirely different enemies, which makes each stage feel very fresh compared to others. The stages also don’t usually harp on specific gimmicks, so they constantly flip through new things and makes the game feel more memorable.
- Simon has a unique control style that works for his type of game. Jumps feel satisfying, and he’s not overly floaty so it makes the platforming quick and responsive. Being able to whip downwards/downwards diagonally in the air is definitely something hard to use, but can have some genuinely fun use in more advanced play.
- Game contains many different Easter eggs, and finding them makes the game a lot more replayable.
- Though Cross is the best sub weapon in the game, I find having each Sub Weapon can be very useful. Cross is great for screen killing, Axe is the best at hitting things in more vertical sections of the game, Knife is good for consistent damage, Stop Watch is very helpful in sections where the game blends platforming/enemies, and the Medicinal Herb is a rare but fun to keep around weapon to heal yourself if you’ve played well enough to collect enough hearts to use.
- The Whip is fast acting, and is satisfying to hear its sound when it connects against a group of enemies. Making the combat feel fast, and fluid in comparison to other Vania games where the whip does feel a bit slow.
- Chronicles also contains some interesting bosses that all feel pretty distinct, though I would argue that not a lot of them push the mold in terms of boss design games like Rondo of Blood did.
- Stages also find that perfect length of being long, but not over staying their welcome like some 4 stages, while also having a pretty good quantity of unique stages to go through.
- Getting 1-Up’s through getting higher scores is much faster in this game. Which in turn, makes you excited and builds the momentum of a run where you haven’t yet used a continue.
- Sometimes subweapons can drop off of enemies, which adds to replays as you can never know what you’re going to get and makes each playthrough somewhat unique.

Bad:
- Game is filled with too much bullshit. Several traps in the game are designed around you getting hit and then learning about what exactly the trap is. Things such as Stage 5’s Gear Room is definitely a highlight of this, as random gears will fall off the wall and hit the player without any warning. There’s no distinction between a safe gear/a gear that will fall, so that causes the player to play extra careful in order to get around this part. Especially since the player is expected to fight She-Wolf, the games hardest boss after this room without any checkpoint. Coupled with the fact Simon can only be hit 4 times, this makes this section in particular hell. There are other examples such as Spikes coming up to hit you without much knowledge, or the ice pillar into spikes you can’t make unless you get onto it and then jump off. Overall, this sort of game design only exists to pad the run time, and can severely piss me off.
- Certain secrets having to crouch in a specific tile without any cue is just bad design. Basically forcing the player to look up a guide to find out where to get 1-UP’s and other sort of treasure items are.
- While the bosses are conceptually and visually interesting, they usually are pretty weak in terms of the actual gameplay design. Giant Bat, Wizard, and Bone Dragon are all painfully easy. Mirror Simon, Medusa, and Death are all these games highlights, and even then the bosses have very recognizable patterns and can be killed without any real struggle on Arranged Mode. Dracula is sort of standard for the series, and besides the claw attack in his second phase, doesn’t do much to make him unique outside of CV1’s.
- Certain jumps basically require you to be at the edge of the platform, which can usually hurt the overall flow of the platforming. Having to inch your way to the very end of a platform to get the most out of your jump, ends up just feeling like the designers did not plan out some of these jumps correctly. One that I see everyone falls for is the Bat Bridge in the last stage, where everything is pretty simple, but there’s a deceptively long jump that basically requires the player to slow down and take that jump. The problem is, the game also has bats chasing you during that section, which just makes it feel like they intentionally wanted you to hurry and die. No other jump on the bridge is like this, so it just feels like an intentional “gotcha” moment for first time players.
- For Vertical segments, the designers also loved placing certain gaps in the level design, which if you fall into, can make you start the whole vertical section all over again. Since you only have 4 hits permitted in this game, this can basically be a death sentence, as the enemies respawn as you exit off screen in some cases. Tower of Dolls especially insidious since it has a meat in a wall halfway up, but then falls down to the very beginning of the stage.
- Though already mentioned, the respawning enemies often feel cheap. In some cases, you can fall off a section and land back on a respawned enemy with nothing you can do since you have limited control in the air.
- Some Smaller enemies like the Dolls which hover at angles your whip can’t reach can be brutal to play against. Though there are not many in this game, Tower of Dolls especially is a section where small enemies taking you at very poor angles can cause some frustration.
- The extra loops can just compound some of the game’s shortcomings rather then being a fun alternative hard mode to the game. The speeding up of bats in Stage 2 can make them horrible to platform around, they added more enemies that come at angles you aren’t equipped to handle unless you have the right sub weapon, add more falling gears to the gear room, and just overall add more of those gotcha type moments to the game. Overall, I’d suggest to steer clear of these extra loops.

In conclusion, this is a tight platformer that gets a lot of things right. Presentation-wise, it’s up there with games like Rondo of Blood and Bloodlines. Arguably, it can even be said that this game even has a better soundtrack, and with the many different ways to listen to each composition, there’s bound to be a particular favorite.

Control Wise, this game also controls really really well. Letting the player have more movement in air doesn’t necessarily mean it has better control to more “fixed Jump” control schemes, it definitely works to this games enemy/stage design. The extra whip mobility can be useful, but it’s not overcentralizing/overpowered like it is in games like Super Castlevania 4 due to the whip’s restrictions.

Stage Design in this game can be a hit or a miss. Often times this game has a fantastic pace, with enough levels to make the game feel like it has a lot of content, while also not skimping on the actual length of the stage.

However, the games insistence on “gotcha moments” designed to hurt you first and then make you learn about the obstacle after you’ve already been damaged/killed can make a first playthrough feel really horrid. Especially in Stage 5’s clock tower on Original Mode, coupled with the fact that then you have to fight the hardest boss in the game.

Checkpoints are usually fair, however I feel like sending you back to the bottom of the gear room before She-Wolf was a bad decision. Especially since even when you know where the dangerous gears are, it’s still a very boring part of the game. The Torture Room Stage also contains a very oddly placed checkpoint in the third room, however they place the next checkpoint in the 5th room. Which wouldn’t be that bad, if both the third room and fourth room were not as long as it is, with a mini boss blocking your way to the next checkpoint.

Bosses in this game are overall pretty weak. Presentation-wise, it could be argued that a lot of these bosses are way more unique/interesting to look at compared to other Classicvania bosses, but they are often too simplistic. They don’t really touch any of the highs that Rondo, Dracula X, or Bloodlines really touch in terms of their bosses.

Enemies are definitely a highlight of this game. With new enemies being introduced in almost every level, and these new enemies usually being fun to fight with Simon’s kit. I do find somethings annoying like the Medusa Heads on the Falling bridge, the Dolls in Tower of Dolls, and and Peeping eyes as I think getting hit by them punishes you too much, while not really complimenting Simon’s kit.

Overall, I find this game very enjoyable. It has some hiccups from time to time, and I think players will not really have a high opinion of this game on their first go around. However, playing the new Arranged mode allows the player to get more accustomed to this games stage design, and then they can play the harder Original mode if they so choose. I personally enjoy the Arranged Mode more, as I’m given more leeway in some of the games less fair moments.

The Presentation is utterly fantastic on almost every level, the inherent replayability offered by the games alternate modes/unique mechanics, the mostly fun stage design coupled with some of the best enemy design in the series, and with a Simon who I believe is the best controlling Simon that we have ever gotten in where he almost fully compliments all of the game design.

I definitely would say that this is the best version of Simon’s tale, and would urge anyone who is a fan of the series to pick this up. However, I would recommend to start with Arranged mode before trying to do Original mode if you’re a first time player.

Castlevania but disco!
This is a damn good remake of the first game and it's criminally underrated! The Soundtrack is really good and the art style is neat too (way better than the old game) . It's also a very beginner-friendly classic Castlevania game, it's a nice change of pace from the usual pain this franchise like to put us through. Though this game is very limited as in it's kinda just a pretty NES game with barely anything else so it kinda sucked at release I guess, I'm guessing it was a full 60$~! Even 30$ is too much for this.

It's good! play it!