Mayor_of_Smash
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.
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.
Overall: 7/10
Good:
- Excellent Music Compositions except for One Song during Soleiyu’s boss fight. Really puts the Game Boy’s sound capabilities to its limit, and works within its limitations. Arguably one of the greatest OST’s in the Classicvania’s. Especially since this game relies on new tracks, rather then reusing old music compositions.
- An improvement over the Adventure with a consistent frame rate, good stage design, added sub weapons, and Flame Whip only is lost under certain conditions.
- Enemies work within Christopher’s simplistic movement capabilities, and lend themselves to the stage design. All to create one of the most consistent Castlevania games of all time.
- Numerous generous checkpoints, which compliment the level design, and BR’s stage length.
- Though not something that should be considered a full pro, the story was actually somewhat engaging on the idea of a Father/Son fight. Though definitely held back by the hardware it was on, the premise itself is definitely unique compared to other Vania games of the time.
- One of the nicer looking Gameboy games, where instead of most platformers being really simplistic/reusing the same sprites over and over, they strive to make each stage look different from the other and have a unique identity.
- The capability to go to any of the 4 Castles in any order lends to replay value, and you aren’t forced to play stages in an order that you do not like.
- Each castle from a gameplay standpoint is unique from the other, with the final castle sort of being a culmination of everything that the player has learned so far.
Bad:
- Simplistic Boss Design, which isn’t as bad as the first game, but definitely isn’t winning any rewards. I do concede these bosses are better than the NES game’s bosses, and don’t fall into the “crouch/damage tank and spam whip” games like 4 do, they are pretty weak.
- Dracula is definitely one of the worst bosses in the series, due to his boss fight being based around memorization on where exactly to stand. Once you know, the boss fight is fairly easy, but having to die over and over again to know where to stand at the exact moment he shoots his fire balls gets old very fast.
- Game is probably too simplistic for its own good. There’s nothing overly unique about the game besides using the Ropes during combat. Outside of that, a lot of the enemies have very obvious patterns and just walk right into your weapon range where you can easily pick them off.
- Though Christopher is much faster than he was in the first game, the slow paced nature of the game is definitely felt in comparison to other Classicvania’s. Considering the stage design can also be filled with a lot of walking sections in straight hallways, it can definitely be noticed.
- The game oftentimes tries to have “waiting” sort of puzzles, where the player has to wait for a certain platform to move, or for spikes to detract, or a crusher to slowly move back to neutral position.
- Though some might disagree, I don’t find Soleiyu’s boss fight particularly fun. The checkpoint before the boss is also particularly frustrating cause you’re sent back 3-5 mins of slow platforming to get back to try again.
In conclusion, for a Gameboy game, this is definitely Top 5 platformers on the console. This game improves on every single lacking aspect of the first game, and then does even more with the groundwork that the first game set up.
Having a steady frame rate, being faster, being able to attack on ropes, better boss design, more consistent and fair checkpoints, more stages then the first, and the addition of sub weapons have all made this just an outright better sequel, with the benefit of not completely throwing out the unique ideas of the first game.
The rope gameplay definitely does make this game somewhat stand out, and they play more into this mechanic then the first game did. Being able to attack while on the rope, made it feel less like it was a hindrance to go onto a Rope, but just as a natural way to traverse a stage like jumping. However, ropes are not used too often in a straight combat focus, and are usually just ways to go from one room to the next. Which is a shame.
From a music perspective, this game is filled with some of the greatest compositions in all of the Classicvania’s. New Messiah, Praying Hands, Soleiyu’s Room, and Passpied are all really great tracks that add to their stages. The Sprites are also great at conveying the theme of each castle, and can genuinely provide great atmosphere. Walking that long corridor with the Melody of Soleiyu’s Room in the background was definitely a part of the game which still can give me chills once I get to this part of the game. The sense of unease on what lies ahead is just so good, and the framing on how a lot of bosses come are really good. Falling into Iron Doll’s Room, or watching the Angel Mummies appearing out of the wall are just excellent at getting you into the mood to fight these bosses. Almost on the same equivalency of Rondo/DXC’s pre boss cutscenes.
Boss Design can be shaky, as bosses can sometimes be pretty fun like the Serpent in Stage 1 of Dracula’s Castle, Angel Mummy, or
the Iron Doll. Sadly there’s also frustrating bosses like Dracula, and Soleiyu which focus too much on patterns. Whereas, there’s also just overall very boring bosses like the Wizard who is way too slow.
I think what does ultimately hurt this game is it’s simplicity. Though that is expected of a Gameboy game, nothing really feels all too special besides it being a pretty tight 2D platformer. It’s definitely interesting on how much of an improvement the developers made, and how much they listened to the fan feedback on what made the first Adventure so bad. There’s hints of something more that could have been done if it wasn’t relegated to the Gameboy, and considering that the people who made this game would later work on Rondo of Blood, do show that this game’s potential perhaps needed some better hardware to fully get all it was trying to do.
Regardless, this is an extremely solid platformer even if you don’t consider the hardware it was released on. I don’t think it’s necessarily pushing the envelope in any major way, but I definitely do think it’s deserving of a play by any Classicvania fan. It’s presentation is stellar on its own and as a game boy game, and how they use the limitations of the console to its advantage is definitely a notable, and shows the professionals working behind this game.
Good:
- Excellent Music Compositions except for One Song during Soleiyu’s boss fight. Really puts the Game Boy’s sound capabilities to its limit, and works within its limitations. Arguably one of the greatest OST’s in the Classicvania’s. Especially since this game relies on new tracks, rather then reusing old music compositions.
- An improvement over the Adventure with a consistent frame rate, good stage design, added sub weapons, and Flame Whip only is lost under certain conditions.
- Enemies work within Christopher’s simplistic movement capabilities, and lend themselves to the stage design. All to create one of the most consistent Castlevania games of all time.
- Numerous generous checkpoints, which compliment the level design, and BR’s stage length.
- Though not something that should be considered a full pro, the story was actually somewhat engaging on the idea of a Father/Son fight. Though definitely held back by the hardware it was on, the premise itself is definitely unique compared to other Vania games of the time.
- One of the nicer looking Gameboy games, where instead of most platformers being really simplistic/reusing the same sprites over and over, they strive to make each stage look different from the other and have a unique identity.
- The capability to go to any of the 4 Castles in any order lends to replay value, and you aren’t forced to play stages in an order that you do not like.
- Each castle from a gameplay standpoint is unique from the other, with the final castle sort of being a culmination of everything that the player has learned so far.
Bad:
- Simplistic Boss Design, which isn’t as bad as the first game, but definitely isn’t winning any rewards. I do concede these bosses are better than the NES game’s bosses, and don’t fall into the “crouch/damage tank and spam whip” games like 4 do, they are pretty weak.
- Dracula is definitely one of the worst bosses in the series, due to his boss fight being based around memorization on where exactly to stand. Once you know, the boss fight is fairly easy, but having to die over and over again to know where to stand at the exact moment he shoots his fire balls gets old very fast.
- Game is probably too simplistic for its own good. There’s nothing overly unique about the game besides using the Ropes during combat. Outside of that, a lot of the enemies have very obvious patterns and just walk right into your weapon range where you can easily pick them off.
- Though Christopher is much faster than he was in the first game, the slow paced nature of the game is definitely felt in comparison to other Classicvania’s. Considering the stage design can also be filled with a lot of walking sections in straight hallways, it can definitely be noticed.
- The game oftentimes tries to have “waiting” sort of puzzles, where the player has to wait for a certain platform to move, or for spikes to detract, or a crusher to slowly move back to neutral position.
- Though some might disagree, I don’t find Soleiyu’s boss fight particularly fun. The checkpoint before the boss is also particularly frustrating cause you’re sent back 3-5 mins of slow platforming to get back to try again.
In conclusion, for a Gameboy game, this is definitely Top 5 platformers on the console. This game improves on every single lacking aspect of the first game, and then does even more with the groundwork that the first game set up.
Having a steady frame rate, being faster, being able to attack on ropes, better boss design, more consistent and fair checkpoints, more stages then the first, and the addition of sub weapons have all made this just an outright better sequel, with the benefit of not completely throwing out the unique ideas of the first game.
The rope gameplay definitely does make this game somewhat stand out, and they play more into this mechanic then the first game did. Being able to attack while on the rope, made it feel less like it was a hindrance to go onto a Rope, but just as a natural way to traverse a stage like jumping. However, ropes are not used too often in a straight combat focus, and are usually just ways to go from one room to the next. Which is a shame.
From a music perspective, this game is filled with some of the greatest compositions in all of the Classicvania’s. New Messiah, Praying Hands, Soleiyu’s Room, and Passpied are all really great tracks that add to their stages. The Sprites are also great at conveying the theme of each castle, and can genuinely provide great atmosphere. Walking that long corridor with the Melody of Soleiyu’s Room in the background was definitely a part of the game which still can give me chills once I get to this part of the game. The sense of unease on what lies ahead is just so good, and the framing on how a lot of bosses come are really good. Falling into Iron Doll’s Room, or watching the Angel Mummies appearing out of the wall are just excellent at getting you into the mood to fight these bosses. Almost on the same equivalency of Rondo/DXC’s pre boss cutscenes.
Boss Design can be shaky, as bosses can sometimes be pretty fun like the Serpent in Stage 1 of Dracula’s Castle, Angel Mummy, or
the Iron Doll. Sadly there’s also frustrating bosses like Dracula, and Soleiyu which focus too much on patterns. Whereas, there’s also just overall very boring bosses like the Wizard who is way too slow.
I think what does ultimately hurt this game is it’s simplicity. Though that is expected of a Gameboy game, nothing really feels all too special besides it being a pretty tight 2D platformer. It’s definitely interesting on how much of an improvement the developers made, and how much they listened to the fan feedback on what made the first Adventure so bad. There’s hints of something more that could have been done if it wasn’t relegated to the Gameboy, and considering that the people who made this game would later work on Rondo of Blood, do show that this game’s potential perhaps needed some better hardware to fully get all it was trying to do.
Regardless, this is an extremely solid platformer even if you don’t consider the hardware it was released on. I don’t think it’s necessarily pushing the envelope in any major way, but I definitely do think it’s deserving of a play by any Classicvania fan. It’s presentation is stellar on its own and as a game boy game, and how they use the limitations of the console to its advantage is definitely a notable, and shows the professionals working behind this game.
This review contains spoilers
Overall: 8/10
Good:
- Best presentation in the series with beautiful/detailed sprites that all fit together to create, in my opinion, the best sprites in any video game.
- The OST of SoTN is also one of the greatest of all time. Tracks like Dracula’s Castle, Wandering Ghosts, and Lost Painting being some of the series highlights.
- Art and Designs done by Kojima are insanely beautiful and detailed, and created the identity that’s most commonly associated with the series.
- Many different types of Easter eggs, with things such as the telescope room’s birds you can see being laid then born, the music that the Fairy is able to sing after you sit for an amount of time in DXC versions of SoTN, and numerous references to Castlevania games before SoTN.
- Exploration leads to a varied amount of weapons which usually have some sort of secret ability attached to them. Shield Rod being one of my more personal favorites.
- Castle design is pretty well connected, usually not leading to much backtracking outside of just a few moments in the early game.
- Alucard’s mobility is smooth, and he’s very fun to control.
- Game gives numerous different options to play any scenario like through just facing enemies with standard weapons, using spells, or using transformations to skip past them.
-Bosses are all visually different, and all feel incredibly unique from one another. The quantity of bosses in this game is also insane with around 30 separate boss encounters.
- Story is pretty well fleshed out and is a great continuation to the events of Rondo of Blood. Using the same Sprite artstyle also further adds to the interconnected nature of this game to that previous entry. It also crafts one of the series best characters from being a random extra playable character in III to being basically the face of the franchise.
- Saturn Plusses: Though this is undeniably the worst way to play the game, having the Wing Smash being infinite was a great choice, the Alucard Spear is fun, and Running shoes are good though they come too late. Third hand can also be situationally useful.
Bad:
- Inverted Castle is absolutely one of the worst decisions to increase the game’s playtime. The biggest issue of course being that the game’s castle was not structured to be played upside down. Which ultimately leads to having to use slow moving transformations or the Super Jump which requires more inputs than necessary to do. Ultimately bringing the game down to a halt and making one of the worst castle designs in the series.
- Bosses may be plentiful, but they are way too under designed. The bosses are not prepared to handle almost anything in Alucard’s kit. Most die from 10-15 seconds after you started the encounter. This leads to SoTN having the worst boss design in the series.
- Enemies are just peppered around the map with little rhyme or reason, and because Alucard is as strong as he is, he destroys a lot of them without even having to try. Even on your first walk through an area.
- Balance of the game is the worst in the series. There’s only a tiny bit of challenge from the span of the start of the game to your encounter with Werewolf and Minotaur. After this, Alucard is so overpowered that you will most likely never die if you don’t intentionally gimp yourself.
- Even though a lot of weapons have secrets, there’s just a few weapons that are clearly cuts above the rest. The Alucard Sword is undeniably the best regular short sword in the game, the Crissagrem is just the overall best weapon, and the Shield Rod + Alucard Shield combination is basically a debug weapon in how it can kill everything in SoTN in 5 seconds at most.
- Alternate Richter and Maria modes in all versions have little point. Unlike later games, you can head right for Shaft and there’s no reason to explore other parts of the castles or fight other bosses. Even if you do, Richter is one of the stiffest characters in the series with having to double tap to run, and with having to chain button combinations to make it so he’s able to make jumps Alucard could make. DXC Maria does so little damage, that her better mobility doesn’t even matter, and if the designers had just made her do actual damage with her regular attacks it could have been a good mode. Saturn Maria is a huge pain in the ass since while it does have a bunch of flourish, it requires EVEN MORE button combinations to use the interesting stuff In her kit. At the end of the day, these are the absolute worst examples of alternate modes in the series.
- Progression is strange at the beginning, with how to find certain items and having to know where the player will go next are often in really non-obvious ways where to go. Things that will definitely require some sort of guide at least once in your play through. Especially if you’re playing PS1’s translation of SoTN where they mistranslated the Gold/Silver Rings for you to go to the wrong set of rooms.
- Getting all Rooms is a pain since the game’s inverted Castle as some rooms in the cavern where you have to hit certain spots in precise angles in order to get the room recorded on your map.
- Alucard is really slow at walking, having to do several different types of things to play this game at some sort of fast pace. Such as backdashing, shield canceling, or spamming Wing Smash.
- Saturn Issues: The absolute most garbage port of this game and for multiple reasons (Note I played on actual hardware for this segment of the review). Firstly, the lag was horrendous in multiple places. Any type of large effect would destroy this games frame rate, and having a lot of enemies have large explosion effects when you kill them it happens often. Sprites that use the tweaning effect will also cause the game to lag immensely. Such as the Tin Men in Reverse Library where multiple on screen can turn this game to sub-10 FPS. The Cavern and entering/exiting water is also known to do the same exact thing. It’s also known that any large scale effects like the clouds next to Dracula’s room will also cause mass lag issues, and any amount of enemies over 3 on screen at a time will usually cause lag. The game also has a large number of added loading zones. Also, changing to the map is much more tedious since it requires the player to go to inventory menu, and then load into the map menu instead of Just having a button.
- Saturn Issues: New Sprites are obviously done by a different person, and a lot of them look very inconsistent or off model. Saturn Richter especially is a very shoddy Sprite, where it doesn’t even follow his official art well cause a lot of the detail on the jacket is completely different, and the sprites constantly change on aspects of his hair and how big his boots are per frame, which just makes it look awful in motion that fans just accept cause it’s “supposed” to look like Kojima Richter. Enemy sprites outside of the Big Tree are also different to SoTN’s regular style such as the fish in the Garden/ Ghosts in the prison.
- Saturn Issues: The new content is usually garbage. The two new areas are 3 rooms long, and with one bad boss fight which is just as shit as the rest of SoTN’s bosses. The only new weapon of any use is Alucard Spear, which is pretty fun. Rest are just pretty much useless.
- Saturn Issues: Graphical problems including a smushed screen at an incorrect resolution, lots of dithering effects when there used to be transparencies, and just overall just a visually inferior version to any other version of Saturn SoTN.
Overall, this is the Metroidvania that solidified the genre. From a presentation standpoint, it could definitely be argued that this is the apex of gaming. Both the sprites and music are just so good, and make just being in the castle just an absolute blast to lose yourself in the ambience.
However, the game comes with a lot of noticeable balance problems which while the game has plenty of unique weapons, ultimately makes the game feel very shallow. Bosses and enemies are just so pathetic in comparison to Alucard, and even if they had better stats, the only boss with a consistently interesting set of patterns would be Orlox. Rest of the bosses spam random attacks, or just leave themselves so open for Alucard to just spam attacks at them. This just leaves a lot of these new weapons just feeling wasted on the poor enemy design of this game, and that’s especially evident when you look at bosses and enemies from games such as Dawn of Sorrow, and to an extent Portrait of Ruin/Order of Ecclesia.
The game also struggles in its constant use of button combinations to perform actions that, later in the series, would just come from just the tap of a button. Super Jump, Spells, Richter’s Martial Arts, Wing Smash, etc are all things that just become cumbersome to the control. Which is a shame because this game usually has excellent control in mid air, jumping, and in combat. The game also has the issue of having a lot of actions being slow. Regular walking is just painfully slow, and Bat transformation basically requires you to use Wing Smash to actually have fun as the bat.
In terms of ports for the game, I actually prefer the DXC Dub. I can acknowledge the humor of the old bad dub, but the new dub has some of my favorite VA’s of all time like David Vincent and Patrick Seitz. There delivery on some lines is just impeccable, and the decision to use some lines from the old translation just goes to show the respect they have for the PS1 Dub. Even if I do agree that Belgrade is better than Lowenthal, the rest of the cast is such an upgrade.
In my opinion if I were to rank all of the versions
Requiem goes on top because it has all the DXC added content, is in a beautiful resolution, cuts all of the lag that was there in the DXC/PS1/360/Saturn ports, and is just genuinely the definitive way to play Symphony of the Night.
The IOS Version of SoTN is also really good, as it is a port of the DXC version, yet cuts all of the annoying Street Fighter type inputs from the game and replaces them with buttons. Making the game infinitely more playable, and really bettering things like Richter mode. My only detraction is that it does none of the graphical enhancements that the Requiem version does, doesn’t use the same font as all other versions, has very lackluster settings, and touch controls are severely dated in comparison to some emulators.
Next is DXC, though it’s major drawback is the screen you will have to play with it on. Adds new content from the PS1 version, lacks some of the lag PS1 version could have on occasion (though doesn’t get rid of all of it), and is overall just a slightly better version IMO.
PS1 SoTN is a fine version to play, though it lacks the xtra content, and it has quite a bit of lag when too many things are happening on screen/in the underground caverns. It also has the benefit on being able to be played on CRTs which the graphics were meant to be seen on.
360 version is next, and it’s basically just the PS1 edition of SoTN with lag still in place, ugly borders, and some graphical glitches. Things I believe make it worse than the PS1 version.
Finally the Saturn version, and while it comes with the most bonus content of any other version. The new content is either horribly executed, unneeded, or not good enough to offset all of the many many problems to this version. If I was reviewing SoTN just off this game, I’d give it a 4/10. It is that offensive, and especially on actual hardware.
In conclusion, SoTN is a game that is put on a pedestal as the pinnacle of the genre. A title I don’t believe is deserving. While this game blows others out of the water with its sheer quality in presentation, it’s gameplay is still trying to find its footing. Inverted Castle also just is a horrible and plodding bookend to a first castle which is very consistent in terms of its quality. Perhaps more consistent then any other castle in the series in quality. It’s lacking in well thought out and clear boss/enemy design does really hurt this game, and the slow speed can also make some backtracking just not very fun.
I definitely recommend this game as a stellar installment to the series, and to its genre. However, later on, it’s formula is perfected and built upon in many ways in the games that came after it.
Good:
- Best presentation in the series with beautiful/detailed sprites that all fit together to create, in my opinion, the best sprites in any video game.
- The OST of SoTN is also one of the greatest of all time. Tracks like Dracula’s Castle, Wandering Ghosts, and Lost Painting being some of the series highlights.
- Art and Designs done by Kojima are insanely beautiful and detailed, and created the identity that’s most commonly associated with the series.
- Many different types of Easter eggs, with things such as the telescope room’s birds you can see being laid then born, the music that the Fairy is able to sing after you sit for an amount of time in DXC versions of SoTN, and numerous references to Castlevania games before SoTN.
- Exploration leads to a varied amount of weapons which usually have some sort of secret ability attached to them. Shield Rod being one of my more personal favorites.
- Castle design is pretty well connected, usually not leading to much backtracking outside of just a few moments in the early game.
- Alucard’s mobility is smooth, and he’s very fun to control.
- Game gives numerous different options to play any scenario like through just facing enemies with standard weapons, using spells, or using transformations to skip past them.
-Bosses are all visually different, and all feel incredibly unique from one another. The quantity of bosses in this game is also insane with around 30 separate boss encounters.
- Story is pretty well fleshed out and is a great continuation to the events of Rondo of Blood. Using the same Sprite artstyle also further adds to the interconnected nature of this game to that previous entry. It also crafts one of the series best characters from being a random extra playable character in III to being basically the face of the franchise.
- Saturn Plusses: Though this is undeniably the worst way to play the game, having the Wing Smash being infinite was a great choice, the Alucard Spear is fun, and Running shoes are good though they come too late. Third hand can also be situationally useful.
Bad:
- Inverted Castle is absolutely one of the worst decisions to increase the game’s playtime. The biggest issue of course being that the game’s castle was not structured to be played upside down. Which ultimately leads to having to use slow moving transformations or the Super Jump which requires more inputs than necessary to do. Ultimately bringing the game down to a halt and making one of the worst castle designs in the series.
- Bosses may be plentiful, but they are way too under designed. The bosses are not prepared to handle almost anything in Alucard’s kit. Most die from 10-15 seconds after you started the encounter. This leads to SoTN having the worst boss design in the series.
- Enemies are just peppered around the map with little rhyme or reason, and because Alucard is as strong as he is, he destroys a lot of them without even having to try. Even on your first walk through an area.
- Balance of the game is the worst in the series. There’s only a tiny bit of challenge from the span of the start of the game to your encounter with Werewolf and Minotaur. After this, Alucard is so overpowered that you will most likely never die if you don’t intentionally gimp yourself.
- Even though a lot of weapons have secrets, there’s just a few weapons that are clearly cuts above the rest. The Alucard Sword is undeniably the best regular short sword in the game, the Crissagrem is just the overall best weapon, and the Shield Rod + Alucard Shield combination is basically a debug weapon in how it can kill everything in SoTN in 5 seconds at most.
- Alternate Richter and Maria modes in all versions have little point. Unlike later games, you can head right for Shaft and there’s no reason to explore other parts of the castles or fight other bosses. Even if you do, Richter is one of the stiffest characters in the series with having to double tap to run, and with having to chain button combinations to make it so he’s able to make jumps Alucard could make. DXC Maria does so little damage, that her better mobility doesn’t even matter, and if the designers had just made her do actual damage with her regular attacks it could have been a good mode. Saturn Maria is a huge pain in the ass since while it does have a bunch of flourish, it requires EVEN MORE button combinations to use the interesting stuff In her kit. At the end of the day, these are the absolute worst examples of alternate modes in the series.
- Progression is strange at the beginning, with how to find certain items and having to know where the player will go next are often in really non-obvious ways where to go. Things that will definitely require some sort of guide at least once in your play through. Especially if you’re playing PS1’s translation of SoTN where they mistranslated the Gold/Silver Rings for you to go to the wrong set of rooms.
- Getting all Rooms is a pain since the game’s inverted Castle as some rooms in the cavern where you have to hit certain spots in precise angles in order to get the room recorded on your map.
- Alucard is really slow at walking, having to do several different types of things to play this game at some sort of fast pace. Such as backdashing, shield canceling, or spamming Wing Smash.
- Saturn Issues: The absolute most garbage port of this game and for multiple reasons (Note I played on actual hardware for this segment of the review). Firstly, the lag was horrendous in multiple places. Any type of large effect would destroy this games frame rate, and having a lot of enemies have large explosion effects when you kill them it happens often. Sprites that use the tweaning effect will also cause the game to lag immensely. Such as the Tin Men in Reverse Library where multiple on screen can turn this game to sub-10 FPS. The Cavern and entering/exiting water is also known to do the same exact thing. It’s also known that any large scale effects like the clouds next to Dracula’s room will also cause mass lag issues, and any amount of enemies over 3 on screen at a time will usually cause lag. The game also has a large number of added loading zones. Also, changing to the map is much more tedious since it requires the player to go to inventory menu, and then load into the map menu instead of Just having a button.
- Saturn Issues: New Sprites are obviously done by a different person, and a lot of them look very inconsistent or off model. Saturn Richter especially is a very shoddy Sprite, where it doesn’t even follow his official art well cause a lot of the detail on the jacket is completely different, and the sprites constantly change on aspects of his hair and how big his boots are per frame, which just makes it look awful in motion that fans just accept cause it’s “supposed” to look like Kojima Richter. Enemy sprites outside of the Big Tree are also different to SoTN’s regular style such as the fish in the Garden/ Ghosts in the prison.
- Saturn Issues: The new content is usually garbage. The two new areas are 3 rooms long, and with one bad boss fight which is just as shit as the rest of SoTN’s bosses. The only new weapon of any use is Alucard Spear, which is pretty fun. Rest are just pretty much useless.
- Saturn Issues: Graphical problems including a smushed screen at an incorrect resolution, lots of dithering effects when there used to be transparencies, and just overall just a visually inferior version to any other version of Saturn SoTN.
Overall, this is the Metroidvania that solidified the genre. From a presentation standpoint, it could definitely be argued that this is the apex of gaming. Both the sprites and music are just so good, and make just being in the castle just an absolute blast to lose yourself in the ambience.
However, the game comes with a lot of noticeable balance problems which while the game has plenty of unique weapons, ultimately makes the game feel very shallow. Bosses and enemies are just so pathetic in comparison to Alucard, and even if they had better stats, the only boss with a consistently interesting set of patterns would be Orlox. Rest of the bosses spam random attacks, or just leave themselves so open for Alucard to just spam attacks at them. This just leaves a lot of these new weapons just feeling wasted on the poor enemy design of this game, and that’s especially evident when you look at bosses and enemies from games such as Dawn of Sorrow, and to an extent Portrait of Ruin/Order of Ecclesia.
The game also struggles in its constant use of button combinations to perform actions that, later in the series, would just come from just the tap of a button. Super Jump, Spells, Richter’s Martial Arts, Wing Smash, etc are all things that just become cumbersome to the control. Which is a shame because this game usually has excellent control in mid air, jumping, and in combat. The game also has the issue of having a lot of actions being slow. Regular walking is just painfully slow, and Bat transformation basically requires you to use Wing Smash to actually have fun as the bat.
In terms of ports for the game, I actually prefer the DXC Dub. I can acknowledge the humor of the old bad dub, but the new dub has some of my favorite VA’s of all time like David Vincent and Patrick Seitz. There delivery on some lines is just impeccable, and the decision to use some lines from the old translation just goes to show the respect they have for the PS1 Dub. Even if I do agree that Belgrade is better than Lowenthal, the rest of the cast is such an upgrade.
In my opinion if I were to rank all of the versions
Requiem goes on top because it has all the DXC added content, is in a beautiful resolution, cuts all of the lag that was there in the DXC/PS1/360/Saturn ports, and is just genuinely the definitive way to play Symphony of the Night.
The IOS Version of SoTN is also really good, as it is a port of the DXC version, yet cuts all of the annoying Street Fighter type inputs from the game and replaces them with buttons. Making the game infinitely more playable, and really bettering things like Richter mode. My only detraction is that it does none of the graphical enhancements that the Requiem version does, doesn’t use the same font as all other versions, has very lackluster settings, and touch controls are severely dated in comparison to some emulators.
Next is DXC, though it’s major drawback is the screen you will have to play with it on. Adds new content from the PS1 version, lacks some of the lag PS1 version could have on occasion (though doesn’t get rid of all of it), and is overall just a slightly better version IMO.
PS1 SoTN is a fine version to play, though it lacks the xtra content, and it has quite a bit of lag when too many things are happening on screen/in the underground caverns. It also has the benefit on being able to be played on CRTs which the graphics were meant to be seen on.
360 version is next, and it’s basically just the PS1 edition of SoTN with lag still in place, ugly borders, and some graphical glitches. Things I believe make it worse than the PS1 version.
Finally the Saturn version, and while it comes with the most bonus content of any other version. The new content is either horribly executed, unneeded, or not good enough to offset all of the many many problems to this version. If I was reviewing SoTN just off this game, I’d give it a 4/10. It is that offensive, and especially on actual hardware.
In conclusion, SoTN is a game that is put on a pedestal as the pinnacle of the genre. A title I don’t believe is deserving. While this game blows others out of the water with its sheer quality in presentation, it’s gameplay is still trying to find its footing. Inverted Castle also just is a horrible and plodding bookend to a first castle which is very consistent in terms of its quality. Perhaps more consistent then any other castle in the series in quality. It’s lacking in well thought out and clear boss/enemy design does really hurt this game, and the slow speed can also make some backtracking just not very fun.
I definitely recommend this game as a stellar installment to the series, and to its genre. However, later on, it’s formula is perfected and built upon in many ways in the games that came after it.
This review contains spoilers
Overall: 9/10
Good:
- Pair Up system is a unique concept that gives much more depth to almost any Metroidvania I have ever played. However, if you don’t like the concept, you are given the option not to use it except for some platforming sections.
- Varied weapon styles/many different types of unique and fun weaponry.
- Boss design is usually alright, where certain bosses such as Brauner, Stella/Loretta, Dracula, and Death are all just spectacular.
- Nest of Evil, outside of a few rooms, is a great new challenge after you’re done most of the game. A place you can also replay with different abilities/characters/weapon combinations to make it a really fun and replayable challenge.
- Portraits are given a unique graphical style that makes it very fresh after the series has taken place mostly within the Castle. The Desert, and the City of Haze are my personal favorites.
- Music is pretty amazing with great renditions of old tracks, and with stellar originals. Invitation of a Crazed Moon being a personal highlight for this game’s OST.
- Fantastic Story that adds to the lore in so many numerous ways, which helps contextualize Bloodlines in a way where it’s narrative is made retroactively way more compelling.
- Jonathan is a pretty well realized character, and other characters in the games such as Brauner/Wind also are pretty well done.
- Many different alternate modes like Hard Mode which makes the game gives a more steeper challenge, Richter Mode which allows the player to play as duo of Richter/Maria, Sister’s Mode which allows you to play as both Stella and Loretta Lecarde using the touch screen, and finally Old Axe Armor mode which allows you to play a solo play though as an Old Axe Armor.
- The game is much more fast paced compare to Dawn due to Jonathan’s walking speed being faster, and a lot of end/start up lag on weapons are removed.
Bad:
- Getting full 100% in map completion, item compendium completion, Wind Quests, enemy bestiary completion, and getting every drop from each enemy is an absolutely painful process that is full of tedious grinding. Do not recommend doing this.
- Many Bosses in the early game except Legion are pretty meh except maybe Dullahan if you somehow don’t kill him before he starts doing his interesting attacks. Keremet and Dagon specifically are just bad bosses that actively waste your time.
- Charlotte is noticeably worse than Jonathan. Making for very little reason to use her outside of some very situational encounters. She also has way less weapons/tomes in her arsenal in comparison to Jonathan.
- Lack of Weapon Presets cause a lot of menu hopping and switching anytime one wants to use a specific spell/sub weapon instead of one that they have equipped. Especially since you have two entirely separate menus depending on what character you are playing as.
- Last half of the game reusing older portraits is sort of lame, and especially since these areas have some also really weak bosses after going to these repeated areas.
- Wind’s Quests are either very tedious, require a guide to know what to do, and are just in general a total pain in the ass.
- Gaining Mastery over weapons takes way too much grinding comparatively to grinding souls in Aria/Dawn. Especially since you’re required to grind mastery in multiple weapons to get Wind Quests. Though there’s a room at the bottom of Nest of Evil that makes it easy to grind for Mastery, this will be at Endgame and you wouldn’t not be able to use these new Mastered sub weapons through most of the game.
- Having to kill 1000 Old Axe Armors for a very bleh mode in comparison to the other modes is bad. With a games 100% category is already filled with hours of grinding, this requirement wasn’t appreciated.
In conclusion, the game is another game to rival Dawn of Sorrow. This game truly tries to make it so to account for every player’s unique play style and gives tons of options on how to play. Different weapon types from Short Swords, to Great Swords, to Axe, to Whip, to the many different and varied sub weapons can give the player many ways to play as Jonathan. How you choose to use Charlotte can also be varied where you can either play her as a battle mage using the many different attack spells at your disposal, or just use her passive spells to power up Jonathan’s abilities. The accommodation for many different play styles is definitely a driving force in why this game is the most replayable of any other game in the series, however it does have a few big problems.
Like a lot of these types of games, getting all the stuff you want usually requires some form of grinding. Wind Quests especially are guilty of this, locking options either by the time all you have to do is Nest of Evil, or just Dracula.
The game also lacks a bit on the balance side, since some damage outputs on some attacks don’t seem to have been tested very well. Especially on certain subweapons/spells from both Jonathan and Charlotte. The bosses in this game are also a small yet noticeable depreciation in quality compared to Dawn’s. Bosses that do return in Dawn, often times are not prepared for all the new things given to Jonathan/Charlotte’s kit, and have their patterns adjusted to be easier.
That is still not to say they still aren’t pretty great, and even the weaker bosses in PoR are miles above other games in the series like SoTN’s/Aria’s.
The game also really shines in it’s writing and it’s presentation. Jonathan’s character arc, and the lore bits given are of pretty high quality. The new lore revelations especially add a further mystery to the disappearance of the Belmont’s, and give much more weight behind Castlevania: Bloodline’s plot. The game’s incredible Sprite art and music just further get you invested in this world, and makes it a joy to just look at the new environments never before seen in a Metroidvania.
The new modes after you beat the game are also quite fun. Richter mode especially really does make you understand why he often gains the moniker “the strongest Belmont” in some games that he is in like DXC. Sister’s mode is also fun, yet I do feel as though it’s more of a novelty considering they’re very broken. I’d say it could be comparable to turning on no-clip in a game at times lol. Old Axe Armor definitely being the worst as it’s requirement is just tedious, and what you get is a very slow moving character with only 3 generic attacks.
Overall, the game is on par with Dawn of Sorrow. Which is to say, it’s a goddamn phenomenal game with some pretty noticeable hiccups. The many different options in how you can approach this game was definitely in the minds of the developers when they crafted Portrait of Ruin. 90% of the time to it’s benefit, and 10% of the time to its detriment. I do wish the game’s grinding elements were toned down, some options nerfed to not be overcentralizing, and overall for a better game balance.
However, I can confidently recommend this game not just to any Castlevania fan, but also to any fan of the Metroidvania genre. This game lies heavily in the genre’s core concepts in terms of much to explore, with many different ways to experience. I cannot definitively say if this game is better or worse than Dawn of Sorrow, but I can definitely say it’s one of the best games I’ve ever played.
Good:
- Pair Up system is a unique concept that gives much more depth to almost any Metroidvania I have ever played. However, if you don’t like the concept, you are given the option not to use it except for some platforming sections.
- Varied weapon styles/many different types of unique and fun weaponry.
- Boss design is usually alright, where certain bosses such as Brauner, Stella/Loretta, Dracula, and Death are all just spectacular.
- Nest of Evil, outside of a few rooms, is a great new challenge after you’re done most of the game. A place you can also replay with different abilities/characters/weapon combinations to make it a really fun and replayable challenge.
- Portraits are given a unique graphical style that makes it very fresh after the series has taken place mostly within the Castle. The Desert, and the City of Haze are my personal favorites.
- Music is pretty amazing with great renditions of old tracks, and with stellar originals. Invitation of a Crazed Moon being a personal highlight for this game’s OST.
- Fantastic Story that adds to the lore in so many numerous ways, which helps contextualize Bloodlines in a way where it’s narrative is made retroactively way more compelling.
- Jonathan is a pretty well realized character, and other characters in the games such as Brauner/Wind also are pretty well done.
- Many different alternate modes like Hard Mode which makes the game gives a more steeper challenge, Richter Mode which allows the player to play as duo of Richter/Maria, Sister’s Mode which allows you to play as both Stella and Loretta Lecarde using the touch screen, and finally Old Axe Armor mode which allows you to play a solo play though as an Old Axe Armor.
- The game is much more fast paced compare to Dawn due to Jonathan’s walking speed being faster, and a lot of end/start up lag on weapons are removed.
Bad:
- Getting full 100% in map completion, item compendium completion, Wind Quests, enemy bestiary completion, and getting every drop from each enemy is an absolutely painful process that is full of tedious grinding. Do not recommend doing this.
- Many Bosses in the early game except Legion are pretty meh except maybe Dullahan if you somehow don’t kill him before he starts doing his interesting attacks. Keremet and Dagon specifically are just bad bosses that actively waste your time.
- Charlotte is noticeably worse than Jonathan. Making for very little reason to use her outside of some very situational encounters. She also has way less weapons/tomes in her arsenal in comparison to Jonathan.
- Lack of Weapon Presets cause a lot of menu hopping and switching anytime one wants to use a specific spell/sub weapon instead of one that they have equipped. Especially since you have two entirely separate menus depending on what character you are playing as.
- Last half of the game reusing older portraits is sort of lame, and especially since these areas have some also really weak bosses after going to these repeated areas.
- Wind’s Quests are either very tedious, require a guide to know what to do, and are just in general a total pain in the ass.
- Gaining Mastery over weapons takes way too much grinding comparatively to grinding souls in Aria/Dawn. Especially since you’re required to grind mastery in multiple weapons to get Wind Quests. Though there’s a room at the bottom of Nest of Evil that makes it easy to grind for Mastery, this will be at Endgame and you wouldn’t not be able to use these new Mastered sub weapons through most of the game.
- Having to kill 1000 Old Axe Armors for a very bleh mode in comparison to the other modes is bad. With a games 100% category is already filled with hours of grinding, this requirement wasn’t appreciated.
In conclusion, the game is another game to rival Dawn of Sorrow. This game truly tries to make it so to account for every player’s unique play style and gives tons of options on how to play. Different weapon types from Short Swords, to Great Swords, to Axe, to Whip, to the many different and varied sub weapons can give the player many ways to play as Jonathan. How you choose to use Charlotte can also be varied where you can either play her as a battle mage using the many different attack spells at your disposal, or just use her passive spells to power up Jonathan’s abilities. The accommodation for many different play styles is definitely a driving force in why this game is the most replayable of any other game in the series, however it does have a few big problems.
Like a lot of these types of games, getting all the stuff you want usually requires some form of grinding. Wind Quests especially are guilty of this, locking options either by the time all you have to do is Nest of Evil, or just Dracula.
The game also lacks a bit on the balance side, since some damage outputs on some attacks don’t seem to have been tested very well. Especially on certain subweapons/spells from both Jonathan and Charlotte. The bosses in this game are also a small yet noticeable depreciation in quality compared to Dawn’s. Bosses that do return in Dawn, often times are not prepared for all the new things given to Jonathan/Charlotte’s kit, and have their patterns adjusted to be easier.
That is still not to say they still aren’t pretty great, and even the weaker bosses in PoR are miles above other games in the series like SoTN’s/Aria’s.
The game also really shines in it’s writing and it’s presentation. Jonathan’s character arc, and the lore bits given are of pretty high quality. The new lore revelations especially add a further mystery to the disappearance of the Belmont’s, and give much more weight behind Castlevania: Bloodline’s plot. The game’s incredible Sprite art and music just further get you invested in this world, and makes it a joy to just look at the new environments never before seen in a Metroidvania.
The new modes after you beat the game are also quite fun. Richter mode especially really does make you understand why he often gains the moniker “the strongest Belmont” in some games that he is in like DXC. Sister’s mode is also fun, yet I do feel as though it’s more of a novelty considering they’re very broken. I’d say it could be comparable to turning on no-clip in a game at times lol. Old Axe Armor definitely being the worst as it’s requirement is just tedious, and what you get is a very slow moving character with only 3 generic attacks.
Overall, the game is on par with Dawn of Sorrow. Which is to say, it’s a goddamn phenomenal game with some pretty noticeable hiccups. The many different options in how you can approach this game was definitely in the minds of the developers when they crafted Portrait of Ruin. 90% of the time to it’s benefit, and 10% of the time to its detriment. I do wish the game’s grinding elements were toned down, some options nerfed to not be overcentralizing, and overall for a better game balance.
However, I can confidently recommend this game not just to any Castlevania fan, but also to any fan of the Metroidvania genre. This game lies heavily in the genre’s core concepts in terms of much to explore, with many different ways to experience. I cannot definitively say if this game is better or worse than Dawn of Sorrow, but I can definitely say it’s one of the best games I’ve ever played.
Overall: 6/10
Good:
- Detailed enemy sprites.
- Magic system is fun and varied, making trying a new combination of subweapon/tome exciting.
- Personally a fan of the crazy colors, as I feel that’s what gave this game its unique identity.
- Being able to do a dash type move made the game feel more fast paced.
- Background effects are impressive that they could be done on the GBA.
- Castle Design that is short and simple, which makes the design of the castle easy to remember.
- Wonderful character designs by Kojima which makes each character stick out distinctly.
- Story is good, if just a bit basic in terms of a Castlevania story.
- Maxim mode is a fun alternative way to playthrough the game, and is a blast to go through the bosses again with such a fast paced and broken character.
Bad:
- Bosses are usually too simplistic and can be shredded with certain magical spells.
- Castle A/B being the same layout can cause confusion on exactly what is in each castle.
- The only weapon being the whip limits the amount of ways the player can regularly attack throughout the game.
- Even though the enemy sprites are usually fantastic, Juste/Maxim get some of the worst sprites ever seen in the series. Undetailed, and usually off model looking sprites that you will see for the entire game.
- The Merchant having a set list of random requirements before showing up in a random room can make the player barely see the merchant throughout their playthrough if they have not understood the cryptic means in which the game tells you how to unlock him.
- The music in this game is among the series worst. With tracks that just meander and go on and on with an ear piercing sound font.
-The game’s main collectible being furniture that you can decorate a room with, sort of hurts a lot of the exploration of the game. Especially since the only thing the furniture adds is a slightly alternate ending.
Overall, this game has some several big presentation issues. The main characters sprites looking awful, and the bad music being the main ones that stick out. Though, I am a really big fan on the bright and vibrant colors throughout the game. It’s distinct style comparatively contrasted with a game like SoTN, is honestly just a treat for the eyes. Though I know some people who are quite opinionated on the quality of this game’s color choice, so your opinion may vary from mine.
Boss-wise, I have had this game been described as the “Yoshi’s Island” of bosses. Which is remarkably true. The game does reuse generic enemies and then “supersize” them so that they can be bosses. Giant forms of regular enemies are aplenty when considering the bosses, which causes the games bosses to not feel as special as SoTN. Though the magic system can make quick work of these bosses, I think a very certain few are alright. Especially if the player opts to go Whip-Only.
Castle Design, the game has too much riding on the 2 castle gimmick. Both castles being the same and just being a glorified color swap doesn’t help. Though I do think it’s better than the broken geometry of this Inverted Castle of SoTN. Also, the items most commonly found during exploration being furniture sort of hurts the feeling of wanting to explore both of the castles. Especially since the player cannot collect weapons to change the Player’s play style.
The Whip being the only main weapon is a shame because you don’t really get that change in ability outside of the magic spells. This overall can just make the game feel stilted in terms of progression, as you don’t really feel like you’re getting much new more often. Especially since the Merchant is hard to get to spawn in certain areas of the castle.
Story-Wise, though the game’s pretty basic with the relationship between Juste/Maxim, I still find it enjoyable to read about these characters. Especially since I find both to be pretty likable.
In conclusion, this game doesn’t do much too right to make up for its many flaws. While I do think it’s sub par compared to any MV that’s not named CoTM, it’s undeniable to say that this game doesn’t have its good aspects. Some of the bosses are pretty decent, Magic spells are fun to tinker with and see which one is your favorite, and Juste’s fast and fun movement is something that has HoD being an acceptable entry to the series.
I do urge players to play this game since it is short, and do genuinely believe there is enjoyment to be had. I also just caution that this game also has elements that can turn people off from it, and some things are really based up towards your taste in terms of the game’s presentation. While I would argue it’s a much better entry than Circle of the Moon, I think the rest of the MV’s in the series pretty handily beat out HoD.
Good:
- Detailed enemy sprites.
- Magic system is fun and varied, making trying a new combination of subweapon/tome exciting.
- Personally a fan of the crazy colors, as I feel that’s what gave this game its unique identity.
- Being able to do a dash type move made the game feel more fast paced.
- Background effects are impressive that they could be done on the GBA.
- Castle Design that is short and simple, which makes the design of the castle easy to remember.
- Wonderful character designs by Kojima which makes each character stick out distinctly.
- Story is good, if just a bit basic in terms of a Castlevania story.
- Maxim mode is a fun alternative way to playthrough the game, and is a blast to go through the bosses again with such a fast paced and broken character.
Bad:
- Bosses are usually too simplistic and can be shredded with certain magical spells.
- Castle A/B being the same layout can cause confusion on exactly what is in each castle.
- The only weapon being the whip limits the amount of ways the player can regularly attack throughout the game.
- Even though the enemy sprites are usually fantastic, Juste/Maxim get some of the worst sprites ever seen in the series. Undetailed, and usually off model looking sprites that you will see for the entire game.
- The Merchant having a set list of random requirements before showing up in a random room can make the player barely see the merchant throughout their playthrough if they have not understood the cryptic means in which the game tells you how to unlock him.
- The music in this game is among the series worst. With tracks that just meander and go on and on with an ear piercing sound font.
-The game’s main collectible being furniture that you can decorate a room with, sort of hurts a lot of the exploration of the game. Especially since the only thing the furniture adds is a slightly alternate ending.
Overall, this game has some several big presentation issues. The main characters sprites looking awful, and the bad music being the main ones that stick out. Though, I am a really big fan on the bright and vibrant colors throughout the game. It’s distinct style comparatively contrasted with a game like SoTN, is honestly just a treat for the eyes. Though I know some people who are quite opinionated on the quality of this game’s color choice, so your opinion may vary from mine.
Boss-wise, I have had this game been described as the “Yoshi’s Island” of bosses. Which is remarkably true. The game does reuse generic enemies and then “supersize” them so that they can be bosses. Giant forms of regular enemies are aplenty when considering the bosses, which causes the games bosses to not feel as special as SoTN. Though the magic system can make quick work of these bosses, I think a very certain few are alright. Especially if the player opts to go Whip-Only.
Castle Design, the game has too much riding on the 2 castle gimmick. Both castles being the same and just being a glorified color swap doesn’t help. Though I do think it’s better than the broken geometry of this Inverted Castle of SoTN. Also, the items most commonly found during exploration being furniture sort of hurts the feeling of wanting to explore both of the castles. Especially since the player cannot collect weapons to change the Player’s play style.
The Whip being the only main weapon is a shame because you don’t really get that change in ability outside of the magic spells. This overall can just make the game feel stilted in terms of progression, as you don’t really feel like you’re getting much new more often. Especially since the Merchant is hard to get to spawn in certain areas of the castle.
Story-Wise, though the game’s pretty basic with the relationship between Juste/Maxim, I still find it enjoyable to read about these characters. Especially since I find both to be pretty likable.
In conclusion, this game doesn’t do much too right to make up for its many flaws. While I do think it’s sub par compared to any MV that’s not named CoTM, it’s undeniable to say that this game doesn’t have its good aspects. Some of the bosses are pretty decent, Magic spells are fun to tinker with and see which one is your favorite, and Juste’s fast and fun movement is something that has HoD being an acceptable entry to the series.
I do urge players to play this game since it is short, and do genuinely believe there is enjoyment to be had. I also just caution that this game also has elements that can turn people off from it, and some things are really based up towards your taste in terms of the game’s presentation. While I would argue it’s a much better entry than Circle of the Moon, I think the rest of the MV’s in the series pretty handily beat out HoD.
This review contains spoilers
Overall: 8.7/10
Good:
- Excellent Music and Sound Design. The more atmospheric songs really bring the environments to life, and the times when the music wants to get the blood pumping it works.
- Great Art Design with detailed environments. The game also uses a very distinct style, where the maps are designed with slopes and angles to its geometry. Making it so that each level is distinct from other worlds in the same genre, and thus making them rememberable .
- Gripping narrative that even retroactively makes the previous game’s plot even more important. Sets up that fear of Clockwerk way better than the previous game. Though I’d even argue that the plot is strong enough to stand on its own, with just the looming threat of Clockwerk being explained brilliantly.
- Fun and Varied Missions that make use out of the myriad of the game’s mechanics.
- New playable characters that make it so each job feels like a breath of fresh air.
- Clue Bottles that make each area fun to explore.
- Amazing control, where it makes platforming around the new open worlds really feel like Sly is at home.
Bad:
- Certain levels like Rajan Stage 2, or the final level can feel too big and be a pain to explore.
- Sly is the only useful character in exploration, and finding the clue bottles. Making it so you only use Bentley and Murray for missions.
- Sly is also the most fun to play out of any of the team by a wide margin, something which Sly 3 fixed by giving characters more mobility.
- Most gadgets are unneeded or just not good. Also grinding for coins can be a really big hassle.
- Plot-Wise, the main baddy is sort of a giant let down, and makes me wish we had the old Clockwerk back.
Overall, the game is a master class is the 3D platforming genre. The presentation of this game is on an entirely different level compared to other games around this time, going for a more darker comic book style, while having these big unique levels to play around in. The music also breathes life into each area, with France being a perfect example of how the world and music create a very distinct feeling. Though some of the models now, and how they act during cutscenes is a bit dated, I think it definitely is the quintessential way to present these characters. Something that I believe Sly 4 failed to do.
Gameplay-wise, the game’s many missions are all usually pretty different from one another. Each mission perfectly leading up to a heist in where you steal each Clockwerk part. I do feel as though Sly is a much better character to play, but Murray and Bentley break up his sections pretty well. It’s a shame that Sly is just overall the best character to play because of them not giving much new options to these alternate characters, but playing with their unique strengths during missions definitely can make you see the plusses in their designs.
Gadgets are really only useful for Sly, as the other characters usually aren’t put in positions in their missions where you’d have to need them. With Sly, most of the gadgets are a waste of Gold, with only a few really being anything of note like the Smoke Bomb. With Gold being a major commodity, and the Clue Bottles giving you new moves and skill, it is disappointing that a few of them completely overshadow the rest.
Bosses sadly aren’t a very great highlight of this game, as they’re usually very easy or fall into a very obvious pattern. However, each boss does feel unique as each have a sort of gimmick in how you defeat them, and playing as a different character can make them just feel fresh. Such as the Rajan and Murray, and the Jean Bison and Bentley fight.
Plot wise, the game really leans in on the strengths of its presentation. The game really uses it’s darker sort of art style to present a darker full of game. The feeling of dread for Clockwerk returning, the mystery of the Klaww Gang, and the real truth of Neyla’s intentions create a game where nothing is what it seems, and can surprise you on every corner. I do believe the main antagonist of this game was sort of a let down, and most likely one of the worst bosses in the series, but that’s definitely not enough for me to say anything less than how amazing this game’s plot is.
In conclusion, this game is a fantastic follow up to Sly 1. Giving each character a moment to shine, makes the gang actually feel like a team, and progressing the new tone for the series. From a gameplay perspective, though there’s a few hiccups, and the game is not fully balanced to not want you to just play as Sly, almost all of the missions are complete blasts. The Control is also something to note, where just running around on roof tops and using the O button to grab onto actionable areas really enhances the idea that you are a Master Theif.
Definitely a different type of 3D platformer rather than the common collectathon, Sly 2 is a unique and beautiful entry to the series. A game that I definitely recommend to those who are a fan of 3D platformers.
Good:
- Excellent Music and Sound Design. The more atmospheric songs really bring the environments to life, and the times when the music wants to get the blood pumping it works.
- Great Art Design with detailed environments. The game also uses a very distinct style, where the maps are designed with slopes and angles to its geometry. Making it so that each level is distinct from other worlds in the same genre, and thus making them rememberable .
- Gripping narrative that even retroactively makes the previous game’s plot even more important. Sets up that fear of Clockwerk way better than the previous game. Though I’d even argue that the plot is strong enough to stand on its own, with just the looming threat of Clockwerk being explained brilliantly.
- Fun and Varied Missions that make use out of the myriad of the game’s mechanics.
- New playable characters that make it so each job feels like a breath of fresh air.
- Clue Bottles that make each area fun to explore.
- Amazing control, where it makes platforming around the new open worlds really feel like Sly is at home.
Bad:
- Certain levels like Rajan Stage 2, or the final level can feel too big and be a pain to explore.
- Sly is the only useful character in exploration, and finding the clue bottles. Making it so you only use Bentley and Murray for missions.
- Sly is also the most fun to play out of any of the team by a wide margin, something which Sly 3 fixed by giving characters more mobility.
- Most gadgets are unneeded or just not good. Also grinding for coins can be a really big hassle.
- Plot-Wise, the main baddy is sort of a giant let down, and makes me wish we had the old Clockwerk back.
Overall, the game is a master class is the 3D platforming genre. The presentation of this game is on an entirely different level compared to other games around this time, going for a more darker comic book style, while having these big unique levels to play around in. The music also breathes life into each area, with France being a perfect example of how the world and music create a very distinct feeling. Though some of the models now, and how they act during cutscenes is a bit dated, I think it definitely is the quintessential way to present these characters. Something that I believe Sly 4 failed to do.
Gameplay-wise, the game’s many missions are all usually pretty different from one another. Each mission perfectly leading up to a heist in where you steal each Clockwerk part. I do feel as though Sly is a much better character to play, but Murray and Bentley break up his sections pretty well. It’s a shame that Sly is just overall the best character to play because of them not giving much new options to these alternate characters, but playing with their unique strengths during missions definitely can make you see the plusses in their designs.
Gadgets are really only useful for Sly, as the other characters usually aren’t put in positions in their missions where you’d have to need them. With Sly, most of the gadgets are a waste of Gold, with only a few really being anything of note like the Smoke Bomb. With Gold being a major commodity, and the Clue Bottles giving you new moves and skill, it is disappointing that a few of them completely overshadow the rest.
Bosses sadly aren’t a very great highlight of this game, as they’re usually very easy or fall into a very obvious pattern. However, each boss does feel unique as each have a sort of gimmick in how you defeat them, and playing as a different character can make them just feel fresh. Such as the Rajan and Murray, and the Jean Bison and Bentley fight.
Plot wise, the game really leans in on the strengths of its presentation. The game really uses it’s darker sort of art style to present a darker full of game. The feeling of dread for Clockwerk returning, the mystery of the Klaww Gang, and the real truth of Neyla’s intentions create a game where nothing is what it seems, and can surprise you on every corner. I do believe the main antagonist of this game was sort of a let down, and most likely one of the worst bosses in the series, but that’s definitely not enough for me to say anything less than how amazing this game’s plot is.
In conclusion, this game is a fantastic follow up to Sly 1. Giving each character a moment to shine, makes the gang actually feel like a team, and progressing the new tone for the series. From a gameplay perspective, though there’s a few hiccups, and the game is not fully balanced to not want you to just play as Sly, almost all of the missions are complete blasts. The Control is also something to note, where just running around on roof tops and using the O button to grab onto actionable areas really enhances the idea that you are a Master Theif.
Definitely a different type of 3D platformer rather than the common collectathon, Sly 2 is a unique and beautiful entry to the series. A game that I definitely recommend to those who are a fan of 3D platformers.
1997
This review contains spoilers
Overall: 2.2/10
Good:
- Faster than both Belmont’s Revenge and The Adventure though not by much without Burst.
- Cool new powers that one can cycle through in order to give replayability.
- “Burst Mode” speeds up the game considerably, and is fun to go around feeling overpowered.
Bad:
- Game consistently tries to add exploration elements, but refuses to add alternate pathways to a lot of these. So a lot of this game is dead ends, looking for objects to get an ending which is just a paragraph of lore.
- Stage design and enemy design specifically in Stage 3/4 are so cluttered that it makes it genuinely unfun even with your new added option to your kit.
- Boss Design can be argued to be the best in the Game Boy set of games, but a lot of them just expect the player to have burst. Like the enemy design, the game often throws many projectiles or are way faster than Sonia. Basically forcing you to use magic/burst in order to trounce the boss in seconds.
- The Checkpoint before Dracula is very annoying, and even though he’s the best Dracula boss between The Adventure and Belmont’s Revenge, he’s still not fun. Especially his first phase which spams many projectiles at the player.
- Some music tracks like there version of Blood Tears is alright, but is around a 14 second loop which can absolutely get annoying cause of how long the first stage is. Stage 3’s song is also particularly grating to the ears, especially since it is the longest stage in the game.
- Awful Story, which undercuts a lot of the lore that was built up in III and SoTN. Which barely makes sense in terms of the timeline in which we know around the time where Lisa had died.
- Sonia as a protagonist, even though I dislike to use the term, is a Mary Sue. She was born with special powers, always told how great she was/going to be, has a romantic love interest in the series most popular character Alucard, and tries to present herself as the first Belmont as well as the first female Belmont.
- The game also constantly reminds the player through Alucard/Dracula’s cutscenes about how she’s a woman, and how these characters are just shocked that a woman is powerful. Which just felt so on the nose it hurts.
- The Design for Sonia is also horrid. Though many don’t notice it because it’s in the manual. However the design is just so bleh and tacky, especially when the series is hot off the tails of women like SoTN’s Maria Renard outfit.
Overall, as an origin story it is a complete failure. The stage design, the enemy design, the boss design are all just huge detriments to this game. In some aspects, it can even be as weak as The Adventure. Trying to do something akin to a Metroidvania on the GameBoy was a mistake, especially since they did not give an adequate understanding on how long and tedious backtracking can be cause of the dead ends.
The new powers and burst system are definitely unique, but certain things like time stop is just way too over centralizing. Making the rest of the weapons sort of redundant. Especially since on Bosses, the best option is always just to use Burst on them, because bosses are usually hell without it. Especially Phase 1 Dracula who can absolutely man handle Sonia, and spit you out on a Checkpoint 5 mins away.
The story is awful, and the dialogue can just be utterly cringey. Especially Alucard’s who, even though he would be younger, has done a complete 180 on his personality.
Though I can understand the want for a strong female character in the series, and a female Belmont, this game is definitely one of the worst ways to write a female character.
Especially since a lot of her dialogue is stealing from Richter’s Japanese Dialogue from SoTN/Rondo with characters acting stunned that a woman is kicking their ass.
In conclusion, Legends story deserves to disappear from the main canon. Perhaps one day we will get a female Belmont, however this attempt at an origin story is far surpassed by Lament of Innocence, and the portrayal of the main character falls into something like a bad fanfiction rather than the literary succession to Symphony of the Night.
The Extras are annoying to collect, stages are bad to explore, bosses and enemies are either laughably easy with Burst mode, or they’re long and drawn out with an overuse of projectiles.
Like The Adventure, I recommend to stay away from this game. I would only really play it if just the idea of a female Belmont interested you, or if you’re curious on just all of the games in the series. The reason why I think this game is better than The Adventure, because at least it runs consistently and lacks much of the lag from the first Game Boy’s outing.
Good:
- Faster than both Belmont’s Revenge and The Adventure though not by much without Burst.
- Cool new powers that one can cycle through in order to give replayability.
- “Burst Mode” speeds up the game considerably, and is fun to go around feeling overpowered.
Bad:
- Game consistently tries to add exploration elements, but refuses to add alternate pathways to a lot of these. So a lot of this game is dead ends, looking for objects to get an ending which is just a paragraph of lore.
- Stage design and enemy design specifically in Stage 3/4 are so cluttered that it makes it genuinely unfun even with your new added option to your kit.
- Boss Design can be argued to be the best in the Game Boy set of games, but a lot of them just expect the player to have burst. Like the enemy design, the game often throws many projectiles or are way faster than Sonia. Basically forcing you to use magic/burst in order to trounce the boss in seconds.
- The Checkpoint before Dracula is very annoying, and even though he’s the best Dracula boss between The Adventure and Belmont’s Revenge, he’s still not fun. Especially his first phase which spams many projectiles at the player.
- Some music tracks like there version of Blood Tears is alright, but is around a 14 second loop which can absolutely get annoying cause of how long the first stage is. Stage 3’s song is also particularly grating to the ears, especially since it is the longest stage in the game.
- Awful Story, which undercuts a lot of the lore that was built up in III and SoTN. Which barely makes sense in terms of the timeline in which we know around the time where Lisa had died.
- Sonia as a protagonist, even though I dislike to use the term, is a Mary Sue. She was born with special powers, always told how great she was/going to be, has a romantic love interest in the series most popular character Alucard, and tries to present herself as the first Belmont as well as the first female Belmont.
- The game also constantly reminds the player through Alucard/Dracula’s cutscenes about how she’s a woman, and how these characters are just shocked that a woman is powerful. Which just felt so on the nose it hurts.
- The Design for Sonia is also horrid. Though many don’t notice it because it’s in the manual. However the design is just so bleh and tacky, especially when the series is hot off the tails of women like SoTN’s Maria Renard outfit.
Overall, as an origin story it is a complete failure. The stage design, the enemy design, the boss design are all just huge detriments to this game. In some aspects, it can even be as weak as The Adventure. Trying to do something akin to a Metroidvania on the GameBoy was a mistake, especially since they did not give an adequate understanding on how long and tedious backtracking can be cause of the dead ends.
The new powers and burst system are definitely unique, but certain things like time stop is just way too over centralizing. Making the rest of the weapons sort of redundant. Especially since on Bosses, the best option is always just to use Burst on them, because bosses are usually hell without it. Especially Phase 1 Dracula who can absolutely man handle Sonia, and spit you out on a Checkpoint 5 mins away.
The story is awful, and the dialogue can just be utterly cringey. Especially Alucard’s who, even though he would be younger, has done a complete 180 on his personality.
Though I can understand the want for a strong female character in the series, and a female Belmont, this game is definitely one of the worst ways to write a female character.
Especially since a lot of her dialogue is stealing from Richter’s Japanese Dialogue from SoTN/Rondo with characters acting stunned that a woman is kicking their ass.
In conclusion, Legends story deserves to disappear from the main canon. Perhaps one day we will get a female Belmont, however this attempt at an origin story is far surpassed by Lament of Innocence, and the portrayal of the main character falls into something like a bad fanfiction rather than the literary succession to Symphony of the Night.
The Extras are annoying to collect, stages are bad to explore, bosses and enemies are either laughably easy with Burst mode, or they’re long and drawn out with an overuse of projectiles.
Like The Adventure, I recommend to stay away from this game. I would only really play it if just the idea of a female Belmont interested you, or if you’re curious on just all of the games in the series. The reason why I think this game is better than The Adventure, because at least it runs consistently and lacks much of the lag from the first Game Boy’s outing.
Overall: 3/10
Good:
- Good Musical Compositions.
- Great and atmospheric graphics for the NES.
- Gave a story that reverberated across the franchise. Leading the series to be what it is today.
Bad:
- Grinding for Hearts is necessary and the punishment for game overing is losing all collected hearts.
- Botched Translation.
- Guide needed to progress far into the game.
- Meh Enemy design.
- Few bosses, and they are all painfully easy. One is even not required in order to beat the game.
- Though compositions are sound, the game has like 6 tracks, and they loop every 20 seconds. 3 of those tracks are what you will be listening to constantly until the end or you enter one of the villages.
-Invisible blocks you can easily fall into, and are indistinguishable from regular blocks. Thus filling a lot of mansions with the player just spamming Holy Water to make sure they won’t fall.
Not really much to say for this game. It’s an early Metroidvania, but has absolutely nothing to it outside of its presentation. Especially since the actual means to progress in this game is locked behind a subscription to Nintendo Power. Even with access to the internet, the only fun you could possibly have with this game is figuring out how to progress. With considering how bad the game is in teaching you the progression, partly due to the bad translation, and partly how asinine this game is in with its cryptic steps to find mansions.
With the game/boss/enemy design being as bad as it is, the novelty of this game cannot override its many baffling design decisions.
Good:
- Good Musical Compositions.
- Great and atmospheric graphics for the NES.
- Gave a story that reverberated across the franchise. Leading the series to be what it is today.
Bad:
- Grinding for Hearts is necessary and the punishment for game overing is losing all collected hearts.
- Botched Translation.
- Guide needed to progress far into the game.
- Meh Enemy design.
- Few bosses, and they are all painfully easy. One is even not required in order to beat the game.
- Though compositions are sound, the game has like 6 tracks, and they loop every 20 seconds. 3 of those tracks are what you will be listening to constantly until the end or you enter one of the villages.
-Invisible blocks you can easily fall into, and are indistinguishable from regular blocks. Thus filling a lot of mansions with the player just spamming Holy Water to make sure they won’t fall.
Not really much to say for this game. It’s an early Metroidvania, but has absolutely nothing to it outside of its presentation. Especially since the actual means to progress in this game is locked behind a subscription to Nintendo Power. Even with access to the internet, the only fun you could possibly have with this game is figuring out how to progress. With considering how bad the game is in teaching you the progression, partly due to the bad translation, and partly how asinine this game is in with its cryptic steps to find mansions.
With the game/boss/enemy design being as bad as it is, the novelty of this game cannot override its many baffling design decisions.
This review contains spoilers
Overall: 9/10
Good:
- The most balanced Metroidvania in the series. Making it so there aren’t too many overcentralizing weapons/strategies.
- Features the best boss design in the series. Where the bosses are always dynamic in how they will attack and how the player will respond to them, and takes into account the souls/equipment the player will have at the time of their encounter.
- Souls are way more varied than they are in Aria of Sorrow.
- A great escalation of movement abilities from the time you start off.
- Presentation in everything but the official art is top notch. Great attention to detail, fun Easter eggs, and amazing music make this game an absolute joy to the senses.
- Julius mode is a pretty fun alternative way to play Dawn.
- Soma as a character has improved from being mostly a generic protagonist to someone who has drive and importance in driving the story. Something that Soma in Aria lacked until after the fight with Graham.
Bad:
- Plot is overly contrived, with many stupid reasons as to why certain characters not being able to help out. Such as Julius not being able to help out due to Grand Crossing a random door, Yoko being shunned from helping by Julius, or Arikado having his “magic reversed”. Just overall makes the games plot feel messy, when it did make sense why certain characters didn’t/couldn’t help in Aria.
- Villains are some of the weakest in the series. Celia is supposedly the big bad and yet you can’t even fight her, Dimitri is only in 3 entire scenes in the game, and Dario is just a one note gangster.
- Characters writing are overly flanderized from their portrayals in Aria. Hammer constantly talks about Yoko, Julius just immediately turns into some edgy “don’t get in my way” type of character, Arikado just loses that mysterious and competent edge to him, and Yoko is just “woman”. Which unironically was better than what they did with her in Aria.
- The Anime Artsyle is ugly on characters from Aria, and a lot of the design changes are not welcome. Julius looks like he’s Fred’s Dad from Scooby Doo, Arikado went from mysterious badass to pale looking man, and while Soma’s design is an improvement from Aria, his art design is not consistent in key art, and just looks so generic. Harmony of Despair later gave him the Kojima design, and it was however a welcome improvement.
- Souls have very low percent chances of being had. Of my 3 play throughs of this game, where I killed quite a number of enemies, I only got 3-5 Bullet Souls that weren’t either required or given to me. Which hurts a lot of this game for me, since the souls are a main focus of Dawn’s gameplay.
- Weapons may be balanced, however they’re now filled with end lag and start up lag. Though the enemy design usually takes into account for this, and there are techniques the player to do to cancel the lag, ultimately the weapons don’t feel as fun to mess around with compared to Portrait of Ruin.
- Yoko’s weapon transmutation system relies on getting souls in order to turn bad weapons/low attack weapons into good weapons. However, since soul rates are very small, it can be 10’s of mins of flat grinding for a specific soul to get up your attack points just a few points. Overall just a botched and unneeded system.
- The worst final boss fight in the series.
- The Sealing system is an unnecessary addition to the game, that just exists to force touch screen controls into the game. Which I wouldn’t mind so much, if the game stopped misreading inputs and having to refight a boss everytime I “mess up”.
Overall, I do love Dawn of Sorrow. It’s one of my favorite games in the series, however the choice to anime everyone up, and just thoroughly assassinate their characters made this the worst plot line in any of the series with a large plot structure.
The very rare soul rates, and the lag on a lot of the weapon types sadly make sense he combat and options the player has pretty small unless you go out of your way to grind. The weapons also with the really high attack, are locked behind a system that requires you to grind for even more souls, which just extends the grinding even more.
The bosses in this game are phenomenal, and though they’re pretty meh and generic until after Dario 1, bosses like Puppet Master, Paranoia, Aguni, and even Gergoth. There are a few duds like the final boss/Rahab, but overall these are cuts above games like SoTN/PoR/Aria in terms of boss design.
The game’s enemy design is also quite good for Soma, with fighting each enemy giving the chance of giving a completely new Soul, it can be addicting to fight everyone you fight. Whenever you get that soul, it can be a rush to see what I can do, and that’s really that moment to moment gameplay that Dawn exceeds in.
In conclusion, my feelings on this game are very complicated. The poor sealing system, the laggy weapon system, the over reliance of grinding for souls to have a varied play session are pretty big knocks against it. However this game shines in aspects where it is the gold standard, and though the art/plot is one of the series lows.
Even through that, this game is a remarkable experience and for those who loved SoTN, I believe that in most ways this game utterly and handily beats it.
Good:
- The most balanced Metroidvania in the series. Making it so there aren’t too many overcentralizing weapons/strategies.
- Features the best boss design in the series. Where the bosses are always dynamic in how they will attack and how the player will respond to them, and takes into account the souls/equipment the player will have at the time of their encounter.
- Souls are way more varied than they are in Aria of Sorrow.
- A great escalation of movement abilities from the time you start off.
- Presentation in everything but the official art is top notch. Great attention to detail, fun Easter eggs, and amazing music make this game an absolute joy to the senses.
- Julius mode is a pretty fun alternative way to play Dawn.
- Soma as a character has improved from being mostly a generic protagonist to someone who has drive and importance in driving the story. Something that Soma in Aria lacked until after the fight with Graham.
Bad:
- Plot is overly contrived, with many stupid reasons as to why certain characters not being able to help out. Such as Julius not being able to help out due to Grand Crossing a random door, Yoko being shunned from helping by Julius, or Arikado having his “magic reversed”. Just overall makes the games plot feel messy, when it did make sense why certain characters didn’t/couldn’t help in Aria.
- Villains are some of the weakest in the series. Celia is supposedly the big bad and yet you can’t even fight her, Dimitri is only in 3 entire scenes in the game, and Dario is just a one note gangster.
- Characters writing are overly flanderized from their portrayals in Aria. Hammer constantly talks about Yoko, Julius just immediately turns into some edgy “don’t get in my way” type of character, Arikado just loses that mysterious and competent edge to him, and Yoko is just “woman”. Which unironically was better than what they did with her in Aria.
- The Anime Artsyle is ugly on characters from Aria, and a lot of the design changes are not welcome. Julius looks like he’s Fred’s Dad from Scooby Doo, Arikado went from mysterious badass to pale looking man, and while Soma’s design is an improvement from Aria, his art design is not consistent in key art, and just looks so generic. Harmony of Despair later gave him the Kojima design, and it was however a welcome improvement.
- Souls have very low percent chances of being had. Of my 3 play throughs of this game, where I killed quite a number of enemies, I only got 3-5 Bullet Souls that weren’t either required or given to me. Which hurts a lot of this game for me, since the souls are a main focus of Dawn’s gameplay.
- Weapons may be balanced, however they’re now filled with end lag and start up lag. Though the enemy design usually takes into account for this, and there are techniques the player to do to cancel the lag, ultimately the weapons don’t feel as fun to mess around with compared to Portrait of Ruin.
- Yoko’s weapon transmutation system relies on getting souls in order to turn bad weapons/low attack weapons into good weapons. However, since soul rates are very small, it can be 10’s of mins of flat grinding for a specific soul to get up your attack points just a few points. Overall just a botched and unneeded system.
- The worst final boss fight in the series.
- The Sealing system is an unnecessary addition to the game, that just exists to force touch screen controls into the game. Which I wouldn’t mind so much, if the game stopped misreading inputs and having to refight a boss everytime I “mess up”.
Overall, I do love Dawn of Sorrow. It’s one of my favorite games in the series, however the choice to anime everyone up, and just thoroughly assassinate their characters made this the worst plot line in any of the series with a large plot structure.
The very rare soul rates, and the lag on a lot of the weapon types sadly make sense he combat and options the player has pretty small unless you go out of your way to grind. The weapons also with the really high attack, are locked behind a system that requires you to grind for even more souls, which just extends the grinding even more.
The bosses in this game are phenomenal, and though they’re pretty meh and generic until after Dario 1, bosses like Puppet Master, Paranoia, Aguni, and even Gergoth. There are a few duds like the final boss/Rahab, but overall these are cuts above games like SoTN/PoR/Aria in terms of boss design.
The game’s enemy design is also quite good for Soma, with fighting each enemy giving the chance of giving a completely new Soul, it can be addicting to fight everyone you fight. Whenever you get that soul, it can be a rush to see what I can do, and that’s really that moment to moment gameplay that Dawn exceeds in.
In conclusion, my feelings on this game are very complicated. The poor sealing system, the laggy weapon system, the over reliance of grinding for souls to have a varied play session are pretty big knocks against it. However this game shines in aspects where it is the gold standard, and though the art/plot is one of the series lows.
Even through that, this game is a remarkable experience and for those who loved SoTN, I believe that in most ways this game utterly and handily beats it.
Overall: 2/10
Good:
- Well composed and memorable music.
- The Flame Whip, when had, is a fun mechanic to use against enemies.
Bad:
- Constant Lag throughout the entire game. Even if it’s just Christopher on screen.
- Long stages, where the game constantly tries to trick you into cheap deaths. Game Overing is especially bad because of this.
- Very short game at only 4 Stages.
- Annoying/Cheap bosses like Dracula, to just overall snooze fests like the rest of the games bosses.
- Lack of Subweapons decreases the versatility of the Player’s options.
- Horrible enemy design where the game tried to position enemies/obstacles above you or at angles like Bats. Which is bad cause there’s no subweapons like older games to counter this.
- Getting hit by cheap enemy placement is constant. With the mechanic of getting hit losing the Flame Whip, you’re often just left with an unupgraded whip.
Overall one of the worst games in the series, if not THE worst depending on who you ask. With inconsistent gameplay, a laggy frame rate, bad boss design, bad stage design, bad enemy design, and just Christopher having way less options than any Belmont before or after him, it becomes obvious as to why this game is as panned as much as it is.
I would recommend those who want to play the entirety of the series skip this one, or leave it for last. This and Legends are both a colossal embarrassment on the series, and though one could argue that some of Legend’s faults are due to the hardware, this game is just rotten to the core.
Good:
- Well composed and memorable music.
- The Flame Whip, when had, is a fun mechanic to use against enemies.
Bad:
- Constant Lag throughout the entire game. Even if it’s just Christopher on screen.
- Long stages, where the game constantly tries to trick you into cheap deaths. Game Overing is especially bad because of this.
- Very short game at only 4 Stages.
- Annoying/Cheap bosses like Dracula, to just overall snooze fests like the rest of the games bosses.
- Lack of Subweapons decreases the versatility of the Player’s options.
- Horrible enemy design where the game tried to position enemies/obstacles above you or at angles like Bats. Which is bad cause there’s no subweapons like older games to counter this.
- Getting hit by cheap enemy placement is constant. With the mechanic of getting hit losing the Flame Whip, you’re often just left with an unupgraded whip.
Overall one of the worst games in the series, if not THE worst depending on who you ask. With inconsistent gameplay, a laggy frame rate, bad boss design, bad stage design, bad enemy design, and just Christopher having way less options than any Belmont before or after him, it becomes obvious as to why this game is as panned as much as it is.
I would recommend those who want to play the entirety of the series skip this one, or leave it for last. This and Legends are both a colossal embarrassment on the series, and though one could argue that some of Legend’s faults are due to the hardware, this game is just rotten to the core.
1999
Overall: 8.5/10
Good:
- The art style, and models are so distinct and charming compared to the rest of the series.
- Game is fast paced with Year 1 crammed with deadlines/things to do everyday. Each day being short makes it so the player has to plan their day out before they even walk out the door.
- Even with the botched translation, the games writing is stellar. Many characters have hidden thoughts, feelings, and trauma’s that have shaped who they are. The more adult themes of alcoholism, betrayal, depression etc, make this game’s characters gripping.
- The game’s callbacks to Harvest Moon for the SNES make the player connected to a larger universe. Whether you have played the last game or not, the thought that the main character from the last game died and gifted you the farm, feels like a passing of the torch.
- The writing and visuals can give some beautiful moments that will be remembered by those who have played the game.
- Festivals are fun distractions that break up the monotony of every day work, and often times are pretty fun to participate in.
- Character’s writing change in increments to having a higher affection with the player. Making it so that when a character finally opens up to you, it feels natural.
- Power Nuts/Recipes give a fun collectible in your play though in tandem with finding all the special pictures.
- Many Glitches that can enhance the playthrough, in how one plays the game.
- The town is more modeled on how older rural Japanese towns used to be. Thus, the game prides itself on a sense of community with the player. Whereas in games like Stardew Valley, the character is very independent and usually does everything by himself. Here, characters can constantly stop by the farm to talk, to mention festivals, to give gifts, and to tell you certain facts about the Village. Creating a great feeling of attachment to Flowerbud Village.
Bad:
- Translation is very unnatural and filled with typos
- Many Glitches that can either crash your game, or can make the game far too easy if used. (Though it is ultimately up to you to use those exploits)
- Without a guide, you will miss a lot of the game’s chances to get 100%. Once certain characters leave, they’re gone for good. Getting all of the pictures also requires a strict schedule that needs a guide to outline for the player.
- Game Crashes sometimes on Rainy Days
- After Year 1, the game doesn’t have much to do in terms of deadlines. Leading to the player feeling like they’re not working towards much.
- Not much to buy with gold after you have all Home Extensions, so farming becomes superfluous outside of using produce to give gifts.
- Farming is almost as basic as SNES. Only 7 crops are in the game, and after you get the Green House, Corn becomes the only thing that’s good anymore. Though after you get the greenhouse, you most likely won’t need much gold anyway.
- Lots of dialogue cut from English release such as the Library being gutted, and the entertainment channel being gone.
- Having to go into your menu to take out items unlike BTN/SV/Most other farming games where you can just cycle through your inventory, makes a lot of farming like pulling teeth.
Though the farming in this game is a huge minus in comparison to most farming games. The core of this game lies within its heart. A game that focuses a lot on its characters, the main character finding what life really means, and the community of Flowerbud Village. Though this game needed a heavy amount of polish before it’s release, the aspects that are there are still good.
The writing for the characters is wonderful and charming, the aesthetic of the game just sucks you in, you really start to feel like Jack/Pete. A growing connection to this community of characters, where you will ask for their help and they will ask for yours.
The journey to get the Party Picture for me was one of the greatest gaming experiences of my life. I recommend picking up Gerry’s Guide on the game if you want to go for an all Pictures run like me.
This game has many problems, but I’d be remiss to say that this isn’t one of my most treasured Video Games, and an experience I will never forget in my life.
Good:
- The art style, and models are so distinct and charming compared to the rest of the series.
- Game is fast paced with Year 1 crammed with deadlines/things to do everyday. Each day being short makes it so the player has to plan their day out before they even walk out the door.
- Even with the botched translation, the games writing is stellar. Many characters have hidden thoughts, feelings, and trauma’s that have shaped who they are. The more adult themes of alcoholism, betrayal, depression etc, make this game’s characters gripping.
- The game’s callbacks to Harvest Moon for the SNES make the player connected to a larger universe. Whether you have played the last game or not, the thought that the main character from the last game died and gifted you the farm, feels like a passing of the torch.
- The writing and visuals can give some beautiful moments that will be remembered by those who have played the game.
- Festivals are fun distractions that break up the monotony of every day work, and often times are pretty fun to participate in.
- Character’s writing change in increments to having a higher affection with the player. Making it so that when a character finally opens up to you, it feels natural.
- Power Nuts/Recipes give a fun collectible in your play though in tandem with finding all the special pictures.
- Many Glitches that can enhance the playthrough, in how one plays the game.
- The town is more modeled on how older rural Japanese towns used to be. Thus, the game prides itself on a sense of community with the player. Whereas in games like Stardew Valley, the character is very independent and usually does everything by himself. Here, characters can constantly stop by the farm to talk, to mention festivals, to give gifts, and to tell you certain facts about the Village. Creating a great feeling of attachment to Flowerbud Village.
Bad:
- Translation is very unnatural and filled with typos
- Many Glitches that can either crash your game, or can make the game far too easy if used. (Though it is ultimately up to you to use those exploits)
- Without a guide, you will miss a lot of the game’s chances to get 100%. Once certain characters leave, they’re gone for good. Getting all of the pictures also requires a strict schedule that needs a guide to outline for the player.
- Game Crashes sometimes on Rainy Days
- After Year 1, the game doesn’t have much to do in terms of deadlines. Leading to the player feeling like they’re not working towards much.
- Not much to buy with gold after you have all Home Extensions, so farming becomes superfluous outside of using produce to give gifts.
- Farming is almost as basic as SNES. Only 7 crops are in the game, and after you get the Green House, Corn becomes the only thing that’s good anymore. Though after you get the greenhouse, you most likely won’t need much gold anyway.
- Lots of dialogue cut from English release such as the Library being gutted, and the entertainment channel being gone.
- Having to go into your menu to take out items unlike BTN/SV/Most other farming games where you can just cycle through your inventory, makes a lot of farming like pulling teeth.
Though the farming in this game is a huge minus in comparison to most farming games. The core of this game lies within its heart. A game that focuses a lot on its characters, the main character finding what life really means, and the community of Flowerbud Village. Though this game needed a heavy amount of polish before it’s release, the aspects that are there are still good.
The writing for the characters is wonderful and charming, the aesthetic of the game just sucks you in, you really start to feel like Jack/Pete. A growing connection to this community of characters, where you will ask for their help and they will ask for yours.
The journey to get the Party Picture for me was one of the greatest gaming experiences of my life. I recommend picking up Gerry’s Guide on the game if you want to go for an all Pictures run like me.
This game has many problems, but I’d be remiss to say that this isn’t one of my most treasured Video Games, and an experience I will never forget in my life.
Overall: 9.6/10
Good:
- Some of the best Stage Design in the series.
- Enemies are varied, and many have complex AI that determines there next moves.
- Richter’s Control is absolutely perfect and perfects the “Fixed Jump” Control Method.
- Best Boss Fights in the series with the “Crouch and Whip” method from other games in the series like Super Castlevania 4’s being unusable. Bosses demand attention, are constantly on the move, and are fair to the player’s abilities.
- Fun Easy Mode in Maria Renard.
- Some of the greatest Music Pieces in Gaming History.
- Some of the best Sprite art of any game period.
- Alternate pathways, coupled with multiple characters make replayability a huge factor in its greatness.
- Lots of fun Easter eggs like the Ferry Man’s secrets in Stage 2’ and Stage 4’.
- The real first game to try and interconnect the Castlevania universe in a meaningful way. Many references to Castlevania 1, 2, 3, Chronicles (which was being developed in tandem with Rondo), and Haunted Castle are peppered all throughout this game.
- Great balance between Sub Weapons that can only really be compared to it’s sister game Dracula X.
Bad:
- To accommodate for alternate pathways, many stages feel very short in order to save on space.
- Music doesn’t loop correctly which is distracting.
- Maria can at times feel less like a proper alternative way to play Rondo, and more of just an Easy mode. Which while fun, she doesn’t take advantage of the great stage/enemy design like Richter can.
- Stage 5’, Bat Bridge, and Stage 2’s alternate path are unfair and rely too much on randomness/bottomless pits in order to trick the player into dying.
- How to save the Doctor’s daughter in Stage 4’ requires a guide to figure out.
One of the best 2D platforming games of all time. A spectacle in game design, with enemies that have multiple options on how they’d attack you depending on how you approached them. Bosses that are dynamic, and put you on your toes to really get the most out of Richter’s control style.
Fun and varied stages abound which brim with replayability in how to go through them. Music and Sprite are that look like they’re from the next generation of hardware, mixed with some references that marks the turning point of Castlevania as a franchise.
It’s truly evident that this game was the stepping stone the series needed to get to games like Symphony of the Night.
Though in my opinion, this game is even better than the Metroidvania’s that came after it. The control, the stage design, the enemy design, the bosses are really never beaten in comparison to this game. It’s truly something spectacular, and if you haven’t played Rondo of Blood, it has my highest recommendation.
Good:
- Some of the best Stage Design in the series.
- Enemies are varied, and many have complex AI that determines there next moves.
- Richter’s Control is absolutely perfect and perfects the “Fixed Jump” Control Method.
- Best Boss Fights in the series with the “Crouch and Whip” method from other games in the series like Super Castlevania 4’s being unusable. Bosses demand attention, are constantly on the move, and are fair to the player’s abilities.
- Fun Easy Mode in Maria Renard.
- Some of the greatest Music Pieces in Gaming History.
- Some of the best Sprite art of any game period.
- Alternate pathways, coupled with multiple characters make replayability a huge factor in its greatness.
- Lots of fun Easter eggs like the Ferry Man’s secrets in Stage 2’ and Stage 4’.
- The real first game to try and interconnect the Castlevania universe in a meaningful way. Many references to Castlevania 1, 2, 3, Chronicles (which was being developed in tandem with Rondo), and Haunted Castle are peppered all throughout this game.
- Great balance between Sub Weapons that can only really be compared to it’s sister game Dracula X.
Bad:
- To accommodate for alternate pathways, many stages feel very short in order to save on space.
- Music doesn’t loop correctly which is distracting.
- Maria can at times feel less like a proper alternative way to play Rondo, and more of just an Easy mode. Which while fun, she doesn’t take advantage of the great stage/enemy design like Richter can.
- Stage 5’, Bat Bridge, and Stage 2’s alternate path are unfair and rely too much on randomness/bottomless pits in order to trick the player into dying.
- How to save the Doctor’s daughter in Stage 4’ requires a guide to figure out.
One of the best 2D platforming games of all time. A spectacle in game design, with enemies that have multiple options on how they’d attack you depending on how you approached them. Bosses that are dynamic, and put you on your toes to really get the most out of Richter’s control style.
Fun and varied stages abound which brim with replayability in how to go through them. Music and Sprite are that look like they’re from the next generation of hardware, mixed with some references that marks the turning point of Castlevania as a franchise.
It’s truly evident that this game was the stepping stone the series needed to get to games like Symphony of the Night.
Though in my opinion, this game is even better than the Metroidvania’s that came after it. The control, the stage design, the enemy design, the bosses are really never beaten in comparison to this game. It’s truly something spectacular, and if you haven’t played Rondo of Blood, it has my highest recommendation.
1998
Overall: 9.7/10
Good:
- Wonderful art style that is adapted to hd perfectly
- Funny and witty dialogue that is instantly rememberable
- Level design is one of the best of any 3d platformers
- Great escalation of abilities that eases you in to the game’s mechanics
- 360: Runs great with absolutely 0 lag, and collected notes being saved gets rid of tedium
- Responsive and tight controls that make it fun to just move around with the duo.
- Some of the greatest composed music in any 3d platformer thanks to grant kirkhope
- Each level has a distinct and wonderful atomsphere/theme which keeps every 30 mins/1 hour fresh
- Lacks modern gaming problem/sequel’s issue where worlds are too big and empty.
- Smaller worlds make it so player is always collecting something, and always feel as though they’re making progress.
Bad:
- Certain levels (Rusty Bucket Bay/Clanker’s Cavern) have an unappealing look, and are based too much around Water. One of the games least fun aspects.
- After replaying the game around 30-40 times, I wish there was another level or two.
- The condensed nature of the stage design did make some levels like Mumbo’s Mountain go by a little too fast. However this problem happens very infrequently.
- A few platforming parts such as the Rusty Bucket Bay Boiler Room feel unfair
- When the player has collected 99 Notes and can’t find the last one, they can be forced to have to recheck a lot of parts of the level to try and find it
- N64: Game had the tendency to lag on occasion when in more expansive
My personal favorite video game/3D platformer of all time. The presentation of this game still beats out most 3D platformers that are coming out to this day. The controls feel tight and responsive no matter if you’re playing on the N64/360. I would say the 360 version/Rare Replay’s is the definitive versions of the game in comparison to the 64’s.
A lot of the 3D platformers that came before/after had a lot of fat. Whether it be Super Mario 64 having to exit and renter a level to collect a star that was right next to the place where they collected the first star, or Banjo Tooie’s expansive level design which falls flat cause the game didn’t have enough to collect to facilitate the level design. Banjo Kazooie had perfectly designed stages, that knew how to make the player feel rewarded even just walking through a stage.
Good:
- Wonderful art style that is adapted to hd perfectly
- Funny and witty dialogue that is instantly rememberable
- Level design is one of the best of any 3d platformers
- Great escalation of abilities that eases you in to the game’s mechanics
- 360: Runs great with absolutely 0 lag, and collected notes being saved gets rid of tedium
- Responsive and tight controls that make it fun to just move around with the duo.
- Some of the greatest composed music in any 3d platformer thanks to grant kirkhope
- Each level has a distinct and wonderful atomsphere/theme which keeps every 30 mins/1 hour fresh
- Lacks modern gaming problem/sequel’s issue where worlds are too big and empty.
- Smaller worlds make it so player is always collecting something, and always feel as though they’re making progress.
Bad:
- Certain levels (Rusty Bucket Bay/Clanker’s Cavern) have an unappealing look, and are based too much around Water. One of the games least fun aspects.
- After replaying the game around 30-40 times, I wish there was another level or two.
- The condensed nature of the stage design did make some levels like Mumbo’s Mountain go by a little too fast. However this problem happens very infrequently.
- A few platforming parts such as the Rusty Bucket Bay Boiler Room feel unfair
- When the player has collected 99 Notes and can’t find the last one, they can be forced to have to recheck a lot of parts of the level to try and find it
- N64: Game had the tendency to lag on occasion when in more expansive
My personal favorite video game/3D platformer of all time. The presentation of this game still beats out most 3D platformers that are coming out to this day. The controls feel tight and responsive no matter if you’re playing on the N64/360. I would say the 360 version/Rare Replay’s is the definitive versions of the game in comparison to the 64’s.
A lot of the 3D platformers that came before/after had a lot of fat. Whether it be Super Mario 64 having to exit and renter a level to collect a star that was right next to the place where they collected the first star, or Banjo Tooie’s expansive level design which falls flat cause the game didn’t have enough to collect to facilitate the level design. Banjo Kazooie had perfectly designed stages, that knew how to make the player feel rewarded even just walking through a stage.
Overall Rating: 9.4/10
Good:
- Great Level Design
- Best Boss Design in the Series and Adds onto that with Some Fun and Inventive Bosses
- Contains the Amazing Original Music and Remixed Music with some added Extras.
- Fun Boss Rush Mode/Boss Rush Multiplayer Mode
- New and Improved Stage 5’ Compared to Original
- Extras Give More Reason to Explore Expansive Stages to 100%
Bad:
- Graphics Are Heavily Dated As Most 2.5D Games on the PSP Usually Are
- Game Doesn’t Perfectly Control Like Rondo
- Wish There Was More Added Content
- Did Not Fix Meh Stage 1/2 of Dracula Which is a Shame Since it’s One of the Few Bad Bosses in Rondo of Blood
One of the best 2D platformers of all time remade for the modern era… or rather the era of the late 2000’s. The Poor Graphics do sour this game, and I do wish that we had more stages/extensions to short stages from Rondo. However, it is undeniable to say that this game doesn’t perfectly lean on the gameplay aspects that made the original great.
The added reasons for exploration only see to enhance the game’s original stage design, and the added bosses perfectly follow the great and dynamic boss design of the original.
While I wouldn’t say in it’s current state it replaces the original, I would say if just a few things were changed, it wouldn’t be crazy to say that this is the definitive version of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood.
Good:
- Great Level Design
- Best Boss Design in the Series and Adds onto that with Some Fun and Inventive Bosses
- Contains the Amazing Original Music and Remixed Music with some added Extras.
- Fun Boss Rush Mode/Boss Rush Multiplayer Mode
- New and Improved Stage 5’ Compared to Original
- Extras Give More Reason to Explore Expansive Stages to 100%
Bad:
- Graphics Are Heavily Dated As Most 2.5D Games on the PSP Usually Are
- Game Doesn’t Perfectly Control Like Rondo
- Wish There Was More Added Content
- Did Not Fix Meh Stage 1/2 of Dracula Which is a Shame Since it’s One of the Few Bad Bosses in Rondo of Blood
One of the best 2D platformers of all time remade for the modern era… or rather the era of the late 2000’s. The Poor Graphics do sour this game, and I do wish that we had more stages/extensions to short stages from Rondo. However, it is undeniable to say that this game doesn’t perfectly lean on the gameplay aspects that made the original great.
The added reasons for exploration only see to enhance the game’s original stage design, and the added bosses perfectly follow the great and dynamic boss design of the original.
While I wouldn’t say in it’s current state it replaces the original, I would say if just a few things were changed, it wouldn’t be crazy to say that this is the definitive version of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood.