Castlevania: Bloodlines is what's considered by many to be another solid entry into the series that has been made more accessible thanks to the Castlevania Anniversary Collection (which I played for this review) and the Genesis Mini back in 2019; and after experiencing it with both characters, I can totally see why
The game takes place in a post-WW1 setting where Elizabeth Bartley, the niece of Dracula, unleashes a global war and use the souls to revive the dark prince. It's crazy to think how vampires can start a world war, but it's whatever
At the start of the game, you are given a choice between two characters; John Morris and Eric Lecarde. John is your typical vampire hunter that plays similarly to all the other Belmonts by whipping horizontally, but can also whip diagonally upward and straight down while jumping with the signature vampire killer. John can also use the whip to swing through ceilings like a grappling hook, which I found fun to use. John also serves as a tangible connection to Bram Stoker's Dracula. While I haven't watched the movie or read the novel myself, I found that to be neat
Eric Lecarde wields the Alucard Spear. While his spear is not as powerful as John's whip, I found him to be the better character out of the two, mainly because he can attack in six different directions and has the neat special ability to make a huge leap when holding down the d-pad or analog stick and releasing it, which can be great for skipping a small chunk of the level like in Stage 4. Both characters have access to the same sub-weapons and have unique abilities for their weapons when upgraded
Rather than being limited to only Dracula's Castle, you're traveling all across Europe, from the flooded city of Greece to the blood fountain that leads to the Versailles Palace of France, all of the six levels are long, more varied, and memorable. I love the visual style of Bloodlines. While it isn't as colorful and detailed as the SNES version, the game provides very richly detailed backgrounds that are striking to look at, like the blood fountain I've mentioned before
This also marks the debut of Michiru Yamane as the composer for the Castlevania series, and she did not disappoint with this soundtrack. From the first stage with Reincarnated Soul to the creepy vibe of The Discolored Wall to the adrenaline-pumping Iron-Blue Intention to the Genesis rendition of Simon's theme, she killed it
Now let's talk about the elephant in the room, the limited continues, which is the sole reason why this game is challenging. You see, I came up with this neat little strategy called utilizing the password system. Doing this helps me learn more about the level and what is a great way to persevere it, making my plan of clearing it come to fruition
Overall, I consider Castlevania: Bloodlines to be one of the best games in the series so far, and one of the best games on the Sega Genesis. When I started playing the 16-bit entries, I come to appreciate how there was room for experimentation when it came to the 4th generation of consoles that became mainstays in the franchise or have simply paid off. From the free movement of how we can wield the whip in Super Castlevania IV, to the alternative pathways and exploration in Rondo of Blood, each game stands out from the rest, and Bloodlines is no exception. While I don't think is the best 16-bit Castlevania game, that still goes to Super Castlevania IV for me; this is a Top 5 for me so far. If you have the Anniversary Collection or Genesis Mini, there is no excuse for you to not play it
The game takes place in a post-WW1 setting where Elizabeth Bartley, the niece of Dracula, unleashes a global war and use the souls to revive the dark prince. It's crazy to think how vampires can start a world war, but it's whatever
At the start of the game, you are given a choice between two characters; John Morris and Eric Lecarde. John is your typical vampire hunter that plays similarly to all the other Belmonts by whipping horizontally, but can also whip diagonally upward and straight down while jumping with the signature vampire killer. John can also use the whip to swing through ceilings like a grappling hook, which I found fun to use. John also serves as a tangible connection to Bram Stoker's Dracula. While I haven't watched the movie or read the novel myself, I found that to be neat
Eric Lecarde wields the Alucard Spear. While his spear is not as powerful as John's whip, I found him to be the better character out of the two, mainly because he can attack in six different directions and has the neat special ability to make a huge leap when holding down the d-pad or analog stick and releasing it, which can be great for skipping a small chunk of the level like in Stage 4. Both characters have access to the same sub-weapons and have unique abilities for their weapons when upgraded
Rather than being limited to only Dracula's Castle, you're traveling all across Europe, from the flooded city of Greece to the blood fountain that leads to the Versailles Palace of France, all of the six levels are long, more varied, and memorable. I love the visual style of Bloodlines. While it isn't as colorful and detailed as the SNES version, the game provides very richly detailed backgrounds that are striking to look at, like the blood fountain I've mentioned before
This also marks the debut of Michiru Yamane as the composer for the Castlevania series, and she did not disappoint with this soundtrack. From the first stage with Reincarnated Soul to the creepy vibe of The Discolored Wall to the adrenaline-pumping Iron-Blue Intention to the Genesis rendition of Simon's theme, she killed it
Now let's talk about the elephant in the room, the limited continues, which is the sole reason why this game is challenging. You see, I came up with this neat little strategy called utilizing the password system. Doing this helps me learn more about the level and what is a great way to persevere it, making my plan of clearing it come to fruition
Overall, I consider Castlevania: Bloodlines to be one of the best games in the series so far, and one of the best games on the Sega Genesis. When I started playing the 16-bit entries, I come to appreciate how there was room for experimentation when it came to the 4th generation of consoles that became mainstays in the franchise or have simply paid off. From the free movement of how we can wield the whip in Super Castlevania IV, to the alternative pathways and exploration in Rondo of Blood, each game stands out from the rest, and Bloodlines is no exception. While I don't think is the best 16-bit Castlevania game, that still goes to Super Castlevania IV for me; this is a Top 5 for me so far. If you have the Anniversary Collection or Genesis Mini, there is no excuse for you to not play it