Holy hell, this was SO good! STUPID good!
I can't believe a remake of my least favorite Classicvania ended up in my Top 3. If it had 8-way whipping, it could honestly topple CV4 for me.
Though, ReBirth's simplicity is what makes it special. Only two buttons; it's you and your whip, no gimmicks, no nonsense. And despite that, I had 0 issues using items on stairs, or any other jank from all other games that came before it. Christopher here controls like a dream. (I LOVE that the whip has a hitbox on the back. Finally some jank in OUR favor!)
Also, can I get an amen for the absence of ropes? They're gone! Losing your fireball powerup is also not a thing, the game uses a timer to dictate how long it'll last instead. While I prefer permanent powerups, this actually encouraged me to try and speedrun through the stages; I don't wanna waste them fireballs!
Visuals here are great, like a PS1 Classicvania we never got or something. I did notice some sprites from Aria of Sorrow cropping up, got a chuckle out of me more than anything.
And how about that KONAMI ORCHESTRA HIT on the soundtrack? I was tapping my feet the whole time, they absolutely nailed the music selection here. Reincarnated Soul, Aquarius, New Messiah, and even the Load BGM got upgraded to stage BGM!
And that Death fight! The red lines before the scythe cut! The big ass scythe covering the whole stage then grinding back on the ground! EASILY my favorite Death fight in any Classicvania, if not the whole series. (Stage 4 mini boss also gets a mention for being a baddie 🙏)
This is pure Classicvania gold. This is sidescrolling gold. If you want to get into the older games, you play Rondo, Castlevania 4, and this. The absolute triad.
I can't believe a remake of my least favorite Classicvania ended up in my Top 3. If it had 8-way whipping, it could honestly topple CV4 for me.
Though, ReBirth's simplicity is what makes it special. Only two buttons; it's you and your whip, no gimmicks, no nonsense. And despite that, I had 0 issues using items on stairs, or any other jank from all other games that came before it. Christopher here controls like a dream. (I LOVE that the whip has a hitbox on the back. Finally some jank in OUR favor!)
Also, can I get an amen for the absence of ropes? They're gone! Losing your fireball powerup is also not a thing, the game uses a timer to dictate how long it'll last instead. While I prefer permanent powerups, this actually encouraged me to try and speedrun through the stages; I don't wanna waste them fireballs!
Visuals here are great, like a PS1 Classicvania we never got or something. I did notice some sprites from Aria of Sorrow cropping up, got a chuckle out of me more than anything.
And how about that KONAMI ORCHESTRA HIT on the soundtrack? I was tapping my feet the whole time, they absolutely nailed the music selection here. Reincarnated Soul, Aquarius, New Messiah, and even the Load BGM got upgraded to stage BGM!
And that Death fight! The red lines before the scythe cut! The big ass scythe covering the whole stage then grinding back on the ground! EASILY my favorite Death fight in any Classicvania, if not the whole series. (Stage 4 mini boss also gets a mention for being a baddie 🙏)
This is pure Classicvania gold. This is sidescrolling gold. If you want to get into the older games, you play Rondo, Castlevania 4, and this. The absolute triad.