Guess I lied, but it won't happen again.
Where do I begin with Super Castlevania IV? I don't really want to write this review for a few reasons. One, there's not much more to say. C4 is exactly the same as C1. But I genuinely didn't enjoy playing Super Castlevania IV. Let's get into the numbers to explain my thoughts
Plot:) There is no additional story from the NES game. It's almost like C4 is a remaster of the first game but with different bosses and an unimportant swinging mechanic. Simon is exactly the same, and Dracula is too. He might be worse, actually, since his second form is lamer. 3/10
Gameplay:) Simon can swing his whip in eight directions now, so that's a huge plus. He can also let it hang and fling it around to aid in killing the plentiful amount of bats. Those are welcome additions, but the swing mechanic is useless. There's no major reason to add it outside of one thing that showcases the power of the new SNES. It just felt like more of the same to me. 6/10
Sound:) Konami used to not miss. 10/10
Art:) See above. There are a few areas, though, that bothered me. One involved waterfalls that obstructed the walkable terrain, and several rooms started to mess with my failing eyesight. 9/10
Charm:) It's just like the first game. 2/10
Negatives:) The "remaster" also includes the difficulty.
Total: 27/50
I was not too fond of Castlevania 1. I've heard many good reviews of Castlevania IV and wanted to see the hype. I regret it now! While it may get more points than its predecessor, I expected more from a game on the SNES. The presentation is all there, but it lacks any depth. I want more from my game experiences, and Castlevania, the older games at least, can't scratch the surface of what I like. I've seen people play the GBA ones, and they ticked more boxes. Somewhere down the line, I'll try to bolster my opinion of the franchise with them, but my attempt at a new addiction has been kicked. And to hell with those spike traps in 8-2!
On the plus side, I added more "IV" to my playlists.
Thursday, November 21, 2024
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Castlevania...with a twist!
So, fun fact: my original goal at the start of the pandemic was to beat Castlevania 1 for the NES. I got to the fifth room and realized this game was hard. It's also not super fun. So I bought a PS2 controller and played Final Fantasy IX, which you can read elsewhere on this blog.
Recently, though, Epic gave away the Castlevania Anniversary Collection for free. It runs like booty on my computer! But I was looking forward to playing it and was undaunted in this premise. But I still suck at the NES game... But there's a fan made remake of Castlevania 1 called Castlevania ReVamped! It remade the game to keep the graphics and music but added in the Metroid part of the Metroidvania genre. It's no longer linear and adds in fun powers to move and fight with. It also runs like booty on my computer... But let's see how it works!
Both Castlevania and ReVamped start the same. Even the opening areas look alike. ReVamped starts with no powers, so all you can do is swing your whip side to side. Pretty quickly, though, ReVamped grants you the power to attack in eight directions. The down attacks are kinda tough to perform, but maybe that's just my terrible rig. You no longer get whip extensions, but a full attack radius is hella rad! And pretty soon, Simon can get a choice of whips. There are three in total, and they do something different. I won't spoil their differences, partially because my trash CPU didn't let me fully experience them.
But there's also an assortment of movement skills. Double jump is obviously here, but there's also a flame dash that can also be used in the air to fly. You also get cool stomp and kick, too! Using all those skills lets you reach all new areas of the map and even break the terrain to unlock character upgrades: increased health and hearts. It's all a lot of fun!
Secondary weapons are unchanged, but that's not to say they're vanilla. The devs added cards, which can be bought from two scarecrows. These add challenges (more cash at the risk of OHKOs), ability augments (crits and damage numbers), or secondary weaponry boosts. Three knives instead of one, slow boomerangs for more damage chances, or trailing holy waters can be bought for 1000 gold. You can only equip three cards at a time, so choose your loadout carefully.
As far as I can tell, rooms aren't drastically altered, but some appear slightly off to accommodate the hidden upgrades. And, yes, teleporters have been added, as have save points, so you don't die and have to restart all the time. Even with all the new stuff, I still suck at Castlevania 1. But all the monsters are still here and function the same, as do the bosses. I've read the bosses are a bit different, though... The story is also unchanged, so the spirit of the original remains.
Let's do some numbering comparisons! How does C1 add up compared to ReVamped?
Plot: Same. Simon doesn't speak, nor does Dracula. Why are we here? 3/10//3/10
Gameplay: ReVamped. ReVamped makes the game less difficult, helping it a lot more fun. And the new abilities and displayable map make walking around addictive and more varied. C1, being the granddaddy of a genre, gets the nod in innovation, though. 4/10//7/10
Sound/Art: same. The Revamped devs just took what was here and made it better. They knew not to touch perfection. 20/20//20/20
Charm: reVamped. Neither did well here, but exploration goes a long way with me. 2/10//3/10
Negatives: I'm bad at the game, so I'm knocking 2 points off of C1. This is a me thing, so you may want to point, laugh, and ignore me.
Tally up the numbers, and Castlevania for the Nintendo gets a score of 27 out of 50. ReVamped gets a more respectable 33 points.
1986 was a hell of a drug. I didn't enjoy C1, but I see the acclaim with ReV. I don't get the hype over the game, though. I dug SoTN, but C1 didn't give me the same feelings.
ReVamped did exactly what it set out to do. The devs saw a classic game, altered it, and let people experience it slightly differently. It succeeded and really made a worthwhile experience. And it's not even that drastic of an update. Vampire Killer and Castlevania 2 did something similar. If you dig the Metroidvania genre and OG Castlevania, you owe yourself a few hours of Wall 4's time.
I do want to play more of the franchise, but that'll be later. I've been delaying Vandal Hearts for a long, long time already...
Recently, though, Epic gave away the Castlevania Anniversary Collection for free. It runs like booty on my computer! But I was looking forward to playing it and was undaunted in this premise. But I still suck at the NES game... But there's a fan made remake of Castlevania 1 called Castlevania ReVamped! It remade the game to keep the graphics and music but added in the Metroid part of the Metroidvania genre. It's no longer linear and adds in fun powers to move and fight with. It also runs like booty on my computer... But let's see how it works!
Both Castlevania and ReVamped start the same. Even the opening areas look alike. ReVamped starts with no powers, so all you can do is swing your whip side to side. Pretty quickly, though, ReVamped grants you the power to attack in eight directions. The down attacks are kinda tough to perform, but maybe that's just my terrible rig. You no longer get whip extensions, but a full attack radius is hella rad! And pretty soon, Simon can get a choice of whips. There are three in total, and they do something different. I won't spoil their differences, partially because my trash CPU didn't let me fully experience them.
But there's also an assortment of movement skills. Double jump is obviously here, but there's also a flame dash that can also be used in the air to fly. You also get cool stomp and kick, too! Using all those skills lets you reach all new areas of the map and even break the terrain to unlock character upgrades: increased health and hearts. It's all a lot of fun!
Secondary weapons are unchanged, but that's not to say they're vanilla. The devs added cards, which can be bought from two scarecrows. These add challenges (more cash at the risk of OHKOs), ability augments (crits and damage numbers), or secondary weaponry boosts. Three knives instead of one, slow boomerangs for more damage chances, or trailing holy waters can be bought for 1000 gold. You can only equip three cards at a time, so choose your loadout carefully.
As far as I can tell, rooms aren't drastically altered, but some appear slightly off to accommodate the hidden upgrades. And, yes, teleporters have been added, as have save points, so you don't die and have to restart all the time. Even with all the new stuff, I still suck at Castlevania 1. But all the monsters are still here and function the same, as do the bosses. I've read the bosses are a bit different, though... The story is also unchanged, so the spirit of the original remains.
Let's do some numbering comparisons! How does C1 add up compared to ReVamped?
Plot: Same. Simon doesn't speak, nor does Dracula. Why are we here? 3/10//3/10
Gameplay: ReVamped. ReVamped makes the game less difficult, helping it a lot more fun. And the new abilities and displayable map make walking around addictive and more varied. C1, being the granddaddy of a genre, gets the nod in innovation, though. 4/10//7/10
Sound/Art: same. The Revamped devs just took what was here and made it better. They knew not to touch perfection. 20/20//20/20
Charm: reVamped. Neither did well here, but exploration goes a long way with me. 2/10//3/10
Negatives: I'm bad at the game, so I'm knocking 2 points off of C1. This is a me thing, so you may want to point, laugh, and ignore me.
Tally up the numbers, and Castlevania for the Nintendo gets a score of 27 out of 50. ReVamped gets a more respectable 33 points.
1986 was a hell of a drug. I didn't enjoy C1, but I see the acclaim with ReV. I don't get the hype over the game, though. I dug SoTN, but C1 didn't give me the same feelings.
ReVamped did exactly what it set out to do. The devs saw a classic game, altered it, and let people experience it slightly differently. It succeeded and really made a worthwhile experience. And it's not even that drastic of an update. Vampire Killer and Castlevania 2 did something similar. If you dig the Metroidvania genre and OG Castlevania, you owe yourself a few hours of Wall 4's time.
I do want to play more of the franchise, but that'll be later. I've been delaying Vandal Hearts for a long, long time already...
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