- Pronouns
- He/Him
I know this is a weird reason to write a thread, but it's spooktober so please bear with me a little.
I'm a points at avatar Castlevania 64 fan and it's probably my most played Castlevania game only behind the original NES one, however, this extends only to CV64, wich back in the day i got before release yadda yadda. Its sequel/prequel/Goty edition Legacy of Darkness is a game i may have played less than five times in the last 20 years, and not a single time in the last 5, wich is saying something since i have both on every single system that can emulate the N64.
Lately i've been streaming it and noticed that my memories from the game are more distorted than i thought. In several conversations i've had here and in other communities i have always said that it's basically a polished version of the original game with a few new levels and two of them being slightly or completely remodeled.
I was so very wrong.
I'm almost finishing Cornell's adventure, and the game focus is completely different. For starters, Castlevania 64 keeps a steady rythm by not letting you stay on a zone neither for too long or for too little time, it makes sure that levels never overstay their welcome while throwing you at varied settings like traversing through a creepy forest, escaping from a vampire infested mansion, getting lost in an underground cave... The biggest zone is the Castle center, and even then it makes sure to guide you from A to B to C and, lastly, to D, and it only ramps up right at the end, at the clock tower.
Honestly, i think that Castlevania 64 is a masterclass of level design for that alone, but that's besides the point.
Legacy of Darkness is not like that. The game starts slow and keeps that pace until the villa, when you're faced with a longer and more nervewrecking quest than CV64's Mandragora and Nitro: Rescueing Henry and lately escaping from the Villa. I won't give spoilers here, but if you have played CV64, the way the game uses the Villa is exasperating and it wouldn't be strange if it became a roadblock for a lot of people.
After that, you're thrown at the second outer wall, then the art tower, and from there the intensity increases steadily until reaching the climax at the tower of the execution. At that point, the clock tower feels like a very well deserved rest.
Why, if it's the same game?
Well, because it isn't.
I said before that i have always said that it's basically a polished version of the original game with a few new levels and two of them being slightly or completely remodeled, right? Well, that's a fucking lie.
Most of the levels have been redesigned one way or another. Castlevania 64 has an exploration+combat focus, while Legacy of Darkness is all about intense platforming, right at the start in the ghost ship you're given a completely optional platforming section on the ship's masts, then you have the cargo section with the thin wood beams and obstacles from the get go. The forest has two timed platforming puzzles, the twin towers are more aggressive with the trap platforms and staircases, and after the Villa it just ramps up with platforms, traps and falls galore. It has overall more save points and it fucking needs them because it gets almost psychotic once you reach the second third of the Ruins tower, and then the Execution Tower is peak Castlevania design.
In what ways does the game changes to become like that? I'll try to make a small, spoiler-free list with the most relevant changes
In any case, i think that the narrative of just being a remaster should be dropped, it really feels like a sequel that just takes place in the same setting, and deserves a new look from the fandom, and the gaming community in general.
I'm a points at avatar Castlevania 64 fan and it's probably my most played Castlevania game only behind the original NES one, however, this extends only to CV64, wich back in the day i got before release yadda yadda. Its sequel/prequel/Goty edition Legacy of Darkness is a game i may have played less than five times in the last 20 years, and not a single time in the last 5, wich is saying something since i have both on every single system that can emulate the N64.
Lately i've been streaming it and noticed that my memories from the game are more distorted than i thought. In several conversations i've had here and in other communities i have always said that it's basically a polished version of the original game with a few new levels and two of them being slightly or completely remodeled.
I was so very wrong.
I'm almost finishing Cornell's adventure, and the game focus is completely different. For starters, Castlevania 64 keeps a steady rythm by not letting you stay on a zone neither for too long or for too little time, it makes sure that levels never overstay their welcome while throwing you at varied settings like traversing through a creepy forest, escaping from a vampire infested mansion, getting lost in an underground cave... The biggest zone is the Castle center, and even then it makes sure to guide you from A to B to C and, lastly, to D, and it only ramps up right at the end, at the clock tower.
Honestly, i think that Castlevania 64 is a masterclass of level design for that alone, but that's besides the point.
Legacy of Darkness is not like that. The game starts slow and keeps that pace until the villa, when you're faced with a longer and more nervewrecking quest than CV64's Mandragora and Nitro: Rescueing Henry and lately escaping from the Villa. I won't give spoilers here, but if you have played CV64, the way the game uses the Villa is exasperating and it wouldn't be strange if it became a roadblock for a lot of people.
After that, you're thrown at the second outer wall, then the art tower, and from there the intensity increases steadily until reaching the climax at the tower of the execution. At that point, the clock tower feels like a very well deserved rest.
Why, if it's the same game?
Well, because it isn't.
I said before that i have always said that it's basically a polished version of the original game with a few new levels and two of them being slightly or completely remodeled, right? Well, that's a fucking lie.
Most of the levels have been redesigned one way or another. Castlevania 64 has an exploration+combat focus, while Legacy of Darkness is all about intense platforming, right at the start in the ghost ship you're given a completely optional platforming section on the ship's masts, then you have the cargo section with the thin wood beams and obstacles from the get go. The forest has two timed platforming puzzles, the twin towers are more aggressive with the trap platforms and staircases, and after the Villa it just ramps up with platforms, traps and falls galore. It has overall more save points and it fucking needs them because it gets almost psychotic once you reach the second third of the Ruins tower, and then the Execution Tower is peak Castlevania design.
In what ways does the game changes to become like that? I'll try to make a small, spoiler-free list with the most relevant changes
- Ghost ship: It's a whole new level
- Forest of silence: Timed platform challenges, an uncaged fight becomes a caged one
- Outer wall: You have to go through both towers thrice instead of twice
- Villa: Slower, more exploration based, but Henry's rescue is harder than Malus'
- Outer wall 2: Whole new level. Platforming galore
- Tower of art: Whole new level. Day/nigh blocked doors, exploration/platforming mix
- Tower of ruins: Labyrinth --> Falling platforms --> Precision platforming. Hand sweat inducing
- Tower of duel: Different cages for each duel (fire walls, etc...), athletic obstacle course between duels, hard final boss at the end
- Tower of science: Platforming galore
- Tower of execution: Platforming galore deluxe
- Clock tower: Same as CV64. Thankfully
In any case, i think that the narrative of just being a remaster should be dropped, it really feels like a sequel that just takes place in the same setting, and deserves a new look from the fandom, and the gaming community in general.