StarTopic Castlevania Appreciation Thread |ST| You Belong In This World!

[A. G. Cook]

This year marks the 30th Anniversary of Super Castlevania IV, as well as the release of the Castlevania Advance Collection, so this is as good a time as any to celebrate Castlevania with a Star Topic Appreciation Thread!

Whether you started with the series on the original NES with the ClassicVania games, or jumped in during the Playstation era with Symphony of the Night for a expansive MetroidVania experience, this thread is all about sharing your connection with the franchise. From the gameplay, to the artwork, to the music, there is so much to highlight across 30+ games over the course of 35 years. Feel free to discuss new rumors, talk about your first play throughs or showing off your Castlevania collection, feel free to post it all!

I will continue to update this thread to include information on past, present and future Castlevania games, projects, and merchandise that is available. I'll also highlight specific games in the series that are outside of the 'Collection' releases that Konami has been putting out on all major platforms. While the series is dormant in terms of new entries, there is still plenty out there to consume, revisit and look forward to in the Castlevania universe.

In this thread, you belong in this world!

Visit the Spooky Switch Games and Castlevania 64 Appreciation Thread for even more spooky season Famiboards discussion.

Release Timeline

1986	Castlevania + Vampire Killer
1987	Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
1988	Haunted Castle
1989	Castlevania: The Adventure + Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
1991	Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge + Super Castlevania IV
1993	Castlevania Chronicles + Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
1994	Castlevania: Bloodlines
1995	Castlevania: Dracula X
1997	Castlevania: Symphony of the Night + Castlevania Legends
1999	Castlevania (Nintendo 64) + Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
2001	Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
2002	Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
2003	Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow + Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
2005	Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow + Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
2006	Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
2007	Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
2008	Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
2009	Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth
2010	Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
2013	Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate
2014	Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
2018	Castlevania Requiem
2019	Castlevania Anniversary Collection
2021	Castlevania Advance Collection

Castlevania Advance Collection
Platform: Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, Nintendo Switch
Developer: M2
Release Date: September 23, 2021
Collection of Games: Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (GBA) // Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (GBA) // Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (GBA) // Castlevania: Dracula X (SNES)

Count Dracula is once more back from the dead...​

Join the fight against Evil in the Castlevania Advance Collection, a compilation of timeless action-exploration masterpieces!

In addition to the three legendary Castlevania games that were first released on Game Boy Advance, this collection also includes Castlevania: Dracula X and some never-before-seen sketches and artwork from the games!

All four games are enhanced with newly added modern features such as Rewind, Save/Load and Replay, making this the best way possible to experience these classics or discover them for the first time! This collection also boasts a handy Encyclopedia, a Music Player with all soundtracks and you can even change the ROM Region to play all games in different versions.

Timeless Action-Inspired Masterpieces!
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (GBA) - This was the first Castlevania title released on Game Boy Advance! The story follows Nathan Graves, a vampire hunter apprentice who enters Dracula's Castle along with his Master in order to prevent the dreaded return of the Count. Combine action and attribute cards to create over 80 unique spell effects, ranging from fire whips to ice blizzards, with the 'Dual Set-up System'.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (GBA) - This was the second Castlevania title released on Game Boy Advance! Play as Juste Belmont, the grandson of legendary Vampire Hunter Simon Belmont! This title introduced a lot of new features to the franchise, such as 'Boss Rush' mode and the 'Spell Fusion' system that lets players combine Sub-Weapons with Spell Books to cast devastating spells.

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (GBA) - The third and final Castlevania game on Game Boy Advance! Soma Cruz, a young high school exchange student in Japan, is somehow involved in the eternal cycle of reincarnation of the Dark Lord himself. What role does Soma play in all of this? Will he be able to return to his own world? Aria of Sorrow also introduced a brand new attack system called 'Tactical Souls', that lets Soma Cruz capture the souls of slain monsters to acquire their abilities. (100+ abilities in total!) Aria of Sorrow also has a ton of New Game+ content.

Castlevania: Dracula X (SNES) - Castlevania: Dracula X is a reimagination of the cult action game Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. Released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Dracula X has been acclaimed as one of the most challenging Castlevania titles ever created. The Dark Lord Count Dracula rises again from the dead to revive the forces of darkness and to annihilate this corrupted world and create a new one. You are Richter Belmont, heir of the Belmont family, and you set out for Dracula's Castle to defeat its evil master. Fight your way through Dracula's Castle and defeat the toughest enemies with the new special attack 'Item Crash'!

New Features
The collection provides several modern features and additional content for all games, including:

• Display Settings
  • Original
  • Pixel perfect
  • 16:9
• Borders - Option of picking from different border frames to use during gameplay.
• Gallery - Browse through scans of the original package designs and discover incredible artwork never shown to the public before.
• ROM Region Selection - You can choose between the Japanese, American, and European versions for each game.
• Encyclopedia - Learn more about all three GBA games thanks to their dedicated encyclopedia. Detailed information on enemies, the 'DSS' system, the 'Tactical Soul' system and the 'Spell Fusion' system will help you truly master each game's unique combat system!
• Music Player - Listen to any of four complete soundtracks any time you want. You can even create your own playlists!

Quality of Life Features

• Save/Load - You can now quickly save and reload at any point in the game. Even right before that deadly attack from Dracula himself.
• Rewind - You can now rewind the state of the game for a few seconds for a second chance. It is almost like being resurrected...

Multimedia
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon OST
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance OST
The music of Circle of the Moon was composed by Sotaro Tojima and Hiroshi Mitsuoka, while the music for Harmony of Dissonance was composed by Soshiro Hokkai and Michiru Yamane. Both soundtracks were released together on June 26, 2002 with the number of tracks totaling 45, and a run time of 59:04.

Castlevania Advance Collection Retrospective
Konami’s Castlevania is Back and this time it’s bringing the entire collection of Game Boy Advance titles + Dracula X with it. In this video, we take a deeper dive into why these titles are so well-loved and why you should play them.

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow Sprites
86 sprite sheets ripped from the Game Boy Advance version of the game

Castlevania Anniversary Collection
Platform: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Steam, Nintendo Switch
Developer: M2
Release Date: May 16, 2019
Collection of Games: Castlevania (NES) // Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES) // Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (NES) // Super Castlevania IV (SNES) // Castlevania: The Adventure (Gameboy) // Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge (Gameboy) // Castlevania: Bloodlines (Sega Genesis) // Kid Dracula (Famicom)

GOOD EEEEVENING!​

Step into the shadows of the deadliest dwelling on earth. You've arrived at Castlevania, and you're here on business:

To destroy forever the Curse of the Evil Count.

Unfortunately, everybody's home this evening. Bats, ghosts, every kind of creature you can imagine. You'll find 'em all over the place, if they don't find you first.

Because you've got to get through six monstrous floors before you even meet up with the Master of the House. Your Magic Whip will help, and you'll probably find a weapons or two along the way.

But once you make it to the tower, you can count on a Duel to the Death. The Count has waited 100 years for a rematch. He's ready. Are you?

A Classic Collection
Konami's Castlevania Anniversary Collection traces the origins of the historic vampire franchise in a complication package that features eight selected classic titles, including Kid Dracula, which has never been released in English before. This collection also includes a unique e-book with details provided by developers, artists and others inspired by the Castlevania legacy which sheds a fresh light into the world of Castlevania.

Released as part of the Konami 50th Anniversary celebration, relive these timeless classics that helped define the platformer genre. From the Belmont clan to their extended bloodlines and allies, the Castlevania Anniversary Collection is the best first step for anyone to take into the world of Castlevania and the fight against Dracula!

New Features
The collection provides several modern features and additional content for all games, including:

• Display Settings
  • Original
  • Pixel perfect
  • 16:9
  • 4:3 scanlines
  • Pixel perfect scanlines
  • 16:9 scanlines
• Borders - Option of picking from different border frames to use during gameplay.
• Achievements - Achievements/Trophies available for all systems except for the Nintendo Switch.
• e-Book - Bonus e-Book titled The History of Castlevania: Book of the Crescent Moon
• Japanese Versions - Bonus Japanese versions of the games (except for Simon's Quest).

Quality of Life Features

• Save/Load - You can now quickly save and reload at any point in the game. Even right before that deadly attack from Dracula himself.

Multimedia
Castlevania Bloodlines OST
Bloodlines was the first Castlevania title for which Michiru Yamane composed music. She used her Bach influences to compose a renowned soundtrack, leading to her becoming a recurring series composer.

DF Retro: Castlevania Anniversary Collection - Series Retrospective
In this episode, John explores the recently released Castlevania Anniversary Collection checking out each and every game included. What did each installment bring to the table and how do they hold up today? And how about the emulation quality? Watch to find out!

The History of Castlevania: Book of the Crescent Moon
The History of Castlevania: Book of the Crescent Moon is an e-book published by Konami Digital Entertainment that contains an extensive summary of the history of the company's legendary Castlevania franchise. Packed with new information about the titles, including interviews with the development staff, behind-the-scenes insights, and sketches and design documents never before revealed to the public.

Super Castlevania IV
Platform: Super NES
Director: Masahiro Ueno Producer: Kazumi Kitaue Composer: Masanori Adachi, Taro Kudo
Release Date: October 31, 1991 - JP // December 4, 1991 - NA // November 23, 1992 - EU

EVIL LURKS IN THE DARKNESS...​

In the small country of Transylvania there is a legend which says that every 100 years the forces of Good mysteriously become weak and the forces of Evil gain a foothold into our world. The evil manifests itself in the form of one of the most feared characters to roam the earth--the vampire Dracula!

Every 100 years Dracula is revived and grows stronger and stronger. His goal is to turn all humanity into creatures of darkness, to be ruled under his iron fist. He has appeared in this world many times, and there are many people who fear that in his next appearances, he may be unstoppable.

There is one group that has always been around to see that Dracula is defeated, the Belmont family. For generations the Belmonts have passed along the secrets and skills of vampire-hunting to the eldest child of the family. While many of the Belmonts have lived peaceful lives without encountering Dracula, they remain prepared. There are occasional skirmishes with lesser monsters, but the Belmont clan has always emerged victorious.

Now, 100 years have passed since the last battle between Dracula and the Belmonts. Transylvanians are reporting mysterious sightings of odd creatures appearing under cover of the darkness. As Spring approaches, the citizens prepare for a traditional celebration.

Unbeknownst to them, an evil group of people is holding a ceremony in the old destroyed abbey outside of town, attempting to revive the Prince of Darkness. As they carry out their ritual a dark cloud descends over the countryside. The sinister group stirs itself into a frenzy of mysterious chanting and pagan dancing, then lightning strikes the abbey. The ground bucks under their feet, and the abbey walls shudder. Once again, Dracula is revived!

It is time once again for Simon Belmont to call forth the powers of good to aid him in his battle. Armed with his mystical whip, his courage and the centuries-old knowledge of Belmont family training, he sets forth on his mission...

A Super Release
Super Castlevania IV features expanded play control, 16-bit graphics featuring Super NES's Mode 7, and a soundtrack featuring new pieces and arrangements based on previous Castlevania music. Following the same setting as Castlevania on the NES, the game takes place in 1691 Transylvania, where the vampire hunter Simon Belmont must defeat the vampire Dracula. The game received critical acclaim with some calling it one of the greatest video games of all time.

The game was released in Japan on October 31, 1991 for the Super Famicom. It was released in North America in December 1991. The game sold a little over 500,000 copies worldwide. Factor 5 created a short demo of the game running on the Mega Drive and presented it to Konami. Konami was impressed but ultimately chose to keep all Mega Drive development in-house, and did not pursue porting the game to the system.

The game has been re-released on several platforms over the years. It was re-released on the Virtual Console in 2006 for the Wii, in 2013 for the Wii U, and in 2016 for the New Nintendo 3DS. In September 2017, it was included on Nintendo's Super NES Classic Edition, a miniature replica of the Super NES featuring many built-in games. The game is included in Castlevania Anniversary Collection, a compilation of past Castlevania installments released on May 16, 2019 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Steam and Nintendo Switch.

Regional Differences
There are quite a few differences in terms of imagery in the Japanese release of Super Castlevania 4 and the International releases. Logos, blood and Christianity imagery are changed or completely removed. No gameplay changes have been made to the game.

For more information, check out the super informative article at The Cutting Room Floor: Super Castlevania IV.

30 Years of Super Castlevania IV
For me, Super Castlevania IV has always been that game I go back to during spooky season. While the initial release in Japan was on October 31, 1991, I didn't play the game until December of 1991 for the US release. It was a Christmas gift that year and one of my very first SNES games. Coming into this entry of the series as a fan of the NES games, I knew what to expect out of Castlevania, but I didn't quite expect to the level the quality to make such a huge jump. The art style, the atmosphere and the music are crafted so incredibly well and come together in such a polished package, it's hard to deny that a lot of love was put into this product. While SCIV is essentially a remake of the first game, at the time that didn't even enter my mind. I was a young kid just enthralled by this epic, gothic adventure.

I still consider Super Castlevania IV one of the greatest games ever made, with an amazing original soundtrack that has aged incredibly well. The feelings that come rushing back to me of my childhood and nostalgia for this game anytime I play it or listen to the music are intense, and I'm glad I was able to experience this game on release.

I just finished an annual October play through of the game, something I've been doing regularly since 2008. Before then, I would play it at least once year but never during spooky season. Seems only fitting and it still keeps that connection with my childhood alive. I can't believe this year is the 30th Anniversary, seems like only yesterday I was tearing off the plastic wrap on that cardboard box and inserting that big grey cartridge into my fairly new next generation system.

Multimedia
Super Castlevania IV OST
The music for Super Castlevania IV was composed by Masanori Adachi and Taro Kudo (credited as Masanori Oodachi and Taro respectively). Ueno wanted to make the environment of Super Castlevania IV more interactive and was proud of how the game's sound effects and music contributed to the atmosphere. It was released on Akumajō Dracula Best 2 in a compilation with Castlevania: The Adventure and Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge's music. On June 21, 2017, the game's music was released on vinyl by Mondo.

The Making of Super Castlevania IV & Bloodlines
After the success of the original Castlevania it would not take long before Konami started plans for the first 16-bit entry in this series. In this episode we dive into the development of Super Castlevania IV for the Super NES and Castlevania Bloodlines for the Mega-Drive/Genesis.

Super Castlevania IV Sprites
31 sprite sheets ripped from the SNES version of the game

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
悪魔城ドラキュラＸ ～血の輪廻～ Akumajō Dracula X: Chi no Rondo
Platform: PC Engine Super CD-ROM² System
Director: Toru Hagihara Producer: Yoshiaki Yamada Composer: Akira Sōji, Keizo Nakamura, Tomoko Sano, Mikio Saito
Release Date: October 29, 1993 - JP

Prologue​

In the halcyon days of yore, overripe with peace and prosperity, not a soul believed that tomorrow could bring anything but more of the tranquil plenty about them...
But peace and prosperity always give rise to the wicked; those who would deny mankind comfort, and grow bored of peace.

A dark congregation of such villains began to gather, plotting to revive an unholy power to destroy the decadent world and begin anew.
Their ambitions for the new world to be born grew steadily, mirrored in the leering grins etched upon their face.

A century later, that vile creature was reborn unto the world. Taking the form of bat, wolf, or mist at will, he stalked the land by night, draining young maidens of their blood to feed his own immortality.

Thus the malefic Count Dracula, lord of Castlevania, came to live again

 

[Legion of Primes]

I’ve been sitting on the requiem collection from ps4 for a couple of years now, been considering playing it sometime in the future

I do have the anniversary collection ordered through limited run which should hopefully ship out soon and I’m looking forward to playing through the series

 

[Pascal]

Anyone who hasn't yet played Rondo of Blood needs to fix that immediately. It is a perfectly paced action game with great combat, an awesome 90s anime aesthetic, and some absolutely wonderful music. It has two different characters with different playstyles, tons of secrets to find, and a bunch of alternate levels with alternate boss fights that really boost replayability. It's challenging, but not overly so and it has some pretty incredible boss fights. I cannot recommend it enough.

It's available in the Castlevania Requiem pack on PS4, which incidentally also comes with some other game called Symphony of the Night. But who cares about that shit, this is where it's really at!

 

[Legion of Primes]

Anyone who hasn't played Rondo of Blood yet needs to fix that immediately. It is a perfectly paced action game with great combat, an awesome 90s anime aesthetic, and some absolutely wonderful music. It has two different characters with different playstyles, tons of secrets to find, and a bunch of alternate levels with alternate boss fights that really boost replayability. It's challenging, but not overly so and it has some pretty incredible boss fights. I cannot recommend it enough.

It's available in the Castlevania Requiem pack on PS4, which incidentally also comes with some other game called Symphony of the Night. But who cares about that shit, this is where it's really at!

I have that collection, it’s been sitting in backlog hell for a couple of years now

 

[Abzeronow]

Been replaying Super Castlevania IV recently since I always play Castlevania in October. Game holds up even though it is sort of an evolutionary dead end since there really wasn't a follow-up in that style. Rondo & Symphony would lead to a new era of IGAvania games which I haven't played yet but based on Bloodstained, I'd probably enjoy them.

 

[Pascal]

I have that collection, it’s been sitting in backlog hell for a couple of years now

Then you know what you must do. Resurrect that game from backlog hell and play Rondo.

 

[Legion of Primes]

Then you know what you most do. Resurrect that game from backlog hell and play Rondo.

Might just do that. I’m patiently waiting for limited run to ship out my copy of the anniversary collection so I’ll have that and requiem to play. I was always curious about this series

 

[Hyrulean]

My connection to the series goes back to the first Castlevania on the NES in 1988.
Castlevania had such an impact on me that, being already immersed in the excellency of Nintendo masterpieces and genre defining games like Zelda, Metroid or Super Mario Bros., to me Castlevania was (and still is) a Nintendo franchise !
PS : I only care about ClassicVanias.

 

[Reinhard Schneider]

Ah, thank god, i wanted to make the Castlevania 64 appreciation thread into a general Castlevania thread but i'm very short on time.

Despite my borderline fanatism for the 64 games, i'm a general Castlevania fan and i have been there since 1989. The original Castlevania was, in fact, my first videogame ever.

Not much to say for now (gotta give a bath to the family's Cerberus) but despite Konami's misdeeds, i'm thankful to them for not letting the series die, i have the Anniversary Collection both on Switch and PS4, the Requiem collection on PS4 and got the Advance Collection on Switch at release. At least with this i'm replenishing what i was forced to sell years ago.

 

[mazi]

 

[Pascal]

I love Order of Ecclesia so much! Shanoa is a great MC and I really love how challenging it is. I need to replay it for like the 7th time.

 

[Seik]

I'll pass by and say that I played Castlevania Judgement yesterday.

I shouldn't have done that.

Music's great though.

 

[Pascal]

I'll pass by and say that I played Castlevania Judgement yesterday.

I shouldn't have done that.

Music's great though.

Oof lol

 

[Reinhard Schneider]

I'll pass by and say that I played Castlevania Judgement yesterday.

I shouldn't have done that.

Music's great though.

Hey, i liked it. Gameplay's not as tight as it should be, but it's fun as hell

Its main theme is on my Top 5 of Castlevania tunes

 

[mazi]

I love Order of Ecclesia so much! Shanoa is a great MC and I really love how challenging it is. I need to replay it for like the 7th time.

same, i love the game, and shanoa is an amazing protagonist. i really hope they release the DS games on pc/consoles so more people can experience the OoE.

 

[Seik]

Hey, i liked it. Gameplay's not as tight as it should be, but it's fun as hell

Its main theme is on my Top 5 of Castlevania tunes

From the few fights I replayed yesterday, it's a few extra buttons/moves from being in-depth enough for me to like.

I actually did it 100% back then when it came out, that's my same copy. Nowadays though after replaying it, even the Naruto Storm series has more depth in fights.

But yeah, the soundtrack is full of bangers.

 

[Reinhard Schneider]

From the few fights I replayed yesterday, it's a few extra buttons/moves from being in-depth enough for me to like.

I actually did it 100% back then when it came out, that's my same copy. Nowadays though after replaying it, even the Naruto Storm series has more depth in fights.

It's an arena fighter developed in six months, i would say it was fun enough lol

It had some interesting shit, like planting traps and throwing stuff from the scenary to the enemy. Also, very combo heavy when using secondary weapons.

I 100%'d back then, i dunno, i have pretty good memories of the game.

 

[Squiddo]

Castlevania is one of the GOATS my first one was Circle of the Moon lended by a childhood friend when i was a kid and that game i was so obsessed with it it was crazy haha. It also was my first metroidvania game ever as a 8 year old.

Then i played Aria of Sorrow and Harmony of Dissonance and both were awesome especially Aria was amazing like dang.

Thanks to castlevania i got Zero Mission and got into metroid aswell. Now metroidvanias are my most favorite gaming genre to play and i love em. I own almost all castlevania games in some way or another (some physical and some digital) and next month when i visit my girlfriend ill have the ds games she got them for reasonable prices (spain) so i cant wait to finally play those properly around december!

Also love the lords of shadow franchise i know it geta alot of flak but i just loved em. Also bloodstained and the classicvania bloodstained games are awesome AF.

I hope konami foes well eith the new castlevania games it being reboots suck i personally hope they are based on the succesfull netflix anime.

But yh i love the castlevania series so much currently playing through the advance collection cheffs kiss rlly.

 

[Seik]

It's an arena fighter developed in six months, i would say it was fun enough lol

It had some interesting shit, like planting traps and throwing stuff from the scenary to the enemy. Also, very combo heavy when using secondary weapons.

I 100%'d back then, i dunno, i have pretty good memories of the game.

I had good memories too, that's why I came back to it yesterday. I wasn't aware that it was made in 6 months, I can sure appreciate it a bit more after the fact.

 

[Reinhard Schneider]

I had good memories too, that's why I came back to it yesterday. I wasn't aware that it was made in 6 months, I can sure appreciate it a bit more after the fact.

There's only one thing i don't appreciate about the game

They mixed Carmilla and Erzabeth Bathory. Carmilla's backstory and lore as described in the game are, point by point, Barthory's.

 

[Leo]

I had never played the classicvanias before except for 4, so when the anniversary collection went on sale a while ago I grabbed it, and finished the first game for the first time today for the community challenge.

I'm a fan of the Igavanias, but there's a lot to love about the classic series too. It's cool to see how much was there from the very first game, a lot of the classic music, enemies, stairways, the clock tower, death... The Dracula fight was a bitch, but thankfully you can redo you it over and over with no penalty at all.

I know 2 is a bit divisive, I'm looking forward to draw my own conclusions on it.

 

[A. G. Cook]

I’ve been sitting on the requiem collection from ps4 for a couple of years now, been considering playing it sometime in the future

I do have the anniversary collection ordered through limited run which should hopefully ship out soon and I’m looking forward to playing through the series

I am sad I missed out on the Limited Run collection. Did you pre-order the big giant box, or just the regular version?

Anyone who hasn't yet played Rondo of Blood needs to fix that immediately. It is a perfectly paced action game with great combat, an awesome 90s anime aesthetic, and some absolutely wonderful music. It has two different characters with different playstyles, tons of secrets to find, and a bunch of alternate levels with alternate boss fights that really boost replayability. It's challenging, but not overly so and it has some pretty incredible boss fights. I cannot recommend it enough.

It's available in the Castlevania Requiem pack on PS4, which incidentally also comes with some other game called Symphony of the Night. But who cares about that shit, this is where it's really at!

Rondo of Blood is my second favorite Castlevania game, I also did a play through of that recently. Still holds up so well. Wish we could get a Castlevania game like that again.

I'll pass by and say that I played Castlevania Judgement yesterday.

I shouldn't have done that.

Music's great though.

I've heard the same about Judgement's music but have never played it. Could just listen to the soundtrack on its own, haha.

Ah, thank god, i wanted to make the Castlevania 64 appreciation thread into a general Castlevania thread but i'm very short on time.

Despite my borderline fanatism for the 64 games, i'm a general Castlevania fan and i have been there since 1989. The original Castlevania was, in fact, my first videogame ever.

Not much to say for now (gotta give a bath to the family's Cerberus) but despite Konami's misdeeds, i'm thankful to them for not letting the series die, i have the Anniversary Collection both on Switch and PS4, the Requiem collection on PS4 and got the Advance Collection on Switch at release. At least with this i'm replenishing what i was forced to sell years ago.

Your Castlevania 64 thread also inspired me, I have very fond memories of the N64 series and it's extremely underrated and deserves more praise. I would love for some sort of remaster of those games, with modern gameplay tweaks. But this is Konami after all...

 

[Legion of Primes]

I am sad I missed out on the Limited Run collection. Did you pre-order the big giant box, or just the regular version?



Rondo of Blood is my second favorite Castlevania game, I also did a play through of that recently. Still holds up so well. Wish we could get a Castlevania game like that again.



I've heard the same about Judgement's music but have never played it. Could just listen to the soundtrack on its own, haha.



Your Castlevania 64 thread also inspired me, I have very fond memories of the N64 series and it's extremely underrated and deserves more praise. I would love for some sort of remaster of those games, with modern gameplay tweaks. But this is Konami after all...

Regular. The current status says it’s at limited run’s warehouse so it should be shipping out within the next couple of weeks hopefully

 

[dingbat]

I’m mainly a SotN fan and my thirst for it is boundless. I really hope it makes its way on other contemporary platforms eventually.

 

[A. G. Cook]

same, i love the game, and shanoa is an amazing protagonist. i really hope they release the DS games on pc/consoles so more people can experience the OoE.

Really wish Konami had just released a "handheld" collection with the Advance and DS games in one. They're gonna keep pumping these out similar fashion.

 

[Zellia]

I hope they do a DS collection similar to the Advance Collection but I guess it'd be more effort to make the touchscreen mechanics workable.

Though I don't think anyone would complain if they scrapped Dawn's magic seals lol. Sisters mode from PoR might be trickier though.

 

[AngryAlchemist]

I'm ALL HERE for this thread. This thread will be my new home!

Been playing the Castlevania Advance Collection recently and really enjoying my time with them. Given the original post and the Rondo worship Igavanias are probably the last thing people want to talk about, as they are already overly discussed already, but still ... this collection is really nice. I beat Circle of the Moon a few days ago, and Harmony of Dissonance late last night/early this morning. Circle is great, I like its more "normal" approach to Metroidvania upgrades in comparison to something like Symphony of the Night, makes it more obvious where you are supposed to use your newly acquired power ups (as opposed to SOTN where you technically always have your power ups and only "acquire" them by gaining knowledge of them in a centralized location, which means you aren't really lead where to go). It also is a pretty difficult game, probably the 2nd or 3rd most difficult Castlevania I've ever played (with only Castlevania I and III comparing), and the final boss in particular is by far the most challenging boss in the series, at least up to Harmony. Plus, the soundtrack! My god! Symphony of the Night is put to shame by a GBA launch title! It's definitely in part because of the Advance Collection's "High Quality Sound" mode (which is on by default), but wow ... the music in this game ... I mean ...

Spoiler: Circle of the Moon Music

Harmony on the other hand is ... well ... unique

Been replaying Super Castlevania IV recently since I always play Castlevania in October. Game holds up even though it is sort of an evolutionary dead end since there really wasn't a follow-up in that style. Rondo & Symphony would lead to a new era of IGAvania games which I haven't played yet but based on Bloodstained, I'd probably enjoy them.

Just in case you aren't aware, Rondo of Blood is not an Igavania, and only "lead to a new era" of Igavanias because Igarashi was such a big fan of the game and decided to make a sequel to it in the form of Symphony of the Night. It's not actually like Symphony of the Night at all. Iga had nothing to do with the game, his credits in Rondo are just a special thanks. In fact, Rondo of Blood is a Classicvania game. In general, Symphony's connections to the classic games are mostly lore-related and are explained by Iga's love of certain titles. That's also probably why Alucard is the main character of Symphony of the Night, since Iga said in an interview during the making of Symphony that his favorite games were III and Rondo of Blood.

You are right that Super Castlevania IV was sort of an evolutionary dead end, but this is more so because the game simplified the formula of Classicvania so much (probably because it is basically a remake of the original Castlevania) that it wasn't evolutionary at all compared to where the series was heading with III, not because it didn't get Classicvania follow ups. Both of the next two mainline games, Castlevania: Bloodlines and Castlevania: Rondo of Blood were classicvanias, though they followed more in the footsteps of the progressive Castlevania III and evolved from there. I.E. both have two selectable characters, and Rondo at least has two routes (can't remember with Bloodlines, have only played a little bit).

 

[Abzeronow]

Just in case you aren't aware, Rondo of Blood is not an Igavania, and only "lead to a new era" of Igavanias because Igarashi was such a big fan of the game and decided to make a sequel to it in the form of Symphony of the Night. It's not actually like Symphony of the Night at all. Iga had nothing to do with the game, his credits in Rondo are just a special thanks. In fact, Rondo of Blood is a Classicvania game.

You are right that Super Castlevania IV was sort of an evolutionary dead end, but this is more so because the game simplified the formula of Classicvania so much (probably because it is basically a remake of the original Castlevania) that it wasn't evolutionary at all compared to where the series was heading with III, not because it didn't get Classicvania follow ups. Both of the next two mainline games, Castlevania: Bloodlines and Castlevania: Rondo of Blood were classicvanias, though they followed more in the footsteps of the progressive Castlevania III and evolved from there. I.E. both have two selectable characters, and two routes.

I should have been more clear that I meant to say that Symphony lead to the IGAvania games but since Symphony was a sequel to Rondo, I couldn't really not mention Rondo. Sadly, I think Dracula X will be the closest I come to play Rondo since Konami apparently is keeping Requiem Collection exclusive to the PS4 (which I don't have). I'll play Bloodlines for the first time ever either this month or next month as I have the Anniversary Collection and will be upgrading to NSO Expansion Pack. I don't know yet if I'll go with Quincy (the more Belmont type guy) or the spear guy (who is like an easy mode guy).

 

[AngryAlchemist]

Anyone who hasn't yet played Rondo of Blood needs to fix that immediately. It is a perfectly paced action game with great combat, an awesome 90s anime aesthetic, and some absolutely wonderful music. It has two different characters with different playstyles, tons of secrets to find, and a bunch of alternate levels with alternate boss fights that really boost replayability. It's challenging, but not overly so and it has some pretty incredible boss fights. I cannot recommend it enough.

It's available in the Castlevania Requiem pack on PS4, which incidentally also comes with some other game called Symphony of the Night. But who cares about that shit, this is where it's really at!

Facts. BIG FACTS.

In my opinion, one of the only games I've played that is nearly-perfect. Definitely one of my all time favorites. But ... you don't have to make Rondo of Blood sound so badass! Not only is it badass, it's CHEESY AS FUCK! And in a good way, too!



This cracks me the fuck up. The part where Maria slowly lifts her arm and it is the most robotic movement known to man and looks like her wrist is broken totally reminds me of the more grotesque weird parts of Spongebob, of all things

 

[Phendrift]

I’ve played Rondo, SotN, Aria and Harmony to completion. The first three listed are fucking amazing, Harmony is fun too if a little forgettable and bad music.

Currently playing Bloodlines on switch (with LIBERAL use of save states, as guilty as I feel) and Lament on PS3 via PS2 classics.

Also props for having the literal best video game to TV adaptation in the Netflix show, even my friends who aren’t gamers at all love that show.

Really hope the DS games come soon.

 

[A. G. Cook]

Facts. BIG FACTS.

In my opinion, one of the only games I've played that is nearly-perfect. Definitely one of my all time favorites. But ... you don't have to make Rondo of Blood sound so badass! Not only is it badass, it's CHEESY AS FUCK! And in a good way, too!



This cracks me the fuck up. The part where Maria slowly lifts her arm and it is the most robotic movement known to man and looks like her wrist is broken totally reminds me of the more grotesque weird parts of Spongebob, of all things

This cutscene always cracks me up as well. The early 90s were a gold mine for awkward shit like this, but it also has it's charm.

 

[Pascal]

Yeah, the Netflix Castlevania series is fantastic. Definitely check it out if you're a fan of the series.

 

[Reinhard Schneider]

I've heard the same about Judgement's music but have never played it. Could just listen to the soundtrack on its own, haha.

Oh, you should, it's totally listenable on its own. It doesn't have one single boring tune, and some arranges are awesome. I'm very partial to Iron Blue Intention


This slow resurgence of the series with the collections and bringing back Grimoire of Souls (please port it to Switch, please!) is making my writing muscle tingly again. This summer i started a new longfic, and it hurts not having enough time to update neither it or my main fic.

EDIT: Even if Netflixvania weren't good (It is, in fact, fucking amazing) it's worth it only for Sypha.

 

[A. G. Cook]

Someone found this gem and posted it in one of the community Discord's I'm in... this is from the Official UK Nintendo Magazine in 1997. lol

 

[GJ]

I feel like this thread is taunting me for not having money for the Advance Collection on Switch . Can't wait to dig into that one though. I haven't played a lot of Castlevania's in the past, but SotN is my favorite.

 

[Phendrift]

Yeah, the Netflix Castlevania series is fantastic. Definitely check it out if you're a fan of the series.

When the next series based on Rondo and SOTN comes out I’m gonna feel like that “they don’t know” meme with the dude standing alone at the party, “they don’t know this is based on two of the best games of all time” lmao

 

[AngryAlchemist]

I’ve played Rondo, SotN, Aria and Harmony to completion. The first three listed are fucking amazing, Harmony is fun too if a little forgettable and bad music.

I feel like the unintentional hilarity of Harmony is unearthed when you play the Castlevania games leading up to it. It's like ... after all the great games and ideas explored in the series over the years ... Igarashi thought it was a good idea to make a direct sequel to Castlevania II, and a spiritual successor to Symphony of the Night, all at the same time, and combined both of their flaws in the process?????

Spoiler: Slight Harmony of Dissonance Spoilers

It wasn't even unintentional stuff either. Dude literally made the entire game's concept around forcing the player to traverse two castles that are almost exactly the same with less variations than Symphony, AND the non-linearity and random item collection quest of Castlevania II. Like why? WHY??? I know the Inverted Castle didn't really get any of the criticisms it gets today back then, but part of what is great about it is that it is optional. Iga basically forcing players to do two identical castles, and do the repetitive Castlevania II shit (which even has hidden items behind secret no-collision walls, just like Castlevania II, which is a fun easter egg for the optional stuff, and a bad design flaw for the required stuff like one of Dracula's parts), is just hilarious to me.

Like I don't care how much of a step down Harmony is from the other entries, I respect how fucking WEIRD the game's design philosophy is. It just makes no fucking sense, and you can smell Iga's rampant fanboyism for Castlevania canon seeping through into design decisions when they probably shouldn't have! I'll always respect how ballsy that was.

Really hope the DS games come soon.

Also facts.

This cutscene always cracks me up as well. The early 90s were a gold mine for awkward shit like this, but it also has it's charm.

The fact that all of Rondo's cutscenes look like they were made in Paint.Net is the funniest shit ever.

 

[juuso]

I have played Super Castlevania IV as a kid and never made it very far. That's the only experience I have of the series. With both the anniversary and GBA collection I feel like I should just dive in, but I'm kind of intimidated by how many games there are.

What would be a good place to start? I've understood there are two types of these games, one being just simple action and the other the ones justifying the vania part in metroidvania. Would it make sense to pick up one of each type and go from there?

 

[NabiscoFelt]

I really dislike the Igavanias' additions to the Metroid formula but the ones I've played (Aria and SoTN) manage to still be great games despite that, partly because the Castlevania brand is just bursting with its own unique charm.

Haven't played any Classicvania but maybe I'll get around to it one day.

 

[mazi]

Really wish Konami had just released a "handheld" collection with the Advance and DS games in one. They're gonna keep pumping these out similar fashion.

the first and second collection have done pretty well based on the eshop charts, i'm sure the 3rd one with the DS games is coming next year-ish.

 

[Reinhard Schneider]

I have played Super Castlevania IV as a kid and never made it very far. That's the only experience I have of the series. With both the anniversary and GBA collection I feel like I should just dive in, but I'm kind of intimidated by how many games there are.

What would be a good place to start? I've understood there are two types of these games, one being just simple action and the other the ones justifying the vania part in metroidvania. Would it make sense to pick up one of each type and go from there?

I think it would, since while the modern Castlevanias take from the classic ones, each type is its own different beast.

For the classic series, start from the first one, it's a surprisingly solid game that will prepare you for the rest of the series.

For the metroidvania games, i would either start from Symphony of the Night OR Circle of the Moon

• Symphony of the Night was the start of the Metroidvania style
• Circle of the Moon is the perfect marriage between the metroidvania style and the classicvania gameplay sensibilities.

 

[Zellia]

Yeah, the Netflix Castlevania series is fantastic. Definitely check it out if you're a fan of the series.

Absolutely. Can't wait for the sequel series.

My dream is that, since it doesn't seem super likely we'll get a game set in 1999, there'll be an animated adaption instead down the line. Julius deserves it.

 

[Seik]

Ah, thank god, i wanted to make the Castlevania 64 appreciation thread into a general Castlevania thread but i'm very short on time.

Despite my borderline fanatism for the 64 games, i'm a general Castlevania fan and i have been there since 1989. The original Castlevania was, in fact, my first videogame ever.

Not much to say for now (gotta give a bath to the family's Cerberus) but despite Konami's misdeeds, i'm thankful to them for not letting the series die, i have the Anniversary Collection both on Switch and PS4, the Requiem collection on PS4 and got the Advance Collection on Switch at release. At least with this i'm replenishing what i was forced to sell years ago.

I did Castlevania 64 last year during one of my N64 nostalgia trips and it held up a lot better than I expected it to.

Granted, I did see some speedrun and glitches to skip certain parts of it (like the garden's labyrinth and these transporters labeled I & II in some cave) and did the same, but I think these made the gameplay more enjoyable ultimately since those aren't the most entertaining parts of the game.

Also, preparing this as I'm typing...this is a slow Sunday and my head hurts so I started working on my threads here already, so you'll be welcome to discuss N64 there.

 

[Reinhard Schneider]

I did Castlevania 64 last year during one of my N64 nostalgia trips and it held up a lot better than I expected it to.

Granted, I did see some speedrun and glitches to skip certain parts of it (like the garden's labyrinth and these transporters labeled I & II in some cave) and did the same, but I think these made the gameplay more enjoyable ultimately since those aren't the most entertaining parts of the game.

Also, preparing this as I'm typing...this is a slow Sunday and my head hurts so I started working on my threads here already, so you'll be welcome to discuss N64 there.

Whenever it's ready, you can count me in. I'm always ready to share some love for the ol' N64 :3

 

[fiendcode]

the first and second collection have done pretty well based on the eshop charts, i'm sure the 3rd one with the DS games is coming next year-ish.

They need to do a DS trilogy Collection, a multiplatform Requiem redo (original versions this time, plus throw in X68000/Chronicles) and a general Konami ReBirth Collection (Castlevania: The Adventure, Contra, Gradius and the unreleased Salamander ReBirths). Then I'll be happy.

 

[A. G. Cook]

I did Castlevania 64 last year during one of my N64 nostalgia trips and it held up a lot better than I expected it to.

Granted, I did see some speedrun and glitches to skip certain parts of it (like the garden's labyrinth and these transporters labeled I & II in some cave) and did the same, but I think these made the gameplay more enjoyable ultimately since those aren't the most entertaining parts of the game.

Also, preparing this as I'm typing...this is a slow Sunday and my head hurts so I started working on my threads here already, so you'll be welcome to discuss N64 there.

Love this, excited to participate in your threads Seik!

 

[victorprime]

I wish Rondo was released on PC, xbox and Switch :/

 

[mazi]

They need to do a DS trilogy Collection, a multiplatform Requiem redo (original versions this time, plus throw in X68000/Chronicles) and a general Konami ReBirth Collection (Castlevania: The Adventure, Contra, Gradius and the unreleased Salamander ReBirths). Then I'll be happy.

it'd be good to get rondo/sotn on other platforms but i feel like they're gonna be stuck on ps4.

edit: altho if the manage to add those as bonuses on the DS collection like dracula x on the advance collection it would literally be the best collection of games ever released.

 

[Josh5890]

Great thread!

So I own several Castlevania games but I never dove real deep into any of them. Thanks to the community challenges I decided to finally try so I opened up the Castlevania collection.

First I tried Super Castlevania IV. Well I kept getting my butt kicked on Stage 3 with the green platforms. I don't know if I am having lag delay or if need to just "get gud". Anyway I made it to stage 4 but I kept hitting a wall so I decided to try the original game.

Castlevania 1 is tough but it doesn't seem super tough like other NES games. So far I've made it as far as stage 15 but I keep getting clipped at the hallway with the knight and flying faces. Those enemies and the crawling/jumping red things are a real thorn in my side.

I want to finish at least one game to get that badge so I won't be giving up.

 

[GoGoDezmo]

Alright! Thanks @A.G. Cook for getting this thread going!

Castlevania isn't a series I really grew up with, honestly. I know of the series, sure, even knew of specific games in the franchise. But it wasn't a series I was interested in getting invested in. That was, until the Castlevania Netflix series. This excellent animated series finally got me invested in Cazstlevania, and now I want to experience it all!

So far I own:

• Super Castlevania IV (SNES Classic)
• Bloodlines (Genesis Mini)
• Symphony of the Night (on the PSP)
• Dracula X (Advance Collection)
• Circle of the Moon (Advance Collection)
• Harmony of Dissonance (Advance Collection)
• Aria of Sorrow (Advance Collection)

I haven't beaten any of them yet, but I've recently started a playthrough of Circle of the Moon that I've gotten pretty far into. I've just defeated death, so I figure I'm approaching the end. I'll post my thoughts on the game once I've finished it.

Also, preparing this as I'm typing...this is a slow Sunday and my head hurts so I started working on my threads here already, so you'll be welcome to discuss N64 there.

Oh heck yeah! I've got a decent little collection of n64 games myself, so count me in!