RTTP Castlevania Appreciation Thread

[A. G. Cook]

Now that we're in the middle of October and this year is the 30th Anniversary of Super Castlevania IV, this seemed like a fun thread idea to talk about nostalgia and the roots of this retro series. Cross posting a post I made in the Spooky Switch Games thread and started thinking how I would love to hear more about people's connection to a specific Castlevania game or the history they have with the franchise.

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

30 Years of Super Castlevania IV

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.

Super Castlevania IV OST



The Making of Super Castlevania IV



Sprites from Super Castlevania IV

 

[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.

 

[xsquiddox]

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!