Castlevania History Videos

[Taiso]

These were in my YT feed for some reason and I decided to watch them just to see if there was anything I didn't know about the franchise.

Turns out, there was quite a bit to learn in them. Everything from lore to development history and even what happened to some of those guys that worked on the early entries.

 

[Takumaji]

Oh, Castlevania, one of my fave game series.

So many hours I've put into it... or let's say man-years.

And the best one is:

 

[Taiso]

And the best one is:

My top 3:

Rondo
III
IV

But most people will probably say SotN is the best.

 

[prof]

Bookmarking the videos.

Hmm. While I hate to fall into taiso's stereotype, I do think SotN is my favorite. Damn. III is a close 2nd for me, and then about a half dozen would have to fight it out in a bloody battle royale for 3rd. Need to mention the GBA trilogy for the sake of the thread though, those games are so good.

 

[Taiso]

SotN is a fantastic game. I think it's inarguably the best 'video game' in the series. But I don't know if I can rank it as the best 'Castlevania' game, if that makes any sense.

Whipping action, no cards or inventory system, level grinding or loot drops, punishing platforming, etc. SotN really changes up the formula to the point where the only things it has in common with the entries that preceded it is side scrolling and the aesthetics/lore. The gameplay is, IMO, quite different.

SotN has the best OST in the series too, for what that's worth.

 

[Neo Alec]

The series peaked at Castlevania 3 and the 16-bit ones. SOTN is the start of something new.

 

[Hattori Hanzo]

Series died after Order of Ecclesia.

 

[Takumaji]

I prefer oldschool platformer CV. SotN looks and plays just fantastic but I don't like the backtracking, tons of items and item management in general, too much RPG elements for me. It's not even in my CV top-5, which is Bloodlines, CV3, CV, CVIV (there, I put it in my top-5, happy now), Rondo.

From the rest of the CVs, SotN is #1 in spirit, can't say much about the 3D and 2.5D games, have some of them on various consoles ranging from PSX, PS2, og Xbox, 360 to Xbone but never finished a single one of them, most of the time I lost interest halfway through and that was that.

Ah, no, come to think of it, I completed MSX CV which DOES have RPG-ish stuff and even a bit of backtracking in small doses. Looks and mostly plays like the NES CV but it's quite different to it in terms of level design and advancement.

 

[Taiso]

I used to really dig on the 'Metroidvanias' of the series until I played the original 2D version of Rondo as part of that PS4 collection with SotN. Then a switch flipped in me and I realized that the more challenging platforming, the knocback into pit deaths,, methodical and tactical use of weapons, no double jumping, shape shifting, leveling, etc, was how the series was meant ot be played. A human protagonist, empowered by his skill and faith alone, facing difficult odds to succeed.

All of that meta is in the older games. SotN really transforms the series into something different from that and expands the scope of the gameplay, from concept to release in a way that is still good but not really the same thing on any level.

Again, SotN is a brilliant game but it's not really the 'essence' of the series IMO.

 

[b-blanco]

My top 3:

Rondo
III
IV

But most people will probably say SotN is the best.

Sotn is my favorite but these are right behind it. After reading some of the other comments maybe Sotn should be judged on its own merits cause it’s really not Castlevania in a traditional sense.

 

[Kid Panda]

IV
Rondo
I
III
II

I really like II, but fuck all with the need for a guide for that train wreck. Music is very very good though. I prefer the NES audio over the FDS. IMO.

 

[terry.330]

Bloodlines is underrated.

 

[Tron]

My top three at least for a traditional castlevania.Konami has stated about revisiting there past ips if they ever have another castlevania made it better be in 2D.

1.SCIV,just for how well simon's controls.
2.Rondo
3.Bloodlines

 

[BerryTogart]

CV 1
CV 3
Bloodlines

It never fails to amaze me how good the soundtracks are they managed to deliver to the NES. (CV 1, CV 3)

 

[city41]

Glad I'm not the only one to put CV 1 as the best. There's just something about the first one. It's very simple, but you can get into a really nice flow throughout the whole game. I've yet to 1cc it, but I've come very close. You need to make sure to play the bug fixed version, as early releases would lock up at the grim reaper (maybe those videos cover that? I haven't watched them yet).

Rondo does the best of recreating the original feel while offering loads of new stuff. It's a very close second for me.

It never fails to amaze me how good the soundtracks are they managed to deliver to the NES. (CV 1, CV 3)

The music in CV1 is absolutely phenomenal. Possibly the best soundtrack on the NES.

 

[Neo Alec]

RE The video title: No, I did not forget how dark CV2 was. The first time I discovered the alternate endings scared the shit out of me and sent shivers down my 9-year-old spine. I'm convinced simple 8-bit graphics can be the most chilling, with the right amount of childhood imagination.

 

[Takumaji]

The original Castlevania (the floppy version) uses the additional sound chips of the disc system which resulted in one of the most iconic video game soundtracks ever made. Every piece is a classic, I still get goosebumps when I hear the CV theme.

Here's a recording of the Castlevania in Concert thingie from a few years ago, very symphonic and prolly not for the purists but some interpretations and arrangements are really fascinating ->

Another one I like is this one here, a medley of a number of famous titles played on acoustic guitar:

Castlevania hair speed metal? Sure:

...and in the series "drums no one asked for", here's a shorty for you CV IV fans:

 

[Neo Alec]

The original Castlevania (the floppy version) uses the additional sound chips of the disc system which resulted in one of the most iconic video game soundtracks ever made. Every piece is a classic, I still get goosebumps when I hear the CV theme.

The first game doesn't use the additional FDS sound channel at all. The music is identical to the overseas cartridge release, but there is one additional track for the file management screen.

The second one does, but it sounds kind of tinny compared to the nice bass-y cartridge version we got outside of Japan.

 

[Takumaji]

The first game doesn't use the additional FDS sound channel at all. The music is identical to the overseas cartridge release, but there is one additional track for the file management screen.

The second one does, but it sounds kind of tinny compared to the nice bass-y cartridge version we got outside of Japan.

Good to know, I thought they had pulled some tricks with it.

So what was the famicom disc system game with the extra sounds, SMB? Must have mixed something up there.

 

[Neo Alec]

Good to know, I thought they had pulled some tricks with it.

So what was the famicom disc system game with the extra sounds, SMB? Must have mixed something up there.

Nah. Konami was one of the companies that used the extra audio channel a lot, but not in the original Castlevania.

Nintendo used it for title screen music and in-game sound effects for most of their games, but not SMB. The original SMB was kinda famously made specifically as the 'ultimate' cartridge game that uses no extra mapper chips.

 

[Taiso]

Tak:

That would most likely be Castlevania II, which I also just learned has never been ported to any system from the original FDS source in its entirety. Apparently, it was too difficult a game to port over from FDS 'complete' at the time and they never went back to try it like they did with other games.

EDIT: Sounds like the changes are going to a password system and that the music got a significant downgrade which somehow ended up sounding better lol

 

[Taiso]

I found another interesting video about the unused content. This one is pretty lengthy but it's still interesting if ya got the time.

 

[Takumaji]

Thanks, guys, learning never stops, eh

 

[Taiso]

Alec probably knows more about this stuff than I do but I still love exploring the old games, especially with wiser, older eyes.

This is one of the reasons I'm less likely to embrace new things. Not only are most of them shitty, but going back to older stuff to learn more about it just proves how much more demanding those productions were and how much more dedicated the devs were to producing something incredible with less sophisticated tools.

What does it say about modern action games when most of them can't hold a candle to the early Castlevanias? Who is going to remember the modern stuff? I'll never forget Castlevania.

 

[Taiso]

Also, Bloodlines is a fucking great game. Definitely in my top 5, probably rounded out by the first one.

I have a ROM hacked version of II that has a world map you can open with the select button, the ability to keep all of the whips and swap between them in the menu, a film strip opening with scenes from the first game similar to III's opening CS and better translations. The villagers, apparently, are SUPPOSED to mislead you-that was by Hitoshi Akamatsu's design. But they weren't supposed to be so confusing as to not make any sense. I might even put this ROM hack above all of them for pure enjoyment. But alas, it is not a Konami product in any 'official' list, I don't know that it's fair to put it in.

EDIT: I'm struggling through Legends right now. I still own my physical copy complete (even still have the inserts) but I'm playing it on Nintendo Online. I know, I know. I should just get teh ROMz. But I still have a sub (one of many things I need to eventually cancel but never got around to due to still piecing my life together after my wife's passing) so why not?

It is....not good. Poorly balanced, very slow, uninspired enemies, a lack of enemy variety and bad level design. The only thing I can say I like about it is that I find Sonia an intriguing protagonist. Good character design. Would have liked to see her in more games or to be officially added to the canon. Not sure what's really wrong with her, unless it's the whole 'fucked Alucard and had a kid that is probably Ralph/Trevor' element, which makes the Belmonts somewhat vampiric in lineage rather than the holy warriors that they're supposed to be.

Then again, that adds an interesting aspect to the storyline-is Ralph/Trevor praying at the start of the third game because he is a devout servant of God or because he is praying for absolution due to his cursed blood?

Igarashi didn't like Sonia or her game so they were buried lol