Castlevania Appreciation Thread

[prfsnl_gmr]

The story line started to get less Bram Stoker and more generic shitty anime with Aria of Sorrow. That's 90% of my problem with the game. The main character, Soma Cruz (that name, really?) is the other 10%. Castlevania heroes are generally grizzled monster hunters or apprentice hunters in desperate situations. It's dark, grungy, and compelling. A pretty boy whining high school student from the future makes a terrible Castlevania protagonist.

From a gameplay perspective, it's actually a great game albeit a little overly complicated. But context is what brings gameplay and visuals together to form a compelling experience and in that it failed me.

You captured my thoughts on those entries perfectly. I thought they were good games, but I could nto stand the settings. IMO, Order of Ecclesia was really when the series returned to form.

[pierrot]

The story line started to get less Bram Stoker and more generic shitty anime with Aria of Sorrow. That's 90% of my problem with the game. The main character, Soma Cruz (that name, really?) is the other 10%. Castlevania heroes are generally grizzled monster hunters or apprentice hunters in desperate situations. It's dark, grungy, and compelling. A pretty boy whining high school student from the future makes a terrible Castlevania protagonist.

Couldn't the same almost be said about Alucard in SotN? He may not be a whiny high school teenager, but he's still kind of a pretty boy. I feel like he's just some in-game art away from being Soma. I haven't actually played any of the handheld games outside of Ecclesia, but I do agree that the setting and art direction for the ones with Soma are pretty off putting. I have little interest in playing them, though I'm sure they play just fine. Funny how the box art on the GBA games makes them look like something almost completely different in terms of art direction.

[Flake]

Couldn't the same almost be said about Alucard in SotN? He may not be a whiny high school teenager, but he's still kind of a pretty boy. I feel like he's just some in-game art away from being Soma. I haven't actually played any of the handheld games outside of Ecclesia, but I do agree that the setting and art direction for the ones with Soma are pretty off putting. I have little interest in playing them, though I'm sure they play just fine. Funny how the box art on the GBA games makes them look like something almost completely different in terms of art direction.

SOTN ties in beautifully with Castlevania lore - it tied in the Belmonts' struggles with Dracula, made Bloodlines make sense, and even went so far as to feature what had previously been a minor character in Castlevania III as the main character. It was elegant and perfect.

[pierrot]

Couldn't the same almost be said about Alucard in SotN? He may not be a whiny high school teenager, but he's still kind of a pretty boy. I feel like he's just some in-game art away from being Soma. I haven't actually played any of the handheld games outside of Ecclesia, but I do agree that the setting and art direction for the ones with Soma are pretty off putting. I have little interest in playing them, though I'm sure they play just fine. Funny how the box art on the GBA games makes them look like something almost completely different in terms of art direction.

SOTN ties in beautifully with Castlevania lore - it tied in the Belmonts' struggles with Dracula, made Bloodlines make sense, and even went so far as to feature what had previously been a minor character in Castlevania III as the main character. It was elegant and perfect.

I'm not really debating any of that; just saying that Alucard and Soma share similarities in terms of design outside of backstory.

[Flake]

Such as...? They were drawn by the same artist (who also drew later era Richter Belmont) and then...what similarities?

[prfsnl_gmr]

This:

is better than:

which is way, way better than:

At the end of the day, however, none of them are as good as:

[Sload Soap]

I thought Circle of the Moon suffered because it was trying to be both classic Vania and Metroidvania, while not really excelling in either department. I remember that the bosses have unnecessarily large health bars as well which turns them into wars of attrition. It does have some great music though.

[casterofdreams]

I like Aria and Dawn because of gameplay really. I knew there was a story present but the soul system and varied weapons were fun for me. Never really payed attention to the story till the last moment in the good ending.

[noiseredux]

So who has played LOS2? I watched the trailer and my excitement went way down.

[Flake]

I thought Circle of the Moon suffered because it was trying to be both classic Vania and Metroidvania, while not really excelling in either department. I remember that the bosses have unnecessarily large health bars as well which turns them into wars of attrition. It does have some great music though.

I have the exact opposite opinion other than about the music which was indeed fantastic. I loved that the bosses were so beefy - it made the game's customization system a necessary part of the experience rather than a gimmick.