/vr/ - Retro Games

- Memorable music
- Challenging game design, at least before IGA ruined the franchise with Shitphony of the Night and its rehashes
- Lots of references to classic Universal films, mythology, etc.

>>5924095
>IGA ruined the franchise with Shitphony of the Night and its rehashes
While I'm not really an IGA hater myself, I enjoyed Symphony for what it's worth, I do miss having Akumatsu on board, the series probably would've felt more like classic vampire fiction if he was still involved. We probably wouldn't have weird japanese shit in the plot if it were not for IGA.

>>5924125
>>5924095
I agree. I loved SOTN back in the day. But it was the beginnjng of the downturn in quality for the Castlrvania series.

I enjoy every game made before SOTN more now.

>>5924087
I played it this summer on a whim, finished VTMB and vampires were in my head so I decided to give Castlevania a try, and I fell in love with it.

I was really surprised just how fun the game is today, it only really suffers from stiff control and some bullshit rooms here and there but it's a solid game nonetheless. The music was fantastic and I still listen to Out of Time to this day, it's just so fitting for the scene. I didn't like Castlevania 3 as much, mostly because I felt it was way too hard for its own good. Stage 7 took me hours and wasted a lot of my time and in the end I had to save state it which I felt bad for. I still rate it highly but I really hated that stage.

I'd say my favourite is Rondo which is a boring choice since it seems everyone loves it, but I found it to be such a fun little game that I 100%'d it twice, from the music to the visuals to the just right difficulty I just adored it. Followed by 1 and then 3.

>>5924357
I find that you don't see the style of a lot of older games today, I enjoy Classicvania a lot more than Metroidvania because I've played tons of the latter, but very little of the former. It felt fresh and fun to play over something I've seen around 10 times now.

>>5924087
Simons quest is my favorite, because that was the one I grew up playing. I like the rpg elementals of it combined with the playforming action elements. I really with the translation would have been on point, I honestly believe it would have been an excellent game on par with zelda 2 of they wouldn’t have had a retarded monkey attempt to speak japanenglish.

>>5924780
>I didn't like Castlevania 3 as much, mostly because I felt it was way too hard for its own good.
Have you ever tried playing the jp version? (Akumajou Densetsu). The US version I remember being bit harder but I think the japanese version is toned down, also Grant Danasty is incredibly useful because his normal attack throws daggers.

>>5924819
Simon's Quest is a pretty underrated game but it's understandable why. I only wish the bosses were... Tougher. I still went out of my way to kill them and I'm pretty sure you get rewarded if you do.

Castlevania 1 has one of the most god-tier aesthetics of all time, same for the OST.

>>5925215
Yeah, I heard it was a lot easier than the US version but this was a few weeks after I had finished it. Still, I watched Arino go through it and even he couldn't get past Stage 7 after 12 hours, and even called it soul crushing.

The main issue with that stage is that it's too long, the first half of the stage is fine since you can breeze through once you get the pattern down but it's just SO GOD DAMN LONG. I mean look at this shit. It's tedious and boring, with the only difficulty coming from the fucking final stair climb and the boss. I doubt Grant could've helped me over Alucard. I know I could've gripped the side of the falling blocks, but that was never the problem. It was always the final stretch.

It's funny, I remember showing my friend how terrible Stage 7 was and this was a month or so after I had finished 3, and my muscle memory was still on point that I could get through the stage up until the final climb without getting hit, by game over'd at the final climb.

>>5924819
The game felt unfinished for me with how there are only three bosses, had little to no difficulty and overall just felt lackluster to play. I could see what they were going for but it just fell flat. I agree that it could've been great. Still glad I played it just to see how it is, it's not a terrible game but just feels empty and underutilized.

>>5924087
I want to push my tongue up Simon's sweaty salty anus.

>>5925226

>>5924095
rent free.

>>5924095
Based. Fuck SOTN, fuck metroidvanias and fuck Igarashi.

Castlevania sucks.

>>5925230
seething sotnigger.

>>5925258
rent free

>>5925230
>>5925260
>>5925256
le epique trolles

>>5924357
Rondo of Blood was where it began, taking all the Gothic horror themes and turning it into "Japaniurope" which later games just kept building on.

>>5925267
cope.

>>5925301
go dilate again redditranny

How's curse of the moon

>>5925272
You're right. First game to have a typical "magical girl" who summons the fucking Shijin, also using the Japanese names for them(Genbu, Byakko etc.)
First to have the anime aesthetic, and multiple girls to save because why not. I guess Richter looking like Ryu from Street fighter counts too. That said I still think its more tolerable since those things felt oddly charming in a way.

>>5925315
ok classicel.

>>5925323
It's a good game, but feels artificial, like IntiCreates didn't quite get what made the old style of Castlevania work.

I don't really fully understand why people like Bloodlines more that Super CV, I don't think Bloodlines is bad. I actually like the game a lot but I always felt like some of the levels were kinda lacking in comparison to Super Castlevania.

>>5925695
The level design is worse, but BL's fast-flowing and intense gameplay makes it more fun to replay.

>>5925249
cringe.

Sometimes I forget that there are actually autistic people posting here. Like, not "you're an autistic faggot", but actually barely functioning, mentally unwell autistic. How else could you find fun in having the exact same arguments day after day, and wasting time trying to upset people instead of actually discusing things you're interested in?

>>5925728
May you be referring to people who hate SOTN

>>5925737
He's referring to anally sore Igafags who get triggered if someone doesn't like playing castleroids.

>>5925695
Bloodlines and CV IV are both great. Bloodlines is more "flashier" and tighter but of course CV IV has its advantages too. Love both games.

III > I > Chronicles > IV > Bloodlines > DX > Rondo

>>5924087
i loved the nes trilogy, but i never understood why they turned all anime after SOTN. i miss the classic game play too. Rondo of Blood was an okay game too that fixed somethings, but went back a step on others compared to CV4.

>>5924087
Vampire killer for the MSX is better than that shitty castlevania franchise

>>5927604
I prefer the other Vampire Killer

Is the switch collection worth playing?

>>5927772
No, because it doesn't have the X68000 game (best Classicvania) or the MSX game (best Tansakuvania).

>>5925815

>>5927772
Its not worth it but I still bought it because I'm a retard that'll buy anything with the words "Castlevania" plastered on it. It should have included Adventure ReBirth and X68000 but it doesn't sadly.

>>5927774
>>5927875
I assume if it sells well we'll get a second collection with those and more

Is Simon's Quest worth playing or should you skip it and go straight to 3

>>5927882
I actually heard the collection did sell well.
>>5927884
Play Simon's Quest, you may have to use a guide or you can play Simon's Quest REDACTED.

>>5925339
80's anime artstyle makes the game have a interesting and unique look compared to other Castlevania games both older and newer.

>>5925225
Arino didn't know that you can make Alucard turn into a bat out of any frames, including his damage frames. He also didn't get the pattern down for the blocks, which is just hopping between two then changing the timing midway through.

>>5927910
Rondo's aesthetic didn't look good outside of the opening cutscene. It looks jarringly out of place compared to every other game and even blatantly used anime hair colors. It's notable that the Dracula X Chronicles actively avoided Rondo's art style and created something that tried to be true to the Gothic architecture and foreboding atmosphere of the other Classicvania games.

>>5927960
Arino got the pattern down, he even told his AD to dodge the blocks in a 1 3 2 4 pattern or whatever. It was just too fucking much.

Which game do you anons replay the most

>>5929682
1, 3, 4, X68000, Rondo

>>5929682
SOTN

Yes I am making a joke, but Castlevania for the N64 is the most horrific game I have ever played. It was such a huge let down. I never understood how they can go from greatness to that. I played Symphony of the Night and liked it. I haven't played a Castlevania game since. I don't even know if there are any since that game. The music in the games are great, fighting monsters is awesome and the games are great looking.

>>5930535
CV64 is kino, though.

>>5929687
Swap Rondo out with Bloodlines and you have the top 5 best CV games.

>>5929682
4. For me it got the aesthetic just right and has the best music, I don't care if it's "easy" compared to something like 3, 3 bordered on masochism.

>>5928262
It's been a while since I've seen the episode, but the true pattern involves dodging between the second and fourth blocks (counting from the left) on the middle section. Wasn't Arino's solution something else?

>>5930535
Castlevania has received a ton of games on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. They're all worth checking out, but be warned that Circle of the Moon is dark without a backlit screen, Harmony of Dissonance is overly bright (went too far solving the CotM issue), and Dawn of Sorrow has bad anime portraits.

>>5930905
>3
>hard
le git gud face

>>5930905
The US version was significantly harder, the Japanese version was more forgivinb

>>5930985
You're thinking of CVIII. CV4 didn't get any difficulty adjustments between regions (that I know of).

>>5930918
Oh, I double checked the episode and he did get it wrong. He mixed up 4 and 1 in the pattern when talking to his AD, but Arino was able to get past the blocks after a while, he just kept on fucking up afterward because the level was just too long.

>>5931160
He was stuck on the blocks for like seven hours, so he was really burnt out by that point. IIRC he never hit the 24-hour limit either, he just got frustrated and quit. If he had only figured out the block solution earlier he'd have likely beat the game considering the good pace he was on and that the final Dracula battle is far more forgiving in the Japanese version.

>>5932513
Nah, I think the higher ups or whatever told him that he didn't have anymore time left but they would let him try the final stage for an hour or so. He was able to get to Dracula's last form but that was it. A shame really, since Dracula in 3 is surprisingly easy after his first form.

As for the stage itself, I doubt he would've been able to do it. By the time he got to the autoscroller, he was always down a life or two and had around 2 bits of health left. Even if he did get to the top, he would need to deal with an Axe Knight or several spawning mummies and if he did get those down he'd still need to go through the boss rush.

Did the HELP ME code exist in the famicom version? It could've been a great bit of help for him by the final few hours. Although I'm not sure what the rules are for GCCX I don't watch that many episodes.

>>5932568
I remember playing the Japanese version recently and trying to enter the Help Me code and I don't actually think it worked sadly. Not that I actually needed it.

>>5925225
I. Urata who worked on Castlevania III, from a 2chan post:

"I worked on the story, the dialogue, the scenario (though I’m not sure if we actually had a “proper” scenario…?), the character backgrounds, and the maps (the backgrounds and floors). The programmers would then take those completed maps and decide where to place the items and enemies."

What do you guys think of this? This...confused me at first. Castelvania III is a very well-designed game. The levels must have been reviewed over with both the map designer and the people who placed the enemies, and consequently edited to be more thorough. It makes sense as a way to get the first part of the process over with, but the final result are levels that are much less incidental and arbitrary than that.

Either way I highly recommend everyone to check out the full article which is mostly translated tweets of someone who interviewed Hitoshi Akamatsu himself. (pictured.)

>>5924087
>>5932741

Here is the great article, the interviews with Hitoshi Akamatsu (designer of Castlevania 1 2 and 3) himself. Forgot to link it the first time around.

http://shmuplations.com/castlevania/

>>5932741
>>5932751
That's an interview with one of Akamatsu's employees who mentions things Akamatsu said and did, not with Akamatsu himself.

Quick question: Is it true that "Belnades" is a bastardized translation of "Fernandez?"

>>5932942
Pretty much, Japanese pronunciation is "Verunandesu" which is obviously supposed to be Fernandez. Not only that and every acts all weird when they see "Simon Belmondo" in the credits but the Belmont clan was literally ALWAYS supposed to be the Belmondo clan. The dead give away is that all promotional Japanese material that mentions the Belmont clan in English still spells it as Belmondo to this day.

>>5933090
What was up with Konami and Fernandez? Some kind of in-joke?

>>5933105
I dunno, is Fernandez used in another Konami ip besides Castlevania?

>>5924095
Whats wrong with NIIGA btw?

>>5930613
I'm astonished that the 64 games were the only ones where they had the idea of having a Werewolf protagonist. Like you think Castlevania would be the perfect series to have some altered beast shit in it but this is the only one. I do honestly wish Cornell's game was better because honestly, he's a pretty cool concept for a character.

>>5933113
Dancin's nickname for Goemon in MNSG.

>>5933156
Nothing, he wasn't even solely responsible for SOTN, he tried his hardest to keep the series alive after that and did a pretty damn good job considering the budget given to him.

>>5933159
Forgive me for not know, Goemon is a series I've yet to actually get into. I guess I need to play it some time.

>>5933156
Classicfags hate him because they blame SotN and its popularity for the reason why hardly any more Classicvanias got made after fourth gen.

>>5933163
Start with the SNES quadrilogy (skip 3 if you can't read Jap or don't wanna read a faq) and the two on N64. Those are the best.

>>5933171
Noted, thanks anon.

>>5933090
Why is it written with a V then? Doesn't Japan only mix up B and V? Where do CV III's credits get an m for "Velnumdes" from?

>>5933157
It's probably because a werewolf is typically a villain in things like this; their wolf form is a monster completely at odds with their human form, and in most werewolf stories they have to die. Alucard can get away with being a folkloric dhamphir, but even he is perhaps the one exception in all of existence.

>>5924087
>can't beat this game without relying on save states
Am I just shit?

>>5924087
>is one of the best classic horror themed games out there.
Night Slashers is a 2D horror-themed belt-scrolling beat-'em-up developed and released by Data East for arcades in 1993.

Similar to Capcom's brawlers (namely Final Fight), Night Slashers pits a trio of heroes against an endless assault of zombies, mutants, and numerous other horror archetypes. The game is known for its campy atmosphere and extreme gore animations.

>>5933250
The save states hinder you even if unused, serving as a safety net to not try as much. Play without them and get good my friend.

I've only ever played Castlevania with friends, never got far.

I want to play a Castlevania game that is good to completion for the first time. What's the best one to start with?

>>5933409
Bloodlines is probably the best in the series.
I think Rondo of Blood is easier though, for a first time (PCE version).

>>5933409
Clear III, it'll make a man out of you.

>>5933409
The first one is the best entry point, as it's an extremely solid game and at a very reasonable difficulty in the overall series. An alternative starting point is Symphony of the Night, which is considered the first proper Metroidvania game, but after that you should hop right into CV I. SotN is way easier than CV I, so playing a Classicvania (stage-based arcade style) is highly recommended if your first game is a Metroidvania. That way you'll get a good idea of both kinds of Castlevania games and SotN might prepare you a bit in case Classicvania could irritate you going in cold.

>>5933090
Is there any place that has researched this more where I can look up name differences and likely intentions? Like a page in Castlevania Dungeon or a similar site.

>>5933321
Why is robo Nuclear Man there?

>>5933321
I remember this game but I'm not that big a fan of beat em ups so I never bothered to play it.

>>5930905
I absolutely hate the color palete on 4.
It looks like shit no matter what you play it on.
No CRT or CRT filters can make it look anything less than multicolored puke.

>>5924087
Akamatsu was a great director and the best the series ever saw.

>>5933654
huh, really? I like its color palette a lot, and especially love that screen on the Gaibon boss fight. One of my favorite rooms in games in general.

>>5933661
It's too saturated. I get that it's an extension of the look of the NES games, but I just don't feel it works properly with more detailed backgrounds.

>>5933409
Super Castlevania IV is the definitive classicvania imo. Takes everything good about the first game and ramps it up to eleven.

>>5924087

Interactive experience with global fairy tale phenoms like dracula, frankenstein's monster, medusa, etc. in a ground breaking medium, ez next question

>>5932741
>>5932751
Manlets btfo

>>5925215
Grant is useless in the jp version for that exact reason. L2subweapons

>>5925323
Completely fine and acceptable. Like>>5925351
said it feels artificial. I think that mostly comes down to it being rushed out.

Additionally it's just a really easy game. They improved on the cv3 formula in some ways, like character swapping, and separate health pools, but given how easy that makes the game, there should have been something else to balance it out.

>>5933321
Great game, runs like shit on anything emulator wise but FBA.

$7 on nintendo switch e-shop, totally worth it IMO, only arcade port I've bought on there yet

>>5925339
The thing is the anime aspect didn't went overboard you know, it was still firmly rooted in horror movies, now SOTN foward went to town with the faggot look for every main character and became this gothic lady gaga esque thing, completely ruined the aesthetic for me

>>5925695
Well super castlevania is WAY easier, i have been replaying dracula x and once you get the hang of it i just plowed through IV, besides all those mode seven bullshit and the graphics in general just suck balls for what an snes could do at the time tldr; dracula x is better than sciv

>>5929682
Rondo, dracula x, bloodlines and III, fucking solid 10/10 games

>>5933090
What is that outfit trying to pull off

>>5933321
fucking amazing game, i love the large movesets, really nice big sprites, and like you said, filled to the brim with gore

>>5933409
well you should start where it all started then branch off with whatever you feel like, i personally recomend III and rondo of blood

>>5933654
Really ugly color palette this game has, nothing stands out, all the enemies move in a wonky frameless manner btw none of this affects the gameplay since this is the easier and lamest castlevania game

>>5930921
Portrait of ruin has anime portraits too, yet they look better than dawn of sorrows imo

>>5933934
>it was still firmly rooted in horror movies
Until Maria was introduced with her pets and it became a Magical Girl anime.

And reminder that it was ultimately Japanese Shinto priests that killed Dracula for good. Julius was just the decoy to distract him.

>>5933990
Julius beat him and the shinto priests sealed the castle
Get your lore right

>>5933990
Yeah but you weren't obligued to play as maria, you could miss her room and never know she was playable

>>5934034
and yet she's the best part of playing rondo, so you're missing out if you don't get her

>>5933665
hmm, I don't see it. Looks fine to me, actually has a very tasteful color palette (as opposed to, say, Rondo or Bloodlines, where the color palette seems a bit all over the place at times, IV is more coherent).
But I don't think any Castlevania look bad, anyway. Even Haunted Castle looks great.

>>5924087
One of my favorite things about this franchise are the various corpses scattered throughout the levels. Like skeletons in spike pits or that are chained to the walls in dungeons, and particularly the dead body in the cog wheel in Chronicles

>>5933460
No clue. I would guess the Castlevania wiki would be your best bet. One of the other changes I remember is, Bloodlines the Japanese version they fight Elizabeth Bathory, US version they fight Elizabeth "Bartley

Have any of you guys run into an issue emulating X6800? The raft on Stage 2 keeps disappearing.

>>5934504
Emulating Castlevania Chronicles on the ps1 is probably easier.

>>5934504
are you using xm6 type g

>>5934639
>>5934649
I figured it out, had to change cpu from 10 mhz to 16 mhz in the core options menu.

>>5933989
Yeah, that's why I didn't mention PoR. Some people think those portraits are a bit better, and I figured mentioning the first of the two games to have that style was enough.

>>5934114
The dungeon in X68000/Chronicles is one of my favorite areas because of the corpses you find that still have flesh. That takes the ordinary dungeon and suddenly makes it far more visceral and gruesome. You start to realize that some of these people were actually torn in half or had their corpses mutilated instead of just falling apart as bones, and it also provides a greater context to the previous heaps of bones that makes it more disturbing in retrospect.

I also liked the area outside of the first Shaft battle in Rondo of Blood for similarly feeling like a dumping ground for all the sacrifices he needed to make to revive Dracula. We saw the single execution in the intro that had a more personal feeling to it, and then we saw the full context and how horrible Shaft's spells and rituals really were. It's like how the Legion boss in SotN elevates the catacomb where the floor is filled with corpses. With this in mind, I also really like the background of the Grim Reaper's arena in CV III with the rolling mounds of skulls, some with blood on them.

It's a shame that the series never featured a "forest" of impaled bodies like the actual Vlad Tepes made. It was such a perfect opportunity they missed, and one they probably only could have gotten away with on the NES.

>>5934497
Yeah, Bathory is an obvious one. The thing is, I rarely see the Fernandez mistranslation pointed out in places, even on the upgraded Castlevania wiki. It also doesn't help that the wiki is still pretty bad at properly citing its sources and providing a genuine translation rundown (or even the ability to paste text into a machine translator) for their resources.

>>5934716
Make sure it's not giving you the "all enemies do 1 point of damage" glitch.

>>5935021
I don't think I've got that glitch, I'm at Medusa's level now and most enemies are giving me four hits of damage.

>>5935056
It's working as intended then.

>>5935078
you evil mofo

>>5935080
That's literally how the game is balanced. It's one of the harder Classicvanias in that regard, but ultimately not worse than the U.S. version of III.

Does anyone else like to binge the entire AVGN series on this every October? Just a tradition for me now

>>5935114
Old AVGN is comfy in general. Only e-celeb I tolerate.

>>5935078
I'm not surprised. If I could handle CV3, I can handle this.

>>5932942
>>5933090
>>5933113
>>5933460
>>5935018
I actually confused myself more by looking into this, in the JP credits for Castlevania 3(Akumajou Densetsu) her name is spelled... "Velnumdes"... Though I have a feeling that this might not have been intentional.

I still don't get the CV4 is easy meme.

Seriously. This run takes a godlike level of skill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_rVjc81AUk

>>5935196
CV4 is the most speedran Classicvania because trannies can't handle an actual challenging CV game.

>>5924087
It's one of the best game series ever period.

>>5925215
>>5925225
Yeah, the Japanese version of Castlevania III is the best version of the game.

So we're in agreement that this is the most underrated Castlevania, right?

Serious question: Has there ever been an overall better combination of presentation and gameplay in ANY game?

>>5935160
Yeah, that's where some of my confusion comes from as well. I don't get where the F comes from for Fernandez, and the M in Velnumdes is also perplexing.

>>5935270
It makes the final Dracula phase way too easy though. The U.S. version had the right idea there.

>>5933872
Grant can't use subweapons in the Japanese version?

>>5935272
Either the MSX game or CV64.

>>5925215
>>5925225
Stage 7 is the main problem with 3, in both versions of the game. Someone playing 3 could theoretically get used to the enemy and item layout, much like how CV1 gets a lot easier on subsequent playthroughs. Stage 7 will still be tedious as hell and downright unfun no matter who you're playing as, though.

>>5933409
Pretty much every good game in the series is a good starting point, but I would recommend 1 or Rondo of Blood for the classic style, and Symphony of the Night or Aria of Sorrow for the metroidvania style. The only ones I'd avoid are Simon's Quest, Dawn of Sorrow (which is good, but you probably shouldn't play it before Aria) and any of the 3D games.

>>5935320
The Sunken City on Loop 2 is a real pain. I swear the water raises more quickly and the bat patterns are always at least three on the screen at all times in a cross-up pattern.

>>5935298
Grant can only use the axe and stopwatch in the Japan version, but he can get Double and Triple Shots.

Ideally, the US version should have had him use a stabbing knife for his main attack and a throwing knife as a subweapon (still uses hearts) that's automatically equipped at the start of every life.

>>5935320
This thread actually made me go back to Stage 7 of Castlevania 3 and I have to say that, looking back it's not as bad as when I went through it the first time. I died around three times before completing it.

The first half is tedious as hell, just take it slow on some sections and fast on others and you'll be fine. The mini boss can be cheesed to hell and back so it's not difficult at all. The falling blocks NEED to be bypassed by Alucard otherwise you're stuck there for three goddamn minutes which is not fun at all, afterward you can take it slow and skip more sections with Alucard until you get to the autoscroller, and by then you just need to memorise everything going up.

The boss used to be a big problem for me, the mummies weren't too bad, but I guess I was too passive with the cyclops. He would always fuck me up and I could never get a hit off on him, but since you can easily hit off two headshot hits before he starts to charge he's actually not too bad, and by then you're home free since the next boss after that is easy.

I think it's a stage that is really difficult when you first tackle it and it tests your patience and shit, but once you get it all down and know all the enemy placements it's not hard at all. I still think the game would've been better off if it was cut in half or didn't have the falling block room.

>>5924087
What are some cryptic things to be aware of in simon's quest? Would using a guide ruin the game?

>>5936552
Throw holy water constantly in dungeons, houses, and suspicious areas.

>>5936552
There's a lake and a cliff face that you need to crouch for around 5 seconds at with a certain item equipped to progress. Those are the only retarded moments that I remember, everything else can be solved by chucking holy water everywhere, iirc, which can get really annoying after a while. There's a reason Simon's Quest isn't really well-liked, but I think it's an ok game, despite its flaws.

>>5933938
>>5933943
Goddamn I love seeing bros acknowledge the goodness that is Dracula X, i cant think of any other game that gets as unfairly shit on as that one. Im still upset it wasnt included in the Collection, wouldve made it perfect for me.

>>5935253
stay mad.

only zoomers eceleb lovers hate CV4.

>>5937731
only avgn-watching zoomers like cv4

>>5937887
cope australia faggot.

>>5937898
seethe more, obsessed tranny.

>>5937910
rent free.

>>5937916
We literally had this shitposting a few days ago that was deleted.

Why restart it?

I like CV 4 and Rondo of blood
come at me

>>5938126
You are the gay

>>5938126
most people do, it's not that impressive

>>5935701
Can't he only use the throwing knife, axe, and stopwatch in the U.S. version anyway? It sounds like Japanese Grant is still the best.

>>5938823
JPN Grant is limited to one slow knife throw at a time and he can't throw another until that's off-screen. Double and Triple Shots don't affect it because it's not considered a subweapon.

US Grant's stabbing attack is so fast that IF you can get close enough to an enemy, you can dice them to shreds in seconds

>>5938618
I feel like Bloodlines is better than X68000, I dunno...

>>5938835
Japanese Grant can be a patient sniper, whereas U.S. Grant has horrible range, weak damage, and I swear he's not much faster than Trevor or Sypha.

Grant is like III's Maria. Strong offense and very agile, but has shitty defense.

>>5938852
On the topic of X68000, why does Dracula have an entire tower filled with dolls and robot clowns?

>>5939024
The castle is a creature of chaos, we see dolls as enemies in SOTN, and in Dawn of Sorrow, a puppet master. Clearly dolls are part of the chaotic nature of the castle and in X68000 it manifested a tower filled to the brim with evil possessed dolls(Also evil dolls are typical horror trope so it's just kinda playing off of classic horror.)

>>5939024
Either for their own spooky factor or because he thought his kid might be a girl. Posting here because the /v/ thread might 404 before you check it for an answer again.

Kek I can't believe I just beat haunted castle arcade

K version easy mode with the difficulty turned to easy but it is still stupid. Almost worth it for the song played on stage 6.

https://youtu.be/rDEVr1XLoZs

For some reason Vs. Castlevania is coming to Switch. I dunno who was interested in playing Vs. Castlevania as opposed to just normal Castlevania.

>>5940047
Also beat castlevania chronicles arrange mode today, fuck that might've been the hardest castlevania I've ever played. I can't imagine playing the original mode

>>5940192
I am. Vs. is more difficult and it will have the score ranking mode that all the other ACA games have.

>>5927604
vampire killer was just its europoor name. it was always akumajou alongside its older nes version.

>>5925272
you can count castlevania 2 almost for that. was reading the article about akamatsu after seeing >>5932741's post and found

>The zombies that appear in the towns at night in Simon’s Quest originally hopped around, like the Chinese Jiangshi that were popular at the time. People said they were too strong though, so Akamatsu reluctantly toned them down to just walking zombies. (laughs)

not entire weeb and not even put in but still the idea of culture intermingling was there

>>5940412
I'm playing the original version myself, just beat the Doppelganger.
I'd put its difficulty below 3's US version. It definitely feels harder than CV1, but it's harder without making the game tedious in parts like Block 7 or 3's Doppelganger.

I'm trying to beat Rondo and it's so fucking difficult I actually feel I just can't do it. Stage 7 is the most absurd shit I've seen in a video game in a while.

>>5940935
Actually I meant stage 6* The boss rush

>>5940823
Even if it's weird, Chinese Jiangshi would fucking fit perfectly into Castlevania. Having a mysterious terror from the far east invade Europe would be cool.

They did end up adding one in Order of Ecclesia

>>5940937
Once you get to Shaft you continue at him if you lose a life
For the Boss Rush just cheese special weapons and/or use Maria

>>5935253
difficulty changes between casual and speedruns. CVIV is a case of being one of the hardest if not the most

>>5940992
>Use Maria
Only do that after you've completed a Richter playthrough. If you're having trouble against Shaft, there's a wall you can break before the battle that gives you a very useful subweapon.

>>5930535
The most glaring flaw is the camera that wants to actively fight you but otherwise it is a very fun game IMO. If they did a HD rerelease with fixed the camera issues I'd be all for it. I do understand the hate for stage 5 though because that shit is a pain in the ass.

>>5940826
1. CV3 US
2. Haunted Castle ver. M
3. X68000
what i think are the top 3 hardest

>>5940192
>>5940425
me too, I've never played Vs.

>>5941896
> U.S. CV 3 over Haunted Castle Version M
What are your reasons for this? Are you considering only one route in particular?

>>5940992
>>5941804
I beat it but fuck stage 7. How do you deal with Harpies without a sub weapon.

God why does this board have to be so contrarian all the time. SOTN is a great game, and easily the best of the castlevania series. Sorry if that's not a quirky opinion that makes me different than the mainstream gamers. Most people think SOTN is the best because it is the best, end of story.

>boohoo why did castlevania turn all anime all of a sudden

Ayami Kojima's art is the best thing to ever happen to Castlevania aesthetically. Before she got involved Castlevania's artstyle was literally just tracing Frazetta and D&D art.

not retro, but did anyone try Bloodstained?

>>5942490
It's all down to careful timing of the whip when jumping and falling through the stage.

>>5942652
curse of the moon is good
ritual of the night is trash

>>5942724
They're both good, one's just for Classicvania and the other's for Metroidvania.

>>5942769
Yup, exactly what the man said, one's good and one's shit

>>5942775
I see I hit a nerve.

Does Dracula actually teleport around at high speeds in Simon's Quest, or is that just for show and he actually has four hitboxes up at once? Are three of the Draculas just illusions?

So I just finished Simon's Quest today. I got the "normal" ending.

What's the easiest way to beat it within 7 ingame days? I imagine ignoring any whip that's not the Morning Star or Flame Whip might help.

>>5942871
Probably not dying/game overing at all. There's quite a few sections you need to grind hearts out at.

>>5933945
Men

>>5942198
less stages

>>5942850
Pretty sure he's teleporting.

>>5937558
what's most challenging between dracula x, 3, and chronicles? which has best atmosphere? most fun?

>>5944206
3 > chronicles original mode > drac x snes > chronicles arrange mode

>>5944019
I haven't played the game, but I never see anyone apparently whiffing when they attack him.

SOTN is good.
Cope shitposters.
Same with IV.

>>5944554
I remember playing it not too long ago, and I remember missing a few attacks but I'm not sure.

Well I beat Dracula X but only because of Maria, put a couple hundred attempts in on stage 7 and Dracula himself with Richter before I gave up and one shot both stages with Maria. Richter is so weak and unfun to play in his own game it's kind of hilarious.

>>5944751
Richter still feels to me more like how the game is meant to be played. I think people think the game is better as Maria simply because once you have a taste of power you can't go back.

>>5944797
>>5944751
I've sunk at least 3 playthroughs into RoB and still haven't touched Maria. I guess I'm too attached to the traditional Classicvania protagonist.

>>5945118
Not retro but it's for this reason Harmony of Dissonance is my favorite Metroidvania.

>>5945172
Not retro but you may also consider Circle of the Moon and Lament of Innocence then as well.

Am I a pussy for selecting 5 lives?

>>5944797
I ended up beating Drac pretty easily with Richter eventually too but Stage 7 can suck my cock. And I think you're definitely right, going from Maria back to Richter definitely gives some backlash.

>>5944751
Maria is the easy mode though, I remember unlocking her and breezing through Stages and eventually destroying Dracula with ease.

Getting the joke ending honestly felt like the devs were making fun of me, so I went back and did it all again with Richter and it was a lot more challenging and fun.

Maria is fine for getting 100% though, since being able to double jump is just powerful as fuck in this game.

>>5945417
If you're talking about Bloodlines, then no. It's pretty dumb that they gave you limited continues. You have the password system and can easily just put in the password, which begs the question of why they made continues be limited to begin with.

>>5945172
I actually really enjoyed Harmony, and thought Juste was pretty neat. I'd have liked to see him get another game/appearance.

Post your ideal Julius Belmont game

>>5944751
> put a couple hundred attempts in on stage 7 and Dracula himself with Richter before I gave up
Dude, just backflip over Hellfire. Rondo's Dracula is one of the easiest in the series.

>>5947346
Most of that was stage 7 which I just think is ass for Richter. Shaft's ghost is tough, the bat bridge is fucked, harpies are annoying without a sub weapon, etc. I didn't even need to backflip over anything with correct spacing for Dracula eventually.

>>5946531
Apparently the Japanese version gives you unlimited continues and it was changed for the US version like Contra Hard Corps. It makes the passwords make more sense at least.

>>5948745
>it was changed for the US version like Contra Hard Corps
The US version of Hard Corps came first.

>I see you're having too much fun with Super Castlevania IV for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
>Allow me to correct this problem

>>5924087
Haunted Castle is massively underrated and it's hard as fuck and has some of the best music and atmosphere in the series. Its difficulty scares more off, dough.

>>5949087
Haunted Castle is goofy as shit, and the whole aesthetic of the game is... oof, but I guess it's not too bad, the music is pretty great.

>>5949228
>but I guess it's not too bad, the music is pretty great.
You know you love it, it's ok. I've beaten version m, but it probably took years off my life.

>>5949087
There are two versions of Haunted Castle, one of which is far harder than the other and transparently meant to vacuum quarters. That's likely why so many people don't give it the time of day.

>>5950998
>There are two versions of Haunted Castle
Basically, but there's four versions.

>>5925215
The biggest problem with castlevania 3 isn't so much the enemies but the fucking stairs everywhere. They break the controls, and yet they feel the need to throw half a dozen enemies your way when your on them, plus another enemy on top hovering over them because they follow you instead of a set pattern.

Vs. Castlevania is out on Switch now I believe

>>5951387
I swear the stairs in CV 3 are the least conducive in the series. So many inputs get redirected into climbing the stairs instead, and using subweapons on them in any direction is needlessly difficult.

>>5942650
Or in CVIII's case, Andre Agassi

>>5924087
>tfw Nintendo didn't choose Simon to represent the pre-Iga Castlevania and Alucard to represent the Iga-era Castlevania in Smash

>>5924095
>>5924125
Don't agree, but I'd be perfectly fine with a modern Castlevania that was just a straight-up action game with no RPG elements. At least that Bloodstained minigame did that, I guess.

>>5933409
Super Castlevania 4 or Rondo of Blood are generally accepted as the peak in quality for the classic games, and not plagued by some of the issues of the oldest titles (janky controls, particularly on stairs, being the classic gripe).

>>5930921
HoD also has disappointing bosses and a lackluster enemy roster. Circle of the Moon is better even if its control is way stiffer, it's grindy, and the card input can be annoying.

>>5939024
For the same reason he has maids that politely greet you before flying kicking you in the face.

>>5942650
Can't we just agree that there's a place for the classic art and Kojima's art and be mutually united in disdain for the ill-advised seasonal animu art phase?

>>5944559
SotN could really stand to be harder. Particularly in the boss department. I'll say this about Aria, Dawn, and PoR, I didn't find the Death fights disappointing.

>>5955263
The polite greeting is probably a facade to add on to the notion that something wasn't right. They debut as taller than Simon, throwing knives everywhere, using Blanka's rolling charge, and transforming into monster forms that no subsequent appearance featured.

>>5955665
....are knife chucking maids just a thing Japan has been doing for a while, or did Castlevania inspire a certain Touhou character?

>>5955726
>>5955665
It's pretty much just Animevania seeping into the series.

>>5955735
What do you think the name of Maria's Stand is?

>>5955726
Sakuya is way older than that. Her main inspo is probably Dio.

Most hated enemy? They don't have to be hard or anything, just annoying to you or you hate their design.

I remember really despising catoblepas in CotM since its design is literally just a bull that barely even moves and they're damage sponges.

>>5955853
Castlevania Sharp X68000 came out in 1993, so when did Sakuya debut in Touhou?