How do I get into Castlevania games?

[Anonymous No.9778734]

So recently I had booted up "Symphony of the night" because I wanted to look at graphics, and realized that I might as well try other games. As it often is with japanese classics I'm unsure about what versions of those games pick up? I want to get redpilled on what games are worth playing and which versions of them are the best. For starters should I pick up original NES Castlevania 1 or PS1 Castlevania Chronicles?

[Anonymous No.9778747]

>>9778734
I'd start with Super Castlevania, then Dracula X. The PS1 games then Rondo of Blood. Don't bother with the NES ones first imo

[Anonymous No.9778901]

>>9778734
>NES Castlevania 1
That's the best game in the series soo, that one.

[Anonymous No.9778912]

>>9778734
Play Rondo or Castlevania 1 NES. if the difficulty of those games makes you mad, then play Super Castlevania IV which isn't as good but is really easy

[Anonymous No.9778916]

>
https://www.youtu.be/Xq91yIPLf-M

[Anonymous No.9778946]

just dropping in to say thrashhard in the cave is kino. sc-55. i also like the dnb version in the psx

[Anonymous No.9778949]

>>9778747
Do not listen to this retard. Never. EVER. Play Dracula X.

1, 4, Rondo of Blood, SotN are all the best places to start, with 4 being the easiest game. I'd start with 4.

[Anonymous No.9778960]

>>9778734
I'd really advocate release order. If you just want to play the best I'd recommend:
>C1
>if you liked C1, try C3 JP version
>SC4
>Rondo
>SotN
Chronicles is fun imo, if you liked the NES games then Original Mode should give you a similar challenge but Arrange is fine if the NES Castlevania style of difficulty doesn't appeal to you.

[Anonymous No.9778961]

NES ones are great and don't need remakes although you can play those too - do CV1 and CV3 for NES (or CV3 for Famicom instead if you're not so skilled and you have slightly inferior taste in music, both versions are great so whatever), play CV2 if you want to be a weirdo who tries weird flawed things with special feelings embedded in them and lots of unrealized potential (but skip it otherwise), ahh well just try everything, it's somewhat difficult (though possible) to go very wrong with 2D Castlevania games

[Anonymous No.9778975]

>>9778734
simon is a tranny on the cover

[Anonymous No.9778987]

>>9778949

Dracula X is nowhere near as bad as the reputation.

It's a step down from Rondo in a lot of ways sure, but the overall art/graphics/presentation are actually better in my opinion, the music still kicks ass, and in most other respects it's just a solid classicvania. I don't see what's to dislike about it.

Better than SCIV at least. Always thought that game is way overrated.

[Anonymous No.9779003]

>>9778987
Dracula X Richter walks too slowly, that alone torpedoes the experience for me

Sick Dracula fight though

[Anonymous No.9779010]

>>9778734
>How do I get into Castlevania games?
You play them.

[Anonymous No.9779074]

>>9778747
Dracula X sucks and no amount of shilling it here will ever change that.

[Anonymous No.9779091]

Play Wonderboy dragons trap. Best castlevania

[Anonymous No.9779093]

>>9778987
Yep and it's a different experience on PC Engine too. Not sure if anon would go straight to the best games in the franchise and ruin expectations for the rest of the games. Save best for last IMHO.

[Anonymous No.9779230]

>nobody mentioned III aka the best in the series

[Anonymous No.9779262]

>>9779230
Because it's one of the hardest in the series. I can't even make it to a second boss or even a new playable character. It's too hard.

[Anonymous No.9779284]

>>9778975
she's a straight up cisgendered woman, and a beautiful musclegirl at that
any indication to the contrary in text surrounding the game is erroneous
even the developers may not have known what they were creating, but Simone Belmont knows
and now you do too

[Anonymous No.9779351]

>>9779262
harder than I? damn. I was a bit challening in stage 5.

[Anonymous No.9779358]

>>9778949
Dracula x is a fucking classic, one of the best castlevania games. I know that’s a hot take, but don’t fall for the Dracula x is bad meme, it’s a good one.

[Anonymous No.9779432]

>>9779230
ctrl-f "cv3"

[Anonymous No.9779757]

Dracula X is a good start.

Because if you don't like it, you're just a poser who don't actually like Castlevania classic design and just pretend to for retro cred points and repeat meme opinions like "oh yeah Rondo of Blood and IV are the best ones"

>>9778734
>Chronicles

Emulate the original X68000 version, Chronicles is a butchered port.

[Anonymous No.9779774]

my advice is to play 1 before anything else, once you've played 1 you can then pretty much go to any of the classic games. the classicvania sequels are basically all one-off remixes of 1 and aren't really sequels to eachother.

[Anonymous No.9779775]

>>9779757
>Chronicles is a butchered port.
retarded nonplayer

[Anonymous No.9779779]

>For starters should I pick up original NES Castlevania 1 or PS1 Castlevania Chronicles?
You should probably start with the NES game. 4 and Rondo of Blood are also excellent starting points. Symphony of the Night is a direct sequel to Rondo of Blood.
If you can be bothered to set up an X68000 emulator and play the original version of Castlevania Chronicles I'd recommend that, otherwise the PS1 version is still good. The PS1 version has an Arranged mode with a different soundtrack and Simon sprite, both of which I really enjoy. I really like Chonicles a lot, but I think you should save it for after you've at least tried the first game.

>>9778946
Hell yeah.

[Anonymous No.9779958]

OP here, If I want to play classic NES games, should I go with emulation or just buy Castlevania Anniversary Collection?

[Anonymous No.9780029]

>>9779958
Start with Castlevania I on emulation. Then decide if you really like the franchise enough to warrant the purchase. What kind of experience are you looking for OP? A gentle introduction, or a genuine challenge?

[Anonymous No.9780059]

Brief thoughts on a lot of the classic games.

Castlevania: A tough, but short and easily digestible arcade action game. Every track is a banger.
II: Ambitious but completely inscrutable in 2023 unless you are playing with a guide. Great music though.
III: A top tier, meaty NES game. I like it less than the original personally but many people would rank this as a top 5 NES game. The Japanese version is a bit more fair
Super: A remake of 1 with lots of neat SNES effects and a cool jazz soundtrack. Simon is given a lot more movement and attack options, which makes the game much easier. It's my personal favorite
Adventure: Slow and sort of boring to play though some people like it
Adventure 2: A big improvement thought I don't think it's patch on the NES games
Bloodlines: Completely awesome with lots of cool effects.
Rondo: A game with 16-bit graphics and a CD soundtrack is sort of my platonic ideal of a classic video game Plays amazing, has multiple paths and endings.
Dracula X: A super scaled down version of Rondo for the SNES. It's a very poor version of Rondo but isn't quite as bad as it's reputation - it's still playable and reasonably fun, just don't expect it to push any boundaries.

[Anonymous No.9780086]

>>9780059
Yeah. Surprised there was no mention of bloodlines in this thread. Great game too

[Anonymous No.9780154]

>>9779958
it's the same thing except one of them is free

[Anonymous No.9780203]

>>9780154
Never mind I already bought Anniversarry Collection for 2 euro. I think I'll go with jap versions.

[Anonymous No.9780208]

It doesn't matter which one you start with cause everyone that plays this series winds up hating some and liking the others.

[Anonymous No.9780738]

>>9780208
Yep but can we all agree the Castlevania game on the N64 was a joke?

[Anonymous No.9780975]

>>9780738
We respect N64vania and KCE Kobe in this household.

[Anonymous No.9780990]

>>9778734
Start with Japanese 3 since its undiluted classicvania, and cheesable for the uninitiated, or rondo because its all around not too hard, has an op cheese character, and is just genuinely great

[Anonymous No.9781026]

>>9780975
Kek. Have a (You)

[Anonymous No.9781116]

>>9780738
Speak for yourself.

[Anonymous No.9781209]

>>9778734
Ignore everyone telling you to start with some obscure or difficult entry. Just start with Symphony of the Night. If you like it, you'll enjoy the others. If you don't, Castlevania just isn't for you.

[Anonymous No.9781237]

This should be the beginning point for all Castlevania noobs:
>Symphony of the Night
>GBA series (in order)
>DS series (also in order)
On subsequent playthroughs you can play as different characters.
Note that one of the alternate character play throughs in Dawn of Sorrow is the OFFICIAL end of the classic series before they rebooted it. But really, it jumps back and forth through time for each entry, so it doesn't matter what order you play them in if you want to keep track of the story.

[Anonymous No.9782134]

>>9781209
Metroidvania sucks. Classicvania is where you get well designed video games.

[Anonymous No.9782167]

>>9781237
>Note that one of the alternate character play throughs in Dawn of Sorrow is the OFFICIAL end of the classic series before they rebooted it.
?!
That was canon?

[Anonymous No.9782169]

>>9782134
the Metroidvania games prove that it doesn't need to be well designed to be a shitload of fun

[Anonymous No.9782598]

>>9779757
Come on now, Dracula X is fun but it's definitely challenging for a starting game. The first one should be better as a start.

[Anonymous No.9782604]

>>9782598
It's not more difficult than 1 or the X68000 version. I mean there is a "please give me i-frames" button.

[Anonymous No.9782686]

>>9779775
he is right
plays different
sounds different

[Anonymous No.9782748]

>>9782167
It's the only extra mode in the series with an actual story, which takes place after the main game and logically concludes what's hinted at in Soma's story (that Julius will eventually have to fight him). It also takes place at the latest point in the series chronologically.

[Anonymous No.9782758]

Best for start Rondo of Blood (PC engine CD), Bloodlines (Sega MD), Adventure ReBirth (Wii)

[Anonymous No.9782761]

>>9779230
Right wtf. Anyone who doesn’t say play 1 to get skills then play 3 the best in the series is trolling you OP, and I’m a huge fan of every game you’ll hear mentioned in this thread. 1 then 3

[Anonymous No.9782772]

>>9781237
Lol no

[Anonymous No.9782779]

>>9781237
Metroids are shit and killed series. Only classicvanias

[Anonymous No.9782829]

>>9782779
More like Metroidvanias saved the series from certain death.

[Anonymous No.9782845]

>>9778734
Disregard release order and follow this one, from less clunky to clunkiest:
Dawn of Sorrow, Aria of Sorrow, Symphony of the Night, Rondo of Blood, Super Castlevania IV, Rondo of Blood, Castlevania I on NES. Also try Bloodstained II.

[Anonymous No.9782879]

>>9782829
Yeah, from flagman consoles to handhold showelware.

[Anonymous No.9782941]

>>9782779
Say what you want about the metroidvania games, but you can't deny it IS what briefly saved the franchise for a decent amount of time. Of course Castlevania, along with many other Konami franchises, are dead as dirt.

[Anonymous No.9782959]

>>9782941
Its like Legend of Spyro or Crash of Titans 1,2, non-canonical genre change everyone wants to forget.

[Anonymous No.9782963]

>>9782879
You're foregetting that they did make Castlevania on PS2 and nobody gave a fuck and liked them

[Anonymous No.9782965]

>>9778734
For the metroidvanias SOTN is the best, so expect inferior experiences with each of the following titles that sacrifice a lot of variety and cool shit in favor of a monotonic "tight" experience. Beyond that SoTN is still a great entrypoint and quite possibly one of the peaks the franchise has to offer. Certainly the peak in the metroid style ones.

For the classics the Super Castlevania 4 is the more welcoming one for new comers. Castlevania's platforming is unlike the usual platformers where you have a lot of control midair or where the combat can get fast. In the Classics the style of play is obliges you to commit to what you are doing in jumping and combat too. So What SCV4 offers is a middle ground where you can transition then to the rest of the classic titles.

After doing SCV4, I would point you to the very first game for the NES and you are set to do what you whatever title you can get your hands into.

If you ever play the 3D games, Lament of Innocence is ok. Not good, Not Great.

[Anonymous No.9783008]

>>9778747
Don't listen to this faggot. Rando anons on this board like to shill Dracula X for some reason, probably out of pure contrarianism.
Just start with the first game, OP. It's a great game. Castlevania III, Rondo, and SotN are my favorites, but almost every game released up through the 90s was great, except for the N64 games, which I can't vouch for. Never really played them.

[Anonymous No.9783838]

>>9778747
X is fine, but not great and is a terrible game to start with when it pretty much expects you to be a classicvania expert. Anyone saying otherwise is an angry, dishonest bitch.

>>9780738
No.
>>9781209
That's silly, not the part about playing SoTN first because it is a decent game, but the part about SoTN being overall representative of the franchise. Even compared to the later games that take after it, SoTN hits different.

t. played all the other ones but Aria before Symphony

>>9778734
OP, I can't attest to the Japanese versions of games, but I would say maybe start with either the NES games, SCV IV, Rondo of Blood, Bloodlines, no particular order required but I am partial to 1 for being fun, fair, and instructive.
>So recently I had booted up "Symphony of the night" because I wanted to look at graphics
Considering this, though, it sounds like you're in the middle of SoTN, so if that ends up being your jam, maybe consider going for the GBA and DS games instead, since SoTN itself was a massive turning point that they take after.

[Anonymous No.9783868]

>>9782758
this opinion is shit as the rebirth version has a shit section (a literal screen where skeleton faces are all stacked) and if you die anywhere in that section you have to restart with no additional weapons or even whip upgrades thus cucking yourself in that spot, its extremely hard to get out of without weapons like the axe

[Anonymous No.9783876]

>>9778734
if you want to play the OG series then say goodbye to symphony of the night

you can start with 4, rondo, bloodlines or even 1 and 3
Chronicles shouldn't be played first, the graphics are lackluster and controls are just okay

if you want to play the zoomer's version of castlevania then play symphony and all the DS and GBA ones, fyi those games are shit compared to the OG ones

[Anonymous No.9783909]

>>9782686
>>9779757
Do some one fixing ps1 port?

[Anonymous No.9783952]

>>9782748
There was a Japan-only short novel or whatever taking place after it, though. That said, I'm amicable to the idea that Soma, as much as I like him and pity him, ultimately turns into Dracula anyway in the end. Aria has Soma himself making the point that he only got by by the strength of others, then Dawn tries to make some point about his soul actually being super strong or special in some way despite the fact that the bad ending involves Soma merely thinking that Mina is hurt/dead, with everybody stressing to him that he should go home throughout the story. That honestly all sounds like a bunch of unhealthy relationships all just because motherfuckers won't just make the reincarnation of Dracula toss out his Goddamn powers of darkness.

[Anonymous No.9784312]

Just start with the first numbered game in the series. Castlevania 1

[Anonymous No.9784407]

>>9784312
Technically the first game doesn't have a number and "Castlevania 1" isn't a thing

[Anonymous No.9784412]

>>9784407
I didn't say the first game in the series I said the first numbered game in the series.

[Anonymous No.9785058]

>>9778734
>For starters should I pick up original NES Castlevania 1 or PS1 Castlevania Chronicles?
First of all, these are barely the same game. Vampire Killer for MSX, Haunted Castle, Super Castlevania IV, and Akumajou Dracula for X68000 are all retellings of the original Castlevania plot outline, but they all differ to varying degrees that they can't in good faith be called simple remakes. They're totally different games. Castlevania series actually does this a lot, for example Dracula X for SNES is a reimagining of Rondo of Blood. So don't look at it as "this is a remake, which one do I play," look at it as different games that happen to share the same chronological placement. For that matter, I'd say the original Disk System is the ideal way to play the first Castlevania (no Japanese required), and >>9779779 has the right idea abour X68000/Chronicles. Just know that the latter is considered one of the hardest games in the series, so I would recommend playing either Super Castlevania IV or Rondo of Blood if you want to start out with an easier game.

[Anonymous No.9786058]

>>9783868
Skill issue