Castlevania: Chronicles
Ive watched a bunch of game play footage and reviews of the game and it looks pretty badass. Not sure why i never snagged it when it came out.
Is it worth the $25-$50 price tag for a complete copy? What are your thoughts on the game play?
Is it worth the $25-$50 price tag for a complete copy? What are your thoughts on the game play?
Comments
Game play is decent if a bit stiff. Level design is pretty standard, nothing impressive, although some of the backgrounds and environments are pretty neat.
I honestly really like it. It has elements of Castlevania 1, but also has new levels and bosses. Plus it's ridiculously challenging; much more so than 1. I paid $39 for it on eBay a few months back and don't regret buying it at all. If you can get it for $25 then I would say it's definitely worth it
Cool. Skimming over some of the ebay auctions and the shopping section of google it looks to be averaging $35-$60.
About a month back i decided i need to go back and grab all of the CV games i missed over the years. Pretty much after Symphony of the Night and the first CV for N64 i quit paying attention to them.
If you have a PS3 or a PSP, you can buy it on PSN for $6. That's the recommended way to go, IMO, unless you are a huge Castlevania fan (In which case you are likely to enjoy it a lot).
OK, maybe not garbage. Just not very inspired, even for a Castlevania game. To the OP--If you like that, you will love Chronicles. Period.
I enjoyed it thoroughly when it came out (Just did a video of it too for my YouTube profile, btw).
If you have a PS3 or a PSP, you can buy it on PSN for $6. That's the recommended way to go, IMO, unless you are a huge Castlevania fan (In which case you are likely to enjoy it a lot).
Your review is one of the ones i watched that made me want to get it! lol Nice one btw!
I have Dracula X Chronicles on my PSP. Pretty much a remake of Rondo of Blood, with Symphony of the Night as an unlockable, along with the original Rondo of Blood.
SOTN is a pretty massive unlockable isnt it?
like 4 years ago I got sealed copy for like 20 bucks. so ya, my post is completely useless for what you are asking since i never opened it....
lol! Way to rub it in man!!!
Austin you should duck and run as it's a fantastic game. I was speaking of both of them. The reason it's not 'inspired' is that castlevania have that huge rarity hard on going for the Duo/PCE disc that never got localized up until this generation. The snes game is a remake of it called Dracula XX(Double X) over there and it has the same areas but the stages are aligned and designed a bit different, but oddly enough it's better animated and the music (yeah I know it's 33khz vs 44khz redbook on disc) on some stages is superior.
I'm pretty familiar with the story behind it, so I know what it's all about
It can be decent fun, sure, but I would hardly call it fantastic, especially when sat next to Bloodlines, Castlevania IV, or the DUO Dracula X (i.e., examples of good game design). This one just feels like a rushed hack-job when sat next to others in the series. Examples: Stage segments don't connect in a sensible manner like they do in other Castlevania games; the music--while sounding great--loops the same small segments endlessly (as opposed to the intricate, long themes of Castlevania IV); the level designs are stale and repeat the same patterns over and over; medusa heads are on nearly every ******* level (way more than they normally are in a CV game), and when they're not, they're replaced with bats that fly in the same pattern; Lastly, the final boss is the biggest pain-in-the-ass to ever grace a Castlevania game. Ugh (I could go on).
Now don't get me completely wrong--I do like the game. It's solid, very basic Castlevania gameplay. It's just that after coming from the others, and from what this version is based on, it feels like a very big step back. Like, three steps back. Looking at it now, Konami really should have gone all-out with a completely new, original Castlevania game, much like they did with part IV, or Bloodlines. It surely would have kicked more ass, and for a 1995 release, probably would have been a helluva lot more impressive, too.
**Has never been one to complain about medusa heads or bats in a Castlevania game until this one.
Your review is one of the ones i watched that made me want to get it! lol Nice one btw!
Haha, awesome man. Glad I could help!
I have Dracula X Chronicles on my PSP. Pretty much a remake of Rondo of Blood, with Symphony of the Night as an unlockable, along with the original Rondo of Blood.
SOTN is a pretty massive unlockable isnt it?
Yeah, and combined with that you also unlock the original PCE version of Dracula X. Talk about a sweet compilation.
Austin you should duck and run as it's a fantastic game. I was speaking of both of them. The reason it's not 'inspired' is that castlevania have that huge rarity hard on going for the Duo/PCE disc that never got localized up until this generation. The snes game is a remake of it called Dracula XX(Double X) over there and it has the same areas but the stages are aligned and designed a bit different, but oddly enough it's better animated and the music (yeah I know it's 33khz vs 44khz redbook on disc) on some stages is superior.
I'm pretty familiar with the story behind it, so I know what it's all about
It can be decent fun, sure, but I would hardly call it fantastic, especially when sat next to Bloodlines, Castlevania IV, or the DUO Dracula X (i.e., examples of good game design). This one just feels like a rushed hack-job when sat next to others in the series. Examples: Stage segments don't connect in a sensible manner like they do in other Castlevania games; the music--while sounding great--loops the same small segments endlessly (as opposed to the intricate, long themes of Castlevania IV); the level designs are stale and repeat the same patterns over and over; medusa heads are on nearly every ******* level (way more than they normally are in a CV game), and when they're not, they're replaced with bats that fly in the same pattern; Lastly, the final boss is the biggest pain-in-the-ass to ever grace a Castlevania game. Ugh (I could go on).
Now don't get me completely wrong--I do like the game. It's solid, very basic Castlevania gameplay. It's just that after coming from the others, and from what this version is based on, it feels like a very big step back. Like, three steps back. Looking at it now, Konami really should have gone all-out with a completely new, original Castlevania game, much like they did with part IV, or Bloodlines. It surely would have kicked more ass, and for a 1995 release, probably would have been a helluva lot more impressive, too.
**Has never been one to complain about medusa heads or bats in a Castlevania game until this one.
Your review is one of the ones i watched that made me want to get it! lol Nice one btw!
Haha, awesome man. Glad I could help!
I have Dracula X Chronicles on my PSP. Pretty much a remake of Rondo of Blood, with Symphony of the Night as an unlockable, along with the original Rondo of Blood.
SOTN is a pretty massive unlockable isnt it?
Yeah, and combined with that you also unlock the original PCE version of Dracula X. Talk about a sweet compilation.
Speaking as an old school Castlevania expert, I always found Rondo to be too easy - I beat it on the first play. It's good, but slightly flawed, and a bit overrated.
You can jump on/off stairs in it, at least the SNES one. (been awhile since I did Rondo so I cant remember) Its a little more precise though.
I'm not sure about you guys, but I find the difficulty in the SNES Dracula X to be more annoying than it is actually difficult. Generally if you play smart and just take your time, it seems to be fairly easy to roll through the game. The final boss is really the same deal, but you have to have some serious patience and self control though, otherwise you get your ass handed to you on a silver platter. I also found that one thing that eases the difficulty in the game is how generous it is with hearts. When you start a new level after defeating a boss, you get to keep whatever amount you have on-hand rather than them being reset like they usually are in other Castlevania games.
Anyways, I suppose it can be seen as the last challenging Castlevania game, but then again there haven't really been any new linear-oriented entries outside of remakes. Some of the bosses in Circle of the Moon were fairly challenging though, IMO, for what it is!
stained glass window look to them. I've always thought IV had a good
'creepy' factor as well - that helped the atmosphere, something all the
recent games lack.
Agreed! It's not as sharp as later titles, but there is something to be said about the acute attention to detail in this game. It really helps give it that creepy vibe that no Castlevania game has really been able to do since. I believe the relaxed, often dynamic soundtrack really helps to bring this out, too.
I'm not sure about you guys, but I find the difficulty in the SNES Dracula X to be more annoying than it is actually difficult.
Agree 100%. At one point, I quit on the game because I was annoyed with the ticky-tack deaths. I finally went back and worked through it, but it was very annoying at times.