Differences between US and Japan versions of Castlevania IV?

AustinAustin
in Gamer's Gauntlet

Anyone play both versions of this game? I hear the US version was edited and censored in areas. I have the Japanese one coming in the mail soon and will find out for myself.. but in the meantime, list the differences you personally know of (Yeah, I know, I just can't wait).

Comments

  • TanookiTanooki
    Well I know it got the usual window redressing other titles got

    - Boomerang instead of cross

    - Tits covered/removed/reworked from statues and other things

    - Various religious icons tweaked/erased



    I never looked deeper so if they made some other odd changes to wimp it out or do other stuff it's news to me.
  • AustinAustin

    I heard that in the dungeon stage, the green acid pools from the US version are red pools of blood in the Japanese version. Sounds cool to me! image Anyone know of any others?

    *edit: I think the acid dripping from the ceiling is just red in the Japanese version, not the stuff you walk on.. Oh well, I guess I'll find out for sure in a few days.

  • arch_8ngelarch_8ngel
    You don't get a cross in Super Castlevania IV? You do in the NES games, seems kind of odd to censor that out after they'd already used it.



    Crosses in the scenery are probably censored out, though, similar to Faxanadu.
  • AustinAustin
    I could be wrong but I think it's called the boomerang in the first four US Castlevania games. I thought the sprite used for it though was still the same. Again, not 100% sure though.
  • TanookiTanooki
    Yeah like I said, 'boomerang instead of cross' It's the same item, just tweaked so it doesn't appear to be a cross. NOA's rules were so archaic and ignorant back then.
  • arch_8ngelarch_8ngel
    Originally posted by: Tanooki

    Yeah like I said, 'boomerang instead of cross' It's the same item, just tweaked so it doesn't appear to be a cross. NOA's rules were so archaic and ignorant back then.

    Do you have the sprites for comparison?  The graphic used is every Castlevania game I've ever played definitely looks like a cross, and that's the only thing I've heard it called up to this point.
  • 0xero00xero0
    According to the manual the boomerang is called the "Banshee Boomerang" in the pic, they turn it to look like an X. It's still a cross in the graphic. Also the rosary that destroys all enemies on the screen, still the same graphic. Holy water is called sacred water.

    This is for Castlevania 3, which I've been playing alot lately.
  • TanookiTanooki
    Thanks, that's where I was coming from on some of it as I still have my CV1 and 3 manuals. Also there's that old website the Castlevania Dungeon you can google up. I recall Konami having to screw around with pixels too, I recall like a totally visible cross in Japan(item box I believe it was) but then in the USA one it's just a bit blue X with a white outline.
  • 0xero00xero0
    It's not just Castlevania, it's most anything in any game that has any religious symbols. They took the cross off the church in Dragon warrior. They change priestesses to healers or white mages of whatever in many games.

    I'd be interested to see this dripping pool of blood though in CV IV!
  • arch_8ngelarch_8ngel
    OK, they really did the bare minimum to squeak by the censors, then, since, seriously, have you ever called that thing the "boomerang" instead of the "cross"? Or said "sacred water" instead of "holy water"?
  • TanookiTanooki
    Well considering it came out in 87 when I was ten, up until I knew better it was a boomerang because that's how it reacted you know? The water though, I'm not religious but wasn't stupid to things and that did get called holy water by me. Boomerang just didn't relate to cross to me in CV1 as it just was an equally proportioned (item box image) blue X multiplication looking sign with an outline so I fell for it. It seemed to fit though considering you had an axe and a basic knife to toss too.
  • arch_8ngelarch_8ngel
    Originally posted by: Tanooki

    Well considering it came out in 87 when I was ten, up until I knew better it was a boomerang because that's how it reacted you know? The water though, I'm not religious but wasn't stupid to things and that did get called holy water by me. Boomerang just didn't relate to cross to me in CV1 as it just was an equally proportioned (item box image) blue X multiplication looking sign with an outline so I fell for it. It seemed to fit though considering you had an axe and a basic knife to toss too.


    Well, I've never seen a cruciform boomerang. (though I guess that wonky-3-winged Nerf boomerang is kind of similar)  As a kid, the word boomerang was associated with Australian-style real-life boomerangs.
  • EnslavedEnslaved
    Weird, I always thought it was a cross.
  • Sgt.Pepper1983Sgt.Pepper1983
    I called it a boomerang after seeing what it did, but I did recognize the holy water.
  • AustinAustin
    My question is, does the in-game sprite of the "cross" actually look like a cross? By this I mean it is uneven on one end (Such as three same-lengthed arms, with a fourth being longer than the others, basically like a religious cross you typically see). I got my Akumajo Dracula SFC game today and I played up to stage 5-1. So far everything seems the same, and the cross looks exactly like it does in the US version (four even-lengthed arms).
  • TanookiTanooki
    No on the NES it looks like a multiply/plus sign in blue with a pixel wide border around the outside of it which is why I never as a kid questioned the boomerang title as there were those foam boomerang toys of similar style in the day that did a wide arcing circle and returned to you (I had one.) It's not 3 equal points and one long neck to it like you see in Dracula X on the PCE CD and PSN/PSP re-release.
  • AustinAustin
    Originally posted by: Tanooki

    No on the NES it looks like a multiply/plus sign in blue with a pixel wide border around the outside of it which is why I never as a kid questioned the boomerang title as there were those foam boomerang toys of similar style in the day that did a wide arcing circle and returned to you (I had one.) It's not 3 equal points and one long neck to it like you see in Dracula X on the PCE CD and PSN/PSP re-release.


    Yeah, I remember those boomerang toys when I was young too, which is why I thought the same. I guess it really was just a name change, then. Ha!
  • AustinAustin

    So I ran through the Japanese version and there are a few minor differences (most stated in the Wiki). I noticed the font used for the game (lives, life, score, etc.) is different. Also, on the dungeon level, not only are the drops of blood red (like stated in the wiki article), but the pools of acid are now blood as well, and there is also blood on the instant-death dropping spike traps (Blood was removed in the US version). There is also blood dripping on the title screen, which is noticeable. Lastly, asides from what's already in the wiki article, the sound of your maxed-out whip is different. I like the US version's sounding whip more.. All in all, it's kind of cool, but I think some of the slight changes (like the font, the whip sound, and the removable of the blood and weird dripping sound on the title screen, as well as a change of title and box art) give the US version a slightly more polished feel overall. Bonus for us US gamers!! Haha.. 

  • evilive138evilive138
    Damn. I want my blood!



    I always called it the cross and holy water.
  • dangevindangevin
    I seem to recall they called it a Boomerang in the Nintendo Power review(s). I never called it a cross. I did call it Holy Water.
  • AustinAustin
    Originally posted by: dangevin

    I seem to recall they called it a Boomerang in the Nintendo Power review(s). I never called it a cross. I did call it Holy Water.


    I just looked through the CVIV manual and it calls it the boomerang. The Holy Water is apparently called the "Fire Bomb". I **** you not!

    What's also funny is that there is no name for the cross icon that clears enemies off the screen. It's in the manual with the rest of the items, but there's no name, haha.
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