God, I wish that all companies took the time to make video games like this. This is the greatest castlevania out so far and if your smart Youd get off your a$$ and go buy this game.
The game follows the traditional settings as the others. You control Alucard ,Dracula's son, who is off to stop his father from rising again. Along the way you meet up with Maria who is looking for her boyfriend Richter.
The gameplay follows the tradition except with a twist. The game is also somewhat of an Rpg. You get experience points and money from killing enemies. You use the money to buy items, armor, and even weapons.
The game is long enough with 2 very diffrent paths. You can kill some henchman and get a crappy ending. The henchman is invisible without the spectacles.Kill the actual hencman Shaft and not richter and you get to explore a whole new game as you will be transported to a upside down version of the castle. There are new areas and monsters. Along the way you can learn to cast spells and turn into bats dogs and other things.
Some of the music adds to the already deep stages of the game like the chuch. That is some of the coolest scrolling and level design in a first generation game for a console that I have ever seen. There is very corny voice acting which might be best heard on mute.
The enemy design is great. Trying to find all the hidden stuff is a whole game in itself.I loved this game ever since i had it. Kicks major crappy game but. I would rather have games like this than games with fancy graphics or sold because of popularity.
Everybody take notes from Konami and Square as they are the best developers right now. This is definatly a buy. Don't waste money renting because you are gonna want to buy, trust me. This is how a game should be done. Fun gameplay without major emphasis on graphics. Well done konomi!
My say on this.....10!!!
Konami has never ceased to make me happy with their castlevania series. CSOTN is no exception. This game is a perfect blend of action and RPG. If you like any of the castlevania games, play this immediately- it will leave you wanting more.
First off, this game proves how a 2D game can be better than 3D in many aspects. The graphics and animation are gorgeous. The color scheme for everything is fitting and seems natural. Konami did a good job of putting on a major Gothic atmosphere in the game, especially in the map design of the castle.
Animations are fluid and crisp, from the swinging of a sword knight's sword to the ghostlike images Alucard leaves as he moves. The enemies are well designed, and Alucard is one of the most detailed 2D characters yet.
The sound and music absolutely kicks some major A$$. The soundtrack is excellent, as it mixes some gothic chant, classical, and rock all into one soundtrack that is awesome. The music in the game is always inserted into the right place, it always fits the situation from confrontations with other characters all the way to a boss battle. Sound effects are all good, except for the horrible forced voice overs. Just ignore these, as they are far and few between, and you will be fine. The sounds are crisp and clear, from the eerie death scream of a Gryphon to the breaking of a glass lamp on the blade of Alucard's sword.
Gameplay is like all castlevania; that is, jump, kill enemy, etc., but with a RPG twist. All enemies and yourself have HP like a RPG. You get exp. from killing enemies and as you level up, your stregnth, speed, and other parameters level up steadily. There is a variety of magic to cast, it is used by entering a certain motion a la Blitzes or SF series. The variety of weapons, armor, and items is endless. Some items even slightly change your appearance.
This game is chock full of secrets, including the upside down castle, which adds to the replay value. Another thing I liked the most was if you got a certain percentage at the end of the game, you could play as Richter Belmont in the game. Ricther's quest is harder, as gameplay is more like the classic games, but it is lots of fun as you can access new areas and use a slew of new special abilities previously unavailable.
All of this one one disc, priced under 20 smackers. You had better get your grubby hands on this. A great gift for anyone who enjoys games.-Joel-
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