Haruka
Member
Nah, it's not a remake. It's just something people have been parroting over the internet. However, it's not a sequel either so I guess people people define it as a "remake" because that makes the most sense to them.
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LttP: Castlevania Lords of Shadow and Super Castlevania IV
- Thread starter Forkball
- Start date
Nah, it's not a remake. It's just something people have been parroting over the internet. However, it's not a sequel either so I guess people people define it as a "remake" because that makes the most sense to them.
Lords of Shadow isn't even the best 3-D Castlevania (that would be CV64 / Legacy of Darkness), but it's not the horrible game some fans make it out to be. It definitely didn't start life as a Castlevania title (the trip to Angor Wat Agharta pretty clearly shows that), but it does have a few distinctly Castlevania-esque bits, namely the Land of the Vampires. All of my complaints about the game (combat being tedious, too many QTEs, too many rote climbing sections) have been pretty well covered so I won't linger. It's a groovy action game that just happens to have a ton of "Castlevania" paint slathered on.
Super Castlevania IV, on the other hand, is among the best of the 2-D games (I consider it second, behind Bloodlines, and if you absolutely have to know why you can read for yourself). The only complaints I can try to make against it can actually be reasons to love it, depending on how I'm feeling; it's a tad too long (I give Bloodlines credit for feeling like a tighter experience) and the challenge level is a tad too low (but that makes it a perfect entry point to the series and a nicer game to play through on a regular basis).
If you'd like to continue the series I'd go for Rondo of Blood (on the Wii Virtual Arcade) or Bloodlines (probably have to emulate this one unless you want to spring for a Genesis). The difficulty goes up in both and as I recall, you'll have less problems with stairs (still have to watch those ledges though). Either of the two traditional NES games (Simon's Quest is kind of a failed experiment but worth checking out for the sheer novelty/notoriety) are going to be too steep a difficulty curve (especially since we're decades distant the "Nintendo-Hard" days). Find a copy of Symphony of the Night as well; along with the other half of the portmanteau Super Metroid, it's the reason we have a "Metroidvania" genre. Always bear in mind that it was intended as a one-off title, not a new direction for the series (though it ended up that way).
Beyond that, the other 3-D games aren't much to write home about (the music is probably the best thing about them), most of the handhelds are low-budget retreads (Aria of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia are the only two you haven't played worth writing home about) and there's the weird offshoots like Judgement (a horrible fighting game) and experiments (Simon's Quest is like proto-Survival Horror).
Super Castlevania IV, on the other hand, is among the best of the 2-D games (I consider it second, behind Bloodlines, and if you absolutely have to know why you can read for yourself). The only complaints I can try to make against it can actually be reasons to love it, depending on how I'm feeling; it's a tad too long (I give Bloodlines credit for feeling like a tighter experience) and the challenge level is a tad too low (but that makes it a perfect entry point to the series and a nicer game to play through on a regular basis).
If you'd like to continue the series I'd go for Rondo of Blood (on the Wii Virtual Arcade) or Bloodlines (probably have to emulate this one unless you want to spring for a Genesis). The difficulty goes up in both and as I recall, you'll have less problems with stairs (still have to watch those ledges though). Either of the two traditional NES games (Simon's Quest is kind of a failed experiment but worth checking out for the sheer novelty/notoriety) are going to be too steep a difficulty curve (especially since we're decades distant the "Nintendo-Hard" days). Find a copy of Symphony of the Night as well; along with the other half of the portmanteau Super Metroid, it's the reason we have a "Metroidvania" genre. Always bear in mind that it was intended as a one-off title, not a new direction for the series (though it ended up that way).
Beyond that, the other 3-D games aren't much to write home about (the music is probably the best thing about them), most of the handhelds are low-budget retreads (Aria of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia are the only two you haven't played worth writing home about) and there's the weird offshoots like Judgement (a horrible fighting game) and experiments (Simon's Quest is like proto-Survival Horror).
Both are in my top rankings as well.
Man, I just finished LoS today (with all DLC) and it is one of my favorite games of all time! I'm sad that I've missed the opportunity to buy Mirror of Fate and LoS 2 while it was discounted on Steam (summer sale).
I love Castlevania! The first one that I've played was Bloodlines and after that Symphony of the Night.
I love Castlevania! The first one that I've played was Bloodlines and after that Symphony of the Night.
I can relate. I loved LoS1 despite also loving every other Castlevania that came before.
Mirror of Fate is basically a 2D LoS, so don't expect it to play like the other 2D CV's.
LoS2 is a mixed bag. They improved the Combat, the engine/tech/framerate, and Boss Battles, but their "interconnected" attempt at Metroidvania design just fell flat and the City environments didn't have the same level of quality and consistency as the Castle. And the Ending is a let down unfortunately. The DLC for it is cool though.
Don't be too heartbroken. LoS2 had an especially rough development with a lot of in-fighting and it shows in its odd design choices (stealth sections, etc.) and some pretty outlandish mistakes (car hoods that come up to your chest, doors that are built for someone twice your size, etc.).
Mirror of Fate, from what I've heard, was fair to middling but in all honesty I have not played more than a demo (which I found to be... fair to middling). Putting the LoS-type combat (hit every enemy 500 times) into a 2-D game didn't work for me.
Randomizer
Member
Huge fan of SCIV, play it multiple times per year and didn't know of any of this!
Bonus Stage 8 Cover (Piano and Drum simultaneously) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaShzjhQsBg
Yeah, I read that LoS 2 isn't a better game (changing gothic aesthetic to modern "doesn't compute" with the Castlevania lore), but I kinda want to give it a shot. I was expecting that Mirror of Fate wouldn't be a classic Castlevania, but I want to play it more because of the lore (I think that is the same regarding LoS 2).
To Far Away Times
Member
Whoa.
I think one of the Art Directors for LoS1 and MoF left halfway through LoS2, so that would explain the big disparity in visual styles you find. I was not against the idea of a modern day Castlevania but sadly the Art Director or Creative Director in charge just didn't realize it that well stylistically. The Modern Day Lab was a big letdown. I mean, a Satanic Lab? It should be a great opportunity, but it is the most generic looking lab ever. Contrast that to the stylized machinery the dev team achieved of Frankenstein in LoS1 and the Toymaker in MoF and it especially comes off as pedestrian.
Also you can tell there were definitely a lot of things that were likely cut out of the game, especially again with the ending.
Damn, that's a cool cover.
If you want a good spectacle fighter then LoS is top notch. The amount of moves available to you is practically overwhelming, in a good way. I don't really care about how it compares to other Castlevania games or what design elements it ripped off, I thought it was a great action game in itself with a pretty decent story and amazing visuals. I haven't played LoS2 yet, but it's on the top of my backlog.
I actually put off playing it from all the criticisms it had at release. But just like with Resident Evil 6, once I got around to actually playing it myself I ended up enjoying it, despite what some overly critical people might think.
I actually put off playing it from all the criticisms it had at release. But just like with Resident Evil 6, once I got around to actually playing it myself I ended up enjoying it, despite what some overly critical people might think.
For what it's worth, Lords of Shadow's lore is its own, self-contained little thing. I don't think it was intended to serve as canon or even as a reboot since they knew it was only going to cover three games.
Cyber Caesar
Member
Lords of Shadow is special. I'd buy a third entry.
Randomizer
Member
This guy is my favourite video game cover artist on youtube. Too bad he wasn't popular and hasn't done any new songs in years. As an aspiring pianist I wish I was even half as good as him.
My favourite, Chandeliers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbmRF3Ke1ys
Besides them starring the same Belmont? What else would you need?
A remake means something was done over again. Super Castlevania is literally a remake in every sense of the word.
To Far Away Times
Member
Super Castlevania IV reuses a lot of old environments from the first game, but also adds a lot of new content as well.
If you play the two games back to back its super obvious. If you play them years apart maybe not so much.
If you play the two games back to back its super obvious. If you play them years apart maybe not so much.
Super Castlevania IV is one of the best games of all time, great control, level design, bosses and presentation - and that music!
I think Lords of Shadow got a bad rep for not being very much like Castlevania, but I still think its pretty good and i enjoyed it enough to play all the dlc and get both sequels as well. Underrated game imo.
I think Lords of Shadow got a bad rep for not being very much like Castlevania, but I still think its pretty good and i enjoyed it enough to play all the dlc and get both sequels as well. Underrated game imo.
Samir Sedlar
Member
The Lords of Shadow Saga is one of my all time favorite, I really loved the first LoS despite its flaws, and even LoS.2 had other flaws, yet I pretty much loved it, for me it topped all other hack n slash titles.
I remember finishing Lords of Shadow like 3 or 4 times, and finishing Lords of Shadow 2 twice, too bad they got ride of chapter select, some of the boss battles were so awesome I'd have loved to replay them specifically.
I'm a bit let down by the fact that LoS.2 doesn't wrap the story up as we were promised, I mean I was releaved that the door was left open for more LoS, but now looking at it, I doubt we will get LoS.3 at all, at least I hope Konami will try to cash on it and release a Castlevania Lords of Shadow Saga Edition for PS4/XOne.
Yeah, that's the big problem in that they didn't give a satisfactory conclusion and
The Satan battle was just so underwhelming. I mean, for a battle with the Lord of all Evil the only thing we get is a possessed Alucard
Considering the state Konami is in now, I doubt we'll be getting another Castlevania game that isn't on mobile.
I would have loved for Climax Studios to take a stab at an LoS if they were given the engine of LoS2.
Haruka
Member
I'm sure you could look at the game in hindsight and say in certain aspects it's like a do-over of the original game, but I'm more argueing against the revionist thought that this was the core concept the entire game was designed around.
This game started development in 1989, before either The Adventure or CVIII were actually released. Before then the sole protagonist of the series was Simon Belmont, and given the notion that the several Castlevania teams at Konami weren't really aware of each other's works, it's understandable the developers of SCIV would have a mindset that Simon as a main character was a neccessary part of Castlevania game, something that defined the series. Taking that into account and given the fact that nobody gave a crap about continuity back then, the game was most likely designed as an entirely new game that just happend to star Simon Belmont.
Also worth mentioning is that the producer of the game after being asked the question said he only considered it a remake up to a certain extent, and I'm willing to bet for the exact same reason I stated in my first paragraph,
Samir Sedlar
Member
Yeah, that's the big problem in that they didn't give a satisfactory conclusion and, that just reeks to me of "we couldn't get our original idea to work or figure it out so we'll do this at the last minute" type thing.The Satan battle was just so underwhelming. I mean, for a battle with the Lord of all Evil the only thing we get is a possessed Alucard
Considering the state Konami is in now, I doubt we'll be getting another Castlevania game that isn't on mobile.
I would have loved for Climax Studios to take a stab at an LoS if they were given the engine of LoS2.
Couldn't agree more, When it comes to boss battles I understand what they wanted to do, I mean
sure I wanted to fight Alucard, but we should have fought him at the beginning of the game after defeating the Paladin, cause I also wanted to fight Satan in his original form, it even gets on my nerve how the battle started really good and ended up with Satan possessing Alucard, but they should get their due, I loved every other boss battle, Carmilla, Zobek, the acolytes, they were all pretty great.
I wouldn't mind seeing something from Climax as well, they should have enough knowledge since the worked on LoS.1 PC Version, I'm also looking forward to what comes from MercurySteam, I wonder if they will do more Vampire/Dracula stuff or do something else, why weren't they at E3 !!, Sigh.
dead souls
Member
LoS was a boring slog. It literally should have been 1/2 as long. SCIV was amazing then and is still really fun today.
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
Yeah the art direction in LoS is stellar. That's about all it has going for it, unfortunately.
Rondo and Dracula X are completely different games that only share the same basic story. It's an unpopular opinion but I prefer Dracula X (SNES) over SCIV and the PC engine version. I really enjoy the emphasized verticality of the stages and the mobility of the character though it does make the game too easy. Final boss aside, it's also less frustrating than SCIV as it has a more forgiving checkpoint system and you won't die from the screen scrolling up.
If you're interested in Rondo (PC engine) you should get Dracula Chronicles X for PSP (Vita compatible). It's an ugly but otherwise superior remake of the original, which you can also unlock along with Symphony of the Night, aka a really boring metroidvania.
The original Castlevania is not that hard so you should be fine given that you beat SCIV, but III is much harder. Still that's my favorite of the series so you should give it a try once you polish you Classivania skills with the easier games and gather enough patience. Just be prepared to repeat some sections over and over
My personal ranking would be:
1.)C III (NES)
2.) Dracula X (SNES)
3.) Dracula Chronicles X (PSP/Vita)
4.) Rondo (PC engine)
5.) C 1 (NES)
6.) SCIV (SNES)
I don't know. The music is pretty good as well.
Aeriscloud
Banned
I've got to echo this.
Also the fact that SCIV came out in the first year of the SNES life, blows my mind.
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
I didn't care for it at all. Bland orchestral stuff with none of the atmosphere or personality of classic Castlevania soundtracks. It didn't need to be "rocking" either, SotN has tons of atmospheric/orchestral pieces that would have fit the tone perfectly (e.g. Dance of Gold, Dance of Pearls, Abandoned Pit, Lost Painting, the Library, etc.) but LoS's score was just really forgettable as hell.
TGO
Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Castlevania was a about 8 on radar in the 90's and during 2000's it drop to a 0, the series had turn into Dracula himself......old and hasn't changed.
Lord of Shadow put te series back on top for me, I even say I liked it more then the originals, LOS2 was ruin by fan feedback and stealth sections.
it wasn't as good as LOS1 but there was parts that was sheer brilliance of the original LOS, it a shame really.
If they was gonna do a LOS Remastered Collection, I would buy day 1.
Lord of Shadow put te series back on top for me, I even say I liked it more then the originals, LOS2 was ruin by fan feedback and stealth sections.
it wasn't as good as LOS1 but there was parts that was sheer brilliance of the original LOS, it a shame really.
If they was gonna do a LOS Remastered Collection, I would buy day 1.
brandonh83
Banned
Considering they didn't wrap up the story for shit, a third and final one that does but without the development issues of the second game on the new consoles would be amazing. Make it closer to the first in terms of journey and scope, properly finish the story, have the similarly awesome combat of the first and I would be happy as fuck. No lame attempt at a soulless open world with a nice forward momentum. I'm fine with it being mostly linear.
This will never happen and that's a shame.
Ganondorfo
Junior Member
Super Castlevania IV was weird, it felt like a horror game for the Snes instead of the anime games that Castlevania turned out to be since Rondo of Blood.
I always thought Demons Crest and Super Castlevania IV had the same atmospheric gothic settings on the Snes. Too bad they wont make a Castlevania or a Demons Crest like that for this generation. From Software is the perfect developer to capture the magic of IV and Demons Crest reboot.
I always thought Demons Crest and Super Castlevania IV had the same atmospheric gothic settings on the Snes. Too bad they wont make a Castlevania or a Demons Crest like that for this generation. From Software is the perfect developer to capture the magic of IV and Demons Crest reboot.
Starsunder
Member
agreed. i didnt care for the soundtrack at all. lacked all of the soul of castlevania that i associate with the music.
Yeah, agreed fully. I wouldn't even have minded the Alucard fight if we had gotten an Epic Satan battle after it, but that's it. It just ends. I mean, thematically I guess it works, that for all his talk and bluster and mythos, in the end Satan is one big coward and pussy, but it just feels like such a cheap easy-way-out copout. Especially since Dave Cox was hyping Satan's upgraded appearance as a sign of how much more menacing/powerful he'd be compared to his first appearance in LoS1.
Because as you said, the bosses in LoS2 were spectacular since they did away with the Titan battles and focused on the great mechanics from the Golden Paladin, to the Gorgon, Volkova, Carmilla, The Toymaker and of course Zobek.
And yeah, Climax would be great for LoS since they did work on the great PC port of LoS1 which runs superbly, and they've also collaborated on another Konami franchise before with Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. I'd have loved to see them take the great game engine of LoS2 and build a third game on their own.
Here here. I don't think LoS works with "open world" and metroidvania approach. It worked just fine with the Chapter-based storytelling.
And yeah, I cannot imagine it happening with the current mindset at Konami. Like I said the next CV game I am expecting to see on mobile
And I loved the Soundtrack. It fit perfectly with LoS's style as the "upbeat/melodic" tracks of Yamane would clash horribly with the aesthetics, pacing and tone of the games. And I enjoy those soundtracks as well, but they just wouldn't fit in the series.
I mean, these were fantastic. Some of the best uses of symphonies and orchestrals in gaming. And would have probably gotten a lot more credit if they'd been in a game not titled Castlevania sadly. Oscar Arujo even won an award for his LoS1 OST.
LoS1:
Belmonts Theme
The Hunting Path
The Ice Titan
Waterfalls of Agharta
The Mechanical Monstrosity
The Evil Butcher
Carmilla
LoS2:
Dying for a drop of Blood
The Siege Titan
The Paladin of God
Descent to the Castle Dungeons
Return to the Castle
Next Stop, Castlevania
Raisa Volkova
Carmilla's Final Battle
The Toy Maker's Heart
The Toy Maker's Grand Battle
Enough Talk, Have at you!
Death Grand Battle
The Leviathan
Satan Final Battle
brandonh83
Banned
At least someone understands the soundtrack. This music wouldn't work with the 2D style and vice versa.
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
Again: you guys do realize Yamane isn't limited to upbeat rocking tracks, do you?
Moonlight Nocturne
Prayer
Dance of Gold
Tower of Mist
Requiem for the Gods
Abandoned Pit
And those are just from the first half of the OST...
Not every Yamane track is like the Castle entrance or the rocking mid-boss theme. Those songs above would fit the LoS aesthetic just fine, and give them more personality even.
GitarooMan
Member
LoS is the best CV soundtrack since CVIII.
SamusPrime
Banned
https://youtu.be/VD2U8Kk7jz4
The waterfall block 3-2 area is one of my favorite Castlevania moments. The sense of a journey is conveyed better here than endless modern cutscenes could ever aspire to do.
I really wanted to like LoS because I was starved for a new Castlevania but just couldn't get over the fact that it felt like a hodgepodge of random other games' ideas with extremely inconsistent results. I'm sure it's an adequate game in its own right, but it wasn't for me and especially not as a Castlevania game.
The waterfall block 3-2 area is one of my favorite Castlevania moments. The sense of a journey is conveyed better here than endless modern cutscenes could ever aspire to do.
I really wanted to like LoS because I was starved for a new Castlevania but just couldn't get over the fact that it felt like a hodgepodge of random other games' ideas with extremely inconsistent results. I'm sure it's an adequate game in its own right, but it wasn't for me and especially not as a Castlevania game.
Charles Brandon
Member
I'm a big Castlevania fan and I loved LOS. It's very different to the other games but I thought it was beautiful and achingly melancholic with a strong atmosphere. And remember, the Iga-era games had basically fuck-all to do with the previous style of games so it's not like it's the first time the series was re-invented.
LOS 2 - well it was just one of those games I played for a few hours and never went back to. Bad idea to bring it into the present. Just killed it.
I would love to see someone get the rights to do another batch of games whether in classic, metroid or LOS style, or even something new. Not N64 or PS2 style though.
LOS 2 - well it was just one of those games I played for a few hours and never went back to. Bad idea to bring it into the present. Just killed it.
I would love to see someone get the rights to do another batch of games whether in classic, metroid or LOS style, or even something new. Not N64 or PS2 style though.
Yeah the art direction in LoS is stellar. That's about all it has going for it, unfortunately.
You. I like you!
LoS soundtrack is forgetful and boring as fuck for me. I can't remember a song from the game at all.
brandonh83
Banned
Yes, never said otherwise. Just that the style of LOS' score suits the atmosphere perfectly but it seems like many wanted the upbeat style.
To Far Away Times
Member
In honor of this thread, I think I'll play through Super Castlevania IV tonight.