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Tips for a newcomer to the Castlevania series?

H

Hazu

Member
Hi!

I wanted to get into the Castlevania series for a while so I decided to buy all three Castlevania games on the Nintendo DS. Since I've never played a Castlevania game before, I would like to know :

1) In which order should I play these games?

2) Are there any missable things in these games?

3) Is there anything I should do/avoid while playing these games?

I would also like to know which Castlevania games I should play once I finish the DS episodes.

Thank you. :)
 
I recently tried playing the PSone versions. They don't hold up at all. Terrible UI, terrible animation and cheesey as fuck.

The DS ones are pretty good though. Jump in with those and ignore the rest.
 
All three DS entries are great, but the best place to start is probably with Dawn of Sorrow; it's the first (in terms of release date) of the three, and although it's a sequel to the GBA Aria of Sorrow, it's definitely the easiest to jump into.

Regarding where to go from there, I'd absolutely pick up Symphony of the Night on PS1; it's the pinnacle of the series in my opinion.

Greddleok said:
I recently tried playing the PSone versions. They don't hold up at all. Terrible UI, terrible animation and cheesey as fuck.

The DS ones are pretty good though. Jump in with those and ignore the rest.
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Get outta here, SOTN is incredible; the cheese is part of the charm ;)
 
I just started doing this myself, but with the GBA games. I'd played Dracula X Chronicles (including that version of SOTN) a few years ago but Bloodstained made me want to get back into them, so I turned to eBay.

Obviously I can't give any recommendations for the specific DS games, but I'm guessing release order's the way to go? Though I think the first DS game's a sequel to the last GBA game, but I'm not sure if you need to know anything from it going in.
 
If you've never played Super Castlevania IV, you definitely should add it to the list! One of my all time favourite games. I could never finish the NES games as they're a little too hard for me, but I was able to get through IV and I play it most every year around Halloween now.
 
1. Just play them in order. Portrait of Ruin is my least favorite of the 3 but it's still worth playing.

2. I don't think there are missable things. Certain items you may have to kill an enemy over and over to get but I believe you can always backtrack to get an item you missed.

3. Just enjoy :)
 
Hazu said:
Hi!

I wanted to get into the Castlevania series for a while so I decided to buy all three Castlevania games on the Nintendo DS. Since I've never played a Castlevania game before, I would like to know :

1) In which order should I play these games?
Click to expand...

Dawn, Portrait, Order

Hazu said:
2) Are there any missable things in these games?
Click to expand...

Not as far as I recall.

Hazu said:
3) Is there anything I should do/avoid while playing these games?
Click to expand...

Not really. Be sure to check all the different weapon types though - even if one seems weaker from a strength point of view, they often have better range or hit a lot more times per second etc.

Hazu said:
I would also like to know which Castlevania games I should play once I finish the DS episodes.

Thank you. :)
Click to expand...

Castlevania 1, 3, 4, Bloodlines, Rondo of Blood, Symphony of the Night , circle of darkness, harmony of dissonance, Aria of Sorrow

The bolded games do not play like the DS games, they are platformers btw.

Castlevania 2 is also ok if you use the patch, will try to dig that up. I have a soft spot for the 64 game, Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness (3d platformer), but many do not so check youtube or something first.
 
Play them in order of release(DOS, POR and OOE).

If you want more metroidvania, play SOTN and/or the gba games

If you want to try the classicvania games, start with Super Castlevania IV.
 
But more your topic I still think release order is the best way to play the DS games. Dawn of Sorrow is still my favorite.
 
I would start with the non-Metroidvania ones first, since a lot of people have a hard time going back after the newer games. Super Castlevania IV is a great starting point for the series, considering it's a good deal easier than many of the other classic Castlevanias.
 
Play in release order, don't worry about missables and don't worry about having to do specific things unless you want true endings - and even in those cases the games lets you work for these on the same save file -, just have fun.

Play the GBA games next except Harmony of Dissonance. That one sucks.
 
If you're dead set on doing the DS games you should know the order is Dawn > Portrait > Ecclesia but Dawn is the sequel to Aria of Sorrow which some consider the best IGAvania besides SoTN. It's a good bit better than Dawn of Sorrow in a lot of ways too but if you can't get a hold of Aria, do the DS games in order of release.

There is missable stuff in terms of getting the best endings but the games will always allow you to save before the final encounter in which case you're free to check out things you missed in order to get better endings. Igavania will never irreversibly fuck you over and make the time you put into it meaningless like jrpgs if that's what you're curious about.

For things to do, hit walls a lot. You're supposed to know this intuitively by playing the classic 8 bit and 16 bit era Castlevania games but you can bust down walls and find stuff like wall chicken or hidden rooms/items. For things to avoid, avoid Castlevania 2 Simon's Quest, Dracula X on SNES, The N64 games and the PS2 games they're just not good. As a general rule if you see a 3D Castlevania just walk away.

Once you finish the DS games for sure do the Dracula X games. Namely Rondo of Blood and it's more famous sequel Symphony of the Night. The best way to experience Rondo is probably in the PSP collection Dracula X Chronicles which has the original and the remake as well as Symphony all bundled into one. PSP/Vita or runs perfect emulated in PPSSPP last I checked.

Edit: Also for more classicvania goodness as others have stated: CV1, CV3(japanese version with fan-translation), CV Adventure 2, Super CV4, Bloodlines and ReBirth are all amazing and worth your time if you want to backtrack after the metroidvanias.
 
Greddleok said:
I recently tried playing the PSone versions. They don't hold up at all. Terrible UI, terrible animation and cheesey as fuck.

The DS ones are pretty good though. Jump in with those and ignore the rest.
Click to expand...

SOTN is untouchable.

The DS ones are SOTN clones.
 
The order doesn't really matter if you ask me. The story usually isn't anything special, and we're talking 8- and 16-bit action games here so nothing will blow your mind there. Since I have the choice I'm working on Castlevania NES first, but I don't think it matters past personal preference.

As far as what you need to know: hearts let you use special items and aren't health. Other than that, they're side scrollers. No disclaimer necessary. Have fun!

Symphony of the Night and its ilk have heavy RPG elements, that's really the only thing to know on the later ones.
 
Here's what I did:

- used an emulator to play the original. Abused rewind feature and beat it quickly. I've never been built for games like those.
- Played 2 for a little and quit. Couldn't stand it.
- Couldn't get 3 to work on PSP. Skipped the rest of the SNES games.
- Lapse in judgment, started Circle of the Moon, loved it to death.
- Tried Rondo of Blood. Only played long enough to get Symphony of the Night.
- Symphony of the Night oh my god it's so good.
- Harmony
- Aria -- great
- Dawn -- great (play as Alucard omg)
- Portrait (currently)
- Order (gonna be sad playing the last real game in a great franchise :/ )

Anyhow, +1 release order as hard as you can.
 
If you want something super accessible, I'd probably go for Super Castlevania 4.

If you want the best, Rondo of Blood.

I would explore the original series (everything before SotN) before going for the more modern games. If you do release order, don't feel obligated to beat something like Castlevania 3 before moving on, though. You'll be there a long while otherwise.

As for gameplay, slow and steady wins the race. Don't rush unless you have to.
 
Mit- said:
Here's what I did:

- used an emulator to play the original. Abused rewind feature and beat it quickly. I've never been built for games like those.
- Played 2 for a little and quit. Couldn't stand it.
- Couldn't get 3 to work on PSP. Skipped the rest of the SNES games.
- Lapse in judgment, started Circle of the Moon, loved it to death.
- Tried Rondo of Blood. Only played long enough to get Symphony of the Night.
- Symphony of the Night oh my god it's so good.
- Harmony
- Aria -- great
- Dawn -- great (play as Alucard omg)
- Portrait (currently)
- Order (gonna be sad playing the last real game in a great franchise :/ )

Anyhow, +1 release order as hard as you can.
Click to expand...

Very similar to my experience. I jumped around and really didn't finish any of the games. But Symphony and Circle are my favorites.
 
Hazu said:
I would also like to know which Castlevania games I should play once I finish the DS episodes.

Thank you. :)
Click to expand...

After the DS games I'd play, in order of importance:

Rondo of Blood
Castlevania Chronicles (Original Mode)
Bloodlines
Castlevania 3
Castlevania
Super Castlevania IV


...though if you plan on playing them all, play them in chronological release order. Symphony of the Night is a great game as well, but you'll probably want a break from the free-roaming structure after playing the 3 DS games.
 
The best one is SOTN. Dont skip it.

Also, I cant imagine not getting burned out on these by playing them one after the other. While I love them, theyre all extremely similar. If youve played one, youve played them all. Only difference between them is quality and whatever gimmick each title has.
 
Play Symphony first.

I'm going to court controversy and say that playing the DS ones beforehand ruined Symphony for me. I found it meandering and dull after the relatively tight design and huge skill/weapon set that the DS games offer.

I wish I'd played Symphony first and experienced it fresh, basically.
 
Strangelove77 said:
The best one is SOTN. Dont skip it.

Also, I cant imagine not getting burned out on these by playing them one after the other. While I love them, theyre all extremely similar. If youve played one, youve played them all. Only difference between them is quality and whatever gimmick each title has.
Click to expand...

Lord British said:
Play Symphony first.

I'm going to court controversy and say that playing the DS ones beforehand ruined Symphony for me. I found it meandering and dull after the relatively tight design and huge skill/weapon set that the DS games offer.

I wish I'd played Symphony first and experienced it fresh, basically.
Click to expand...

Seconded. Symphony is the best Castlevania game. In fact I would probably put off the GBA ones until after you've played that. The GBA ones are still great though.

Rondo is absolutely wonderful and is a must-play. But this is where you'll really notice the difference in difficulty between the old and new style Castlevanias - everything changed after Rondo and got a lot easier.

Chronicles is also glorious, on original or remix mode. Both are great.
 
Greddleok said:
I recently tried playing the PSone versions. They don't hold up at all. Terrible UI, terrible animation and cheesey as fuck.
Click to expand...

Your opinion sucks.

tumblr_inline_nc6x813VH31r8z4qq.gif
 
drotahorror said:
Biggest tip I can give you is don't get too attached to the series. It's done.
Click to expand...

But these games are infinitely replayable. It sucks, but we've got a hearty handful of excellent games that hopefully we'll be able to continue playing for the rest of our lives.

Also Bloodstained to look forward to :)
 
Play the original 3 (NES). Yes, even 2 (use a walkthrough).

Also don't forget Super Castlevania (SNES)

It will make you appreciate SotN even more.

Then play the others after SOTN in order.
 
The Lamonster said:
But these games are infinitely replayable. It sucks, but we've got a hearty handful of excellent games that hopefully we'll be able to continue playing for the rest of our lives.

Also Bloodstained to look forward to :)
Click to expand...

True. Probably the best series of all time imo. Definitely replayable.
 
Strangelove77 said:
The best one is SOTN. Dont skip it.

Also, I cant imagine not getting burned out on these by playing them one after the other. While I love them, theyre all extremely similar. If youve played one, youve played them all. Only difference between them is quality and whatever gimmick each title has.
Click to expand...

Ecclesia kinda breaks off from that with the self-contained levels, though. It's like a compact metroidvania until it becomes a full-fledged one in the second half.
 
Hazu said:
Hi!

I wanted to get into the Castlevania series for a while so I decided to buy all three Castlevania games on the Nintendo DS. Since I've never played a Castlevania game before, I would like to know :

1) In which order should I play these games?

2) Are there any missable things in these games?

3) Is there anything I should do/avoid while playing these games?

I would also like to know which Castlevania games I should play once I finish the DS episodes.

Thank you. :)
Click to expand...

1) You can play them in any order as they are unrelated from a story perspective (other than the obvious Dracula theme). Dawn of Sorrow is the sequel to the Gameboy Advance game Aria of Sorrow, so you might miss out on some of the story elements in that regard.

2) There are things you can miss. This is one of the factors that makes discovery in the games enjoyable.

3) None that I can think of.

Finally, if you like the DS games you could go back and play the GBA games as they are all really good as well. Symphony of the Night, however, is still the best of the "Igavanias", in my opinion.
 
You should also make sure to play the older games if you have interest in the series. Castlevania 1, 3, Chronicles, Rondo of Blood, and Bloodlines make up a really excellent run of action-platformers, and altogether are certainly the zenith of the series.
 
I second Castlevania IV. It's pretty easy, but I had a good time with it.

For the NES games, 3 is still good. 1 too, but it's really really hard unless you play it with save states. 2 is the wayward child, but I replayed it a couple of years ago and enjoyed it for what it was. It's not nearly as vague as people make it out to be.
 
genjiZERO said:
I second Castlevania IV. It's pretty easy, but I had a good time with it.

For the NES games, 3 is still good. 1 too, but it's really really hard unless you play it with save states. 2 is the wayward child, but I replayed it a couple of years ago and enjoyed it for what it was. It's not nearly as vague as people make it out to be.
Click to expand...

Savestates aren't really necessary for the first game; it has very forgiving checkpoints.
 
Jump in from the beginning and prepare to get dirty. CV1 is difficult, but it's a great game. Start there.

2 gets a lot of shit from fans and it can be cryptic and frustrating, but it's a good game too. There's always online guides to help if you get stuck.

3 is an excellent entry and my favorite of the NES series. Highly recommended. Do not pass this one up.

SCV4 is excellent as well. Great graphics, great soundtrack and a decent challenge.

Rondo of Blood is considered to be the best 2D game in the series by many fans. I haven't gotten very far into the game, but it is good. Very challenging as well.

SotN is, IMO, the best 2D entry. The pinnacle of the series and an absolute must play. Beautiful graphics/animation and an unforgettable soundtrack.
 
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