Castlevania General

Okay, let’s post everything related to Castlevania (or as it’s called in Japan, Akumajou Dracula)!
 
I’ll start with some fanboying towards Ayami Kojima and her romantic art style.
 
 

 
Also, I just finished playing Aria of Sorrow without walkthrough (except for the part where I had to find out what the Ancient Books exactly told me to do).
 
And an unpopular opinion regarding AoS: I don’t like playing as Julius Belmont.

What do you think of the Pachinko Machine?

@atalarikt  
Aria of Sorrow I heard was a mostly rushed and incomplete game. There were evidence of a lot of cut out features that didn’t make it into the game due to space and time restraints. If I’m not mistaken, Soma was supposed to acquire an ability to turn into a mist pass certain obstacles like how Alucard did in SOTN. Galamoth and some other creatures with important souls like the Hypogrif were supposed to be a bosses.

@SeraphimDawn  
Really? It plays far better than Harmony of Dissonance, at least.
 
@igotnopicks  
Not a fan of pachinko, and I’m mildly disappointed of what Konami did.

@atalarikt  
Aria of Sorrow was a beautiful game. They got the Metroidvania concept right on that game for the GBA. It was considered one of the best GBA games of all time, best Castlevania on GBA.

@SeraphimDawn  
I know, right?

I only played the sorrow games.

Metroidvania games FTW.
 
Love em all. Symphony of the night is best though.

@Princess♠Molestia  
Gotta agree with you about that.
 
Though I don’t like the fact that it’s one of the easiest CV games I’ve ever played. X_X
 
Eh, at least it has a large and confusing map to make up for it.

Haunted Castle is so underrated IMO.

@atalarikt  
Circle of the Moon
 
Bloodlines

@SeraphimDawn  
CotM, understandable, because its graphics are unappealing, and the DSS system isn’t really nice to use IMO. Also, it doesn’t help that you’re under equipped and the enemies damage you a lot.
 
Bloodlines, well, it doesn’t really offer something new. Even though I really like Bloodlines, I can understand as to why people overlook it.

@atalarikt  
Bloodlines which was n the Genesis is often overshadowed by the much more popular Castlevania 4 on the SNES. Not that Castlevania 4 is anything less, it’s a beautiful game.

Aria of Sorrow is My favorite!
 
I love the theme for the 1st stage of bloodlines
 
Circle of the moon was my first GBA game.
 
I played the Castlevania for the NES in the early 90s after we moved from my first house I remember living in.

@Cyborg_pony  
Did you know Bloodlines is the prequel to the Portrait of Ruins game on the DS?  
Bloodlines took place during WW1, that’s why there were gatling skeletons and a level that took place in a munitions factory in Germany.  
Portrait of Ruins took place in WW2. And also hosts the most chronologically latest battle against Dracula before the supposed Demon Castle Wars in 1999 where Julius Belmont allegedly destroyed Dracula once and for all. Jonathan Morris is likely the one who passed the Whip to Julius.
 
Speaking of Julius Belmont. He is 56 in Dawn of Sorrows, which takes place in 2036. That mean Julius was born in 1980, and he would be 19 during the Demon Castle Wars when he killed Dracula. Another thing to take note is that Julius being born and grew up during the 1980s and 90s gives him a unique opportunity in the Belmont Clan for him to play the classic Castlevania games :). It’s just a cute idea I have on how Julius did his “training” for the big showdown. ;)

@SeraphimDawn  
Yeah, I played both. Because I know Wind is actually Eric Lucarde

@Cyborg_pony  
I can totally see Julius clutching an old NES or SNES controller while playing those old Castlevania as he goes on a nostalgia trip of his childhood.  
After all, he lived during that time frame when the NES, SNES, Genesis, and other classic console were hot IRL.

@SeraphimDawn  
I think that would only be good as a cameo, like in ZX with the old NES cart of Megaman. I know Konami man is in Aria and Dawn of sorrow.

@atalarikt  
 

@Solitude  

@Solitude
 
@Cyborg_pony  
Eeeee, more Ayami Kojima stuff!~
 
But in all seriousness, I really love her art style. You don’t get to see so many artists do the Romantic art style rather right.

@atalarikt  
Her art style was what defined Castlevania.
 
Harmony of Dissonance had some of the most disturbing looking bosses in the whole franchise.  
Look at Dracula’s 2nd form!  

@SeraphimDawn  
Oh my God.
 
Even then, a lot of CV bosses can look very disturbing. Take Beezelbub from SotN, for example.
 
Also, how can you play as Simon Belmont there?

@atalarikt  
Harmony is Dissonance took place really close to the Dracula X and SOTN time frame. It’s a prequel. It also took place really close to the Simon Belmont arc. Simon Belmont is just a secret extra unlockable character in Harmony of Dissonance.

@SeraphimDawn  
I know. I mean, how can you lock him?