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[SpongebobSquaredance]

Hello there,

Castlevania was always a series having problems transitioning into 3D. It took till Lords of the Shadows till a developer made 3D-Castlevania that received much praise upon release, while reception of previous games was mixed. Looking back at it, its good game, but it doesn't feel like Castlevania, at least to me. It also lacks creativity. It's a well made game, but most of its ideas it got from other similiar hack'n'slay type of games like God of War.


I am close to finishing Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, a PS2 game from 2003, also known as just Castlevania in Europe. Let me tell you one thing, its great!
No, its far from perfect:
- The camera can be weird.
- Platforming works soso.
- Combat is very fun, but not outstanding. It gets the job done though.
- There should have been more RPG elements. It's there, but a little on the low side imo.

BUT its gets something right that Lords of the Shadows for example always lacked with -> Feeling like a 3D Symphony of the Night. And it just works. You have semi open dungeons in typical Metroidvania fashion to explore with a lot of fighting, a few puzzles and platforming here and there and a bossfight at the end of each dungeon. Graphics and environments look good for the time and the soundtrack is great as well.
It's a good game, nothing out of this world, but I feel like its the closest we got to a true rendition of Castlevania in 3D. This should be the blueprint going forward, just with higher production value, more modern mechanics and more fleshed out combat.







Cheers

 

[Bog]

Was this the first or second one? I actually liked both PS2 CV games at the time.

 

[SpongebobSquaredance]

Was this the first or second one? I actually liked both PS2 CV games at the time.

This is the first one. The second one called Curse of Darkness, released in 2005, had a little weaker reception. Haven't played it though.

 

[Ceallach]

I like both of them a lot. I remember loving playing as P Pumpkin

 

[ULTROS!]

I liked Curse of Darkness more tbh, and I’ve finished both of them. There’s more content in CoD.

LoI has a better OST IMO.

 

[sonomamashine]

This is the first one. The second one called Curse of Darkness, released in 2005, had a little weaker reception. Haven't played it though.

I played them both, i think i did spend more time playing Curse of Darkness.

 

[Mister Wolf]

Yeah its underrated. So is LOS 1.

 

[longdi]

I played the first one, i remember there was little to no platforming exploration. Just arena after arena of combat with bad AI and challenge.

 

[TheCrimsnFuckr]

Curse of Darkness is a much more fun game in my opinion. I would love to see both games get a modern port with a fixed camera so much...

Or even just Curse of Darkness playable on Xbox Series X. I hate having to dig out my OG Xbox to play it

 

[Angelcurio]

Really enjoyed it back in the day, but its another one of those titles that Konami never rereleases even as ps2 on ps4 title, or some kind of collection. Same thing happened with both ps2 contra games, Shattered Soldier and Neo.

 

[PSlayer]

Fuck yes OP! When i was youger i always heard that 3D castlevania sucked and one day i borrowed Lamment of innocence and it was a blast. A little rough in the edges when it came to visuals but pretty good as a game.

 

[Kokoloko85]

Yep great game.
The only good thing about the N64 one was the Violin intro music lol.... ok it wasn’t that bad

 

[SpongebobSquaredance]

I played them both, i think i did spend more time playing Curse of Darkness.

I guess I have to play that one too.

I played the first one, i remember there was little to no platforming exploration. Just arena after arena of combat with bad AI and challenge.

There is not much platforming, but personally I think the platforming ain't that great anyways, so I am fine with not much of it being in there.
It's mostly combat but there is some hidden items to find, you can approach the dungeon in any order you like and generally it has different routes to progress.
I definitely felt like I was playing Symphony of the Night but in 3D. It's not 100% fleshed out, but I see a lot of potential going this route further tbh.

 

[SkylineRKR]

I liked Curse more. I could never really get into Lament much. Was it just hard or did you have to play stages in a certain order? I think I could never beat Medusa but not sure.

Its better than Lords of Shadow.

 

[SpongebobSquaredance]

I liked Curse more. I could never really get into Lament much. Was it just hard or did you have to play stages in a certain order? I think I could never beat Medusa but not sure.

Its better than Lords of Shadow.

afaik you can play them in any order except the first one and the last one. Get a stack of health drinks, then Medua should be easy.

 

[Old Retro]

It's one of my favorite Castlevanias ever, but I'm glad they did away with the locked camera ala Devil May Cry.

 

[namekuseijin]

Hello there,

Castlevania was always a series having problems transitioning into 3D. It took till Lords of the Shadows till a developer made 3D-Castlevania that received much praise upon release, while reception of previous games was mixed. Looking back at it, its good game, but it doesn't feel like Castlevania, at least to me. It also lacks creativity. It's a well made game, but most of its ideas it got from other similiar hack'n'slay type of games like God of War.


I am close to finishing Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, a PS2 game from 2003, also known as just Castlevania in Europe. Let me tell you one thing, its great!
No, its far from perfect:
- The camera can be weird.
- Platforming works soso.
- Combat is very fun, but not outstanding. It gets the job done though.
- There should have been more RPG elements. It's there, but a little on the low side imo.

BUT its gets something right that Lords of the Shadows for example always lacked with -> Feeling like a 3D Symphony of the Night. And it just works. You have semi open dungeons in typical Metroidvania fashion to explore with a lot of fighting, a few puzzles and platforming here and there and a bossfight at the end of each dungeon. Graphics and environments look good for the time and the soundtrack is great as well.
It's a good game, nothing out of this world, but I feel like its the closest we got to a true rendition of Castlevania in 3D. This should be the blueprint going forward, just with higher production value, more modern mechanics and more fleshed out combat.







Cheers

you retrards get so tethered to old names that didn't realize Castlevania was already made in 3D far better than this crap. It was called Devil May Cry and was the best translation from old sidescrollers into 3D. GoW obviously was inspired by it.

how about you just let Konami corpse rot in peace?

Btw, I've already played Castlevania in VR. It's called Crescendo of the Blood Moon, a co-op quest inside Rec Room. Real fun and tiresome whipping those creeps with a whip in my hand.

 

[cireza]

Great game indeed.

 

[ProgenitorCastle]

Very intrigued by this game, definitely would give it a chance if I can

 

[Bruno_Arrais85]

Awesome game with deep lore

 

[Belmonte]

It is a cliche at this point but IMO the best way to make Castlevania 3D is drawing inspiration from Soulsborne.

It is a perfect inspiration because them it can mix the two main types of Castlevania: Classicvania and Metroidvania.

The Soulsborne similarities with Metroidvanias is too obvious so I will skip this part.

Classicvania is heavily based on precision. The Vampire Killer has the perfect amount of delay to make the player think when to strike the opponent. This, allied with the great enemy and level design of the classics is a good chunk of what makes the Classicvanias so special. And what kind of 3D games privileges precision instead of combos? Yeah, Soulsborne because of the stamina mechanic.

I don't think it would be cool if they did just an emulation of Soulsborne in Castlevania form. They need to make somethings different. I want my kick ass Castlevania music! But as a starting template, Soulsborne is perfect. Castlevania should not be about combos IMO.

That said, I liked Lament of Innocence. It has some weird level design though. My favorite is Curse of Darkness since the raise your demons mechanic adds a lot of fun.

 

[kunonabi]

Dull combat, piss poor platforming, and no challenge should never be the blueprint for CV anything. Lament had a decent idea for a story, which they still botched, and a solid score but that was about it.

Still better than the utter borefest that was Curse of Darkness though.

 

[SpongebobSquaredance]

I don't think it would be cool if they did just an emulation of Soulsborne in Castlevania form. They need to make somethings different. I want my kick ass Castlevania music! But as a starting template, Soulsborne is perfect. Castlevania should not be about combos IMO.

What it needs is huge a castle to explore with tons of different paths, items with the purpose of further progression, more RPG elements and kick ass combat as well as soundtrack. Obviously it should have the feeling Castlevania games are known for and LOS missed imo.
Lament of Innocence has a good foundation. With a fixed camera, better platforming and souls-like combat etc. it could be A+
Basically, they should just make a 3D Symphony of the Night. Lament of Innocence is the closest to that. Thats why I enjoy this game so much. It was a pleasant surprise. Didn't expect that at all.

you retrards get so tethered to old names that didn't realize Castlevania was already made in 3D far better than this crap. It was called Devil May Cry and was the best translation from old sidescrollers into 3D. GoW obviously was inspired by it.

how about you just let Konami corpse rot in peace?

Btw, I've already played Castlevania in VR. It's called Crescendo of the Blood Moon, a co-op quest inside Rec Room. Real fun and tiresome whipping those creeps with a whip in my hand.

 

[Goro Majima]

Lots of boring similar rooms and corridors so you're not really sure where you're going.

But it's a good game and if anyone actively hates it then they're probably wrong. I wouldn't call it a great or genre defining game like other Castlevanias.

 

[SpongebobSquaredance]

Lots of boring similar rooms and corridors so you're not really sure where you're going.

But it's a good game and if anyone actively hates it then they're probably wrong. I wouldn't call it a great or genre defining game like other Castlevanias.

It's not genre defining or out of this world amazing, but its a good game. My point is, that it has a great foundation of what a 3D-Castlevania should be like.
Looking at other 3D-Castlevania games, the series always had a problem getting a working formula done (64 games, probably the cancelled Dreamcast game too) or went away to much from its original style (LOS games).

 

[kunonabi]

It's not genre defining or out of this world amazing, but its a good game. My point is, that it has a great foundation of what a 3D-Castlevania should be like.
Looking at other 3D-Castlevania games, the series always had a problem getting a working formula done (64 games, probably the cancelled Dreamcast game too) or went away to much from its original style (LOS games).

Castlevania 64 is a much stronger foundation. It keeps the classicvania platforming intact with simple combat based off timing and spacing while using the 3D world to put an increased emphasis on atmosphere and adventure elements. It needed refining to be sure but it was a far better first step than aping God of War or trying to do SotN for the millionth time.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Hello there,

Castlevania was always a series having problems transitioning into 3D. It took till Lords of the Shadows till a developer made 3D-Castlevania that received much praise upon release, while reception of previous games was mixed. Looking back at it, its good game, but it doesn't feel like Castlevania, at least to me. It also lacks creativity. It's a well made game, but most of its ideas it got from other similiar hack'n'slay type of games like God of War.


I am close to finishing Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, a PS2 game from 2003, also known as just Castlevania in Europe. Let me tell you one thing, its great!
No, its far from perfect:
- The camera can be weird.
- Platforming works soso.
- Combat is very fun, but not outstanding. It gets the job done though.
- There should have been more RPG elements. It's there, but a little on the low side imo.

BUT its gets something right that Lords of the Shadows for example always lacked with -> Feeling like a 3D Symphony of the Night. And it just works. You have semi open dungeons in typical Metroidvania fashion to explore with a lot of fighting, a few puzzles and platforming here and there and a bossfight at the end of each dungeon. Graphics and environments look good for the time and the soundtrack is great as well.
It's a good game, nothing out of this world, but I feel like its the closest we got to a true rendition of Castlevania in 3D. This should be the blueprint going forward, just with higher production value, more modern mechanics and more fleshed out combat.







Cheers

I love Castlevania and Lament of Innocence but it's far from a good example of a 3D Castlevania game. Among many and some of the issues you mentioned, there's also the seriously repetitive environments. It's like cut and paste rooms. And not just artistically but in design also. It's one square room after the next without hardly any platforming.

Sorry but I think they'd be better off "ripping off" DMC but more specifically the first DMC which is as close to a 3D Castlevania as you can get.

Btw I still love the game anyhow despite its flaws.

 

[SpongebobSquaredance]

Castlevania 64 is a much stronger foundation. It keeps the classicvania platforming intact with simple combat based off timing and spacing while using the 3D world to put an increased emphasis on atmosphere and adventure elements. It needed refining to be sure but it was a far better first step than aping God of War or trying to do SotN for the millionth time.

Castlevania 64 went more for the Classicvania approach. I don't like the controls and camera though, but perhaps it could be done when refined. Lament of Innocence is more focused on being like Symphony of the Night with emphasis on combat. Different needs for different folks I guess, but you got a point. There are a lot of SoTN type of games. I love that genre though and in 3D it hasn't been done to death, so I am fine with that. Lament of Innocence platforming ain't great. One of the things that definitely need improvment.

I love Castlevania and Lament of Innocence but it's far from a good example of a 3D Castlevania game. Among many and some of the issues you mentioned, there's also the seriously repetitive environments. It's like cut and paste rooms. And not just artistically but in design also. It's one square room after the next without hardly any platforming.

Sorry but I think they'd be better off "ripping off" DMC but more specifically the first DMC which is as close to a 3D Castlevania as you can get.

Btw I still love the game anyhow despite its flaws.

True, but seeing Lament of Innocence as a blueprint as in keeping whats good and improving whats bad, a great 3D Castlevania could come out of this. Better platforming, more complex fighting, better crafted environments are all things that can be severely improved upon and in this day and age developers know a lot more about that than back than imo.
One of the good things coming out of games getting a wider appeal in the last years, the quality of controls, environments, mechanics etc generally improved (not always of course).
Lament of Innocence ain't perfect, it got flaws, but I still feel its a great foundation. Obviously I dont think they should keep everything and just make it look better.

 

[Tesseract]

yeah it was good, legacy of darkness is aight as well

3d castlevania remains untapped, nobody got it right in any way that was great

 

[Amiga]

Hello there,

Castlevania was always a series having problems transitioning into 3D. It took till Lords of the Shadows till a developer made 3D-Castlevania that received much praise upon release, while reception of previous games was mixed. Looking back at it, its good game, but it doesn't feel like Castlevania, at least to me. It also lacks creativity. It's a well made game, but most of its ideas it got from other similiar hack'n'slay type of games like God of War.


I am close to finishing Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, a PS2 game from 2003, also known as just Castlevania in Europe. Let me tell you one thing, its great!
No, its far from perfect:
- The camera can be weird.
- Platforming works soso.
- Combat is very fun, but not outstanding. It gets the job done though.
- There should have been more RPG elements. It's there, but a little on the low side imo.

BUT its gets something right that Lords of the Shadows for example always lacked with -> Feeling like a 3D Symphony of the Night. And it just works. You have semi open dungeons in typical Metroidvania fashion to explore with a lot of fighting, a few puzzles and platforming here and there and a bossfight at the end of each dungeon. Graphics and environments look good for the time and the soundtrack is great as well.
It's a good game, nothing out of this world, but I feel like its the closest we got to a true rendition of Castlevania in 3D. This should be the blueprint going forward, just with higher production value, more modern mechanics and more fleshed out combat.







Cheers

I think the best model for the a 3D Castlevania today is a combination of NiOh and Prince of Persia. with an interconnected world design similar to Rise of the Tomb Raider.

 

[Northeastmonk]

Such a good game, even have it on PS3’s PSN store. I wish Sony would make their legacy console PSN titles play on their modern consoles. I remember the cheat code for MAX items. You have to just stand in a special spot right outside a save room and your item amount goes up.

 

[synchronicity]

Yeah I loved it too. As you mentioned, it did a good job of feeling like Castlevania in 3D. I still need to get around to Curse though.

 

[SALMORE]

Loved it , i still occasionally listen to the awesome soundtrack ! also the final boss was very tough

 

[K1Expwy]

It did a lot of things right, but I kept thinking the game would have worked a lot better in 2.5d. Great music though

 

[hyperbertha]

I never heard much good about them. But they look beautiful. Any 3d castlevania still has to make combat simple and enemies non damage spongy. Dark souls style is too diverged from that to be a proper castlevania. And platforming is a must.

 

[cabbage5k2]

Best thing about this game was the god tier ost, god I love the music in this game. Game itself isn't bad, although both Devil May Cry and God of War outshine it completely.

 

[01011001]

ok ok, I'm gonna play it... are you happy now?

(for real tho, I'm kinda in de mood recently to play some PS2/GC/Xbox era games I never played or only played a bit at a friends n shit)

 

[SpongebobSquaredance]

ok ok, I'm gonna play it... are you happy now?

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