Castlevania

The Good
Castlevania 64. Is it a good game or a bad one? I wonder. Probably the best thing in this game is the music. Yes the music is amazing and it adds to the atmosphere, the other major element of the game. I can name enough great games that don’t have any atmosphere at all. Good for the game that it has one. The two playable characters and the different stages depending on who you choose to play are also a plus for the game. But are these enough to justify the hysteria of the people around me that were crazy for this game and considered it a masterpiece? I don’t think so.

The Bad
The graphics were not as good as other games at the time of its release. Apparently the transition from 2D to 3D wasn’t the best choice for the series. The absence of a plot was another miss for the game. The developers could focus more on the backgrounds of the characters and the reasons that led them to begin their ‘’crusade’’ to defeat Dracula. It would certainly give a more mature feeling to the whole game. The gameplay had problems too with the camera movement and angles not being so helpful in certain places. Another thing I noticed was that the steps the characters did didn’t match the sound they were supposed to do. You may thing that’s a detail but when you have to make a precise jump – and in Castlevania you have to do that a lot – it’s pretty confusing and annoying especially if you lose because of that. Still the final blow is the options at the beginning. If you choose the Easy mode you’ll only be able to play half of the game and you’ll just get a notice saying that if you want to play the full game you have to choose the Normal mode. When I saw that I wanted to break my console. I mean, is Konami mocking us or what?

The Bottom Line
This game is for the fans of the series and casual gamers since it’s more action oriented. On the other hand I’m sure that many fans will be disappointed. Pretty bad considering that it could have been a much better game than the one it is.

The Good
"Castlevania" for the N64 is difficult to like - as much as one may want to. The setting, Dracula's Castle, is always interesting, and the ability to explore it in 3-D is fun. The few characters that populate the game should delight fans of vampire movies. In particular the Great Vampire Killer of the film "Fright Night" makes an appearance. Some of the boss battles are interesting and the day/night cycling works adequately. The final battle with Dracula is actually quite rewarding.

The Bad
Here is a very fast bullet list: The color palette is droll, the controls are inaccurate and frustrating, level design is linear and uninteresting, and the music,(I would argue), is below "Castlevania" standards. The title feels rushed and unpolished and at the time of release the public was not aware that a more complete version of the game was soon to follow. (entitled: "Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness"),

The Bottom Line
The beloved series of "Castlevania" did not fare well on the N64. As much as anyone will try to love, (or even like), this game, they will probably pause and sigh. The beginnings of a 3-D "Castlevania" game were mired in a multitude of delays and an eventual cancellation. There was originally a "Castlevania" game planed for release on the Dreamcast, but that project was scrapped, (or was it?), and an N64 game was pursued.

Kouji Iga, the current director of the "Castlevania" series, had very little, (if nothing), to do with the N64 "Castlevania's". His presence was sorely missed on this game, and as a result the game missed hitting its intended mark on nearly everyone of its goals.