Hello, dear inhabitants of Stopgame blogs, you can call me Naykita, and today I want to tell you a small story about my acquaintance with the Castlevania series and make a small underestimation of the game.
A small story
Where did the desire to get acquainted with the once great series of games, from which there are now only echoes, in the person of re -releases on modern platforms of the most famous parts and projects inspired by this very series? Well, the story is quite ordinary and two factors influenced it:
Firstly, in the winter of 2020–2021. Children’s dreams and desires associated with the need to possess some console woke up in me. It doesn’t matter whether it is stationary or portable, the current generation or a decade before last, I just wanted to have something that you can play games on. But, of course, one of the problems that greatly limits the circle of options was the lack of enough material resources (money … no!). Therefore, after conducting a small analysis on what I could afford and that I was interested in the device, I stopped at PSP. And already at the beginning of February, the cherished parcel and twisted in the clouds and dreams came to me about how interesting and fun now I will spend my leisure time, instead of useless stuck in a tick, I went to pick it up (for those who may be interesting: I have a model E1008).
Secondly, the two parts of the Castlevania series of the series, which were published on the channel, with which many people here, were the Russian Geek, leading Nikolai Gubanov, a, were viewed and revised in the same winter.To.A. Pixel Devi. And then I realized for myself that I am interested or, better to say, fascinated by this universe: its Gothic surroundings, heroes and monsters, magnificent music, which was played even by symphonic orchestras, and most importantly, the gameplay of the old school with disabilities and Continue for passage. Then I realized that I would definitely play at least one game to try this new world and game experience.
Having folded all the existing thoughts and opportunities, it was decided to start with the project, the former exclusive PlayStation Portable platform (or popularly PSP/Zyz) – Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles.
And so, when everything was ready: the prefix was stitched, the image is downloaded and located on the flash drive, I make the first launch.
The game begins with a shown of the opening video, where the player observes the sacrifice scene in the basement of an abandoned church, while the orders of a calm but frightening voice omnes the return of the lord of darkness. The beginning is intriguing and sets up in the right mood. I was already looking forward to the start of the game
Finally I get the opportunity to start my adventure for Richter Belmont, but so far I suggest a little more details to dwell on the gameplay.
Game process
The game is an action-adventure with elements of a platformer, the task in which to go from the beginning of the level to its end, simultaneously destroying various evil spirits in its path with the help of the Great Relief of the Belmont family-the “Vampire Killer” whip is. In spirit, the game is closer to the original parts of the series, that is, to those who came out to the era of the Renaissance with Symphony of the Night. It is not surprising, because the game is a remake of Rondo of Blood, which was released in 1993 on the PC Engine platform for the Coregrafx CD-Rom² System (a small interesting fact: PC Enine was the smallest home console in the history of the industry, for which it got into the Guinness Book of Records).
As it was written above, the hero/player has the main weapon – a whip, which can only be beaten in a horizontal direction: either to the left or right without the opportunity to even hit the diagonal, as it was in Super Castlevania 4 on Snes/Super Famicom, which in turn came out two years earlier. In addition to the whip, you can take one additional item that facilitates the passage of the stage, but consumes the hearts knocked out by the player during the passage of lamps, chandeliers, monsters and other things. Specifically, you can find:
Dagger, which Richter is throwing forward himself. Flies in a straight line and, as it seems to me, is the most useless weapon;
Cross-boomerang. I think from the name is its peculiarity, but it also has only a horizontal flight. An indispensable thing!
Bible. Her main feature is that it releases Queen Vegas Casino review the flow of books flying along an increasing spiral around the player;
Also, with each of the items, you can carry out an air attack ultra, or, as they are called in the original, Item Crash, which consume more hearts, but also have greater efficiency. A small innovation in the game was the opportunity to conduct a double jump, although it can rather be christened as a somersault back, which allows you to avoid damage in some situations.
It is worth noting that the game has a second game character – Maria Renard, who has its own set of skills, additional. items and ultra attacks. But I did not try to go through the game for it, and I learned about its existence much later, so I’m sorry, but I will not talk about it.
You can compare how the characters were represented in the original Rondo of Blood and remake
You can compare how the characters were represented in the original Rondo of Blood and remake
You can compare how the characters were represented in the original Rondo of Blood and remake
You can compare how the characters were represented in the original Rondo of Blood and remake
Personal impressions
I do not want to describe how every level passed and what difficulties I have encountered (believe me, there were many of them. Even just getting used to managing and whip took time), given that almost all the main problems were at the first 3 levels, where I slowly but confidently adapted to the game process. I will only say that now I will probably be able to remember almost all levels: their environment, opponents and bosses, some of which were quite simple and overcome for 1-3 attempts, and some forced to suffer because of any one attack, which you don’t know what to do (yes, now I’m talking about an awkward skeleton from the fourth chapter. I still hate him). But I want to allocate the first level, because thanks to him, a beautiful Blood Tears composition appeared in my playlist, which, as it turned out, passes through the entire series of games
Bosses for any tastes, dimensions and shape
Bosses for any tastes, dimensions and shape
Bosses for any tastes, dimensions and shape
Bosses for any tastes, dimensions and shape
But continuing to go through the levels, I defeat all the bosses along the way and reaches the Glavgada – Count Vlad Tepesh, where, after the legendary for the franchise of climbing the stairs and a short dialogue, the final battle begins! After the most difficult first phase and a very light second time, the time of the last scene comes, where, to my surprise and disappointment, Dracula escapes;Richter says that he almost defeated him and the credits begin to go. Well, it was obvious that this was a bad ending and having passed ten levels, I did something wrong or did not do at all. You also come to this conclusion when you see that the counter of the game (yes, there is one here) shows less than 30%. It would seem that I have already spent a lot of hours on the game, compared to how many people spend on its complete passage, but they tell me that you did not even master her third. I was simultaneously excited and suppressed because I understood that I needed to stay in this world longer. And after a few levels of levels and the realization that I will get little achieve myself, I begin to watch the passage. And here the truth opens up: I went through the game on the usual, open, as I call it, the path that is available to the player from the very beginning and by which he is most likely to go through the game until the end. But there is a secret path, which includes four absolutely different levels, which can only be obtained with the help of special passages and secrets on the main.
This is what the card looked like after the first passage. But so she began to look by the end of the game
This is what the card looked like after the first passage. But so she began to look by the end of the game
A new circle of suffering, tears and exploits begins with joy and tears in the eyes, when it is possible to go through the next stage and increase the unfortunate dials on the counter. But the whole fuse and the mood is lost when you reach 5 ’chapters (the numbers of the main path have a common number, for example, the same 5. But the secret numbers have additional apostrophe. So we get 5 ‘). This is a separate horror attraction on which the player will meet the most difficult boss of the game – Hydra. Having reached her, you understand that you must professionally own all the control buttons, know how every additional weapon works and just have an outstanding endurance and reaction. And after a couple of days of the stubborn passage of this enemy and a slightly shaken psyche, I manage to defeat it and begin to again gather to Dracula, where I again experience two phases of the boss and again get the same scene with the shoot of the vampire! Fury boils in me, but now I’m not going to a platform with various videos, but behind a text passage to understand what I am doing wrong.
A miracle occurs again and a new truth opens: it turns out that the captives need to be saved at some levels, one of which is generally the second game character (I mentioned this above, but initially learned about this only at this stage of passage)!! By this point, I understand that, it seems, I don’t know this game at all and has not seen anything in it. But thank God, here is a rather convenient system by which I can only reach the girl, the game will count that I have found her and increase the counter of progress, while I already calmly leave the level and strive further to the true ending.
Here they are from left to right: already familiar Mary;Sister Tera from a local church;The daughter of the doctor Iris and Annet, who is the older sister of Maria and part -time girl Belmont
Here they are from left to right: already familiar Mary;Sister Tera from a local church;The daughter of the doctor Iris and Annet, who is the older sister of Maria and part -time girl Belmont
Here they are from left to right: already familiar Mary;Sister Tera from a local church;The daughter of the doctor Iris and Annet, who is the older sister of Maria and part -time girl Belmont
Here they are from left to right: already familiar Mary;Sister Tera from a local church;The daughter of the doctor Iris and Annet, who is the older sister of Maria and part -time girl Belmont
So, all the hostages were saved. All secret levels were passed and not. I am already well managed with a whip so that the chapter with several bosses (specifically, this stage 6) looks like a two -minute problem. I’m ready! And after such thoughts, it opens to me, you think that? True, the new truth is that Dracula has a third form that has many attacks and which you need to get used to and prepare for a new one. But after the hydra, I was ready for everything, so it was only a matter of time when I could defeat him. And then, finally victory! I deserve to see a good end, and was already waiting for its offensive. As a result, we defeated the vampire and sent him to wait for the next 100 years before the new arrival (by this moment I was well familiar with the series of the series. There was time to study it after the next loss of the Hydra).
I was proud of myself and was going to delete the next project, but I had to find out for myself the last, great truth about this game: it is not one. If you carefully collect all secrets, you can open additional full versions of Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night. And then I honestly precipitated, because it turns out all this time I had three games in one. I definitely did not expect this and was not ready for this. At this point, I already knew that all this time was a Rondo of Blood remake, but to be able to get acquainted with the original, albeit a little in a different form and on another platform … Well, I won’t be cunning, I didn’t go through two more Castlevanias, but I still mastered several levels from the original. I felt that I had enough of this experience, and I did not need more. But someday I will return and pass these games, because now I understand why people love these games and play them. I realized why now I appreciate this series in any of its form and genre.
This is how one game was able to turn the rules of the game several times (sorry for the pun) and reveal me some of my secrets, which I will remember for a long time.
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