Post by The Mad Jackyl on Nov 8, 2005 0:39:04 GMT -5
Got this game Friday and have played 13 hours of it since then. Overall, I'd say this game is an improvement over the previous title, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. The story takes place 3 years after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. And following in that vein, Dracula's curse has been brought down on the Baltic land of Valachia. Instead of one castle or town like in previous Castelevania games, this one takes place in multiple areas throughout the region near the Transylvanian mountains. Admittedly the level-designs aren't as good as they could be and are monotonous, especially since this is the longest game of the series. Another thing I notice is that many of the monsters are recycled with just a few variations of each as the game progresses and gets harder. Another thing is that the game is not all that difficult until later in the game, about 8 or so hours in.
Some things it has over its predecessor(s) is the variations of weapons. There is a GREAT upgrade system which allows you to have dozens upons dozens of weapons, armors, and accessories which help your stats. All these weapons have several unique attacks and semi-secret attacks. A great new addition reminiscent of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (considered the greatest Castlevania created) is something called Innocent Devils. These are little helper beings that greatly help you throughout the game. Without these creatures, you cannot reach some of the secret parts of the game. As Castlevania is all about exploration, this is important. How you develop these creatures is important as well. As your character's level goes up, you can also evolve your Innocent Devils. Devils will evolve to have different abilities and magic according to which types of weapons you use.
More about the Innocent Devils. There are several classes which you can develop: Mages, Battle-Types, Fliers and Fairies. Mages are good at magic and float above you attacking your enemies, sometimes helping you do things like transform you so you can slide beneath a crack in a wall, Battle-Types follow you on foot like a warrior companion, Fliers can help you cross open spaces where you cannot otherwise pass as well as attack your enemies from above and Fairies are good at healing. All these types have two or three variations depending on how you evolve them using your weapons.
All in all, this game is very good once you get far enough in to where you have all your classes of Innocent Devils. But until then it can be very wearing with the monotonous enemies and room layouts. If you are a fan of the series and did not like Lament of Innocence, there's a chance that you will find this one more suitable to your tastes.
Some things it has over its predecessor(s) is the variations of weapons. There is a GREAT upgrade system which allows you to have dozens upons dozens of weapons, armors, and accessories which help your stats. All these weapons have several unique attacks and semi-secret attacks. A great new addition reminiscent of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (considered the greatest Castlevania created) is something called Innocent Devils. These are little helper beings that greatly help you throughout the game. Without these creatures, you cannot reach some of the secret parts of the game. As Castlevania is all about exploration, this is important. How you develop these creatures is important as well. As your character's level goes up, you can also evolve your Innocent Devils. Devils will evolve to have different abilities and magic according to which types of weapons you use.
More about the Innocent Devils. There are several classes which you can develop: Mages, Battle-Types, Fliers and Fairies. Mages are good at magic and float above you attacking your enemies, sometimes helping you do things like transform you so you can slide beneath a crack in a wall, Battle-Types follow you on foot like a warrior companion, Fliers can help you cross open spaces where you cannot otherwise pass as well as attack your enemies from above and Fairies are good at healing. All these types have two or three variations depending on how you evolve them using your weapons.
All in all, this game is very good once you get far enough in to where you have all your classes of Innocent Devils. But until then it can be very wearing with the monotonous enemies and room layouts. If you are a fan of the series and did not like Lament of Innocence, there's a chance that you will find this one more suitable to your tastes.
