It’s well worth the investment! I decided to do the same thing when Simon/Richter got announced for Smash Ultimate, and it was a blast. If I’m being honest, I prefer the Metroidvania titles from Symphony of the Night onward, but there’s a real magic about these early ones, as well. Great series, and FANTASTIC music!
The formula for the games of old is: - from the beginning, it's difficult - after practicing, learning enemy and hazard placements, and knowing the secrets like hidden power-ups and paths, the game becomes easier. The fleamen, for me, is just fine. I usually ready myself against them by squating in place and whip where they'd land. The medusa heads are the difficult ones for me when they appear around bottomless pits. At least the fleamen stays on horizontal level long enough for me to whip them. But if a medusa head comes (up and down), it's either jump, duck, or a perfectly timed whip. If I chose wrong, it sends me falling to my doom.
For sure. It’s interesting playing through these classic side scrollers and seeing developers use a lot of the same design tactics. Sometimes, the “NES-hard” games feel kinda sloppy in their design, but in all honesty, I appreciate having to work at it to earn victory! And I hear ya on the Medusa Heads. They’re definitely one of the most frustrating parts of any Castlevania game for me. I don’t know what it is about the Fleamen though! My brain just struggles with their erratic movement. 😂
Wonderful video! I know a lot of people look at NES games like this and can see design choices as limitations or inexperience rather then intentional design decisions. I think it really clicked for me when you talked about the Fleaman and how unpredictable they are. Overall a fantastic video, great job!
Thanks so much for those kind words! I definitely appreciate the advances in modern gaming mechanics as much as the next guy, but I totally agree; I just don’t subscribe to the notion that less-advanced games are objectively worse, by any means. There are definitely some frustrating design choices that I wouldn’t necessarily call “enjoyable”, but it’s really cool to reflect on just how intentional these devs were with every choice they made. Thanks for sharing, and I appreciate your support!!
Yeah, I have long said games are defined as much by what you CAN'T do as much as what you CAN do. There are a lot of people that don't understand this, though. And sometimes they're okay with just having victory handed to them. And like you imply, there's a good life lesson from that. When you look at someone and think they've got it all or had it easy, we need to remind ourselves that everyone has different challenges.
Very well said. I know none of us would ever ask for hardship, but I really feel like the most challenging experiences in my life have been the ones that have produced the most growth in me. Thanks for sharing, and thanks so much for your support!
I really need to sit down and play through Castlevania all the way. It's a series I keep meaning to get into.
It’s well worth the investment! I decided to do the same thing when Simon/Richter got announced for Smash Ultimate, and it was a blast. If I’m being honest, I prefer the Metroidvania titles from Symphony of the Night onward, but there’s a real magic about these early ones, as well. Great series, and FANTASTIC music!
The formula for the games of old is:
- from the beginning, it's difficult
- after practicing, learning enemy and hazard placements, and knowing the secrets like hidden power-ups and paths, the game becomes easier.
The fleamen, for me, is just fine. I usually ready myself against them by squating in place and whip where they'd land.
The medusa heads are the difficult ones for me when they appear around bottomless pits.
At least the fleamen stays on horizontal level long enough for me to whip them. But if a medusa head comes (up and down), it's either jump, duck, or a perfectly timed whip. If I chose wrong, it sends me falling to my doom.
For sure. It’s interesting playing through these classic side scrollers and seeing developers use a lot of the same design tactics. Sometimes, the “NES-hard” games feel kinda sloppy in their design, but in all honesty, I appreciate having to work at it to earn victory!
And I hear ya on the Medusa Heads. They’re definitely one of the most frustrating parts of any Castlevania game for me. I don’t know what it is about the Fleamen though! My brain just struggles with their erratic movement. 😂
Still an underrated channel. On the bright side, when it really takes off, you'll have a big back log of great content for people to binge.
Only 2 days in the future, but I'm binging!
Thanks Levi! Always grateful for your support, man.
Wonderful video! I know a lot of people look at NES games like this and can see design choices as limitations or inexperience rather then intentional design decisions. I think it really clicked for me when you talked about the Fleaman and how unpredictable they are. Overall a fantastic video, great job!
Thanks so much for those kind words! I definitely appreciate the advances in modern gaming mechanics as much as the next guy, but I totally agree; I just don’t subscribe to the notion that less-advanced games are objectively worse, by any means. There are definitely some frustrating design choices that I wouldn’t necessarily call “enjoyable”, but it’s really cool to reflect on just how intentional these devs were with every choice they made. Thanks for sharing, and I appreciate your support!!
Yeah, I have long said games are defined as much by what you CAN'T do as much as what you CAN do. There are a lot of people that don't understand this, though. And sometimes they're okay with just having victory handed to them. And like you imply, there's a good life lesson from that. When you look at someone and think they've got it all or had it easy, we need to remind ourselves that everyone has different challenges.
Very well said. I know none of us would ever ask for hardship, but I really feel like the most challenging experiences in my life have been the ones that have produced the most growth in me. Thanks for sharing, and thanks so much for your support!
another great vid dan!
Thanks man!
cool vid