I love both classic Castlevania and Metroidvania, but I really think a lot of indie metroidvania titles miss the mark. The Metroid series itself is still the best in its style of gameplay imo
Metroidvanias have a problem with bloat. Ideally, they should be as tight, concise and replayable as a classic Castlevania, just larger, more sprawling and with more character progression. But the moment-to-moment gameplay should remain sharp and focused. I think a lot of metroidvania games (especially indies) insert too much fluff or bring in elements from roguelikes which encourages more grinding and repetition. Modern metroidvanias should take more inspiration from the design (not the visuals, which are often copied) of Super Metroid and Circle of the Moon. Tight, focused levels which lead the player on a journey naturally from place to place. Cave Story is another good example imo. A good metroidvania should have that puzzle-like level design the video talks about.
awesome vid man. love the additional touch of having the games play on your monitors, special props for the sony monitor. i've seen a lot of "amateur reviews" over the youtube years and i think you have the most interesting commentary of any of them, the most intelligent assessments, and some pretty funny observations. who woulda thought that we'd be getting fresh views on a 1986 game in 2021, but you did it. yer fuckin awesome bof. ty keep it up.
I really appreciate it!! Over the last year or so I've been trying hard to try and only make videos on games I think I have something to add to the conversation or have a unique perspective on, so hearing that from you really means a lot
I think the tightness of the design is what stands out to me most about castlevania 1. The third game has more "stuff" and is still great, but the first one is really slimmed-down to the bare bones of what makes a fantastic horror action platformer. I never played any of these games as a kid, so I don't have nostalgia for them. The first castlevania I really enjoyed was Aria of Sorrow.
I really enjoy Ghouls n Ghosts! I have it on the Genesis/Megadrive. First time I beat it I played on practice. Then eventually I played through on professional, getting the true ending by beating it twice. But my Genesis is region modded, so I then played through Daimakaimura, the Japanese version, which is a little bit more challenging still than American Professional mode, as it removes the pre-boss check points. One of the few games I've beaten on Every difficulty level. The Gargoyle's Quest Trilogy, specifically Gargoyle's Quest II, are some of my favorite action platformers. The level design is so fresh and interesting. It's a really inspiring game. Makes me want to get into game design/create some really different and unique gimmicks for platformers. The original is pretty fun, and Demon's Crest was good too, but Gargoyle's Quest II was definitely my favorite
Hadn't watch the video yet, but I can expect the video will resume what I find in this game. Definitively one of the fastest recommendations ever for me. Edit: yeah I was right. What a good video :)
I never got round to this one until it was re-released as a NES Classic on GBA. 3 was my first. I managed to beat it on the GBA. I’m curious as to if there are any differences between the NES version and GBA, or was it a perfect port?
Is that part of the NES re-release series? I've got the Donkey Kong re-release for GBA, and as far as I know they're perfect ports. I played on the Switch, so I've never actually played the original on real NES hardware
Dude this has 3 orders of magnitude fewer views than it deserves
Haha much appreciated! The first Castlevania is one of my favorite games of all time
Cool video, I didn't notice the backgrounds details
I love both classic Castlevania and Metroidvania, but I really think a lot of indie metroidvania titles miss the mark. The Metroid series itself is still the best in its style of gameplay imo
Metroidvanias have a problem with bloat. Ideally, they should be as tight, concise and replayable as a classic Castlevania, just larger, more sprawling and with more character progression. But the moment-to-moment gameplay should remain sharp and focused. I think a lot of metroidvania games (especially indies) insert too much fluff or bring in elements from roguelikes which encourages more grinding and repetition. Modern metroidvanias should take more inspiration from the design (not the visuals, which are often copied) of Super Metroid and Circle of the Moon. Tight, focused levels which lead the player on a journey naturally from place to place. Cave Story is another good example imo. A good metroidvania should have that puzzle-like level design the video talks about.
awesome vid man. love the additional touch of having the games play on your monitors, special props for the sony monitor. i've seen a lot of "amateur reviews" over the youtube years and i think you have the most interesting commentary of any of them, the most intelligent assessments, and some pretty funny observations. who woulda thought that we'd be getting fresh views on a 1986 game in 2021, but you did it. yer fuckin awesome bof. ty keep it up.
I really appreciate it!! Over the last year or so I've been trying hard to try and only make videos on games I think I have something to add to the conversation or have a unique perspective on, so hearing that from you really means a lot
That death sound honestly gave me a scare because of how loud it was. Don’t change it, it actually adds to the point.
The sound fx are satisfying as hell too
I think the tightness of the design is what stands out to me most about castlevania 1. The third game has more "stuff" and is still great, but the first one is really slimmed-down to the bare bones of what makes a fantastic horror action platformer. I never played any of these games as a kid, so I don't have nostalgia for them. The first castlevania I really enjoyed was Aria of Sorrow.
Very interesting. Never knew the last part of Dracula was the curse of men.
It's a bit long, but this translated interview is where I found it from. It's a really interesting read! shmuplations.com/castlevania/
@@Bofner Nice thank you
Wellllll it’s more of a forest green really, but I suppose I won’t quibble... :P
I would love to hear your thoughts on Ghouls n Ghosts and Demons Crest: capcom's horror theme action adventure games.
I really enjoy Ghouls n Ghosts! I have it on the Genesis/Megadrive. First time I beat it I played on practice. Then eventually I played through on professional, getting the true ending by beating it twice. But my Genesis is region modded, so I then played through Daimakaimura, the Japanese version, which is a little bit more challenging still than American Professional mode, as it removes the pre-boss check points. One of the few games I've beaten on Every difficulty level.
The Gargoyle's Quest Trilogy, specifically Gargoyle's Quest II, are some of my favorite action platformers. The level design is so fresh and interesting. It's a really inspiring game. Makes me want to get into game design/create some really different and unique gimmicks for platformers. The original is pretty fun, and Demon's Crest was good too, but Gargoyle's Quest II was definitely my favorite
Hadn't watch the video yet, but I can expect the video will resume what I find in this game. Definitively one of the fastest recommendations ever for me.
Edit: yeah I was right. What a good video :)
Glad you enjoyed it! It truly is a magnificent game
*It’s original and fun and better than the arcade game too!* ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I never got round to this one until it was re-released as a NES Classic on GBA. 3 was my first.
I managed to beat it on the GBA. I’m curious as to if there are any differences between the NES version and GBA, or was it a perfect port?
Is that part of the NES re-release series? I've got the Donkey Kong re-release for GBA, and as far as I know they're perfect ports. I played on the Switch, so I've never actually played the original on real NES hardware