Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness

This game had potential. Quite frankly, I actually kind of liked the beginning of the game. Sure, the cut-scenes were kind of lacking, but the overall experience wasn't too hateful. It seemed like it really could've been, at the least, an okay 3-D action platformer. Maybe a bit uninspired, but somewhat appreciable.

The game starts off on a ship deck. An enemy appears, and you have to dispatch it. After which, the game allows you to proceed in the stage. Then, almost immediately, you are introduced to the first big issue of the game: the platforming. Trying to jump from platform to platform in this game can be an absolute nightmare. It's not necessarily so bad towards the beginning, however, in the latter portions of the game, it can be one of the biggest downfalls. Turning on small platforms can be especially trying at times. On top of this, you have to try wrestling with the camera most of the time, just so that, maybe, you can find your way to the next platform without falling to your death prior to. Even then, there's no guarantee you'll make the jump, since the game can really tax the player's ability to perceive the depth of objects and platforms on the screen. In fact, the platforming in the game is the only reason I ever actually died while playing the game. One area that makes these issues even worse is a later part of the "Tower of Ruins" stage, where you have to jump on rising pillars, one after another. This wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for the fact that, every other time a pillar rises, there are two of them, and, if you pick the wrong one, you fall to your death. There was nothing that I found that really clued me in to which one to choose either, meaning, the who ordeal was a complete crapshoot, forcing me into constant trial & error and memorization to be able to proceed. The only possible saving grace to any of the platforming difficulty is that there are a lot of very frequent save points. This, however, does not, by any means fix these issues, since the player may, likely, plummet to their death numerous times before reaching the next save location.

As far as the basic game-play mechanics are concerned, (i.e. the controls and the regular combat) it isn't too bad, just kind of bland. The general game-play boils down to the basics of running around and pressing an attack button to eliminate enemies or jumping between platforms. Nothing new, but not necessarily bad game-play. The game is, however, too easy, not counting the platforming anyway. During my entire time playing the game, not even a single enemy managed to kill me. Including bosses, I rarely even came close to death. What definitely killed some of the game-play for me though, was how completely useless the wolf form was. I only legitimately used it twice during my entire run, and noticed little to no difference. In fact, it actually made me feel somewhat weaker due to the fact that, I initially felt like, "I've become this vicious, menacing wolf-man," but then felt like I was more worthless than my human form, due to there being no discernible difference in strength between each form, and sub-weapons not even being usable as the werewolf.

The games bosses are a major let down as well. First of all, there is a ridiculous amassment of them. There are, seriously, back-to-back rooms that give a grand total of FIVE BOSSES! Really, why? None of the bosses are even very difficult. I only even came close to dying against two of the bosses, and almost all I did was run back and either use my ranged attack, or the cross sub-weapon.

There's one boss-like encounter during a portion of the game that does add some distinct variety to the boss/boss-like confrontations. A frankenstein's monster-like enemy with a chainsaw chases the player and, mainly, a child they escort, through a hedge maze. The player's ultimate goal is not defeating the monster that is chasing them, but to allow the child to escape. In fact, the creature is un-killable. However, the player must stop it's pursuit every few moments, otherwise it will attack the child, who cannot be healed. This aspect of this sequence, in theory, was not bad, and added a nice variety to the big, intimidating monsters that are encountered all to often throughout the game. The issue, however, is the fact that the sequence itself can be an absolute pain in the neck. The child, for starters, is incomprehensibly slow, meaning, every few steps, the player has to stop, so that the child can catch up with them. On top of this, if the player put too much distance between them and the child (too much equaling about six to eight feet), even if you are straight ahead of the him, then the kid will start to wander in a random direction, making the player have to find him before the monster does. Along with this, the child must be within about two to three feet of the player for them to go through the door that they must proceed through. The player can only go through one specific door anyway, which means, the player can become easily confused if they thought the child was close enough to them to go through door when, in fact, they weren't. This can prompt the player to try the other doors strewn about the maze, all of which, no matter what, tell the player that they can't go through. This caused me to be stuck in the beginning area of the maze for far too long, which, in turn, made the whole ordeal much more annoying and altogether frustrating than it should have been.

The worst part of the game, however, was the final boss fight/s against Dracula/"Dracula Ultimate". The first fight against Dracula is, in essence, no different than any of the other bosses in the game. The only aspects that really change the fight are that he utilizes projectiles, he teleports instead of running, and he noticeably deals more damage to you. Other than that, you can just run around until you target him, and then hit him with ranged attacks. His projectiles aren't even difficult to avoid. Then, after defeating him in his first form, he transforms, thus beginning the second fight. This is ,easily, the worst part of the entire game (including the aggravating escort mission with the child). All of the games issues seem to culminate together in this one fight, making it feel harder than it actually is. The camera, during the entirety of the fight, is stuck at a very awkward angle, making one's ability to comprehend the depth of objects on the screen about twice as bad as any other sections of the game. This makes it very difficult to avoid many of the attacks that come at you, some of which deal absolutely massive amounts of damage to you. Probably the one reason I didn't die numerous times during this fight, is due to the lack of need for healing during, just about, the entire game. I healed so little during the rest of the game, that, by the time I faced off against Dracula, I had ten 'Roast Beef's (each of which heals eighty percent of the player's health) and two 'Medical Kit's (each of which fully heal the player and cure all status ailments). Nevertheless, the fight doesn't come off as genuinely difficult. The reason the player even gets hit so easily is, more or less, because of the fact that there are numerous, very large attacks that fill about half to two-thirds of the players available movement area, along with not really being able to tell how close some projectiles are to hitting character.

In the end, this game was an immense let down. I had been hopeful about the game, thinking that, maybe it isn't as bad as some people have said. After all, there is a fair amount of people out there who seem to quite like this game, so I figured that, just maybe, this game was just an under-appreciated release. But this game ended up just being a bad entry to the franchise. Some of the overall designs aren't necessarily bad on the face of it, but the execution was very poor, leading it to it's ultimate downfall.

Whatever it is that happens when a franchise transitions from 2D to 3D it is a strange sight to behold. I can comfortably say that Castlevania is a franchise that probably should've never gone down that path. Legacy of Darkness feels like a lifeless blob of a polygon abortion. And it makes you seriously wonder: What is the essence of a game? Note: I'm going straight to Legacy of Darkness as it also includes the og N64 entry of the series.

When I first played Super Mario64 there was no doubt: this is a Mario game. When I played Ocarina of Time there was no doubt: this is a Zelda game. When I play Legacy of Darkness I'm wondering: is this really a Castlevania game? This game plays like flimsy hack'n'slash with a suprisingly little amount of enemies. Somehow the focus lies more on jumping and exploration (in a vague sense). It's hard to put to words but it really doesn't encapsulate what I think of when I think of Castlevania.

First of all: none of the playable characters are heroes we've seen before... No Simon, no Richter, no Alucard instead we're playing 4 random ass characters with widely different movesets. Heck one of em even has a fucking gun... That's as far away from Castlevania as I can think of. The most "traditional" hero Reinhardt is equipped with a whip that has a weirdly short range and a signature slidekick that rarely comes in useful. All these people feel like fan-made Castlevania characters.

The environment has similar issues. It's all areas we've known from the past yet the all feel a bit off. In the first quest you get to play the whole route and architecture barely makes any sense, from a sandy dune to a crystal tower or something like that than we are supposed to be high up in the castle and all of the sudden there are endless pools of lava. Weirdly enough all of these areas remind me alot of the first darksouls and I'm 1000% sure that this game inspired it a fair bit.

Manoeuvring these locations reveals the biggest flaw of the game: it just ain't fun. The movement is wonky and jumping feels awkward as hell. And there's a lot of jumping. Combat feels flimsy and unimpactful. Most enemies go down in a few hits and you just button smash yourself to victory. As simple as the 2D Castlevania combat is it is far more rewarding and complex than this. Most enemies feel and look like small little announces rather than actual fights. Even the bosses can all be beaten by mashing the attack button and spamming healing items. It just ain't rewarding.

Sometimes the game tries to throw a puzzle at you and you're questioning if it even is necessary. In most of them you have to just run to a different place of the level use a lever or something walk back get a key open a door etc... These "puzzles" don't need you to think about anything. There's anight/day cycle but it barely affects anything and you're just wondering if there was something that needed to be scrapped. All I can say is that this game is insanely. shallow in anything it tries to do. The shop is another example. I hardly ever have the use to buy any of these items as they regularly drop anyways. The constant bombardment of opportunities to save makes death trivial and more into a tedium.

It seems like this game is in a constant identity crisis. It's not a jjump'n'run it's not a Zelda, it's not a hack'n'slash it's not a Castlevania. This game came out 2 years after Symphony of the Night yet it has nothing in common with that game which is astounding to me... This could've been such a sick 3D Metroidvania. This game has nothing in common with 2D Castlevania, it could've been the first Dark souls. I'd probably rate it a 3/5 if it wouldn't be a Castlevania game. Then it would be a nice first try for a franchise trying to figure something out. But having such an impactful name attached to such a mediocre game is frustrating. I really wonder in which direction this series is heading, and I truly hope it ain't 3D.

A strange sequel to Castlevania 64 that for some reason was rushed out just months later looking and feeling nearly identical, even reusing a lot of the same levels and environments. It's the same mix of janky combat and platforming as before, and the addition of two new characters does very little to make things feel fresh. An annoying and disappointing experience.

Released only a few months after Castlevania, Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness occupies an unusual space for a video game. Rather than being an entirely new game or even a director's cut of the earlier game, it is more along the lines of being a remix. After Castlevania 64 was received somewhat harshly by fans, it's clear that Konami wanted to right the wrongs that were done in that game, while giving people who played that enough reason to play again. Truthfully, though, it's such a similar experience to Castlevania that you could basically read my review of that game and apply most of what I had said there here, as well, so my review of Legacy of Darkness will focus mostly on the differences.

To start with, while Castlevania only had two playable characters, Legacy of Darkness ups the ante to a total of four. Carrie and Reinhardt from the original game return, but they must be unlocked by completing the quests of the new characters, and their re-appearance is mostly an afterthought. The primary character here is now a werewolf named Cornell, which was a departure from the type of protagonists that this series had usually featured. Cornell's story is set several years prior to the events of the original game, and while his story features some familiar settings from the first game, roughly half of his stages are entirely new, and even the ones that have been reused feature somewhat different progression, usually with different puzzles. If that weren't enough, there is also a unique quest for the other new character, Henry, in which he must rescue various children from Dracula's castle. The Tower of Ruins is an interesting stage that almost feels like a 3D Metroidvania game, but otherwise, the new stages are largely similar to what was featured before. The other difference to note here is that the game is made somewhat easier by the inclusion of additional white jewels that save the player's progress.

Along with the new characters and stages, some of the gameplay mechanics have been tweaked. One major issue with the first game was it's unusual and hard to understand camera mechanics. Legacy of Darkness simplifies things by reducing the camera modes from 3 to 2, action and battle modes, and occasionally mandating an "Auto-Camera" mode where the player has no control over the camera. Despite being simpler, the camera still does not always work in the player's favor, and it can't really be called an improvement. In addition, Cornell has the ability to transform from his human form into his manbeast form, but this honestly doesn't change the gameplay much, and I rarely found it to be practical or necessary, so playing as Cornell was not so different as playing as Reinhardt. Likewise, Henry utilizes ranged pistol shots as his primary attack, and it's not so different from using Carrie's homing spells.

Besides changes to the design and gameplay, Konami attempted to enhance the presentation here. If the expansion pak is installed in your N64, the game will give you the option between a high or low resolution mode. While that sounds nice in theory, there isn't much noticeable difference in how the game looks and the performance suffers somewhat, so it would be inadvisable to use high resolution mode if an inconsistent frame rate will bother you. There have also been many changes to the soundtrack of the original game. Although the soundtrack to that game wasn't bad, many fans lamented that it was too atmospheric and didn't closely enough resemble the types of music that the series was known for, and Legacy of Darkness brings back several more classic themes and features some livelier new tracks than what was heard in the original game. While it isn't my favorite "Castlevania" soundtrack, it is definitely an improvement over the earlier N64 game.

While Legacy of Darkness certainly offers a different experience from Castlevania 64, it's hard to really say that it improves on that game. The new characters don't substantially change the way the game is played, and while the mechanics have been tweaked, Konami's team failed to address that the jumping is difficult to control, which is unfortunate given that so much of the new content focuses on platforming. Overall, I would say that people who enjoyed the original game, such as myself, will also like this one. Both are good, but not great. For those who didn't like the first game, Konami's attempts to improve the experience are unlikely to impress.