Haunted Castle (Akumajō Dracula)

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JaySevenZero
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Haunted Castle (Akumajō Dracula)

Post by JaySevenZero »

Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions for Haunted Castle (Akumajō Dracula) for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder that where the feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but keeping it brief is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mostly reading out essays. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.
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stvnorman
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Re: 509: Haunted Castle (Akumajō Dracula)

Post by stvnorman »

This is the most unwelcoming game I’ve ever played, but I really wanted to experience the sights and sounds of Castlevania on arcade hardware and stuck with it for way longer than it deserved! Then the Konami Arcade Anniversary Collection came along with its Japanese version update and suddenly it was more accessible, and while that doesn’t fix its very average Castlevania gameplay, it’s the feast for the senses I always hoped was in there somewhere!
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Alex79
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Re: 509: Haunted Castle (Akumajō Dracula)

Post by Alex79 »

I'm going to repost my thoughts from the games completed thread last year... They remain the same.

Inspired by the recent Castlevania shows, I decided to have a run through of Haunted Castle, via the Arcade Classics collection on Switch. Konami are playing pretty fast and loose with the word 'classics' here, because this game is about as much fun as intrusive anal surgery. And worst of all, you don't even get a game over screen! Just a shot of Belmont and his lady watching a castle disappear, then back to the start! (Uh, spoilers, I guess).

This game feels cheap to play, the flea-men enemies are beyond annoying, and the final stage is just walking left for about 3 minutes and nothing else! (Apart from the boss). I did remember Ben's tip to use the stopwatch on bosses, so that was useful. Overall this game is stinking hot garbage. Avoid at all costs. I recommend to nobody, ever.
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Re: 509: Haunted Castle (Akumajō Dracula)

Post by ratsoalbion »

It is worth noting that, as per Steve's post above, the experience of playing this one can vary wildly depending on which ROM/version you play; the various revisions really are very different from one another in terms of difficulty, balance and fairness.
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Pconpi
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Re: 509: Haunted Castle (Akumajō Dracula)

Post by Pconpi »

Yes! Thanks for pointing that out again as I was bashing my head against the wall with the non-JP version and was discouraged that I’d never finish. Just put on the Japanese version and having a much better time.
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Re: 509: Haunted Castle (Akumajō Dracula)

Post by Alex79 »

Yeah I played the default one, I'm assuming US? Although I understand there are many different ROM versions, not limited to one per region. The infamous M (or a different letter!?) ROM I remember Ben talking about. Sure it'll all be covered on the show anyway.
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Re: Our next podcast recording (9.3.22) - 509: Haunted Castle (Akumajō Dracula)

Post by psychohype »

I decided to play along with Cane & Rinse for this one, via the Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection. After maybe an hour and a half of slow, mucky progress, I made it to the end of Simon's journey and destroyed the giant head that was arcade Dracula's final form. All I can say is "Thank you, Konami" for quietly changing the rules of the game and giving us unlimited continues to actually see the full length of Haunted Castle from beginning to end. What were they thinking when they released this game to North American arcades and made it so you were limited to three measly credits?

Obviously, this game is broken, in more ways than one. While it loosely captures the essence of the original Castlevania NES game, it just feels off in so many areas. Simon's movement is stiff, slow, and unwieldy. It feels like you can never get him to climb or descend a staircase on the first attempt. And good luck if you need to turn around quickly to whip an enemy closing in from behind you, because the button input will probably register too late. Also, what's with the huge damage caused by certain enemies? And why does it take so many hits to kill everything? There was a weight and heft — a chunkiness — to Simon's whip in the NES Castlevania. It felt good to swing and watch those enemies crumple. You could feel it! In Haunted Castle, you get none of that.

The basic Castlevania elements are all there, but it's like there was no care or understanding of how to make these moment-to-moment encounters tactically interesting or enjoyable. There were so many stretches where it felt like I had no choice but to absorb the damage, because the enemies were simply unavoidable. Oh yeah, good luck figuring out the enemy hitboxes.

Needless to say, this game has issues. That said, it's still a fascinating relic to behold, with some interesting ideas and enemies thrown into the mix. The artistic design of this game isn't always pretty, but it's fun to see such a unique take on so many of the classic Castlevania bad guys. At times, the graphics and gameplay are drab and uninspiring. But then there are moments where the screen is flooded with unexpected colors, shimmery effects, and strange sights — like a bizarre alternate dimension where you're suddenly trapped and beset by harpies — and it feels like Castlevania on shrooms. So there's that.

Yes, it's probably one of the weakest Castlevania games ever made, but I'm happy Cane & Rinse decided to cover it. It gave me an excuse to finally experience the strangeness for myself.
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