ILX Plays: Castlevania (for the NES)

expensive, but if you have a ps4 anyway, the controller works very well with emulators.

i've been using the one adamvania mentioned. it's great, works like a dream

I mentioned this before, but if you really want a retro controller, get the late-gen NES bone-shaped controller instead of the original square one. Feels a million times better in your hands.

http://www.amazon.com/Retro-Dogbone-Controller-Nintendo-Entertainment-System/dp/B0034ZU72E

Whoops, that's the real one. This is the USB one:

http://www.amazon.com/Retro-Link-NES-Dogbone-Controller-Wired/dp/B00HJXQNJ8

But yes, I also recommend getting a current-gen controller instead since it has more uses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlqgaIlvvlg&feature=youtu.be

thats my run just now

I believe people prefer the Xbone controller over the XB360 one, because it has a d-pad that works.

I beat the game today. 3 sessions, only saving at continue starts. Afterwards I tried the Easy mode in the Japanese version -- it can be beaten in around 20 minutes. The best part is no push-back when you get hit.

The level that starts out in the underground swamp is brutal. Plus if you die against the Monster you pretty much need to restart the whole level because you're stuck with the dagger, which is poor against him.

The bridge with the bats is one of those NES-hard memorization exercises. Luckily the continue point is right before it. The pattern I used was: on the first bat, if he swoops at you, bad luck, just take the hit; for the bats below you, jump so that you'll land on the very edge of the current platform; for the final bat, if he swoops, you can rightwards jump over him; otherwise always be walking left.

Drac took me too many tries. I'm terrible at avoiding him when he teleports on top of Simon, and he seems programmed to do that all the time. 2nd form is comparatively easy once you figure out to stun him with the holy water -- the cross at the beginning of the stage can be used to get 2 hits when Drac first appears, but then you've got to give it up.

the dagger sucks. probably the word sub weapon.

bridge with bats is easier for me than bridge w birds. they have such a weird movement pattern, they hover for a bit, then swoop in an arc, and move around the screen kind of randomly. u can glitch them out i think since they spawn while idle for a second. if they are up top on a perch then they are at the right place for u to whip them at the top of a jump. u may have to hit the button at you arc up, but im not sure. timing the whipping is basically the entire game. one solid, strong mechanic vs. dozens of unique engagements

well maybe not dozens.

http://cdn.wikimg.net/strategywiki/images/a/a2/Castlevania_Knight_Axe.pnghttp://cdn.wikimg.net/strategywiki/images/f/ff/Castlevania_Bat_Red.pnghttp://cdn.wikimg.net/strategywiki/images/1/1c/Castlevania_Bone_Dragon.pnghttp://cdn.wikimg.net/strategywiki/images/5/54/Castlevania_Bone_Tower.pnghttp://cdn.wikimg.net/strategywiki/images/3/37/Castlevania_Eagle.pnghttp://cdn.wikimg.net/strategywiki/images/9/9b/Castlevania_Fleaman.pnghttp://cdn.wikimg.net/strategywiki/images/f/f5/Castlevania_Ghost.pnghttp://cdn.wikimg.net/strategywiki/images/6/69/Castlevania_Fishman.pnghttp://cdn.wikimg.net/strategywiki/images/6/69/Castlevania_Fishman.pnghttp://cdn.wikimg.net/strategywiki/images/a/ae/Castlevania_Ghoul.png

http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Castlevania/Enemies

http://cdn.wikimg.net/strategywiki/images/6/6b/Castlevania_Medusa_Head.pnghttp://cdn.wikimg.net/strategywiki/images/3/3b/Castlevania_Panther.pnghttp://cdn.wikimg.net/strategywiki/images/3/35/Castlevania_Raven.png

hey banana, any tips on beating the Grim Reaper?

really enjoying this thread

are you guys using the save state option in your emulators? seems critical for this game

it must be because i am not and i keep dying at the world 10-13 run!

grim reaper: I used the cross and got multipliers from the medusa heads + knights hallway. Jump and throw the crosses and don't catch them. Whip Death repeatedly when he's low enough to hit without jumping -- jumping and whipping is too slow.

the dagger sucks. probably the word sub weapon.

I assume Konami made the dagger weak to contrast with Capcom's Ghosts n' Goblins where the dagger is the best weapon.

I'm saving whenever I quit, so that I don't have to replay everything every session.

If I were playing I'd definitely second abanana's "save state only at the continue points." Anything else is not playing Castlevania IMHO, but I'm a hardass, and also would be WAY too tempted to use it to get past hard points or whatever. This game demands that you get good at its core mechanics and if you don't it basically says fuck you.

Looked at the store today for a USB controller but they only have like, Dual Shock style ones - guess I'll be ordering something online shortly...

haha i had just typed and somehow lost a post where i had the same theory about the dagger vs. Ghosts n Goblins! Never actually played the latter enough to say for sure but I remember AVGN making a big thing out of it ("Rule #1: Get the knife. Rule # 2: Get the knife.").

The worst thing is when you lose one of the good secondary weapons because a killed enemy drops a dagger which you can't avoid picking up. I was having a really good run in the hall leading up the grim reaper when that happened.

i beat it w save states last year, now i play a single credit each time to see how far i get can. i want to get good at this game.

the stress level is really far down compared to being a kid. back then if you were playing with people, and died, you'd have to wait at least a whole turn. falling off a cliff, being killed by the Grim Reaper, basically life or death when you had to give up the controller. now it's just play, do whatever, use save states, or not, that's cool

Fuck, so close with the Reaper. I was able to kill him, but his last two scythes didn't die along with him.

I'm going in with multiple boomerangs and firing them off before he's even appeared. After that it's chaos.

http://cdn.wikimg.net/strategywiki/images/3/33/Castlevania_Skeleton_Red.png

These red skeletons are interesting to me. They're not super tough enemies: they can't be killed, but they're slow. The crucial thing is where they're placed, often above or below staircases in such a way that you can't easily pop your head up to the next floor, or so that you have to race to reach the bottom of a staircase before the skeleton gets to that spot. The designers were aware of how awkward the game's stair mechanics are and built these little challenges around it.

Alright, progress! I'm now on to dying a lot in the clock tower. The fleamen have learned to climb walls.

while I love the design of this game, it's just a tad too difficult to be 'enjoyable' imo

Finished! The game's one act of mercy was to make Dracula's chamber a continue point. I was all set to be replaying the clock tower endlessly.

Once you get the hang of Drac's first form it's fairly mechanical. On the second form I used the same holy water method as abanana. I'll try it with the cross too.

This game was a blast. Definitely a new favourite.

finally beat Grim Reaper, shout out to Mikeyspike200 for describing how to beat him with holy water, getting totally crushed in the next level

er, Mikeyspikey200

I tried a single credit run just now and made it as far as the reaper. I could have beaten him too dammit.

New game: ILX Plays: Mike Tyson's Punchout for the NES

i did end up beating this but i used an unconscionable amount of saves

playing castlevanja tonight

uncle vania

It's strange that there hasn't been a new game in the Castlevania franchise since 2014. You'd think what with the popularity of the Netflix show, and things like Bloodborne/Lies Of P, there'd be scope to do something quite ambitious, possibly like an open world RPG but in the Western anime style of the show. I'd play it