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It's October, so let's whip Dracula! CASTLEWEEN 2020
The Dracula fight is one of those situations where using and abusing save states is completely worthwhile; it doesn’t count as cheating if the game cheats first
Add another bonus Drac to the pile, as Count Olrox is beaten! More random thoughts from someone not too familiar with this game:
Olrox's death sequence is totally a shoutout to Crocomire, right?
I'm accustomed to the Metroid-style "bosses guard a meaningful power-up/progress," so it's surprising how many bosses are just kinda there. In Super Metroid, skipping bosses requires advanced sequence-breaking techniques...here, it seems like you can just ignore several bosses, and there are others that only require a bit of rerouting to avoid (unless there are flags or something I'm forgetting that makes them necessary). Legion's such a spectacular setpiece, that I didn't realize all you got for beating it was some okay gear.
That said, the bosses are a highlight, and incredibly stylish, even if many of them are total pansies. Cerberus has such a cool room and is drawn so lovingly, but just has no chance.
On the other hand, I have no idea what I'm doing against Scylla, and just fumbled my way through that one.
I'm goofing around with the Shield Rod a lot more this run (I knew Shield Rod/Alucard Shield was a gamebreaking combination, but I hadn't really used the Shield Rod combos previously), and that's a lot of fun. I'm trying not to totally abuse it, but after I got an Iron Shield drop in the Chapel, it has been a nice emergency option.
That said, I love my Classicvania, and good ol' "burn in one place" Holy Water is very effective in a whole lot of situations.
I keep trying to convince myself the wolf isn't lame. Its bark is nice for taking out frogs and toads (who, as in Rondo, are far more nightmarish than a good percentage of the undead horrors you encounter), and once you can sprint through enemies, that's pretty nice, but it still feels like more trouble to transform and change back, except for very particular rooms. I want the wolf to be cool, and I'm trying to get the most of out it!
Game is absolutely gorgeous. The rich backgrounds, the incredible character animation, the whole deal.
Getting to Dracula in time may actually be close, because I'm leaving on a Halloween vacation Thursday night, and have work to get done and preparations to make before that. But I've reached the inverted castle, just got to piece him together and get this one last Dracula kill of the month!
Olrox's death sequence is totally a shoutout to Crocomire, right?
I'm accustomed to the Metroid-style "bosses guard a meaningful power-up/progress," so it's surprising how many bosses are just kinda there. In Super Metroid, skipping bosses requires advanced sequence-breaking techniques...here, it seems like you can just ignore several bosses, and there are others that only require a bit of rerouting to avoid (unless there are flags or something I'm forgetting that makes them necessary). Legion's such a spectacular setpiece, that I didn't realize all you got for beating it was some okay gear.
That said, the bosses are a highlight, and incredibly stylish, even if many of them are total pansies. Cerberus has such a cool room and is drawn so lovingly, but just has no chance.
On the other hand, I have no idea what I'm doing against Scylla, and just fumbled my way through that one.
I'm goofing around with the Shield Rod a lot more this run (I knew Shield Rod/Alucard Shield was a gamebreaking combination, but I hadn't really used the Shield Rod combos previously), and that's a lot of fun. I'm trying not to totally abuse it, but after I got an Iron Shield drop in the Chapel, it has been a nice emergency option.
That said, I love my Classicvania, and good ol' "burn in one place" Holy Water is very effective in a whole lot of situations.
I keep trying to convince myself the wolf isn't lame. Its bark is nice for taking out frogs and toads (who, as in Rondo, are far more nightmarish than a good percentage of the undead horrors you encounter), and once you can sprint through enemies, that's pretty nice, but it still feels like more trouble to transform and change back, except for very particular rooms. I want the wolf to be cool, and I'm trying to get the most of out it!
Game is absolutely gorgeous. The rich backgrounds, the incredible character animation, the whole deal.
Getting to Dracula in time may actually be close, because I'm leaving on a Halloween vacation Thursday night, and have work to get done and preparations to make before that. But I've reached the inverted castle, just got to piece him together and get this one last Dracula kill of the month!
Yeah, SOTN's presentation grows ever more lopsided as you proceed - there's lots of gigantic, lavish, cinematic boss battles, especially in the inverted castle, which you can either pass right over or will chump in 3 seconds depending on how much gear you've accumulated. This is something I've learned to appreciate about the game, actually. You have to stand still and appreciate the art a bit, maybe adjust your equipment down a little to see what little behaviors went into them, or else you just blaze right past it.
I've always interpreted Olrox's death as a Crocomire shout-out, yes.
And you're correct that the wolf is so extraneous that you have to be creative to figure out how best to use it. Its utility does increase a bit once you find its dash power (super fun in long rooms full of weak enemies).
I've always interpreted Olrox's death as a Crocomire shout-out, yes.
And you're correct that the wolf is so extraneous that you have to be creative to figure out how best to use it. Its utility does increase a bit once you find its dash power (super fun in long rooms full of weak enemies).
I have identified a game with regular-enemy Draculas. However, I don't think I want to start playing a new game right now. What a conundrum...
It merits mentioning that a lot of those pickups (sometimes just a life extension) make life a lot easier in the late game. (Especially if you're not using the more broken weapons.) Also, map coverage affects the ending.
The wolf rules for getting down long hallways fast, particularly in the chapel once you've been there once or twice.
100%.
EDIT: Also, add another Orlox and another Dracula to my tally.
It's important for sequence-breaking. Using a slope jump to get an early Garnet in the Outer Wall, and then using another one in the Library combined with a dive kick out of the un-transform to get the Fairy familiar early for the money glitch; just using the early dive kick to go to the Colosseum early; using the wolf's goofy hitbox to skip the Richter fight entirely; etc.
I did not know the bark could do that. (But I also didn't know that the wolf could doggy paddle until Red's LP of the SotN randomizer.)
Then I'm sure you can imagine the chill up my spine / knot in my stomach that I experienced when I was playing the preview version of Ritual of the Night and heard the croak of a frog...
Another person who cleared Soul Reaver here, so this is how that stacks up in the Bonus Dracula tally:
For an easier tally, there's also a Bloodlines clear for a legitimate Dracula, and Erzsébet Báthory who is at least an honorary Dracula.
- Corpse Dracula, grounded and smeared
- Spider Dracula, roasted
- Merman Dracula, baked
- Juggernaut Dracula, incinerated
For an easier tally, there's also a Bloodlines clear for a legitimate Dracula, and Erzsébet Báthory who is at least an honorary Dracula.
Dracula's eyeball, rib, skull, brain, and crab claw have been defeated once more. It didn't delay the "Good!" message when I grabbed the orb. Either my timing was off or the game doesn't give you a message for the last boss. I thought I had got it spot on though. I leave it to your discretion, Drac.
Anyway that's one more Dracula (Wraith) added to the pile. Dissonance was a very fun revisit. A good Castle. Would refurnish again.
Anyway that's one more Dracula (Wraith) added to the pile. Dissonance was a very fun revisit. A good Castle. Would refurnish again.
Ludendorkk
(he/him)
Igarashi very implausibly maintains to this day the team weren't inspired by Super Metroid, so who knows
Ooh, if Elizabeth Bathory gets bonus Dracula points, then count her up for me as well (unless you already did when I reported that I'd beaten Bloodlines)!
SOTN (final) Dracula is down! I cleared out just about all of the first castle, but then mostly beelined to the 5 OG bosses in the inverted castle to make sure I had time to get the kill in before the holiday (with an additional kill of the second Doppelganger because I'd forgotten exactly where the Alucard Shield was). I'll take my time and hunt down the Castlevania 3 impersonators, Beelzebub, and Galamoth post-Halloween.
My second and final death of the run came in the Black Marble Gallery. I just got relentlessly bounced around by spike traps and Nova Skeletons. Man, regular enemies hit so much harder in the inverted castle, while only a few bosses seem appreciably tougher (the original 5 put up no real resistance, though Drac himself was nasty). I remember cheating my way through a lot of it with mist in my previous playthrough, which I was generally able to avoid this time.
It's weird that Dracula went full evil again in appearances that chronologically occur after this one, seeing how he was confronted with the truth of Lisa's last wish and seemed remorseful. Between the ending, the audiovisual spectacle of the experience, and the massive amount of fanservice for the vast majority of the series up to that point (sorry, Bloodlines and Game Boy titles!) this game feels so much like a grand finale. This could have been a very satisfying ending to the series (not that I'm upset it continued).
SOTN (final) Dracula is down! I cleared out just about all of the first castle, but then mostly beelined to the 5 OG bosses in the inverted castle to make sure I had time to get the kill in before the holiday (with an additional kill of the second Doppelganger because I'd forgotten exactly where the Alucard Shield was). I'll take my time and hunt down the Castlevania 3 impersonators, Beelzebub, and Galamoth post-Halloween.
My second and final death of the run came in the Black Marble Gallery. I just got relentlessly bounced around by spike traps and Nova Skeletons. Man, regular enemies hit so much harder in the inverted castle, while only a few bosses seem appreciably tougher (the original 5 put up no real resistance, though Drac himself was nasty). I remember cheating my way through a lot of it with mist in my previous playthrough, which I was generally able to avoid this time.
It's weird that Dracula went full evil again in appearances that chronologically occur after this one, seeing how he was confronted with the truth of Lisa's last wish and seemed remorseful. Between the ending, the audiovisual spectacle of the experience, and the massive amount of fanservice for the vast majority of the series up to that point (sorry, Bloodlines and Game Boy titles!) this game feels so much like a grand finale. This could have been a very satisfying ending to the series (not that I'm upset it continued).
Aria of Sorrow seems to account for this by establishing that Dracula is ultimately dominated by the chaos in his own soul—that is, he might like to stop what he's doing, but he's just too far gone to change. The final battle sees his reincarnation fight off the physical manifestation of that chaos and avoid succumbing to the same fate.
I have been derelict in my duties so far this October, but no longer! I finished Castlevania: Bloodlines, which ends with either one or three Dracula battles, depending on how you want to count them. So that's Dapper Dracula, Wizard Dracula and Space Dracula down. After that, I started a run of Rondo, but I only had time for two stages. If I get to the end of that game before November, I'll be sure to report back.
Kishi: Thanks for the explanation!
MCBanjoMike: I think we've been counting different phases of a Dracula fight as one Dracula (most Castlevania games would yield at least two Draculae if the final battle in Bloodlines counted for three). Although we may actually have a chance of stopping this horrible night if we got full credit for each phase...
MCBanjoMike: I think we've been counting different phases of a Dracula fight as one Dracula (most Castlevania games would yield at least two Draculae if the final battle in Bloodlines counted for three). Although we may actually have a chance of stopping this horrible night if we got full credit for each phase...
Two more draculas are defeated. I completed QFG4 yesterday and I defeated Ad Avis (a dracula) and I cured Tanya of her vampirism, though her good friend Toby had to sacrifice their life in order to save her.
If I play QFG5 there will be a third defeated but that is highly, highly doubtful.
If I play QFG5 there will be a third defeated but that is highly, highly doubtful.
The only thing you will defeat by playing QFG5 is your own happiness.
I said highly, highly doubtful!
Mr. Sensible
Pitch and Putt Duffer
This is why I think Symphony and Aria have some of the most interesting writing of the entire series. I love the way Symphony expands on Alucard's characterization and parental relationships with just a handful of spoken lines, and Aria deals with the idea that Dracula can redeem himself through reincarnation. Both games try to come to grips with certain aspects of the overarching CV narrative in a meaningful way, which is perhaps more thought than a video game series about whipping Dracula actually deserves.
Narrows eyes
I'm counting this as "Castlevania."
Our previous judgment of Soul Reaver counts Kain as a Bonus Dracula, but those others are too far afield of the Dracula Spectrum to affect the Dracula Meter. Vampires yes, Draculae no. It sounds like Kain maybe shouldn't even count, if you don't actually fight him. But I feel like Soul Reaver is so rife with Dracula energy that clearing it must be worth at least a Bonus Dracula, regardless.
Bathory is a crucial element of vampire lore, but she is neither a Dracula nor a Bonus Dracula. Especially not in Bloodlines, where she's more like a... laser Medusa?
Y'all need all the help you can get, so I'm gonna give you the challenge point for this.
Quest For Glory 4's Ad Avis appears to be a Bonus Dracula due to his not sharing any known Count Dracula names, but he is an aristocratic vampire with some visual Dracula qualities. Tanya is just a regular old vampire spawn, so she isn't worth any points.
With these and the other wins tallied, we have come to a total of 41.5 Dracula Points and a scant 3 days left in the month before my plans come to fruition.
Or, that's what I would be saying, if it weren't for a group of meddling vampire hunters who paid a visit to my castle last night and burned most of my extra coffins, staked five of my best spawn, and took my favorite cloak.
With my power so reduced, we only need to reach a total of 50 Dracula Points by midnight on October 31 to defeat me.
GOOD LUCK!
Kain is fought twice, and both times he appropriates identical Dracula teleportation tactics, but he is not felled either time, so in the end it's just a Dracula scuffle.
Regarding Báthory, the Medusa fought in that extended boss sequence isn't meant to be her, I'm fairly sure. She appears as she does in the game's opening and related promotional material, again demonstrating very Dracula-like tactics, which is enough for me, but it's likely my working definition is less literal than the thread demands.
Regarding Báthory, the Medusa fought in that extended boss sequence isn't meant to be her, I'm fairly sure. She appears as she does in the game's opening and related promotional material, again demonstrating very Dracula-like tactics, which is enough for me, but it's likely my working definition is less literal than the thread demands.
That last part seems like kind of a dick move.
Does this Count what?
Do you mean like the one from Sesame Street?