Castlevania is one of those series
that could never quite make the jump to 3D. Castlevania, much like Mega Man,
had nearly mastered the 2D side of things but always struggled to find its
footing when the Z axis was introduced to the equation. Konami has tried to
bring the series into 3D several times since their first attempt in 1999 to
varying degrees of success but most of their ventures failed to impress critics
or longtime Castlevania fans. Castlevania has always been a series that worked
best in 2D and there’s no shame in that. However, it is unfair to disregard the
3D installments as if they never happened. Even the oft-maligned Castlevania,
colloquially known as Castlevania 64, has some neat tricks up its sleeves that make
it worth paying attention to.
The
transition into 3D was a difficult time for gaming as it required developers to
figure out what they wanted to do with their beloved series. Some series, like
Mario, made a drastic change to their formula and others tried to change with
the times while keeping what made the 2D games so special. And despite first
impressions, Castlevania absolutely falls into the latter category. Castlevania
clearly wants to be a full-fledged 3D game but it’s stuck with the old classic
Castlevania formula. So, we have a game that wants to be both rigidly linear
and open. The classic Castlevania formula (henceforth referred to as
“Classicvania”) is not one that works in 3D, an unfortunate lesson Konami
learned the hard way.
It’s
an intriguing experiment though. Quite frankly, aside from its pseudo-sequel,
Legacy of Darkness, there is no other game like this. That alone makes at least
one of the two N64 titles worth checking out if you’re interested in either
gaming history or Castlevania. The approach isn’t entirely without its merits. The
game has some interesting levels and the team was obviously trying their
hardest to find the perfect balance between the two gameplay styles. Perhaps
it’s possible to accomplish a marriage between Classicvania and the open-world
style that 64’s team was gunning for. It’s entirely possible that Castlevania 64 was a project that was too complex and too difficult for a newer
team to handle.
Castlevania
64 made the laudable choice of having two playable characters, a whip wielding Belmont stand-in named
Reinhardt Schneider and young magic-wielding girl named Carrie Fernandez. These
two follow the Richter/Maria model in which Reinhardt’s mode is more for
die-hards while Carrie’s mode is for younger, less dedicated players. Truth be
told though, I feel it’s been reversed in this game as I found using Reinhardt
to be far easier and far less clunky than Carrie’s imprecise magic. Still, the
two playable characters have different levels, different endings and different
play-styles which should appeal to people looking to get the most out of the
game.
Castlevania
is plagued with problems, most of which have to do with the bad camera and iffy
lock-on system. Castlevania has three different modes for the camera, all terrible.
Most of them don’t really feel any different from the regular mode only being
really useful for tracking your enemy. They all share the annoying habit of
going haywire whenever you’re near a wall or on the ground and they’re all very
difficult to reposition. The auto-aim is some help but it’s widely inconsistent
and not entirely reliable. You can rely on it to get you out of a tight spot
but whipping with wild abandon will not yield positive results. The lock-on
also has a nasty quirk in which it’ll randomly decide to target a projectile or
another enemy instead of the one directly in front of you. At times, it’s like
the lock-on has a mind of its own. If Castlevania had a few months to cook,
this is something that could have easily been improved.
The
camera has more problems than simply clinging to walls though. The camera makes
platforming even worse than it would already be if the camera was good. At
points, it feels like the camera is actively working to hinder your progress
and trying to get you killed. Make no mistake; you’re going to wrestle with the
camera constantly in your journey.
Castlevania’s
platforming is an unfortunate relic brought over from the past Classicvania
titles. In those games, the stiff jumps and awkward movements were okay because
the games were designed with the limited flexibility of the player characters
in mind. But that’s not the case in Castlevania 64. Both Reinhardt and Carrie
feel so stiff and jerky that it’s almost like they deliberately trying to evoke
the feeling of old Classicvania titles but the amount of platforming that this
game throws at you makes it clear that this was not the case. The problems with
the platforming are multi-layered. For starters, it just isn’t fun.
Nerve-wracking, yes; fun, no. Secondly, the controls are very counter-intuitive
and have a bit of learning curve. Thirdly, the camera is more of a hindrance
than a help during platforming sections and lastly, the platforming just isn’t
well designed. There are an innumerable amount of platforming sections that are
literally just a bunch of slightly smaller platforms stacked on top of larger
ones or something to that effect. It’s almost comical how inept it is.
Castlevania’s
combat fares a little better though. Much like the platforming, it’s marred by
lock-on and camera issues but they are far less detrimental here. Combat is
mostly about landing successful blows and avoiding enemy attacks. Avoiding
enemy attacks is imperative because many enemies are in such a precarious
location that their attacks can send you falling to your doom. There’s
definitely a certain legitimate challenge there. The game’s boss fights also
feel like a natural progression from the previous 2D titles. Many of them take
advantage of the new plane offered and most of them are a reasonable challenge.
Castlevania
64 is similar to Simon’s Quest in many respects. Both titles take a more
open-world approach to the series, both titles also have a greater emphasis on
story and both games have a day/night mechanic. It’s handled a little better
here than it was in Simon’s Quest but it’s not very interesting and it’s
actually more stressful than anything else. And no, it’s not that “good” kind
of stressful that makes the game tenser; it’s that “Ugh, it’s nighttime again”
feeling. The reason for this is because Castlevania 64 puts you in a race
against the clock. If you don’t finish within 16 in-game days, you get the bad
ending. And since the game doesn’t tell you how many days have gone by, it’s
constantly hanging over your head. The day/night mechanic also introduces time
sensitive events to the mix which are kind of cool but since you’ll probably be
rushing through the game, you won’t catch many of them on your first
playthrough.
Castlevania is,
for the most part, an action title however it was definitely bitten by that
survival horror bug that was floating around in the late 90s. For starters, the
game’s got a very distinct tone that’s both eerie and empty. The lack of music
definitely drives home a desolate feeling and the sound effects and scripted
events help to hammer it home even farther. Even when the music does start up,
it’s very quiet and not super noticeable. It’s a far cry from the music of past
Castlevania games whose soundtracks were always front and center. And don’t get
me wrong, the soundtrack isn’t bad. It’s actually really good but I’ll say that
it’s much underutilized. Castlevania also encourages item hoarding and
exploration. While it’s true that there is a shop, it’s never really around and
the game heavily discourages purchasing items from the shop. As a result,
you’ll spend quite a bit of time looking for hidden pieces of meat or antidotes.
It’s a neat twist on the formula that helps to keep the old spirit of the
series alive while accommodating the changes made in 64.
One
of the biggest turn-offs about Castlevania 64 is the graphics. Frankly, they’re
vile and I mean that in the nicest way possible. Nothing about them looks good.
Castlevania has always looked great in 2D but for whatever reason, they tried
to go for a realistic look for the 3D installments and it blew up in their
face. Ugly textures, bland color palette, jerky movements and massive amounts
of draw-in all make for a decidedly unappealing game. There are parts of the
game that look alright, such as the Vampire Manor and the Tower of Execution
I’ve
been bashing Castlevania 64 since the beginning but there’s actually quite a
bit to like about the game. For instance, the game has a ton of variety. Some
levels are huge and sprawling, others are small, straight forward levels.
Sometimes there’s a mix. I was never bored while I was playing Castlevania.
Each level felt fresh and exciting. And like I mentioned before, Castlevania 64
is certainly unique. I’ve never played a game quite like it. It’s the game that
perfectly encapsulates the transition period that gaming went through in the
mid-to-late 90s. Castlevania 64 is also a challenge. And yes, while it is true
that some of the game’s challenge stems from the camera and weird physics,
there’s some legitimately challenging stuff in the game that will put your
skills to the test. While some of my deaths felt unfair, many more of my deaths
were purely my fault. But my favorite thing about the game has to be had
unabashedly goofy the whole thing is. From motorcycle-riding skeletons to a
chainsaw Frankenstein to a nuclear bull, it’s obvious that the Castlevania 64
team liked to revel in the absurd. At least, I think they’re supposed to be
funny. Christ, I hope they’re supposed to be funny.
Castlevania
64 is one of the most fascinating games on the Nintendo 64. Konami was one of
the few Japanese developers who were still behind Nintendo in the late 90s and
they clearly wanted to show their support. Castlevania 64 has a lot of problems
in its framework; it’s not really a game that could have ever been a classic as
the foundation of the game is far too shaky. As it stands though; Castlevania
is a unique title in the Nintendo 64 library and deserving of the Castlevania
namesake. Its “black sheep” label is one that should be dispelled before people
get the wrong idea. Castlevania is by no
means a terrible game; it’s simply a rough one.
Final Score: 5.0
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