RF Generation Message Board

More information and checkpoints coming soon.

PARTICIPANTS:
singlebanana
techwizard
ReddMcKnight
Slowman
EngineerMike
Boshamp
JerryGreenwood
GrayGhost81
wildbil52
Duke.Togo (what?? is this the real life, or is this just fantasy?)
retrosportsgamer
douglie007
RetroRage

CHECKPOINTS:
Week #1 - Meet the Ferryman
Week #2 - Reach the inverted castle.
Week #3 - Collect 3 of Dracula's relics
Week #4 - Collect Dracula's 2 remaining relics and defeat him.


***PLEASE READ: If you really want to "complete" the game, the battle with Belmont is only half of the game...... The second half of this playthrough will be the inverted castle, which starts in Week 3. If you are unsure about what you have to do to get to the second half of the game, PLEASE consult a guide about what you have to do to get to the inverted castle before battling Belmont. I would hate for some of you to miss the second half of the game. I hate to post spoilers about what to do, but if some of you need some help, please send me a PM.***

Never actually done this before...But I think I'm in this time. Are we allowed to use the Sega Saturn Version?

Sure. I'm unfamiliar as to whether there are any differences in the import version, so checkpoints could be off for you if that is the case. As long as you are playing, we are happy to have you. :)

The only differences are the inclusion of Maria as a playable character, and two very short optional areas. I will be using the regular Character, Alucard. Do we start playing now, or wait until October 1st?

EDIT: The fact is, I just don't have the PS1 Version. I have my actual Saturn Disc of SOTN though.

DIE MONSTER! YOU DON'T BELONG IN THIS WORLD!

No worries Redd. You should absolutely still join us. That's awesome that you can play as Maria. There is a secret in the original to be able to play as Richter if anyone is interested in doing so.

Does this mean you are in?

I'm in for this... however... I will be playing it through in one sitting later in October (along with 4 other Castlevania games) for a Halloween-themed Castlevania Mega Stream I will be doing on Twitch.  Do I still count if I'm just following along everyone else's progress in the thread?

Absolutely you count! Look forward to hearing your thoughts on the game at the end.

I'm in.

Count me in as well. This is a much shorter game, so I should be able to keep up this month. Especially since I have beaten this game several times through already. Looking forward to seeing activity and reactions from those of you who haven't played this one.

For this reason you can also put me on the list.

Sweeeet! Got ya to bite.

I'm going to speedrun it with a walkthrough.

I'm in. I'll probably speedrun it too. I've still never beaten it with Ritcher though...

I'm not sure what my current save file percentage is when I beat the game years ago, so I'm curious as to where I'm at. Regardless, I will be starting over for this playthrough. Anyone going for the 200.6%?

I won't be going for 100 (or 200, in this case) percent. I'm just going to play my best, and hope to win. I'm debating on whether or not to go for the "real" ending, but I probably will. I have a twist in mind for my playthrough though... :D

I'm totally going for the 200.6% The reward you get past 100 is worth it, not to mention all the sweet items you can equip along the way.

Don't anyone ruin it for those playing for the first time though. :) Thinking about the nature of the bonus...how will checkpoints work? Ha ha

Sooooo...how exactly do these Community Playthroughs work? Do we just post our progress as we go? When does this thing start exactly?

Let's do this.

At the start of the month, we start playing the game. Each week, a checkpoint will be listed. So for a mario 3, it would probably be get to world 3 by end of week 1. Then, after week 1 ends, we can discuss the game up to that checkpoint in detail, since we all should be at least to that point. So for the mario example, people can discuss worlds 1 and 2 openly after week 1. This avoids ruining storylines and such for newcomers to games, but also allows us to see each other's reactions to certain events as they happen in game.

What if we race too far ahead of the checkpoint? In fact, what if we complete the game before others? Do we say that we beat it, or do we just keep quiet until the last checkpoint?

That happens a lot, it seems. But no worries if you do. You can say you completed it, just don't spoil any key points for the others involved.

Example: the playthrough is again, Mario 3 to make it easy. There are 8 worlds, so each week we would be completing 2 worlds. Let's say we are 2 weeks in on the site, but you have finished the game. Others have only beat up to world 5, so even though you have finished, you should not talk about worlds 5-8 openly on the thread, but can still participate in discussion for the experience you had playing the first 4 worlds like everyone else.

Same goes for the other side of that coin. If you fall behind and don't want the experience ruined, you should probably avoid the discussions about the first 4 worlds if you are only to world 2 by the end of the second week.

Thank you Boshamp! ;)

No Problem, I hope that was clear enough though.

Did someone say Castlevania???

You mean BoCHAMP!

I guess I better get to work on slapping my face on a Machamp and making it my avatar from now on, huh?

Boshamp has it all correct except this. there's been some confusion on this before but you can talk about everything up to and including the week 1 checkpoint during week 1 itself. waiting until after the week ends to discuss things would mean that we couldn't discuss the end of the game until week 1 of the following month, after most people have moved onto the next playthrough game.

if the game is story heavy and you don't want to risk spoiling some big plot twist that happens before the checkpoint, put it up in tags. you can also use spoiler tags to discuss something that happens beyond the week's checkpoint if you'd like, especially if you're asking for help getting past something. just be sure to put a warning before the spoiler tagged section to indicate how far along the spoiler would be. for example: i'm stuck at this part past the week 1 checkpoint, anyone know what to do at {spoiler} the level 3 boss that does the awesome thing, i can't figure out his pattern{/spoiler}

I was originally confused by that during the Suikoden playthrough, and saw some confusion as well during a couple more recent ones. Thank you for clarifying. I am glad I don't have to hold it in during the first week. I inferred from your post that you are to also mean that everything up to week 2/3/4 can also be discussed during their respective weeks as well?

ya, exactly. with what you were saying earlier it would mean that week 1 would always be completely silent until after everyone hits the checkpoint, and we would always have people discussing the game past the end of the month when they might have already moved onto other games and interest had fallen.

That was my impression of the rules initially, but I am glad to finally understand that. Still...I will try not to post too much on the very first day. I might be too excited for this one. ha ha

You and me both Boshamp.  I actually started a playthrough tonight just to check it out again and work out an ideal path and there are so many cool easter eggs, tricks and references to previous CV games.  I hope there are some folks that are playing it for the first time.  

I am.

ditto, this will actually be my very first castlevania game that i play more than 10 minutes of

My heart weeps for you.

is it a bad place to start in the series, or are you just sad that i've missed out for so many years?

I'm sure he's sad that you haven't played any Castlevania titles for more than 10 minutes. SotN is a fantastic place to start though.

So much conversation before the game has even started. Looks like you're in for a good month.

I think there maybe some difficulty with checkpoints depending on how people are going to run through this game. Still undecided as to whether or not I am going to post them, but I do tend to like the structure they create. Anyone who has played this rather recently (within the last few years or so) have any thoughts?

While I'm going to use my Ps2 slim via component to play this one, I did break out my original - no analog - PSX controller to recapture the feel of beating this back in 1998. Next up is trying to find my old game save. I must have moved it to a backup card as my main two are missing anything SOTN related. I really want to see what percentage I was at. I recall using a guide to pretty much max the game out.

That was a concern I had as well. PM sent.


You aren't the only one. Although I have beaten this one several times, I have only played maybe 10-20 minutes of Circle of the Moon on the GBA, and haven't played any of the others.

I was just talking how I have tried and never finished this, so im in.

Spoiler about the end of the game, do not hover if you don't know how the game ends

Spoiler (hover to show)

I would vote that completing the game includes the inverted castle

Of course Bil. No other way to defeat Dracula then to go that route right?

This game has Dracula in it? USE THE SPOILER TAGS MAN!

Ha! Ha!

Correct, the other way is technically an ending but it isn't the right one

All this talk makes me want to start! I am so ready! :D

I thought about beating it once before starting because I have been so excited. I could fly through it to a perfect save in about 12 hours, maybe less. ha ha

The story of this game is a direct sequel to Rondo of Blood, which is what I would consider "Castlevania 4."  If you want some background, play Rondo on PSP first.

Is that the one from this game?

http://www.rfgeneration.com/cgi-bin/getinfo.pl?ID=U-095-S-04440-A

I thought this was a US release of a Japanese-only release, not the U.S. Rondo of Blood for the Turbo grafix CD. If that is the case, I will be replacing my broken battery for me PSP and playing it for the next 5 days.

Yes, that has a Rondo remake on it, as well as SotN and the original Rondo which are unlocks.

Rondo is also scheduled for release on WiiU VC this month, I believe.

Are the Rondo remake and the original the same story and gameplay? Or is it more than improved graphics?

I've never completed the remake, but from what I understand it's the same game with a 2.5D graphical style.

Sweet. Too bad I can't pick up a replacement PSP Battery until Saturday, maybe not even then. I wonder if I can play it plugged into the A/C without a battery...

I think that's possible... My PSP had a swollen battery.

That is exactly my issue, a battery that swelled up and exploded the battery cover. I spent a lot on that battery too. It was an extended life battery from Sony.

it's not even october and this topic has already passed suikoden II, and isn't far off of passing Ico for number of posts. glad to see so much excitement!

I can participate in this play through without even playing! SotN is a game I've seen played 500+ times for speedruns, and I've played it extensively myself. I want to see where people get stuck first.

Just make sure not to charge a swollen battery, as it could explode.

Am I missing something or is the only way to use an item to equip it to one of your hands and then use it in real time then re-equip your weapon?

That's correct - you have to equip a consumable and use it. Consumables are meant to be used in stacks, typically.

i noticed that too, it's my first mark against the game. it destroys any sense of action to have to stop and bring up the menu (which is a little tedious to get to equipping), equip an item, get out of menu and use it, then repeat to put your weapon back on. there are 4 shoulder buttons that do nothing, why weren't they used?

Ok before I say anything I was really liking this game at first. However all this twitch gameplay is just not for me. I just trudged up the chapel and bell towers like five times just to get my ass kicked by that bird boss. The save point is way too damn far away from him.

My first sitting with the game was very fun and exciting. Tonight it really sucked.

If I'm thinking of the right area and boss there should be a save point to the right of him, like right next door. If you approached from the left then you went the long way to the boss.

There is a save room after him so yeah I guess I went the long way, as I thought it was the only way to go.

Yeah, if I remember correctly, there are always save points within a short distances of each boss.

Well damn it. I guess I can backtrack my way to the east side of the castle and go over the top edge if I can, leveling along the way will help too.

But...that boss is so easy, as I recall. I always took the long way (wasn't even aware of a shorter way until now) and it took no effort to destroy him.

I believe it. I'm really, really bad at video games.

Holy Schnikes! Is it really the 1st already?!?! Let's Do This!!!!!

Checkpoint for Week 1 is up

My progress so far. No spoilers this update:

Spoiler (hover to show)

Collecting some Items as Richter
[img width=640 height=480]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/DarkTheThief/00000001_zps5266a31b.png[/img] (http://s10.photobucket.com/user/DarkTheThief/media/00000001_zps5266a31b.png.html)

The encounter as Richter
[img width=640 height=480]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/DarkTheThief/00000003_zps782dd542.png[/img] (http://s10.photobucket.com/user/DarkTheThief/media/00000003_zps782dd542.png.html)

Killing Dracula with Richter
[img width=640 height=480]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/DarkTheThief/00000006_zps439d11d9.png[/img] (http://s10.photobucket.com/user/DarkTheThief/media/00000006_zps439d11d9.png.html)

Alucard's Quest Begins
[img width=640 height=480]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/DarkTheThief/00000009_zps12f5a315.png[/img] (http://s10.photobucket.com/user/DarkTheThief/media/00000009_zps12f5a315.png.html)

Flying past Death
[img width=640 height=480]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/DarkTheThief/00000015_zps6ac2f3a9.png[/img] (http://s10.photobucket.com/user/DarkTheThief/media/00000015_zps6ac2f3a9.png.html)

Lookie! I kept my items as a result!
[img width=640 height=480]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/DarkTheThief/00000020_zps4803d308.png[/img] (http://s10.photobucket.com/user/DarkTheThief/media/00000020_zps4803d308.png.html)

More coming soon!

I'm sad to say this, but it looks like I won't have time to join in on this one. It's a fantastic game, and you are all in for a treat (or trick).

The soundtrack, people...take time to enjoy the background noise when you enter new areas. So good.

Game beaten at 3:01 AM on October 2nd!

If your wonder how I did it so quick, no, I did not cheat. I will reveal how I did it as the month goes on. :)

I tried to go up and over to get to the parakeet boss, but I think I need the double jump to pass the part with the giant skull heads, and you only get the double jump after beating that boss, coming in from the left. So quite simply I'm pretty sure I was doing it right in the first place, but the combination of me not being very good at this game and whatever level I was at at the time made it very difficult. I'm going to try again tonight, as I'm a much higher level now.

I'm really enjoying the game though.

Get inspired:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ghd3tvsNAs

What's the trick to playing as Richter again?

Enter his name at start-up me thinks.

This is half-correct, my good Banana. :)

You have to beat the game with Alucard once to use Richter. Entering his name alone is not enough. On the Saturn Version, however, you can just pick him any time. :)

Thanks for the correction. I was misinformed. :P

Alright I beat that damned bird. It was in fact very easy once I learned you can duck under his attacks.

Got the leap stone and zapped back over to the big skull head area. Saved and put it down for the night. I like to save where I have something that I know I can do the next time I fire up the game.

So...I beat this last night. only to 200.5% though, but still...it is too intense to put down. :) Anyone want to compare a speed run with me since I will be running it a few more times? The XBLA version allows you to see when you hit certain checkpoints in the game...get a little friendly competish going if anyone else that has already played this game before is interested. :) Redd, you beat it quick, you down?

A couple things I tracked before going all insomniac and beating were the beginning to the outer wall. Was able to get 2 heart max boosts and a life max before getting to the outer wall. The game does give you some freedom of exploration without having the right tools for the job to get past certain things, which is awesome for changing the experience on each playthrough. Did anyone farm a lot of money to buy anything crazy at the library?

Used a trick to get through the start quickly after reaching the outer wall. I won't spoil it, but I will give a cryptic hint:
"Stand on the Pot Roast" :)

Redd, did you use Maria? She is crazy overpowered in that version.

i didn't know you could play as Maria, that seems like a spoiler...

That is just the Saturn version. Maria (as well as a few others) are playable straight from the start if memory serves...

Actually, I find her quite weak. Nonetheless, I did not. Here's a hint:

Spoiler (hover to show)

Luck had everything to do with it.

What's everyone's favorite sub-weapon?

Mine is far and away the flying bible. I love that it serves as a force field as well as an attack. I also love that clackety sound it makes. I've been using it pretty much exclusively the whole game so far.

Is there such a thing?  ;)

Even though it's one of the weaker weapons, I like the garlic(?) or the daggers. I think the holy water is a little overpowered so I avoid using it.

Dagger, hands down. 1 Heart to use it, decent damage to most enemies and bosses, you can throw a few dozen between most attacks if you need to. Plus, I use a very short range melee weapon for most of the start of the game, so having the dagger as a long range option is a must for me.

i've been using the axe for the most part so far, but i haven't tried much else yet. it seems pretty strong but eats through hearts fairly quick

I've always been partial to the cross. With a well aimed throw you can get 3 or 4 ticks of damage in with each toss, and it hits hard.

Axe is good for flying enemies. Holy water is good for ground enemies. Dagger is generally good, but does less damage. Holy cross is good for crowd clear, since it goes through everything.

I feel as if I have really found my footing in this game in the past few days. I found the Holy Rod and bought the Diamond Plate so I have what I think at this point is a good weapon and a some great armor.

I also started playing around with other sub-weapons and I am kind of leaning on the admittedly overpowered Holy Water.

So, it took me a while, but now I'm sucked in. I have to stop myself when it's time to quit rather than praying to find a save room to stop the beatdowns I was constantly getting.

If I need to clear a crowd, or deal with a flyer, I have two spells that are used exclusively for those situations, since my melee weapon/dagger combo blows through all the bosses and ground enemies I see in the first half of the game incredibly fast. After that, I have leveled up a ton and have more than enough HP and MP to speed through the rest with another combo I will mention after the second week.

Finally got started last night. Looked at my old save file. 194%. Played for about an hour before bed. Hope to make the checkpoint by Wednesday.

Edited out the place name which could be perceived as a spoiler.  Actual spoiler below the picture.

[img width=700 height=394]http://oi62.tinypic.com/vq5dah.jpg[/img]

Spoiler (hover to show)

This is my time for the first castle.  I got into the Reverse Keep and made my way to the first save point.

Slowing things down a bit for a second playthrough. Going to be using Soul Steal in any rooms I may have missed the first time around to make sure I get the 200.6 this time. Just passed the ferryman and continued for about another half hour. Going to go to bed now, even though I have a hard time putting it down. Looks like the ferryman was a good spot for the first checkpoint, as it puts you right around 50% on the save file depending on what else you may have done to that point.

Cool I beat the game. Kicked the shit out of that evil Richter Belmont. I am the wind baby! See ya'll next month...

Boshamp, I may fire this up on my JP Xbox 360 and play through the JP version. I'll let you know.

Would that version be the same version Redd was playing on the Saturn? Or is the JP version the same game as the PS1/US 360 release?

I've already spoken to Grayghost about this, but if you really want to "complete" the game, the battle with Belmont is only half of the game...... The second half of this playthrough will be the inverted castle, which starts in Week 3. If you are unsure about what you have to do to get to the second half of the game, PLEASE consult a guide about what you have to do to get to the inverted castle before battling Belmont. I would hate for some of you to miss the second half of the game. I hate to post spoilers about what to do, but if some of you need some help, please send me a PM.

I was also concerned about giving away too much too early, but like you mentioned, you would have to start over if you miss those key points before the Belmont battle. Then again, the first castle can be blown through very quickly once you have had some practice if you do happen to miss out your first time around.

Of course I'm playing ahead for the checkpoints, but I cleared the first castle this weekend in less than 5 hours. I know people are much quicker than I am, but it's been over 10 years and I had to do quite a bit of exploring to find a few necessary relics. Gameplay on the inverted should go much quicker.

Would you have to start over, or can you just start from the last save point?

You know...I haven't experienced the "short" ending myself. I guess it would be a matter of if it creates a save after defeating Richter or not. Also, are there any points of no return should you miss a required relic? I suppose if not, you could always just boot up the save and go searching for whatever you missed before returning to fight Richter.

I killed Richter, watched the credits, and went back to my last save to start working on the real ending.

Well there you go. I forgot just how much of the game takes place on the back nine. Sure, by percentage it is half, but the story, item depth, boss battles, and difficulty from the second half are the majority of the game. By gameplay value, I would say it is 25%/75% in favor of the Inverted castle, if it really ended at Richter, the game would be a 5 or 6 rating instead of a 10 for most.

I finished taking the steps to get ready for beating Richter the "right" way. Next time I fire up the game I'm ready to

Spoiler (hover to show)

meet Maria under the clock to get the Holy Goggles,

then fight Richter again and flip the damned castle.

When I was discussing checkpoints with Rich before we started, I learned there is a throwback to an earlier Castlevania game that I hadn't known about. I plan on playing through the NES Castlevania games at some point in the near future as a result of learning this, but if you have played earlier CV games, I hope you notice the throwback, making your excursion into the inverted castle all that much sweeter.

i'm enjoying the game but it feels directionless...i haven't yet gotten any sort of "goal" that i'm supposed to follow, right now i'm essentially just checking each unexplored area to see if i find anything new. so far it's working, but a lot of times i beat a boss and then it feels like the next room doesn't let me proceed, i have to backtrack and check somewhere different. am i doing it wrong?

How far are you into the game? I was having a very similar experience in the beginning, but somewhere a little after I was three hours into the game, it opened up in a huge way and I was totally guided by areas opening up and the drive to make Alucard more powerful.

A few hints to make your experience more enjoyable:

1. Buy the Castle map from the library. It will show you unexplored areas on the map that will help guide your search. Look at it by pressing select. Rooms are outlined in a white border, so look for spots were this border is not enclosed in white. There are more hidden areas not noted on this map, but it still helps.

2. Make a note of "impassable" areas as you go. Those too high to reach, blue doors, grates, etc. so that you can return to them later.

There's one last thing I want to try to do before I flip the castle if possible:

Spoiler (hover to show)

How do you move the statue on the right hand side of the clock room?

Here you go:

Spoiler (hover to show)

To the right of the clock room, there is a stopwatch sub-weapon. Use that in the clock room

Really? Could have sworn I've tried that. I'll give it another shot. Here's another one for ya:

Spoiler (hover to show)

The only familiar I'm missing is the sword. I'm told that it gets dropped by that spinning sword pain in the ass enemy. Is it any one of those? I'm thinking of going to the church-like room with the spiral staircases and killing him till he drops it if that's the way. Please advise.

Yeah, that's a very tough one to find and I'm sure the first to discover it did so out of luck. It's my favorite familiar, so this was the only video I've looked at so far for tracking it down. Would be impossible for me to describe.

Spoiler (hover to show)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xxAZ7abmTY

Cool. I knew there was something going on in that room!

On another note, that guy has so many moves that I want. Damnit I'm going to have to go look them up too!

Also, I'll leave this here. Pretty cool if you haven't seen it already. Maybe a little spoilery if you don't want to see any of the boss designs ahead of time, but whatever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WY1TUJal0E

Also I thought the SOTN episode of The Completionist was really good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb8aVnjlor4

I'm sure that some are going to say, "How in the world would I have ever been able to find [insert item here] without a walkthrough? That is ridiculous." To that I say this: Extra items and features of this game are essentially not necessary to finish the game, but are just there for your enjoyment. The developers put in this hidden items so that gamers might come across them by luck or heavy exploration and get a nice surprise for their efforts/luck. The game is only about 9 hours, so the additional slots for things like relics really add to the replayability and the completionist's desire to find them. Early games like this really didn't have achievements, so these items are somewhat of a predecessor to that ideology.

In the podcast, I'll discuss why I enjoy this game so much and how my gaming history pre-fueled my love for this game. People don't refer to it as "Metroidvania" for nothing. How appropriate, since we will be playing Super Metroid in November. :)

I've never been interested in Metroid before, but I may try Super Metroid because of this game. Will I like it because I like this game? If you don't want to elaborate here, send me a pm about it.

Honestly, I've never really played Super Metroid, but I played the hell out of the original when I was a kid. If Super Metroid is anything like the original, there is a lot of backtracking you have to do to discover areas you couldn't previously reach without a specific item or powerup. Since Castlevania: SotN is similar in this regard, many people lovingly refer to games styled such as these as "Metroidvania." Hell, there are even shirts (I'm sure Fleach will have to order one :) ):

[img width=640 height=640]http://www.daily-shirts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/metroidvania.jpg[/img]

I consider Super Metroid and SoTN to be very similar in terms of quality.  Both are probably in my top ten favorite games.  I've played some of the GBA/DS Metroid and Castlevania games, and, in my opinion, none have been able to come close to capturing the magic of these two games.

If you've never played Super Metroid, don't hesitate to play it next month.

SoTN was the precursor to the current "Metroidvania"-style games. The gameplay is very similar in terms of having to find new powers to progress, and many powers being "optional", but certain bosses must be defeated in order to reach the end-game. The map system is very similar as well.

Super Metroid falls in line with Link to the Past, Super Mario World, Final Fantasy III, Super Castlevania IV, etc as far as sequels go. It's Metroid on steroids and anyone who hasn't played it is in for a real treat.

I will be playing it for the first time next month. (Although I have watched my brother play it several times growing up). It will be my first Metroid experience, just as this was my first (and still only) Castlevania experience.

Do you guys run or slide backwards?

For those who don't know, sliding backwards is faster (and more stylish.)

Also, it's not really a spoiler, but just in case...

Spoiler (hover to show)

What do you guys think of the confession room? I think there a 3 different results. As a kid I never really understood it, but I knew I liked it. The music is very eerie.

No, always annoys me watching people play like that. I understand for speed running in regards to it being quicker, but I'd get annoyed with all the continual button pushing. Plus, it looks lame.

What, you don't like hearing the slide animation twice a second and the clacking of buttons constantly? Hater.

I am one of the backdash runners.  Psh psh psh psh psh psh everywhere, until I get the bat abilities sufficiently powered up so that I can just wing smash everywhere.

So,  how is everyone progressing toward the first checkpoint? I know a few of you have already finished to game, so just looking to help out those who might be having a little difficulty reaching the first checkpoint.  Second checkpoint will be revealed tomorrow. Also, if you haven't already, please see the initial post on the front page regarding the playthrough and inverted castle.

I've met the ferryman. I don't know what the week 2 checkpoint is, but I'm sure I'm close to it.

I used to hate backdashing, but after playing this game for so long I think running is a little boring. I can't not backdash now. The backdashing spices it up a little. Gives the game a little life. Plus I like the sound effect.

So, I got all of Vlad's parts and the game-breaking Shield Rod + Alucard Shield combo.

But the whole right side of the inverted castle is yet to be explored.

I'm conflicted if I should just finish the game or try to paint the whole thing blue for no reason.

I've always had trouble with a few squares that the game just won't give me in the Underground Caverns area; I don't think I've ever done a 200.6% game.

Paint it blue homie. You know you want to.

[img width=700 height=522]http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y359/necrom99/Playthroughs/C4B2CD2C-81DC-4BD1-A299-06ACA4FE8976_zpscwmgysgo.jpg[/img]

I think you're just missing it by a few pixels. Some of the blue squares are a little tricky.

Yeah to hell with that. I couldn't care less about making some magical percentage go up.

I'm going to keep playing until annihilating everything in my path gets boring, then I'm going to wrap it up.

I think the 200.6% only has to do with room exploration. It doesn't consider weapons and items. Finding all the weapons and items is what takes the most time. Some of the weapons are rare drops from rare enemies (like that golden skeleton)

Yes, the % only has to do with room exploration.

Checkpoint #2 is up and in the initial post.

So tonight there will be an eclipse and a blood moon in the sky. I think it goes without saying that everyone should be playing SotN this evening.

"Let us go out this evening for pleasure, the night is still young."

Can I go through again, this time as Richter and/or Maria? :D

You can play through it as many times as you want with as many people as you want...

Alright I beat it the real way this time. What a game!

In case anyone didn't know, the two knights in the room to the left of the clock room in the inverted castle are worth a whole hell of a lot of exp. I went up about fifteen levels in about ten minutes. I just wanted to get my hp over 1000, not that I needed to. That Alucard Shield + Shield Rod combo was just too much.

...and I beat it again to hear I am the Wind again. What a great song.

I love that Crystal Cloak when you are in Bat form, such a good color to the sprite.


I slide everywhere, so much faster, and adds a little challenge when you are wearing the jewel knucks early on in the game and sliding super close to an enemy and stopping and turning quickly to punch 'em. I use the Jewel knucks all the way up until I get the Shield Rod. That confession room is a pretty cool thing, it is placed at a time when you are mostly exploring without any storyline progression, so it makes things a little less boring at that time. Getting stabbed scared the hell out of me the first time it happened to me and seeing the way Alucard leisurely sits in the chair when listening to people confess always cracks me up.


Fill it! I urge you to fill out the enemy list and items too, you have 3 extra weeks left before the next playthrough, go for it! Shield Rod + Herald Shield is a potent combo too if you are like me and use magic quite a bit, I wish I needed items more though...just like RPGs, I never use items because they are either too easy without them or because magic is overpowered, in this case, it is a combination of both.


...and know, a couple original thoughts. ha ha

Is anyone else trying to complete the enemy list in the library? I have never tried this and am wondering if anyone else would have some input on the topic. Leave your spoilers out though. :) at least until week 4.

is anyone else using magic? Which of the five spells do you use? Personally, I use Soul Steal almost exclusively because I am suicidal when attacking, am using the ring of Ares, and am never taking the time to equip food and throw it to heal.
Dark Metamorphosis is a good one, but so few of the difficult enemies bleed, and I don't take the time to stop and cast before one-hitting a bleeder to restore single digits at a time.
When I cast a spirit spell, it is Tetra Spirit and never just the regular Summon Spirit and it is rare,usually just to chase down a flyer if I don't want to waste MP to cast Soul Steal. (20 MP to quickly kill a flyer is a lot better than 50 MP)
Hellfire can hit hard sometimes...but just takes WAY too long to cast for me.

I am happy to see so much discussion on the game, this game deserves it.

I love how the bats wings change color to adapt to the cloak you are wearing. It's a nice touch.

I have spent a long time over many playthroughs of this game playing with Joseph's cloak for exactly that reason.

The bat wings were clever. I wonder why they didn't do that with saddle of the wolf.

I'll give it a shot. I think I've done it before. One of the enemies is tricky (see below for spoiler.)

I never use magic. I honestly forgot it was in the game until you just mentioned it, Boshamp.


Have you guys died? I'm almost at checkpoint #2 and I've bit the dust 3 times, but in my defense, I'm challenging myself by not abusing certain sub-weapons and other weapons/items. 2 of the deaths were against Olrox. Kind of a tough fight.

One of my favorite things about this game is the variety of challenges you can give yourself to beat it. Of course, there's the lame ending, the real ending, and the Richter play-through. Also, you can get the 200.6%, you can fill out the monster index, you can find every item, etc.

The biggest challenge I can think of is the Naked challenge. It's simple. If you pick up a weapon, sub-weapon, shield, armor, etc. you fail. Easy to prove since you can't sell or discard anything.

Enemy List spoiler

Spoiler (hover to show)

Mud Man is only found when you fight Lesser Demon. Lesser Demon summons him during the fight. If you kill Lesser Demon before he summons a Mud Man, that's it. No more chances see a Mud Man.

200.6% super spoiler

Spoiler (hover to show)

You can go above this number. After you've touched all the blue squares it's time to find the white ones.

i only have dark metamorphosis so far but i don't understand it, i've tried the button combination and it doesn't seem to work. am i supposed to activate it in the menu somehow?

i made it to the week 1 checkpoint a couple nights ago and continued on for a while, i now have the Mist power and know of a few places to use it, so that'll open up more possibilities.

I use magic on rare occasions. Mainly during boss battles where I can stand far away in a safe spot and continue to attack. I used it the entire time in the battle with

Spoiler (hover to show)

Legion

.

You forgot to mention the obscene drop rate on some of the items, like the Crissaegrim (1/588 RARE drop) or the Medusa Shield (1/1250 RARE drop).
http://fatalis.hive.ai/sotn/dropcalc/

It should just work. It's not an attack spell so you might be using it and not realizing it's active.

You'll know if you did it right, trust me.

The spells are very hard to pull off, especially healing spells you need in a desperate situation.

They're just button combinations that, depending on the system you're playing on, can be difficult to execute. You need to be fast, but very deliberate, with the inputs.

Forgot about magic? I couldn't play without it unless I was super careful about dodging attacks from every enemy. ha ha

I don't die much anymore when playing, but I died about 7 times straight trying to rush through the echolocation room in the catacombs too fast. I also died a couple times getting cocky, thinking a boss was close to death and not casting a soul steal when I was low on health because I thought I could finish him off first. I have the Mud Man, I don't think I am unlucky enough to miss him, that boss gets off about three summons before dying for me, and the mud man always seems to be what it summons first for me.


You don't activate them, once you use them, they appear in the menu for you to see the command list. If you are having trouble unlocking through blind trials, the Librarian sells you the combos if you need them.


Oh snap, I didn't know there were any this rare. I always figured you had a common and uncommon for each enemy, but that the drop rates were universal, this should fill some time for me while I wait for week three to come for more discussion.


I thought it was just me, I suck at fighters and have never done well with button combos, Soul Steal takes me about 3 tries each time on average to hit it successfully.

Some of the drop rates balance themselves out, like the Medusa Shield that Shadow mentioned. The rate sounds crazy, but Medusa Heads are one of the most plentiful enemies in the game. Also, if you're lucky you can get that shield (one of the better in the game) very early. The Crissaegrim is the best weapon in the game so I think the drop rate is pretty fair. But overall, if you really want to complete the Enemy List and erase all the ?? ?? ??'s on the enemy cards, that would take a long, long time.

I play a lot of fighters and I think SotN is strict about the spell inputs, plus the controllers we're using aren't that good for this. Using my arcade stick in Ultra Street Fighter IV, I can execute a half-circle motion in the heat of a match 95-100% of the time. On my Xbox controller, I can do it 50-75% of the time. On my Xbox controller in SotN, I can only perform Dark Metamorphosis about 33% of the time.

...why haven't I checked on the community playthrough lately?  I would have loved to jump in on this

It's not too late...

we're only 11 days into the month, and it's a somewhat short game apparently so you still could join :)

Yep I finished it last night for purposes of recording and didn't start until the 3rd

yesterday i made it to the "bad" ending and watched through the cutscenes, i'm now in the inverted castle at the first save point. i would actually recommend people give the bad ending a try, because (not having seen the real ending yet) it feels like it might be quite a bit different and worth watching anyway.

one thing i don't like is that the game gives absolutely no hints that there's a better ending, i'm sure a lot of people hit the first ending there and thought that was the actual end of the game..

Although it's impossible to know, playing the game and having knowledge beforehand of the "good" ending, I felt like the "bad" ending was effectively unsatisfying and would leave the player feeling as if something wasn't right.

i feel like that depends on past knowledge of the game, not knowing anything much about Richter i felt like he could have gone evil.

Not entirely true about the game not giving hints. From the beginning you are told that you are there to destroy Dracula and prevent his resurrection. Look at the inscriptions on the gold and silver rings, which  provides a clue to the clock tower. Then, you meet up with Maria, who gives you the Holy Glasses and gives you the big hint. Sure, not clearly spelled out, but this is what makes it great and gives the gamer that "holy crap" feeling when they figure it out.

After learning a couple new things about this game from you guys, (Specifically,

Spoiler (hover to show)

the Sword Familiar glitch for the "White" Rooms on the map

), I decided to break my own rule and looked into the game online to see what else was out there. I usually don't go online for any reason to spoil games for myself, but seeing as I have played this to death, I am comfortable knowing that everything I learned about this guy online, I would never have found on my own. That being said...there was a LOT I didn't know about. I will bring up more topics in later weeks, but for now, I learned there are four possible endings, and a fifth that was rumored to have never made it into the game, but two of four can be experienced before venturing into the inverted castle. If you want to experience all four, you will need to defeat Richter a total of three different ways at the week 2 checkpoint. (Two for "Bad" endings, the third to continue to the inverted castle.)

then sign me up :)  I've been looking for an excuse to play this game.  I bought it 6 months ago and haven't turned it on once (shame pile).

i fought richter for the bad ending well before i found both of the rings let alone the holy glasses, you can fight him as soon as you have the bat power. if i had done all you said first then i agree it would have been a bit clearer, but without that there's not too many hints about what's going on.

Whether you found the rings or not, it's obvious from the map that there are more areas to explore due to the unclosed blocks on the map. With knowing that there is more to explore, I think that many gamers would go back and do so, even after getting the "bad ending." This is what I did when first playing through the game. Plus, I doubt anyone thought at the time that this ending was the only one in the game and that the run time was long enough to make the game complete; I mean come on, it's Castlevania, you're going to battle Dracula. There are not many overt hints, I agree, but for those with a completionist mentality, there is enough there to get at least one of the rings and determine that there is more to the puzzle.

You can also see by the missing relics there is a lot more to be done.

oh ya i didn't mean that there isn't more to do, but a lot of games can have as much as double the content beyond the main quest, and like i said not knowing castlevania i don't know that it's guarenteed you have to fight dracula at the end. if i hadn't been warned by people on here i never would have known there was more endings, and grayghost didn't seem to either when he first got that ending.

anyway i think i'm pretty close to the "real" ending, i have most of the inverted castle explored. i have 4/5 of the pieces of "vlad", but i don't know how to find the last one. the only major locations left that i know of to check are the mineshaft above (below in normal castle) the caverns, and the place above the clock tower. i can't figure out how to get access to either, the methods from the normal castle don't seem to work. any hints?

Did you know....(the contents of the spoiler are before the week 2 checkpoint)

Spoiler (hover to show)

You can skip the scene with Death at the beginning of the game and keep the gear he steals from you? If you do this, you're incredibly overpowered from the start of the game. It's an easy glitch where, if you get hit by a Warg (the big wolf) under certain conditions, you'll get flung past the Death room and skip that scene. Also, you don't need Spike Breaker to beat the game.

None of them require any special tactics to get to. I'd just look it up on a map online if all else fails.

Also I knew about the inverted castle the whole time. For reasons I've mentioned already, I'm half with you and half with Rich on the ambiguity of the "bad" ending.

I'll tell you where it's not...

Spoiler (hover to show)

If by Clock Tower you mean the room with the big clock, it's not near there. And if by Clock Tower, you mean the Clock Tower, it's not there either.

As for the bad ending, the first time I ever beat Richter I was very skeptical about it. After fighting all these huge, awesome bosses, the final boss is puny human Richter? I don't think so. It felt incomplete. I didn't know how to get the good ending and I didn't know there was an inverted castle, but when I filled out all the blue squares and I was still missing a ton of relics and I didn't fight Dracula (he's kind of a big deal), I knew something was up.

It helps if you know Castlevania games. The same "bad" ending sketch is a theme among the Castlevania games, and caught me off guard on Order of Ecclesia.

I know I'm terribly late with first impressions, but right away I must say the voice acting in this game is second to none.  Sooooo good.

I love this game already.  I played for 2 hours straight the other night, which is saying a lot because it's hard for me to find the time to play a game for that long uninterrupted.  It's definitely "metroid-vania", and It's fanfriggintastic.  I love the gothic scenery, the controls are great, the music is fantastic, the monsters are cool, and the menu screen aint half bad either. 

Where have you been all my life?

Good to have another Castlevirgin in the group.

I've played the first 3 NES Castlevanias to death, but for some reason I was never interested in Symphony of the Night.  But now I'm probably gonna go out and buy every 'Vania with this format

Yeah I guess I should clarify that this is my first "Metroidvania" as well. Super Castlevania IV has been a long time favorite of mine.

I'm also going to seek out the rest of these games. I recently got my copy of Circle of the Moon, which was the next one to come out.

The way the monsters are dispatched is amazing and so highly detailed. Bloody Zomie cut in half blood spurt ranks as one of the best!

Aria of Sorrow on GBA is great! Instead of random dropped items, it has Soul Stealing, where you can take abilities from creatures.

My favorite Metroidvania style game is Order of Ecclesia, you finally get out of the damn castle and have an overworld map where you can choose all kinds of Metroid map styled environments.

As a quick "FYI", if you guys enjoy this game try "Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night". It's Puzzle Fighter meets SotN's storyline, including bosses, items, and map locations. Essentially, SotN with the combat replaced by Puzzle Fighter!

For Boshamp: It's on Windows Phone and has achievements!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXwDRffmgG0

Lol. I personally don't think the voice acting is bad, but this game is notorious for having some of the worst voice acting in video game history. I don't see it, but I guess others do. To each his own.

The most important thing is that you're enjoying this masterpiece for the first time.

Has anyone played Castlevania: Harmony of Despair on Xbox Live or PSN?

It's basically multi-player Symphony of the Night formatted into levels instead of a wide open area. You can play as almost any protagonist from Castlevania; Alucard, Richter, Simon, Maria, Shanoa, Soma etc. Each character has their own unique abilities and gear that you'll find and keep throughout the game. You can play solo, but it's much better with others.

If you enjoy Symphony of the Night, this is a MUST get.

Heck yes! As much as I hate buying WP games over playing just the free ones, this one, I might have to go ahead and pick up.


I agree, this game is phenomenal, the voice acting was ahead of its time, and I have been known to complete the game in one sitting. The first time you play through, you have to search and search for the relics, missed rooms, backtrack, etc. leaving you wandering around the castle a dozen or so times; but after playing it so many times, you know where everything is and while it becomes a more linear experience, nothing is taken away from the game itself. Replay value is huge in this game, and for me, it feels short now, but the quality gets even better when you are only about 10-15 minutes between each cut-scene.

I've got a copy, but haven't played through it at all.

the voice acting is terrible, and i can't tell if those who say they like it are being sarcastic or not...

fyi i love this game so far, it's really great. i feel bad that most of the posts i'm making seem to be negative commentary, but it's always easier to point out the bad than the good in something.

Ah! See? This was me with Ico.

i know right? the tables have turned

I was being serious, what does it for me in terms of voice acting is Alucard's voice. The way it almost echos as he speaks has always been cool to me, since they are in an "empty" castle, after all. I think if I was picky, I could point out the delays between conversations, almost as if they sometimes cut off the start/end of a recording too soon. I am not picky though. All that matters to me is gameplay. Graphics and voice-acting are pretty low on my list of needs for a good game.

finished! great game, i really enjoyed it. good tip for everything near the end:

Spoiler (hover to show)

Shield rod + Alucard Shield (square + circle to activate) is OP as f**k. activate it and then just touch everything with the shield held up, i killed galamoth, shaft, and dracula in less than 30 seconds each with that.

The first thing you should do when you hit the inverted castle is go directly to that shield. I couldn't get it done so quickly without that, although I do run out of Mana rather quickly earlier on. You really do have to balance killing enough enemies to level up with bypassing as many as you can afford to. Otherwise, I am either under-leveled and getting eaten alive by some of the more powerful bosses, or overpowered and taking forever to get the job done.

What would you guys think if you had a time limit to beat the game? A couple endings are based on completion, but I think it would have been really cool if there was a fifth ending for beating it quickly along with the regular stipulations.

To everyone enjoying this game for the first time, I highly recommend the GBA and DS Castlevania's.

No.

I don't think anyone is being sarcastic. I think some is okay and some is bad. You also have to consider the lines that were written for the actors and the editing. Some of the lines are awkward and I think the editing is of the voices is very poor, but I don't know if this was a PlayStation issue or not. By this I mean, there are too many pauses between sentences and exchanges.

Richter is beyond atrocious. That actor is clearly inexperienced and just reading words off of a piece of paper.
I think the Librarian is the best actor. A little hokey, but I imagine that's how a creepy old librarian in Dracula's castle would talk.

It doesn't need it, but it would be ANOTHER cherry on top.

Week #3 checkpoint is up on initial post.

All right! How is everyone doing? Did you guys go in the direction of the outer tower to start the inverted castle? or back towards the entrance? I forgot just how much freedom you are given in your exploration of the inverted castle to get to Dracula. How do you guys like the relatively drastic change in difficulty?

I like the idea of the inverted castle, but

Spoiler (hover to show)

traversing through it is a great deal annoying.  Continually changing forms is the pits.

Sure, the difficulty amps up a little bit, but after getting a certain OP relic, difficulty isn't much of an issue anymore.

There are a few ways you can make it a lot easier on yourself. A couple OP weapon combos, the really good relics, and always good, old-fashioned grinding for levels with a couple of my favorite enemies to farm.

Today I got to the Colluseum and started fighting Belmont's monsters.  Should I not be fighting him yet?

Not really sure what "Belmont's monsters" is. Can you give a better description and tell me which castle they are in? Thanks

I think he means when you fight the Werewolf and Mino
If you are at the point I think, you don't even fight Richter. Belmont's monsters = Werewolf and Minotaur?

Yeah, must be the Werewolf/Minotaur combo. 

Also, I completed the game through Dracula but I skipped a few "non-essential" squares in search of a faster time and it cost me the finish percentage I was hoping for.  I'm going to livestream this complete game on Oct. 25th as part of a marathon but I'm going to run through it yet again before that hoping for sub-4hr and 196%+

[img width=700 height=393]http://oi60.tinypic.com/16jpiqd.jpg[/img]

Continually changing forms? I think you have to do more of that in the normal castle.

Spoiler (hover to show)

If you have the gravity boots (from the normal castle) you don't really need to change forms at all. You can fly around much faster.

Eh, the gravity boots (we can talk about them, since they are in the first castle ;) ) can be more annoying that useful at times. Lots of high ledges that don't lend well to double jumps and areas where touching the ground

Spoiler (hover to show)

(spike carts)

can be really dangerous. I think the game could have been a little better laid out so that getting through the inverted castle isn't so annoying. My only real complaint though. I do love this game!

i found the gravity boots didn't make a noticeable difference, like it maybe added a minor extra height to the jump but not much

Were you using them right? They don't add to your jump at all, but if you press down, then up and the jump button quickly, you will shoot straight up really high and stick to the ceiling for a moment.

wow really? it would be great if the game explained these things, because the description of it totally implied to me that it just gave a passive increase to your jump height.

There are other shoes in the game as well called the Secret Boots, which I do believe increase your height a little per the description. The Gravity Boots are what make you shoot up really high and stick to the ceiling. They are a relic, not an equipped item.

Yep. I had them for most of the game but never knew how to use them.

It's not useful with a low/normal ceiling, but if you're in an area with a lot of space above you it's fun (and much faster) to zip around with the gravity boots.

You kind of have to use it in conjunction with the double jump to reach platforms, since you basically just shoot straight up, stick to the ceiling, and then fall back down.

I always usually double jump and then go to bat form and right back out of it for the extra couple inches I need most of the time for those slightly out of reach platforms. The Secret boots stretch the sprite to make Alucard a little taller, but do not actually give you any benefit to jumping height.

Yeah that's right.  So I can just fight those dudes and move on?

Yup

I've just noticed something. Can anyone identify the Wizard of Oz tribute in this game?

Yep, the enemies in the inverted castle library (lion, scarecrow, tin man (machine)). Good call! Never noticed that before. What's a "schmo" though? Ha!

You got it! The R2-D2-like garbage can with an axe gave it away. I never paid attention to his name until last night.

I never put this together and honestly when you said something, those enemies just popped in my head as if were as clear as day. The Wizard of Oz has had a profound impact on several medias around the world. One I remember quite clearly from grad school were well-hidden allusions to it in Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses." Funny, but the book is actually not about Satanism at all. I remember my mother freaking out about it when I mentioned that I was reading it. Ha!

Finished the game tonight. I love this game so much. It was just as much fun to play through now, as it was in my late teens.

Started another play through and I picked up a New York style pizza.  Can't say I remember picking this up before but weird things like this are one of the things I like about this game.

[img width=700 height=414]http://oi60.tinypic.com/2i6dyx2.jpg[/img]

Congrats on finishing Mike!

Onward to the Chicago style deep dish Slowman.

those who finished already should go check out Alan Wake if you're interested :) it's really great and deserves more attention than it's getting right now.

Heh I just grabbed the pizza too.  But I'm not nearly as far as most of you guys.  I still havent reached the inverted castle.

the inverted castle can be difficult at times but for the most part isn't that bad, mainly because you already know your way around it more or less.

so I got the gravity boots....I don't feel like I'm jumping any higher than normal.

we talked about that on the podcast segment that we just recorded the other day actually...and off the top of my head i can't remember what it was about them, but they're not a passive ability, you have to "use" them. GrayGhost or singlebanana could help you out.

Press Up and Jump at the same time. Let me know how that works for you.

Ahh got it.  It's kinda useless now though she I already have Soul of Bat.

I'm pretty stuck now too.  I don't want to consult a walkthrough but I don't have a ton of spare time I can devote to aimless wandering.

We're passed the checkpoint now so I assume I can ask the question outright, do I have to have a certain percentage to reach the inverted castle?

nope! you need a pair of items which you wear in a certain room, and that will activate a new path while gives you another item. at that point you go fight Richter while wearing said item and it will give you access to the inverted castle when you win that fight (without killing Richter)

Down, up, then jump.

Rare drop from a Frog.

You might have these items and not even realize it. If not, you need to explore the normal castle more.

I think it's far enough along to reveal a few tricks without spoilers.

- Some of the better swords in the game have a command attack. Do a quarter-circle forward motion and press attack and you'll get a better attack at the expense of some magic.

 - At the Outer Wall (the farthest east point in the normal castle) there is a passage which you need the mist to pass. Instead of waiting to get the mist, you can reach this room very early. In the room above it, you can break a wall and stand in the nook and hold down (or maybe up) for 6 seconds and an elevator will pull you into the secret room.

- If you go to the room underneath the Librarian in the normal castle, there is a slim passage in the ceiling and you can use the gravity boots directly under the Librarian's chair and bump him into the air. Do this several times and he'll drop a Max Life Up, Dracula's Tunic, Axelord Armor, and a Ring of Arcana.

I suggest checking a walkthrough in terms of getting to the inverted castle. It's a little daunting to figure it out without doing so, or already knowing. I mentioned this on the thread around the time I posted the second checkpoint. I will post the process here, since I really don't consider this a spoiler as everyone needs to do this to finish the game:

You will need to obtain the Silver Ring (NW corner of castle past spikes, may need to equip Spike Breaker armor, which is in lower SE corner of castle) and Gold Ring (earned after killing Succubus in Nightmare sequence) to open up the floor in the clock room. You have to equip both rings to open the floor. Once you open the floor, Maria will give you the Holy Glasses, which you will equip when battling Richter. With the glasses, you will be able to see a floating orb, attack this instead of Richter and after this fight, you will be able to access the inverted castle.

Forgot the mention, I beat it last night. Didn't get 200.6%, there are a few boxes in the water in the inverted underground caverns that I can't figure out/remember how to reach.

Now I'm trying the Richter quest for the first time. I'm guessing you can finish it within an hour since I've reached the inverted castle in about 20 minutes.

Glad to see so many people finishing the game and glad that everyone seems to be enjoying it. I have posted the last checkpoint for the game in the initial thread (should be obvious though).

If anyone needs help with the game, please be sure to post it on the forum. There are some seasoned SotN players on here and I know everyone is happy to answer your questions. I'd like to see everyone finish before the month is up.

On a side note, techwizard, GrayGhost81, and I recorded the podcast for this game this past Friday. The conversation we had on the game was awesome and we hope that all of you will listen to it when it comes out in early November.

I fully agree. I'd much rather help someone here than for them to read a walkthrough. It keeps the discussion flowing.

My favorite reason for playing with you guys is the discussion as the game progresses. It gives me nostalgia for the times I sat with my brothers and we watched each other play. I get the same feel on both sides, whether I am the greenhorn or the veteran on the game we play. :)

How are you supposed to figure that out?  That's like the cryptic stuff in Simon's Quest.  Anyhoo I have both of those things :) time to waste more of my day off when I should be doing something more productive

Waste?? I know I just didn't hear that. ;)

I respectfully disagree, it's not that difficult. The game gives you a map and fills it out for you. If you've explored the entire map, then you should have all the items. The items have descriptions.

I suppose knowing that you have to wear the Holy Glasses while fighting Richter is slightly tricky, but whenever there is a cut scene and then you receive an item, it's safe to say that the item is pretty important.

Plus, before handing you the Holy Glasses Maria states that someone must be controlling Richter and to not harm him. She gives you the glasses and continues, "If you wear these, you can see beyond evil illusions." All of this in the same conversation. I agree, it may be slightly tricky, but there are enough hints everywhere to make what you are suppose to do known.

the only thing i needed a walkthrough for in the normal castle was figuring out what room exactly i needed to be in when i wore the rings. i was a bit confused about where the clock tower was, and didn't want to explore the entire castle wearing them. other than that the rest is pretty straightforward if you pay attention to item descriptions and watch what people say in cutscenes.

I have experienced a lot more in games that don't offer any hints, (Suikoden had me questioning some of the 108 stars in terms of learning how to get them). I feel this trail of events was pretty straightforward, as I haven't needed a guide to get a full playthrough for this game, then again, it may just my habits of checking every corner of every screen in RPGs that caused this to be more apparent.

I agree with this techwizard and I think we talk about it a little in the podcast. The "Clock Tower" level is a staple of Castlevania games and usually includes the gear rooms (with those f@#king Medusa heads) and the pendulums, which these sort of rooms are actually located toward the NE corner of the map in this game. "Clock Room" might have been a better hint for the rings. However, being the only room with an actual clock, besides the rooms to the left and right of it, it's not a huge jump in logic.

I wouldn't say it's that easy either.  It's a huge map and it's really easy to overlook an item or to move past something you'd never think to back track to.

I probably could have figured out most of the puzzles on my own (and have for the most part) , but like I said I have time constraints and can't spend hours whipping every wall and exhausting every possibility until I get lucky.

I reached the inverted castle, and the difficulty level has noticeably ramped up.  It's a new game again!

My favorite part, I love it when stuff is actually hard...(Not like a lot of today's games, where they keep it low to guarantee people will play). I make a direct line to the Alucard Shield every time now I enter the reverse castle though, so it doesn't stay hard for too long.

Anyone develop a quick way to kill

Spoiler (hover to show)

Beezelbub

? I always take a solid 10-15 to get him done and am wondering if any of you found a way to get the job done without climbing up and jumping down for every hit?

Also, anyone have any thoughts on the Reverse Coliseum boss fight?

Spoiler (hover to show)

I never played it, but this was a Castlevania III reunion, with the three demons resembling your allies from that game.

Finally, anyone know what that shuriken-type thing that occasionally flies out of the shield rod is? I deals no damage and just sits there. To this day I haven't understood it...and the shield rod is all I ever use once I get it. (Jewel Knuckles otherwise)

You're right about that. The "Clock Tower" is a completely different area than where you wear the rings. The Clock Tower is with the Medusa Heads and the gears you can jump on. I think when I was younger I accidentally assumed the Clock Room was the Clock Tower.

I have not developed a quick way to kill him. I guess the Axe would be a good sub weapon but I usually don't carry that. If you go to the librarian and buy the Tactics for that boss, the video shows

Spoiler (hover to show)

the player using mist the travel upwards through him. He might be using the Axe too.

No real thoughts on the reverse Coliseum fight, I've barely played that game. I guess it's just a tribute.

I have no idea what that little shuriken thingy but I've been wondering the same thing.

I'd like to discuss 2 things.

1 - I mentioned the Confession Room a few pages ago but no one commented. I think it's a very strange area. The music is very eerie and religion has always been kinda taboo in US gaming. It's almost feels like it's separate from the game. Why would Dracula have a Confession Room in his castle anyway? I'm not sure what the message is, but I think there is something to it. Also, when you sit in the chairs and the results? I don't know...I just think there is a lot of symbolism and metaphoric value with that room.

2 - I have to assume that a lot of people have been using the Shield Rod combo because no one has mentioned the insanely difficult

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Galamoth fight. To this day, I cannot beat him without the Shield Rod combo or a certain helmet that helps in this fight

Uh yeah, here's a tip for killing every boss in the inverted castle easily (even Beelzebub).

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First head north and get the Alucard shield. Use shield rod technique against Galamoth. Get the Gas Cloud relic. This relic allows you to take no damage and fly around the room attacking enemies. So OP and yes, it works in every boss except Dracula.

I agree with RetroRage in that it's not easy to get to the inverted castle, yet I don't feel like it's overbearing or super difficult at all. With that said, I understand that people have limited time in a month and have encouraged that those who have not played it before consult a playthrough or ask for advice here. Maybe it's my age and the fact that the only game I owned for my NES for 6 months was Metroid, but compared to other games of the prior eras, the inverted castle puzzle in SotN is a cakewalk. Hidden paths/items is what made games like this fun when I was growing up, finding all of these little intricate surprises, extra rooms, weapon uses, etc.  Plus, there was excellent replay value, which is still very high in this game today.

My feeling is that developers wanted games to last longer back then, before figuring out that there was more money to be made in making games more straight-forward. When players finish quicker, they are in line sooner for a new $60+ game and if games are a little easier, it certainly increases the audience.

To take a turn at your questions Jerry:

1 - Religion has always played a heavy role in vampire lore, so churches and especially Catholicism typically show up. The Crusades played an intricate part in the Dracula story and the tie in with blood and flesh as sacrament play kind of a dual role in good and evil. Dracula is a conflicted character, as is evident in this story as well, so even though religion is thought to be his adversary, his human side still longs for some kinds of earthly presence. Another explanation might be that since Dracula was a human prior to being turned, the castle and Confession Room/Sacred area was more than likely created before he was turned.

2 - That was not my strategy at all for this battle, I

Spoiler (hover to show)

did not have the Alucard Shield, as I could not remember where it was located, and instead used the Shield Rod along with the Hearld Shield (lightning and fire protection). With this activated, I took only 1 damage each time I was struck. The battle took a long time, but I managed to make it through pretty easily.

 

Yes, I use the bat form's Wing Smash ability.  Go left and right through the core a few times and that fight is over in less than 30 seconds.  Same strategy I use when I fight Granfalloon.  You could also use the Shield Rod + Skull Shield combo for it's laser blast.

I had no idea that would do so much damage. I don't think I have picked up the skull shield before either. Is the laser blast similar to the one the nova skeletons fire?

@ Banana - I didn't know that piece of equipment did that. The item I was referring to was

Spoiler (hover to show)

 the Beryl Circlet, which absorbs lightning in HP, but I don't remember where it is. I think it's a rare drop from an enemy.

Re: Confession Room - I guess I really don't know a lot about Dracula, just what Castlevania taught me. I didn't think about his human side. I didn't even know he was human once, I just thought he was the original vampire king.

Here's what I've always thought of when you sit...
When you sit in the priests chair and the woman comes to confess, Alucard is not holy enough to relieve her of her sins so her sins attack Alucard.
When you sit on the other side, there are 2 outcomes. The priest attacks you or blesses you. I'm not sure if this is random or not, but I think it's because Alucard is good in nature, but he also has evil blood in him. Maybe it's based on time of day like the Sun Stone and the Moon Stone is.

Or maybe I'm over thinking this way too much and they are just monsters in disguise.

I think it's longer and more narrow.

I completely agree with you and its why Super Metroid is my favorite game of all time.  the exploration of an enormous world with a complete absense of tutorials is what made the game so great.  The sequence breaking too.  As soon as I learned the special techniques and figured out how to navigate through environments at times that werent intended made the game brand new again.  I can't tell you how excited I am to play that game next month.

And to be honest I felt dirty consulting a walkthrough.  I never like using those things because it removes the satisfaction of figuring out puzzles on your own.

@ Jerry Greenwood

the item you are referring to is:

Spoiler (hover to show)

in the reverse entrance. you fly through the upside down cave as a bat a few times and it opens up a room in the top right hand corner.

Two words: Lufia II

I spent DAYS as a young child trying desperately to figure some of the puzzles in that game out. No walkthroughs growing up, so I really didn't have a choice but to struggle, but I much preferred having my brother and our friends over to put our heads together to try to figure some of them out instead of just being able to pull up GameFaqs and have the answer spelled out for me. :)

@ Engineer Mike - Good call. Now that you bring it up, I vaguely remember that.


Before this discussion is put to rest in about a week, I'd like to bring up some of the flaws in this game.

1 - I hate using items. It's a pain to go to the menu, scan through all the BS to find a potion, return to the game to use it, go back to the menu and re-equip whatever you were using. It could've been much simpler.

2 - To piggyback off of that, I would've liked separate menus for things like weapons, shields, and items. Not one inclusive menu for everything handheld. I can't remember if PS has an organizer button, but the Xbox version doesn't have one. All of my items and weapons are mixed up. Bad menus.

3 -

Spoiler (hover to show)

There is a balance issue in this game. I would've liked the Inverted Castle to be longer and a little more difficult. All of the running around and almost all of the difficulty is in the Normal Castle. In the Inverted Castle, there are no items found that are needed to clear obstacles and Alucard is so OP that you're pretty much running and slashing the entire time you're in the I.C. Don't get me wrong, it's fun to run and slash, I just wish it was longer.

4 - This might only be an Xbox thing or my TV, but I thought the sound effects level was too high and the music was too low. I didn't see an option to adjust the levels.

All valid points of concern. Some of them we address in the podcast. ;)

So I got to the inverted castle...and holy crap has the difficulty ramped up.  It reminds me of the first time I made it to the Dark World in A Link to the Past. 

I'm so happy I decided to join in for this playthrough.  This game is easily the best game I've played all year.

Same here. Not my first rodeo, but best game I have played this year. Haven't played much though...I really need to play the other Castlevania games...and the LoZ games now that you bring up my favorite of the few I have played. Only beaten one CV game (this one), and one LoZ...(the original)

REALLY looking forward to a new experience with Super Metroid once I get back home though. That will be a ton of fun. :)

@RetroRage - As a long time fan of this game, I'm glad you're loving it. It's certainly in my top 10.

@Boshamp - Check out the first CV on the NES, just so you can see the roots. Most people don't like CVII, but I think it's brilliant. I think the general consensus is that Super Castlevania is the best. Castlevania - Hamrony of Despair (on Xbox Live and PSN) is easily my favorite download-only game. And what planet are you from?! Get off your ass and play some Zelda!   :) :)

I know it causes a lot of dissension amongst fans of the series, but Castlevania II:SQ for NES is my favorite Castlevania for that platform.
 

@Jerry i didn't notice any sound issues on mine, the volume seemed balanced enough. does your tv have an equalizer? maybe it's set out of wack

Given its ties to this game, I would want to go for CV III to see Alucard again with his "team". I plan to get a lot more played next year, but with my new position and hours, might be a lot more difficult in practice than in theory.

So I'm slowly making my way through the inverted castle, dying constantly.  I keep encountering enemies that take either 1 damage or nothing at all.  Everything that hits me takes 60 or more damage.  I just now stated using my familiars.  This is quite the experience....

i feel like you either took a more difficult route, didn't level up enough, or aren't using newer weapons as you find them...i don't remember having that many issues in the inverted castle. by that point i was able to 3 or 4 hit kill most enemies, and it didn't take long to start 1 hitting a lot of them.

Tech is right. Your weapon and armors must be awful. You should be cutting through most enemies like butter. What do you have equipped? Where is your save point? I'm sure there are a few good pieces you missed that you can retrieve very quickly.

If you've saved somewhere in the inverted castle, you might have to go back and get some gear relatively close to the Richter fight.

Yep, same here. I get a lot of flack for it sometimes, but I'm a fan of less linear games and for me, figuring out the puzzles makes it a lot of fun. Oddly, my least favorite on the NES is CV III. I know this is almost everyone's favorite, but I have just never been able to get into it.

Here's what I had explored before I began playing tonight.  Now I have 75% of the map blue.

[img width=700 height=933]http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w365/adsanislo/20141024_185359_zpsqkuoxbrd.jpg[/img]


I switched a few things around, the inverted castle is much easier now.  I put on the Twilight cape so hearts aren't a problem anymore.  I picked up the AlucarD sword and shield so now I'm choppin people in half pretty easily.  I also picked up a Nauglamir and the Dragon helm so my defense is in great shape.

Also, I had no idea I could go back to the original castle with Library cards.  This game keeps getting better.  And I caught up to the current checkpoint!

Sorry but I gotta hype my Castlevania marathon stream, going live very soon!

http://www.twitch.tv/rswslowman

glad to hear it's going better retrorage! and that's cool slowman, if i have time i'll check it out. do you know how long you'll be streaming?

retrorage's mention of the Nauglamir and the Dragon Helm reminded me of something i forgot to bring up during recording of the podcast. did anyone besides me notice how many Silmarillion references there are in this game? specifically it seems to reference the Children of Hurin story a lot. this game could have been really awesome if the story was based off that book, but it's still cool to see all the item references anyway. there's a Mormegil sword, Mormegil was a name given to a character in the Children of Hurin for the black sword that he used in battle. the Dragon Helm was worn by the same character, it was a dwarven helm which is supposed to be the only thing that protected some characters from dragon fire, and it was passed to this character from his father indirectly. Nauglamir was a necklace with a silmaril (jewel) embedded in it, a country was destroyed during a war over that.

it goes on and on, i really enjoyed all the references to that.

Ahhhhh..... I remember you mentioning this on Skype prior to recording. Hate we didn't get that in.

So many references.  It's deeper than a Cohan brother movie

How is everyone else doing?  I'm watching Slowman's stream right now, and just within 5 minutes I've seen him pull off moves I didn't even know were in the game...

I just finished the game.

Spoiler (hover to show)

The Shield Rod/Alucard Shield combo is so broken.  I kinda wish I didn't stumble across it.  The Dracula fight was the most anti-climactic fight ever. 

Spoiler (hover to show)

Yes, [your spoiler].  I sort of felt bad using it on the stream but I wanted to quick and dirty finish the game fast.  I'd already finished CV, CVIII, Super CV IV, and Dracula X earlier in the morning.  Thanks for tuning in!

My final stats for today's savegame was

-level 46
-196.0%
-4:21:55
-full bestiary
-all relics

I'll also post my final stats when I get home.

So I finally beat the game with Richter. It took about 30 minutes (not including the 20 times I died!), but I have a question. Does anyone know if I have to beat the 5 bosses in the inverted castle in order to fight Dracula? Since you don't get Drac's pieces in the Richter game, I skipped some of the bosses and I only got to fight Shaft and the ending was....quite lame.

Just go straight for Shaft, you don't have to fight any boss or collect anything with Richter, only whatever is in your way while you're getting to Shaft.  The reason you don't fight Dracula is that with Richter, you're playing the timeline that is pre-Alucard.  If Richter defeats Shaft then Dracula is not resurrected and Alucard never needs to show up to take care of it.  The reason Alucard showed up is because Richter failed and was possessed by Shaft, necessitating the game proper.  A Richter playthrough is the "pre-game", essentially.

Well.......you didn't HAVE to use it.  :P

There was a certain sword in the inverted library, that I obtained, to make the game pretty easy. I wonder if this sword is as cheap as the rod combo? Going to have to try that rod combo to see....

So....

1. Richter kills Dracula in the beginning (which I think is from the end of Bloodlines)
2. Unbeknownst to the player, Richter goes back to kill Shaft, but fails and Shaft possesses him
3. Alucard goes into the castle to stop the resurrection

So #2 is the Richter quest. Sorry if this was explained in the intro or in other dialogue. I don't pay attention to many video games stories. 'Alucard has to kill Dracula' is good enough for me.

Spoiler (hover to show)

Crissaegrim?

The playback of Richter killing Dracula in the beginning is from the end of Rondo of Blood (Japan only release). Rondo was released on the SNES as Dracula X, but there are several heavy differences.

1. Richter was the main character in Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo on the PC Engine CD. You know, that completely kickass Castlevania game that never materialized on the Turbo CD despite being a total killer app. We did get the much less exciting SNES port though. At least us foreigners can play it on our PSP now. So the beginning of SOTN is the ending of Dracula X, which is a pretty awesome way to establish a sequel. A lot of the development staff for SOTN also worked on Dracula X, but since it wasn't the most popular system they didn't get a big budget for Symphony. The budget went to the awful N64 Castlevania.

2. Richter being in the Castle again is the entire reason Maria is there. She was also in Dracula X but was a child in that game, now she's all grown up and knows that if Richter is going off to some strange, dark castle then something's very wrong and she wants to help.

3. Alucard is the Dark Horse that neither Richter nor Maria expected to show up at this point in time. He had been asleep for over 300 years after all. The last time he helped fight Dracula was when he traveled with Trevor Belmont in Castlevania 3, which was a major inspiration for Koji Igarashi and the entire team's design of this game and the later 2D games.

Bloodlines is the Genesis game, and it actually takes place in the 1900s, well over 100 years after Dracula X and SOTN. John Morris is the son of Quincy Morris, the random cowboy Texan from Bram Stoker's Dracula, the book. John Morris' son Jonathan is one of the two protagonists in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin for the DS, which is one of my favorites from the post-SOTN era. Portrait of Ruin came with a sweet pre-order package that includes a timeline poster, a soundtrack CD, DS stylus, and a nice game case. The timeline is useful for figuring out when games that released before Portrait fall in line with the overarching timeline.

I'm also a Castlevania nerd, but I've been quiet on here for the most part.

To add to it -- SotN takes place only 4 years after Rondo of Blood. In RoB, you can rescue the 13 year old, Maria early in the game and upon ending your game (finishing/dying), you can switch characters and play as her. Her weapon is throwing doves at enemies......yeah, if you think that's weird, you should see her sub-weapons. :P  This makes Maria seventeen in SotN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlN3oEjMpUQ

And yes............we also cover this in the podcast. :D

She's actually 12, and she has the ability to summon and control Animal spirits. She's also able to slide and double jump, which is awesome.

Fortunately, I've never played CV64.

Maria is also a playable character from Harmony of Despair. I've also rescued her in Dracula X on the Wii. I think they only offer the SNES version. I don't see what's so bad about the game. I can't imagine how much better it could be on Turbo CD, but I've heard it's far superior to the SNES one.

I've beaten Bloodlines a long time ago. Jonathan is also in Harmony of Despair and he's my go-to whipper.

My buddy is a Castlevania nerd too and he said one of the newer games totally destroyed the story and timeline. I forgot what he said, but he figured out that the story contradicts itself somewhere and they made poor choices on the plot. I think he said.....

Spoiler (hover to show)

Alucard is Trevor's dad or some ridiculous thing like that??

In re: the SNES version, Dracula X (from Wikipedia):

"While the plot is similar to Rondo of Blood and it uses many of the latter's graphics, it featured a different art style, redesigned levels, and altered gameplay elements (such as having only two alternate levels and Maria as a nonplayable character)."

Good to know Banana.

RE: correction to my plot line spoiler....

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I talked to my friend about the story. He said in Lord of Shadows on 360 and PS3, it is revealed that Alucard IS Trevor Belmont from CVIII. That is a train wreck of a story line. Follow this -  Dracula (aka Gabe Belmont) had a son named Alucard (who is Trevor Belmont). Trevor Belmont had a son named Simon Belmont. So in the original Castlevania, Simon's mission is to kill his grandfather, Dracula.

I really don't think this is what they had in mind in 1986.

My final stats are LV 45, 9:08:24 hours, 196.7% exploration. That's good for 1,098th place on the broken Xbox leaderboards.

That spoiler just made my damn mind explode. Dear Gawd, when did Castlevania turn into "The Young & the Restless?"

When Konami decided to outsource the project to Western devs and push Koji Igarashi to the side. IGA was at the helm of Castlevania from Chronicles through Harmony of Despair. He also wrote and co-directed Symphony and had something to do with Rondo of Blood, but he's just listed under the Special Thanks section of the credits. Under his lead the story of Castlevania continued to be deeply interconnected with Bram Stoker's novel, as ridiculous as that sounds.

I haven't played through either Lords of Shadow, mainly because the demo for the first one was dull and disappointing, and I knew it wasn't the Castlevania I loved. After reading that spoiler it seems like my instinct was correct in this instance.

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DRACULA IS VLAD TEPES GODDAMMIT! SCOURGE OF THE OTTOMANS. PRINCE OF WALLACHIA. THE IMPALER. HE'S NOT A FREAKING BELMONT!

Now that I've got that done I would really like to play the 1999 game where Julius Belmont completely destroys Dracula. He's obviously the most powerful Belmont but he's relegated to badass old man in the Sorrow games.

As far as Dracula X vs. Rondo of Blood, they are wildly different games that share a few commonalities.  It shares the basic story line but the level designs are completely different.  Richter controls the same.  If you've played one and then play the other, you'll get that "I've been here before..." feeling.  Rondo of Blood's texture resolution is probably double the SNES game's.  The music is redbook CD audio and the soundtrack is fantastic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT6PC3z-BLA).   They should not be directly compared though, they are two different games and both are good but Rondo is better.  Rondo of Blood is available on the Wii Virtual Console and Dracula X is available on the Wii U Virtual Console.

Ditto. I played for about 20 minutes.

@Slowman - I'll have to check it out. Didn't know it was on the Wii.

Stop making me want to download a game...

You could buy a real, physical copy of Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles for your Sony Playstation Portable!

I have it, but it's not quite the same as playing it on the big screen.

can i just say that this game set a new record for number of posts in the discussion. super mario RPG was the last champ at 299, and that was over 2 months!

Remote play with PS3 solves that.

eventually singlebanana will have to cave and get a PS3, he keeps getting reasons for it pushed on him ;)

It's coming this Christmas.......along with the Retron 5 that I picked up for my parents to give me yesterday. :D

Jealous that your folks still buy you gifts. I have to make up for lack of x-mas gifts, by buying myself stuff all year long.

Remote Play doesn't work like that - the only PSP games you can play on PS3 are digital releases, and I think it's only Mini's that are compatible.