>beat castlevania 1
>wow that was difficult, but fair and enjoyable
>Try 3
>Starts off ok
>Get half way through the game
>holy fuck


This shit isn't castlevania. it's kaizovania.

>didn't just fly through levels with alucard
kek

>>11834636 (OP)
play the Famicom version, it's more reasonable

>>11834641
I'm already committed.
I started 7-01, got to the top of the autoscroller, and there was still more level and my heart dropped.

I will beat this fucking game though

>>11834636 (OP)
the Jap version is easier I think. best off just playing a translated romhack of it

>>11834636 (OP)
I main my man Grant Da Nasty and yeah it's fucking rough. I got stuck for 3 hours on the staircase level that ends with ... Frankenstein(?). It was stupidly hard. I eventually had to switch off of Grant on the Death fight and I don't even remember if I was able to beat him. It's such a sick game though.

>>11834641
>play the Famicom version, it's more reasonable

pretty much all of konamis games are easier in japan, kek

>>11834650
Hell yeah. You're playing the superior version of the game OP, stick with it. It's tough but perfectly doable.

>>11834653
it's missing some loop 2 enemy types and stuff. where do i get a romhack of the western version with the additional harder content but with the vrc6 music of the jap version? why doesnt this exist yet? trannies, get on it.

>>11834636 (OP)
The only parts I found really hard was dodging the fireballs while going up the stairs in some later levels, I think it was a fair game outside of that
The japanese version makes the stairs ok and gives more spells earlier for Sypha, but it also makes the whole game too easy

They both have their pros and cons, I don't think the japanese version is superior like most people say

>>11834774
The VRC6's sound sucks, just play the NA one and recalibrate your musical taste.

>>11834636 (OP)
Pretty much. Everything before the castle itself is great. Even the really hard levels like the underground aqueduct level. The Castle is another level, though.

>castlevania 1
>fair and enjoyable
what

>>11834969
the only truly bullshit part is death and the room leading up to him

>>11834972
everything that flies or jump in this game is bullshit, the skeletal dragons are especially bullshit

I want to get into the classicvania games but I keep getting filtered by 1.
I loved sotn, the gba and ds games but I'll admit they were pretty easy.

>>11834985
Play Super, then Rondo if you like it. Go back to the NES ones last.

>>11834640
I didn't out of spite and god damn, that tetris level was some shit. But not unfair OP is just a scrub.

>>11834636 (OP)
anon I beat it when I was 7

>>11834636 (OP)

It's actually one of the best balanced games I've ever played. Challenging but completely fair and doable with a bit of persistence. Rewarding.

>>11834985

Just learn how double and triple shot works and how to acquire them, it's vital. The game is brutal if you don't and just play with lvl 1 subweapons and whip. Holy water is broken and cross is also strong. CV1 and 3 are amazing, don't get filtered and quit.

If you destroy a candle that drops a subweapon with a subweapon, you'll get item II/III

>>11834636 (OP)
Best NES game ever, no matter the version.

>>11834972

Call it cheating but Ipracticed that room using save states. Then once I get it down I play the level normally

It's actually pretty fair and there's a strat to beat it without getting hit once. Death is iffy but I can beat him usually only getting hit once.

>>11834636 (OP)
the mummy ganks where they throw a projectile on the first frame are quarter muncher shit, can't believe the slavs of /vr/ defend it but they do

>>11835508
>he can't sub one frame react

>>11834653
i play the pal version instead which is slower
i only play pal games anyway

>>11835542
The music is worse though

>>11835561
worse?
it plays just fine

>>11834636 (OP)
What I hate about CV3 is how long the levels are. CV1's levels have the perfect length.

OP here
I beat stage 7
I'm on stage 9.
Wish me luck

>>11835243
It's actually the 10th candle or enemy, both count. The Holy Water is a little different, if you kill a high-health enemy with the holy water it's practically guaranteed to drop a double or triple shot, no idea why.

>>11835436
>spoiler
Everyone does this. No reason not to.

>>11835653
>Everyone does this

you didnt beat the gaem

>>11835654
Good practice is smart practice. Obviously if you just brainlessly rewind your way through the whole game you didn't beat shit, but if a particular section is kicking your ass there's no reason not to isolate it, figure it out, then go back and do it for real.

>>11835723
I'm kidding I state-trained the whole game you imagine having to go through all of S07 and fight the three bosses without practicing. I'd lose my mind

Has anyone figured out a consistent way to deal with those hard mode flying skulls?

>>11834636 (OP)
It's still Castlevania. "Kaizovania" doesn't start until you try Loop 2 on the U.S. version.

>>11836049
>he thought loop 2 was difficult

>>11834636 (OP)
X86k is kaizovania.

>>11834760
assuming this didnt apply to the igavanias?

>>11835653
>Everyone does this
I don't. I play within the rule set of the game. No save states, no rewinds. Do you really like old video games if you cannot play by their rules? Don't say it is a waste of time to do otherwise. Reminder, you're on an enthusiast hobby board about that hobby.

>>11836414
I also play within the ruleset of the game. I beat the entire game without savestates after I practice.

>>11834979
that's just classic NES jank. It's not even close to the same level as other NES bullshit. The Ninja Gaiden games, for example, are much worse in terms of flying bullshit that spawns in the most inconvenient place over and over again.

>>11835638
I'm now on the last stage
Dracula's 2nd form is fucking weird. The fuck is it supposed to be? I guess since it's dracula from the 15th century he was still workshopping his motifs and second forms.

>>11836856
Ninja Gaiden is easier than all of the Casltevania games and doesn't have jank.

>>11836939
>Ninja Gaiden is easier than all of the Casltevania games
Anecdotal but I've beat CV1,2, &3 but never finished a NES NG game. Admittedly I need to play 2 and 3 more for sure but I really gave the first NG a really good try and that last level really filtered me.

>>11837051
They are still hard games. But Ninja Gaiden bosses are all really easy and recovery is never an issue. Enemies also always spawn in the same place.
2 is easier, 3 is harder (at least the US version).
It is probably down to whether you find slower or faster paced games easier. I find faster paced easier.

>>11836939

>>11836939

Meanwhile your sword barely even connects in Ninja Gaiden.

CV3 has the best Death fight in the whole series. The slowdown makes it feel even more intense.

>>11837328
>The slowdown
I remember an Anon calling it "SOVLDOWN"

>>11834636 (OP)
They made the US version harder on purpose. Americans are just a tougher breed.

>>11836939
early game ninja gaiden is easier, late game is harder, the hardest part of ng is harder than the hardest part of castlevania.

OP here

I finally beat it. Not the hardest game I've ever played but a tough son of a bitch anyway. Great game. Not playing the second quest THOUGH

>>11837051
>and that last level really filtered me.
Same exact story for me. Beat all 3 NES 'vanias, cannot get past the final level of NG1.

>>11837646
Congrats, play the japanese version and unwind, it's much easier.

>>11836046
No, they were designed to punish gaijin for Hiroshima. The closest there is to a consistent strat is on A-1, stay as close to the top of the screen as you can and hope their spastic patterns make them fly up and despawn.

>>11834780
Such pleb taste shouldn't be tolerated. Stream your death!

>>11838097
I'm playing through Dracula X right now and wow it feels easy after CV3. It's a remake of Rondo of blood but is rondo harder?

>>11838619
Rondo is probably the easiest classic game after Belmont's Revenge

>>11834636 (OP)
What do you expect from a curse from Dracula? A walk in the park? Nigga you gotta rise above that evil!

Why did dracula curse me anyway? It's the first castlevania game chronologically right so he shouldn't know who the belmonts are. Plot hole?

>>11836507
You broke the rule set the instant you started to brute force practice outside of the games rules.

>>11838949
That's like saying you can't practice football outside a football game.

>>11838972
Can you easily do the things to practice football during the game like doing laps around the field, have the quarterback volley throws to catch them at various distances, and so on?

>>11838972
>That's like saying you can't practice football outside a football game.

You can practice football outside of a football game. But then you're not playing the actual football game. The equivalent of that for video games would be doing excercises to improve your reflexes, your eye to hand coordination, or your number of button presses per minute, etc

Playing with savestates isn't "practicing outside of the game", it's playing the game with cheats. There is nothing wrong with cheats as long as you acknowledge them for what they are though, meanwhile you're lying to yourself about them.

>>11835436
It's cheating, yeah.

>>11834636 (OP)
You know you can switch characters, right?

>>11839390
>>11839429
I'm not "playing with save states". You guys can't read.

>>11839624
This. I'm not playing with save states and guides, I'm practicing and researching. Then I beat it normally.

>>11839624
What were they unable to read?

>>11839634
I'm not a thief, I just borrow the product from the store without giving money in exchange

>>11834780
Holy shit taste, my god

>>11839624
>>11839634
You fucks are retarded.
>>11839390
summed it up perfectly with
> it's playing the game with cheats. There is nothing wrong with cheats as long as you acknowledge them for what they are though, meanwhile you're lying to yourself about them.
The only time I'd say save states aren't cheating is if it's Fire Emblem or some shit like that and it's so you can just restart the level instantly instead of >hitting the reset button
>skipping over the intro
>selecting the save file
>watching the map scroll all over
>go through whatever dialogue is at the start of the level
>select your characters
and then actually get to play the game (for one of your guys to die from a critical first thing anyway).
And even then, I do it the old-fashioned way because I want to pretend I'm playing it on my Nintendo instead!
The moment you so much as created a save state, you forfeit the facade of doing it the right, old-fashioned way. This is okay if you don't give a shit about that, but you're actively acting like you do and saying you should get to use training wheels!
Even if it's just for practice, places like the hallway and death fight are supposed to be the culmination of and endurance round. It isn't just about being able to beat it; it's about being able to get through it after being worn down by everything preceeding it. It's like if the practice mode in SHMUPs gave you the ability to practice specific parts of a level instead of and entire level; it'd completely suck the point of what the game is built around. Especially since the Castlevania games get harder every time you die and make it further into a level.

>>11839872
>it's about being able to get through it after being worn down by everything preceeding it
Without MEMORIZING. Castlevania is best when you wing it.

That's why I ignore autists. Their opinion on difficulty is void.

>>11839872
I think you're just butthurt that there are better tools available for learning vidya than when you were 12 years old. Like someone getting mad we can learn calculus from a variety of videos and guides and not just a single textbook.

It's also funny that as soon as you press "save state" you can no longer say you beat castlevania EVER. Like your entire life, from now until death is tainted by pressing that one button. it's hilarious autism logic from people who want to say they're good at video games.

>>11839902
Nah, we had Game Genie too. We just had the sense to call it cheating.

>>11839907
If you used game genie even once you can never say you beat castlevania btw. You have tainted skill and muscle memory. Sorry I hope you beat the game before using it.

>>11839902
>>11839907
>man who cheated ferevently denies cheating more than Billy Mitchell

>>11838619
I got to stage 6 of Dracula X and lost all interest in playing. The game is a 5/10 and not at all as good as the earlier installments

Enemy AI is random
Repetitive rooms with spear knight/crow/skeleton pillar
Platforms are random
Hitboxes are janky as fuck
The controls feel like ass. Richter walks slow as fuck but jumps like an astronaut.

anyway, Moving on to a different game.

>>11839902
Of course cheating is a better tool than playing the game the way its suppose to be played.
>It's also funny that as soon as you press "save state" you can no longer say you beat castlevania EVER
Never said that, this was only in the case of abusing save states to brute force problem areas to accelerate skill and routing development which wouldn't be possible for the average player playing the game by its rules. I have a lot more respect for a person that used save states to get through a game and then decides to play the games by its rules and start beating them later on over someone that abuses save states for practice then immediately does 1CC or no miss runs.

I don't know why this is so divisive on a niche hobbiest board.

>>11838704
Europe was what got cursed, not Trevor

>>11840939
What the fuck is dracula's problem anyway? Why does he hate europe so much? Isn't that where he's from? Personally I don't get it. And why does Alucard hate him so much? Couldn't be a better dad, Dracula? What was he THINKING???

>>11834636 (OP)
Is this one of the few examples of the Japanese version of something actually being the easier version?

>>11840118
Skill issue.

>Enemy AI is random
No more than in any other game in the series
>Repetitive rooms with spear knight/crow/skeleton pillar
Even when the enemies are reused, every encounter is different
>Platforms are random
Nah
>Hitboxes are janky as fuck
They're a little skewed against the player, reminds me of Ghouls n Ghosts on Genesis, but once you know what to expect it's not an issue
>The controls feel like ass. Richter walks slow as fuck but jumps like an astronaut.
Deliberate, the jump was boosted because the game has the most verticality of any CV

>>11840976
>Skill issue

Why's everything gotta be a skill issue? The game isn't good, nothing to do with skill. I'd rather play a harder, funner game like ghosts of goblins.

>>11840638
>I have a lot more respect for a person that used save states to get through a game and then decides to play the games by its rules and start beating them later on over someone that abuses save states
We'll find a way to manage somehow.

>>11840984
Hope you find it.

>>11840118
>Enemy AI is random

I've played XX at least 30 times and the only enemy which are truly random to the point of real unpredictablity are the fleamen which only appear in one optional level.

>Repetitive rooms with spear knight/crow/skeleton pillar

People always complain about the spear knights, but honestly they're some of the most fun enemies in this game because of their varied and versatile moveset and how the game puts them in varied situations so almost every time you see them you have to handle them in a different matter. Unlike in X (Rondo) which almost exclusively use them on flat surfaces (funny how people don't complain about their easier version in Rondo despite them appearing in several levels too... ). Never heard a complain about crows or bone pillars appearing too often

>Platforms are random
What? I can't even imagine what you mean by that

>Hitboxes are janky as fuck
I played 30 times and never noticed anything wrong

>The controls feel like ass. Richter walks slow as fuck but jumps like an astronaut.
The controls are responsive, slow movement that requires thinking ahead and dedicated were always the basis bone of Castlevania. As for jumps being faster that's a classic risk/reward mechanic that a LOT of video games have. I think the main issue with the movement is not the movement per say but the walking animation which is slower than it should be and makes things appear more sluggish than they should, which a romhack fixes

>>11841657
The enemy AI is random, or at least pretty chaotic. I've walked into rooms and found the spearknights up close to me, and sometimes far back. If I leave the screen and re-enter I can reset their behavior. But truthfully I shouldn't have to do that.

You also have the issue of enemy projectiles coming from off the screen, which really shouldn't happen ever.

The game has no hit stun with the whip. Thus timing your whips with your subweapon is fucking pointless so that whole element of skill from CV1 and CV3 is gone. Also, the subweapons suck ass besides the axe. No upgrades too.

The spearknights are not fun to fight at all. Contrast the Shield Knights from CV1 and CV3. With enough skill I can mow them down with a combination of whips and subweapon attacks(Due to stun). In Dracula X my best strategy is to...whip them, run away, whip them, run away. It's tedious. In fact a lot of enemies are just whip them from outside their range over and over. I love fighting OAA by just jumping up and down while whipping them once.

But my biggest issue with dracula X is there's no rhythm. In CV1 and 3 the game is like a dance. I can move from screen to screen, throwing my subweapon and whipping in time to blow through enemies. in Dracula X I'm constantly stopping to just whip whip whip whip. Also I'm fairly certain Richter swings his whip about 50% slower than Simon or Trevor.

The game is just slop bro. You can like it but let's not pretend it's anywhere as good as CV1 or CV3.

that's what makes it fun

>>11841986
Most of of these things are either not a problem or identical in other CV games, and I think the spear knights are some of the most fun enemies to fight in the game.

also you don't need to back up after every single whip hit, the game leaves you enough time to backflip to safety

The cross is going against the first boss

The knife can stunlock the minotaur

And is also the best weapon to grind against Death

Even the key can be useful

>>11844361
>>11844358
Already beat the game. i don't need tips lol. The game is easy compared to CV1 and CV3, just not as fun. Again, a game can be UNFUN without being too difficult.

>>11840956
I will answer all of your questions

>What the fuck is dracula's problem anyway?
Satan worship
>Why does he hate europe so much? Isn't that where he's from?
He loves Satan and Europe loves Jesus
>And why does Alucard hate him so much?
Jealousy. You can tell by how he jacks Dracula's entire style in C3.
>What was he THINKING???
"This bird seems trustworthy"

>>11844861
His motivation changed now he's just butthurt about his wife.

>>11844375
Riveting gameplay

>>11844887
tfw there will never be a game as good as Castlevania 3.

>>11844887
Yeah that's a genuinely brilliant section. Taking something from Rondo that was completely inconsequential (taking the key and using it to open Maria's cell, located in the next room) and turning it into a gauntlet where you have to trek through an entire level without losing the key (either by dying or picking up another subweapon), even resorting to actually use it as a weapon, as well its item crash, which are pretty much just jokes in Rondo.

>>11844887
Yeah that's a genuinely brilliant section. Taking something from Rondo that was completely inconsequential (taking the key and using it to open Maria's cell, located in the next room) and turning it into a gauntlet where you have to trek through an entire level without losing the key (either by dying or picking up another subweapon), so you'll have to resort to actually use it as a weapon, as well its item crash, which are pretty much just jokes in Rondo.

>castlevania 2 is about dracula's curse
>it's called simon's quest
>castlevania 3 is a proper quest
>it's called dracula's curse

>>11845152
Perhaps Dracula's real curse was the Belmont family all along.

>>11836856
>>11836939
I found NG easier just because Ryu is much more agile than the castlevania guy

>>11840960
Bloodlines is the same way, although it's much less dramatic

I think the good parts of CV3 are better than the best of CV1, but the bad parts of CV3 are worse than anything in CV1. CV1 is consistently good even if CV3 has higher peaks. So whether you prefer 1 or 3 depends on much you can tolerate 3's bullshit.

>>11849073
Sounds about right but I'm something of a tolerater myself

>>11849073
I wish we got a release that combined the best of both versions. Or let you pick and choose. So you can have the original subweapon placement and the longer lasers in Dracula's fight.

You're supposed to get better at it as you play through the game. I guess you already reached your skill peak.