Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
polycounter lvl 18
Anyone played this game?
I think it's the right move in the 3d Castlevania series. A step forward in the right direction (overall) from Lament of Innocence, but the game is still lacking.
The map layout is great. The map art isn't. But visuals aside, this game feels more like Symphony of the Night (which is the main goal with this 3d batch of CV games). It just needs more vertical elements. It's still stuck in the level structure of LoI where everything was flat.
I think they really ought to look at how Metroid Prime captured the Super Metroid exploration mechanics.
There's some back tracking, which is GREAT! Finally! But again, the lack of vertical exploration leaves me wanting more. It feels mundane simply running long distances to access a new area. I miss double jumping graciously through hallways like in SotN... or super jumping through open spaces to try and find secret areas.
The fighting mechanics are simple. But it's weird because, I know they're going after SotN style gameplay... and fghting in the game was ridiculously simple. But because this is a 3d action game, I can't help but want some kind of stylish combo system similar (or identical) to the ones in the DMC games.
The different weapons are fun to play with, but ultimately you'll want the weapon the strikes the quickest. They really didn't put any incentive into using the different weapons other than to direct the way your pets evolve.
The pets in the game are kind of neat. They basically represent the various abilities the main character is able to pull off. But I think I'd rather have abilities my main character can pull off on his own (makes him feel more like a hero). I think the pets should remain like they were in SotN.
In general, I think the 3d CV series should be treated more as 3d platformers, where jumping is required, rather than 3d action games. You can argue that there are camera issues when dealing with jumping mechanics in a 3d platformer. But I think a lot of it can be overcome by good layouts. Have platforms along walls so the chance of falling off is reduced.
I had high expectation for the game, simply because IGA admitted the errors they made with LoI. I was hoping a lot of those issues would have been fixed in Curse of Darkness.
If you had to choose between Curse of Darkness and Dawn of Sorrow... I'd go for the DS game. Curse of Darkness is more for people who really like the Castlevania series.
I think it's the right move in the 3d Castlevania series. A step forward in the right direction (overall) from Lament of Innocence, but the game is still lacking.
The map layout is great. The map art isn't. But visuals aside, this game feels more like Symphony of the Night (which is the main goal with this 3d batch of CV games). It just needs more vertical elements. It's still stuck in the level structure of LoI where everything was flat.
I think they really ought to look at how Metroid Prime captured the Super Metroid exploration mechanics.
There's some back tracking, which is GREAT! Finally! But again, the lack of vertical exploration leaves me wanting more. It feels mundane simply running long distances to access a new area. I miss double jumping graciously through hallways like in SotN... or super jumping through open spaces to try and find secret areas.
The fighting mechanics are simple. But it's weird because, I know they're going after SotN style gameplay... and fghting in the game was ridiculously simple. But because this is a 3d action game, I can't help but want some kind of stylish combo system similar (or identical) to the ones in the DMC games.
The different weapons are fun to play with, but ultimately you'll want the weapon the strikes the quickest. They really didn't put any incentive into using the different weapons other than to direct the way your pets evolve.
The pets in the game are kind of neat. They basically represent the various abilities the main character is able to pull off. But I think I'd rather have abilities my main character can pull off on his own (makes him feel more like a hero). I think the pets should remain like they were in SotN.
In general, I think the 3d CV series should be treated more as 3d platformers, where jumping is required, rather than 3d action games. You can argue that there are camera issues when dealing with jumping mechanics in a 3d platformer. But I think a lot of it can be overcome by good layouts. Have platforms along walls so the chance of falling off is reduced.
I had high expectation for the game, simply because IGA admitted the errors they made with LoI. I was hoping a lot of those issues would have been fixed in Curse of Darkness.
If you had to choose between Curse of Darkness and Dawn of Sorrow... I'd go for the DS game. Curse of Darkness is more for people who really like the Castlevania series.
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I was
When you have a great game like the DS one out at the same time, there's just no comparison. Maybe I'll get this one when it's really cheap some day.