I binge watched season 2 of Castlevania on Netflix (I thought it was freakin' good, FYI), and I've been playing through Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night on the PS4 via Castlevania Requiem. Needless to say, I'm in a major mood for Castlevania so this week's Favorite Tunes is all about Akumajou Dracula.
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES)
The first Castlevania has been remade/re-imagined a few times over, yet the game that truly needs a makeover, Castlevania II, has yet to be touched. Unless you already know what to do, trying to get through Simon's Quest is impossible without a guide and as such, is often viewed as the weakest of the NES trilogy. Thankful, the music is still aces.
Beginning - Akumajou Densetsu (FC)
Known as Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse outside of Japan. The plot of the first two seasons of the Netflix Castlevania takes clear inspirations from this game. I really do like the NES version of this game's soundtrack but I cannot deny that the Famicom's extra channels do make the soundtrack have that extra pop.
Den (Stage 7) - Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (PCE)
What is widely regarded as the best traditional (non Metrovaina style) Castevania game, this game was stuck in no export for you status for the longest time. Over the past 11 years, it has recieved several re-releases outside of Japan, with the latest one being bundled with it's sequel, Castlevania Symphony of the Night on the PS4 until the title Castlevania Requiem. As fun as Metrovania style Castlevania games are, it's nice to return to the series more liner roots from time to time, which was one of the reasons Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon resonated so well with me. Rondo of Blood gives you multiple paths in many of it's levels, two characters to play as (as long as you collect the key and unlock Maria's cell in stage 2) and killer soundtrack.
Snake Head Medusa - Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (PS2)
From what I gather, most are in the camp that Castlevania should never go into the third dimension ever again. Leon Belmont, the protagonist of Lament of Innocence makes a portrait appearance in the Netflix Castlevania series on top of being mentioned by Trevor Belmont. If you've seen the dubbed version of Naruto and played this game, you might recognize Leon's voice actor. He also voices a famous copy night.
Marble Gallery - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS)
The fact that this game is not going to be available on the PS1 Classic system coming out next month is criminal. Yeah, I imagine that you've heard countless others say something along those lines, but I do believe the game being omitted from the list is a travesty. I've been going through this game on the PS4 and despite not having played it in years, it still holds up beautifully. Michiru Yamane's soundtrack to this game is a wonderful contribution to the series outstanding music.
Ending Theme - Super Castlevania IV (SNES)
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Super Castlevania IV's soundtrack is INCREDIBLE! This is an early SNES releases and the music still sounds amazing to this very day. Well-loved tracks from previous games like Vampire Killer, Beginning and Bloody Tears sound great but the new music is also just as grand. And speaking of grand, check this finale track!
Favorite Tunes Database
No comments:
Post a Comment