Your favorite Castlevania game in the series?

[zetastrike]

You left Circle of the Moon off the poll....

 

Seriously, that game is the only Metroidvania I've play that wasn't a cakewalk. The design of the castle just flows so well, unlike SoTN and presents you with a very balanced, well paced challenge. It doesn't get boring or tedious as you explore. The enemies of the game are actually a threat throughout your trek through the castle, unlike SoTN or the other two GBA games where you're pretty much invincible once you defeat the first boss. I appreciate that your character has a whip and there's no need to manage what weapon you're using, but the card system keeps things interesting as you experiment with different combinations. The music is top notch, with some nice remixes. It's just a very complete package.

[Zap!]

Obviously it's not a real Castlevania game, but I wonder how "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon" would have done in this poll...

[Austin]

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is awesome. I'd put it up pretty high on my list if it was in the running.

[Zap!]

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is awesome. I'd put it up pretty high on my list if it was in the running.

 

The only thing that really differs is that the bosses are fairly hard. Bosses in the 2D Castlevania series are notoriously easy.

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Obviously it's not a real Castlevania game, but I wonder how "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon" would have done in this poll...

It would definitely be in the runnings. After playing though Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon three times it's probably my #3 favorite Castlevania game, just behind Symphony of the Night and the original Castlevania.

 

Castlevania: Chronicles should be in there somewhere too. The boss fight against the werewolf at the top of the clock tower in that game possibly the most ridiculously awesome thing I've ever seen in a Castlevania game!

[Tanooki]

I originally voted for both CV3/4 as I couldn't decide even then and still now I'm not sure.

 

I like how it started with that style and those 2 refined it the best. But I also have a large appreciation for some of the exploration action-RPG style titles too so I really do enjoy Aria-Dawn of Sorrow/Castlevania2/SOTN for that. It allows the feel, a good challenge, but better pacing and a larger space to really enjoy your time more than some rote memory platformer, not that they're any worse, just different.

 

I would find it most amusing if this poll had a split done to it instead. Platformer style, Action-RPG style and see where people would have rated either type of game and where the votes would have dropped.

[Austin]

The only thing that really differs is that the bosses are fairly hard. Bosses in the 2D Castlevania series are notoriously easy.

I think it's harder to learn the bosses in Bloodstained as their patterns are more intricate, but once you do they are pretty easy--there is very little randomness to any of them. On the flip side, the stage layouts themselves are pretty safe with few dangers and very small amounts of enemies overall that are actually of any kind of danger, especially if you are using particular characters. Overall the stages are easier than just about anything in the classic CV series.

 

I would find it most amusing if this poll had a split done to it instead. Platformer style, Action-RPG style and see where people would have rated either type of game and where the votes would have dropped.

Personally speaking, when I talk about favorites in this series I always split it up into the two major types. I am a big fan of the MetroidVania subset, but the fact is they only have a little bit in common with the traditional linear format when it comes to the kind of replay value they offer and the kind of approach you take with them. One's hardly a replacement for the other.

Edited August 20, 2018 by Austin

[PFG 9000]

Castlevania has been my favorite series for most of my life. I think Super Castlevania IV is my favorite overall, but there are so many great entries in the series. CV3, CV4, Rondo, and SotN are always the most talked-about, and deservingly so.

 

But Belmont's Revenge on the original Gameboy is also great. The gameplay was sped up over the first GB entry. You can choose the order of the first four stages. And the soundtrack is just out of this world for a GB title.

 

Chronicles/Akumajo Dracula X68000 is another fantastic entry. It's yet another remake of the Simon vs Drac encounter, and is much more similar (in terms of stage design) to the original than CV4 was. I love how many weird "one-off" encounters there are throughout the game, like the 2-headed monster that jumps out at you in the dungeon stage, or the stained-glass knight in the red cathedral stage. For such an early title, it's quite full of cool set-pieces.

 

Aria of Sorrow deserves more discussion too. It's the SotN formula, but distilled and perfected. It has a great selection of weapons, each area of the castle is unique, the soundtrack is just right, and the series finally hit the perfect balance of graphics vs. sound quality. (Circle of the Moon had amazing sound quality but the graphics suffered. Harmony of Dissonance had some of the best graphics on the GBA, but the sound quality was poor.) Most of all I love the story of Aria. It had a nice twist that gave us a break from the typical CV storyline.

 

The DS Castlevanias are all great, though Portrait of Ruin seems fairly bland to me. Dawn of Sorrow was essentially a re-tread of Aria of Sorrow, but still well worth playing. Order of Ecclesia is another high point for the series, finally bringing the high difficulty of the classic games to the Metroidvanias.

 

Let's not mention that Lords of Shadow sub-series. They had some good things going for them, but they're terrible as Castlevania games.

[Video]

I liked the game boy one, circle of the moon I think? I'm playing one on 3d's at the moment and it's pretty cool, but different than the older games.

[Tanooki]

There's not just a GBA one, there are three. Circle was #1 and fairly crude as it was rushed out, but it's the most challenging on the handheld. Then there's Harmony of Dissonance which is fantastic, has chiptune audio which was a step down for detractors from the original, but the graphic quality and designs were upped a notch. Then there's Aria of Sorrow which the post above yours is right, the best of the lot and lessons well learned in stage, visual, and audio design where it really does in many ways best SOTN and then the first on DS is the direct sequel with the same level of care (the other two lack) which is Dawn of Sorrow.

 

I do agree that 2nd one on the Gameboy was fantastic. I know I'm not in the majority but despite that tool IGA reconning it I really do enjoy Castlevania Legends which is the 3rd one and the only with a female lead in the classic style games.

[Newsdee]

I found Order of Ecclesia amazing, not only gameplay but storywise. Maybe the only game in the series that I played to 100% completion. My only complain is that it felt too short...

[Video]

Really? Cool, I'll have to find the other two, I really liked this one.

[Rocket Man]

Castlevania for me: the music and basic concept do it for me everytime. I'm still stuck on the Reaper as an adult. As a kid I couldn't beat Frankensteins' Monster, so I've progressed a little bit. I love the entire series and haven't played a Castlevania game that I didn't enjoy. They all feel special in their own right. The most graphically impressive iteration would be the Playstation 1 game, can't remember what... oh yeah, Symphony of the Night. One of these days I'll go through that one. I'm stuck on the first iteration for the GBA, most impressive and I love the Metroidvania aspect of it.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

For me I voted with Rondo and Bloodlines with Rondo being my favorite I've played. I'm more into the classic CV formula and Rondo still retains that without the RPG elements that started with STON. I can certainly see why SOTN is the highest on this list, but again I started with the original on NES and PC so the old traditional platformer simple style is really what I prefer. Rondo and Bloodlines keep to that formula and do it well.

[derFunkenstein]

 

I know that there's no Maria, but I didn't realize (or didn't play far enough in the SNES version to see) that level designs had changed. I played through the first stage with the ROM and my Everdrive and turned it off since it felt like the exact same thing. I'm still pretty impressed by the music, though.

Ok so I came to take back this post. Theyre very different and Dracula X is not very fun. The design appears to favor unavoidable cheap deaths over actual challenge. I made it to stage 4 tonight before I finally spiked the controller on the couch and called it a night. LOL

[Zap!]

I wonder how many votes "Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night" would have got...

[+save2600]

Can't seem to vote, so I'll do so here. For me, Super Castlevania IV gets top rank. With the PCE Rondo of Blood next, and the original NES Castlevania after that. 

[digdugnate]

Super Castlevania IV is my favorite, followed by Castlevania (NES).  I'm not a fan of the newer Castlevania games- I had too hard a time getting into them versus the ones from the NES/SNES era.

 

I wanted to edit my post too to add in Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, even though it's not a 'Castlevania' game- i just beat it on 'normal' today and what a blast!