Castlevania Chronicles |
PlayStation |
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Review by Matt Paprocki |
Konami |
Platform |
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Graphics: 6 |
Sound: 7 |
Gameplay: 8 |
Overall: 7.5 |
![]() Castlevania Chronicles features a Castlevania originally released on the Japanese X68000 computer. This disc offers the game in two ways: Original and Arranged. The original mode is what it sounds like, the way it would've been played in Japan numerous years ago. The arranged mode upgrades the graphics and re-mixes the soundtrack. Either way, the game remains the same. A near carbon copy of the first Castlevania on the NES, players take control of yet another vampire killer and the same basic gameplay rules apply. Players will whip candles for power-ups, enemies for points, and walls for secret items. Each stage features a boss at the end, most of them repeated from previous games. The arrange mode is a pleasant surprise, but in some cases it's actually worse then the original. The music is horribly remixed at times making some of the classic tracks unrecognizable. Then again, some of them sound 1000's of times better. The graphics really haven't been upgrade that much either. There are a few more background animations, new look for our hero, and some numerous small features that will go unnoticed by all but the most nit-picky gamers. There is also a time-attack mode that can be unlocked by beating this mode.
Fans of the series will undoubtedly be happy that their getting a game they would most likely never play. The bargain price of $20 makes this one a steal and because of this, most can look over the lack of extras. While it will never compete with the other entry of this series on this system (Symphony of the Night), it's still a great game. It may seem too familiar for fans of the first game on the NES, but the slight differences and DVD-like extras make this one worth the price of admission. |