Castlevania: Curse of Darkness

Who's played this game? The reviews I've read have been good, but not perfect. Still, its a really awesome game. Not QUITE as good as Aria of Sorrow, but definitely better than Harmony of Dissonance and Circle of the Moon. And infinitely better than Lament of Innocence. (No level-ups? No varying whips? How basic can you make a game, Iga? I know its supposed to be the beginning of the Castlevania tale but damn.)

Anyways. This game is, like Aria of Sorrow, not about a Belmont, but about a man named Hector. Interestingly enough, before the game started, he wasn't a hero. In fact, he was originally a Devil forgemaster working for Dracula! However, not long before Trevor Belmont (of Castlevania 3, I believe--I'm not too good on my Castlevania history prior to the GBA games) slayed the Prince of Darkness, Hector quit and tried to live a normal life. However, his fellow devil forgemaster Issac decided he didn't like this and as such, had his wife framed as a witch, and the town they were living in...well. You can guess what happened. There's a lot more to this plot, but I'll let you play to find out.

We still don't get a whole connecting castle, but I like the new format. Hector basically explores most of the countryside (a LONG countryside) searching for Issac, while throwing down with numerous baddies, both grunts and bosses. There are ten large areas (not counting the two extra towers) to explore, and its a He even has a few fights with the Belmont. (First fight's a rip-off. The next....yeah. SO awesome!)

Another great part of this game is in its added features. Because Issac wants Hector to become a Devil Forgemaster again, you meet a total of five (six if you count the joke "Pumpkin") "Innocent" Devils that you can use to help you in battle. Some help you get past certain stages, others heal, others still help in battle--they all have different uses, and all of them have the ability to evolve to a bigger variety of devils. In addition, after using an Innocent Devil for a certain amount of time, they drop Devil "Shards", which can be used to create new Innocent Devils. Why does this matter? Because the next generation of I.D.s take on stat boosts depending on what evolution you had the last one at.

There's also the equipment forging. Various materials found (or stolen from enemies throughout the game) can be used to create new weapons (swords, spears, axes, and special) or armor. For the most part, you won't have to spend much of your time finding material to make new weapons or armor, except of course when you're making final weapons.

However, this does mean that its best to either look up GameFAQs, or buy a strategy guide, because you'll miss a lot of the best stuff without it. Hell, there was a specific point in the game where I wouldn't have been able to proceed without one.

Anyway, I'm down to the last bit of the game. All that's left are the typical last enemies of Castlevania, and the extra stages. Unfortunately, unlike a typical Action-RPG, my levels are a bit low, and since I died fighting the boss of the Infinite Corridor (kicked his ass second time around tho), I'm not in any shape to throw down with Issac. But I'm sure with so many other hardcore gamers on the forum, SOMEONE'S beaten it and can give a review on it.

Anyone?

Interesting... how's it compare to other games like it, like Devil May Cry and in overall quality where would you rank it among other Castlevanias?

In terms of overall fun, I'd say it beats DMC because its two best games are both hard as ****. ^^ However, in terms of fighting systems and what not, I have to say that DMC3's numerous "styles" and combo systems makes it pretty much equal with this game. Hector's way of fighting changes depending on if you're using an axe, spear, sword, knuckle, or special weapon. Some of them require careful timing and planning to use against the hordes of demonic enemies you face, because weight comes into play with the higher attack weapons. Plus the combos change and lengthen with the higher-up weapons. Like the knuckles. They start out with the Punch Rings and do maybe five hit combos. The pata, two long bladed weapons I'm using now, last about eight, and if you do five-hits then press the final button, Hector uppercuts his enemy then slams down on the ground, hitting everything close to him with a powerful blast of holy energy. :buttrock: :buttrock: :buttrock:

As far as other Castlevania...well, like I said my knowledge is limited. I've played the GBA ones, a little of Super Castlevania IV, and Lament of Innocence. Honestly? Aria of Sorrow aside--THIS is my favorite. Of course, AoS is one of the most awesome games ever so that's in no way a knock.

*wonders how Dawn of Sorrow is*

I've yet to crack open Dawn of Sorrow, but word is it rivals the legendary, Symphony of the Night.

Aria of Sorrow was infact the fuggin' shizzle. :thumbs:

As if I didn't want a DS for Lunar: Dragon Song and Dawn of Sorrow already. Now I want it even more....damn, why is there no DS Emulator??

Cuz it's MUCH cooler to own one.

Oh, and beware Lunar... I've heard it's gotten ghastly reviews all around, including from people who were fans of the series.

I'm pretty broke atm, so I can't afford a DS.

As for Lunar...no one can possibly be a fan of it like I (and my girlfriend) are. To quote myself on my opinion of the game shortened to a single sentence?

"Lunar isn't a game. Its a fucking experience."

I could rave on and on, but that's the most basic way I can put it. Until I play it and see for myself, I can't agree with other reviews. Thanks for the warning though. (I haven't liked what I heard either, but hey, this and DoS are the only reasons to play the DS, as of yet.)

Dawn of Sorrow, Jump Super Stars, better GBA experience, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attourney, Anime Crossing, Mario Kart DS, and the upcoming Pokemon games..... lotta good reasons to get a DS. </fanboy>

Last night, I kicked the ass of the secret boss(es). For the record, here's some useful knowledge if you want to pwn in this game:

Bone Storm Is Your Savior.

Imagine a technique that nails the enemy repeatedly, doing moderate damage with each singular hit. Imagine said technique can go on for at least a minute. Now imagine that it costs HP to use, but only a small amount. So small that even bosses can be killed by spamming it.

Can you imagine that? Then you can imagine Bone Storm. You can only get it from one of the four final evolutions of your Battle ID: Corpsey. He's a tall skeleton knight with a long orange blade that he uses to dice your enemies to shreds. Yes, he IS that awesome even without the technique. With it...he's invaluable. You can beat any boss except for the final three by spamming that attack, and even though it uses your Battle ID's HP, it won't die. (I killed the second secret boss with it easy, and Corpsey wasn't even close to death yet.)

BTW...Anime Crossing? That's GOT to be a misspell.

I attempted the two secret areas Sunday. Two fifty level towers. The first one's a cakewalk. The second one is filled with uber-leet monsters that hit harder than any boss you've ever faced...except the first secret one. I made it down to the 15th level of the second one, then slipped and forgot to heal, when I was low on health and fighting this new enemy that I'd never faced before, and let him hit me. His level was much lower than mine but....let's just say he hit much MUCH harder than expected.

Having had to start over, I've decided to go train some and get stronger...the next time I post I'll have probably beaten this game...