#Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

1239 messages · Page 2 of 2 (latest)

rustic bane
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Yeah I think complétion of a game just means what you want it to mean. It is up to everyone to decide according to their experience, personality, conscience, circumstances, etc.

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So to come back to rondo … for me I felt that I have completed the game when I reached 94 %, for others 60 % was enough… and for you it had to be hardcore mode !

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How far are you into it btw?

uncut spoke
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I finished it with richter, saving maria and annette. I did discover 2' and the alternate boss for 1 (obviously), but I haven't been back yet. Been playing RCR and PE2 mostly. After that, I'll probably come back to this and R4, because I know I can't finish VS in what time I have if I started now,

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There's definitely a lot more to explore with this game, and I've loved all of it.

rustic bane
uncut spoke
rustic bane
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Man you’re so good !!!

rustic bane
uncut spoke
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I grew up in this era and some of my favorite games include NES Ninja Gaiden, battletoads, and The Immortal... I'm weird that way.

rustic bane
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I mean most people had a hard time beating it using Maria and save scumms!

uncut spoke
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Took me 6 hours, but I got there.

rustic bane
rustic bane
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Enough to be proud of me !

uncut spoke
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and then later.

hmm, I've tried everything... to get this door to open... Except that one random ring that always kills me... guess I'll try it again... door opens

quiet plank
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I restarted last night with retro achievements turned on in hardcore mode. I got to a different boss in stage 4 and got wrecked. I think I'll try again to go the way I did last time

uncut spoke
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It's such a fun game. I definitely want to come back and find the other alternate routes I'm missing.

mighty forge
rustic bane
rustic bane
quiet plank
rustic bane
uncut spoke
# rustic bane nES

I like genesis one too, and it's probably better overall. But I grew up with the NES one.

quiet plank
rustic bane
uncut spoke
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I didn't find death particularly difficult, really. Take out the scythes quickly so they don't get overwhelming, dodge the skulls, then use whatever item crash and the fight is pretty much over. Ghost staff on the other hand... that one sucks.

rustic bane
uncut spoke
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I think most of it was psychological. I mean, yes, he's tough, but I think I was just so worked up every time I got to him because his stage is also really difficult. Once I played with some save states and figured him out more without the pressure, it wasn't bad at all. || Hit him fast before the bats all spawn. Backflip over whatever the monster is that comes from the floor. Run to a side and see if the dragon spits fire. If he does, dodge, if not, then use item crash to become invincible when it swoops down on you. || Really not hard with just a bit of practice.

slow pewter
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Just finished, final boss was super underwhelming compared to some of the others

rustic bane
indigo heart
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I think that’s true in most games

unkempt socket
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yeah castlevania final bosses are a mixed bag lol some of them are really cool but some are mixed

rustic bane
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This one is not bad by any means. Everything’s good : Dracula’ entrance, the vibe, the music, the transformation, etc. It’s just surprisingly easy.

unkempt socket
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yeah

small plinth
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oh man, someone could have told me about rescuing a character that makes the game easier before i just completed the boss rush stage!
i heard about rescuing maidens but i didn't see a single one - i guess they're all stuck in the castle.
great game - super rewarding but brutal. zoinks

shadow linden
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I am at the boss rush stage now. It’s a doozy.

mighty forge
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I found myself using the item crash for the iframes almost as much as the damage

mighty forge
uncut spoke
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Or at least go back and read some, especially if you're late to the party.

quiet plank
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So I did beat level 5 today with no save states. I'm definitely starting to land in the "no save states for real playthroughs" camp. They can be really handy for getting reps in on hard parts or tricky bosses, but they also can make some things way harder. The level 5 boss ended up going down pretty easy when I made judicious use of an item crash, which I tended not to do when I was using save states

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Also right after that in the boss rush stage, I discovered that if you ||beat the all the pre-bosses and die on shaft, you don't start over at the beginning, you start at shaft.|| So ironically, using save states probably made the boss harder for me on my first play through because I didn't realize where I would start after I died, and I ended up doing the whole thing with one life

rustic bane
quiet plank
uncut spoke
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I always go with no save states at first. I just have retroachievements default to hardcore mode. Then, using save states is a conscious decision rather than the default.

rustic bane
quiet plank
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oh how quickly I forgot how much I suck at the beginning of stage 7

uncut spoke
uncut spoke
quiet plank
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Stage 7 is a bit annoying because the beginning is hard, and the boss is hard, but the middle is just kinda tedious once you know how to do it

uncut spoke
rustic bane
mighty forge
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I'm a big advocate for save states in games that were not this well designed and thought out

agile terrace
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I didn't realize the TGCD version of this had kick-ass anime cutscenes

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I'd only played the PSP version previously. This is great

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I didn't realize it was in Japanese but I'm kind of digging it, even if I don't know what's going on, haha

uncut spoke
shadow linden
fervent shell
agile terrace
opal zinc
uncut spoke
analog island
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I just want to play this again but I need to finish PE 2

atomic violet
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I think I'm gonna start using less save states as well, I feel like I'm getting too reliant on them. Makes it hard to adapt when there's a game like Cave Story since the ports core doesn't support save states.

agile terrace
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Maria and this turtle are busted and I love it

agile terrace
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Yeah, I wasn't digging this but Maria makes it easy enough that I'm having a good time now

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I really just want to get to the next ridiculous anime cutscene

strong sparrow
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Maria is so fun as a protagonist

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Absolutely loved this game, more than I thought I would

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Dracula folds like a cheap accordion though

mighty forge
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ok so which castlevania has the best or worst box art

unkempt socket
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the art for chronicles is kinda sick... not sure if it would jsut count as castlevania 1 tho, its a remake of a remake of castlevania 1. but i think its different enough?

4517630-castlevania-chronicles-playstation-front-cover.png
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NA version is cool too for once

68cover2.png
atomic violet
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Those are both hot

unkempt socket
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yeah

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but yeah its the playstation version of the x68000 version of castlevania 1 lol

indigo heart
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Castlevania 1 has the best box art

quiet plank
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Finished with no save states. Start screen says 19 continues. I think more than half of those were the beginning of level 7. GotY so far for me

IMG_9131.png
rustic bane
unkempt socket
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nice!

floral tundra
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The thing about castlevania art is Ayami Kojima just hits it out of the park every time. It's hard to say what's best

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I like Super IV 's but the character stills from SOTN are incredible

unkempt socket
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she didnt do order of ecclesia right? i really liked the portraits and general art style in that

floral tundra
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Nah that was Masaki Hirooka, but there's some portraits of Shanoa that ape Kojima's style

unkempt socket
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yeah definitely lol. it felt like a bit of a return to that style vs the more anime look of the other DS ones

floral tundra
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But you're right, Ecclesia's art is striking as hell

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I think it's my favourite DS castlevania, it's quite a but harder than the other two as well, which I like

unkempt socket
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yeah same

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tho i also like portrait a lot too cuz i think its gameplay mechanics are fun and used quite well

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its got like, a good amount of player expression

floral tundra
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Can ruin be played in co-op or am I delusional

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They are all phenomenal honestly lol

unkempt socket
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only for boss rush i think

floral tundra
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Kojima style but from Hirooka

agile terrace
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Done! Lots of fun with Maria

tall dock
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Btw, with OG Castlevania nominated for July, everyone who thought this game is hard, wait until you play the OG,

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I don't think I have ever been more frustrated in my life than when I played the og

floral tundra
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MEDUSA HEADS LETS GOOOO

unkempt socket
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yeah tho you can cheese like half the bosses with holy water in the OG at least

supple radish
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stage 7 is absolutely kicking my ass

mighty forge
quiet plank
supple radish
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the area just after, i think the clock tower?/place with all the gears and such

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ill grab a screenshot when i can

slim spruce
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Yes it's the clock tower. One of the most irritating parts of the game.

quiet plank
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Really? I found the beginning with the bats much harder.

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if you don't want to look up a video and are curious for some less spoilerish, but still technically spoiler tips, here are mine:
|| There are at least 3 foods, and 1 extra life in level 7 that I found. In the first part of the tower, make use of the axe to kill the skeletons above quickly. In the second part, dodge the first attack from the harpies, then jump and whip when they come toward you. In the third part where you go back up, the double tap backflip move is your friend. The red brick part is all about being patient against the big sword guys.||

uncut spoke
quiet plank
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I got to the point where everything between the bats and the boss of that level was basically automatic for me. I would take some damage here and there, but the food is plentiful enough it didn't matter

uncut spoke
quiet plank
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yeah, the first couple times it is overwhelming with all the flying bad guys and projectiles. But take a deep breath, use your special items, and your move set and its not that bad

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that beginning of stage 7 on the other hand, I still feel like I have to get a little lucky to make it through without losing a life. My goal for every continue was just to make it to the tower without dieing

stark ridge
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Not sure what I'm doing wrong but I've checked I have the right bios files for the tgcd version and it keeps loading into a funky but unhelpful cd audio interface. So far I've only tried the English translated version, but I have no idea what I may have done wrong

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(I read up and I've only tried cd3 bios, I'll point it to the others and try again)

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No it ain't that, syscard 1 2 and 3 don't make a difference

stark ridge
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Oh nevermind me, I'm a numpty. I keep forgetting that with the odin it for some reason prefers a reboot of the system whenever I add a new rom. Mostly for cd based games.

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Hope this helps another odin user down the track

compact narwhal
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Finally found some time for this and I'm STUCK at the stage 4 boss

tall dock
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Ok, so I completed the game, it says 60%, I opened the guide to see what I missed, and I swear that there was nothing chasing me on stage 2

rustic bane
tall dock
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Turns out I never reached stage 2 but stage 2'

rustic bane
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Like after beating the serpent you go directly in 2’?

tall dock
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Not sure exactly, cause I played it first time at the beginning of May, but I think if you take his orb the level just ends? I know I never got the part with giants on stage 1 on my first run

mighty forge
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You fell down in between jumps on a specific screen, thats how you got to stage 2'

indigo heart
tall dock
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Nope, that's how you get to stage 3'

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So I never had chase scene on first run, cause it is in stage 2 and I went to stage 2'

rustic bane
quiet plank
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Is there any way to tell what things I still need to do get 100% (I'm at 96%)? I've at least been to every stage, and I thought beat them all, but maybe I missed one. I definitely completed all of the rescues

unkempt socket
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did you do 5'? you can only get to it after beating dracula once

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so if you did the alternate exit to 4 where u fight ||carmilla|| on your first playthrough you might still have missed it.

quiet plank
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I definitely beat that boss again after I beat Dracula, but maybe I didn’t finish 5’ after I got there. I’ll have to check.

quiet plank
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so it looks like I unlocked 5' but never beat it, so that is the last 4%

quiet plank
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OK, no wonder I blocked state 5' from my memory

unkempt socket
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yeah lmao its brutal

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||no boss tho|| at least

compact narwhal
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OhmyGOD Death is killing me

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Okay so I have realised that I fight a boss forever, then come in here and say it's impossible for me to beat them, and then immediately beat them

uncut spoke
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taking a break is very helpful sometimes.

quiet plank
unkempt socket
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yeah. ||No health bar tho so it's not a boss!||

compact narwhal
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Alright level seven. Might give this a shot once and then end for tonight

compact narwhal
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This is SUCH A GOOD GAME.

compact narwhal
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I do not understand how to get through level 7

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These water ghosts are killing me constantly

slim spruce
compact narwhal
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I'm playing with Maria and every ghost takes out a big chunk of her health

slim spruce
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I haven’t tried playing as Maria yet

compact narwhal
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I need like a week to get used to playing with Richter lol

quiet plank
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I haven't played that stage as Maria, but I found with the water ghosts a good general strategy was to let them come to me, kill a group of them, and then quickly move on

compact narwhal
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Ahh I'll try that. My strategy and been to just run and get to the top as fast as I can but then the flying thing on the next step instantly kills me

compact narwhal
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I killed the flying thing and now I don't know what I'm supposed to do next?

quiet plank
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I’m not sure what flying thing you’re talking about, and now I’m wondering if I gave advice for the right level 😅

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I finally beat level 5’ though. 100% with no save states

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compact narwhal
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I finally made it to the boss of 7 and lost lol. Will try again tomorrow

compact narwhal
unkempt socket
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i mean you can get 100% without seeing absolutely everything i think cuz the levels branch and you dont need every exit for 100%, you just need every level

compact narwhal
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Hopefully I'll finish this this weekend in time for gotm, and then replay it until I rescue everyone

quiet plank
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I think 100% is beat every level, beat every boss, and rescue all the maidens. Certainly there are some secrets I missed. And I didn’t beat every level with both playable characters either.

unkempt socket
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yeah the levels usually have some exclusive segments in each fork so to experience every single room youd have to do each level twice

quiet plank
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Today in 1897, Dracula was published. Might as well celebrate by playing more Rondo of Blood

atomic violet
indigo heart
mighty forge
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I'm sad we have 1 nominated and not 4, it's an improvement across the board on VERY similar levels

rustic bane
atomic violet
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Accidentally stumbles on someone Oh yeah sure let's go

compact narwhal
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Time for shaft's ghost

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Thoughts on whether the dragon is better Vs the bird?

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Beat thattt. Dracula timeee

daring mortar
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really dug Rondo. Glad I played it finally it’s been on my backlog for forever. Maria’s double jump and bird attacks rule

mighty forge
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im a little sad that this chat is going to go dark, it's been the most fun i've had since joining this server

unkempt socket
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glad people liked it this much lol i was kinda concerned. classic castlevania just doesnt click for a lot of people

compact narwhal
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And retrying with Richter since I took the easy way out with Maria

unkempt socket
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maria is easier but not by that much. helps a lot with bosses i guess

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if u can beat it with maria u can do it with richter with a few more tries

compact narwhal
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Amazing, this might be the game I try to go 100% on achievements with

unkempt socket
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yeah i think maria is easy mode but not like, so easy that u dont have to learn the game a little. richter is just less room for error

rustic bane
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Am I the only one who hate Maria (I mean as a playable character, not personally lol)?

compact narwhal
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Why do you hate her though?

rustic bane
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Her play style seems out of place. For me it seems like I’m playing Mario world with Kirby . Doesn’t feel right .

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with Richter I always feel the pressure , I know those monsters can kill me at anytime if I’m not fast enough with my whip. With Maria I can just jump over everybody, quickly back off, etc. I feel too powerful and it breaks the castlevania experience for me .

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And her weapons are weird .

compact narwhal
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Personal preference and skill level then, I guess. Even with Maria, I felt like I could die at any point. I had a lot of fun figuring out the timing of using weapons, especially to kill bosses and for that reason, I think the boss rush stage was my favourite.

rustic bane
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Yeah everything is a matter of personal preference I think

tall dock
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Run 2 complete. Got 88% completion. Unlocked most levels, Maria and saved Anette. I think I have one stage left and 2 girls to save.

errant sun
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I found the Plant from Battle Kid in the first level but the room is empty after you beat him. Unless I'm missing something he's just a random side creature?

errant sun
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Really digging this game. I feel like I've found a secret path in each level so far.
Only thing is Holy Water kinda blows compared to previous games lol.

uncut spoke
unkempt socket
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holy water peaked in cv1 and was never nearly that good again lmao

errant sun
uncut spoke
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Press select when the item count is green. You’ll see.

errant sun
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Select resets my system unfortunately and doesn't look like it can be unbound with what emu I'm using. Damn
Fixed it. Had to map a single key button to the keyboard short cut. Maybe its this controller that defaults to reset? Weird, but I'm seeing the item crush now

errant sun
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OH BOY, this cutscene

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And voice acting

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TEN OUTTA TEN

quiet plank
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confession: I fast forwarded through every single cutscene

rustic bane
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Is there multiple endings in this game ?

quiet plank
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There is at least three. I was thinking there one per maiden, but now I’m not remembering for the two that aren’t Maria and Annette

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There are also different versions for richter and Maria

harsh fossil
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I've been really enjoying this game. I'm just playing with Richter, trying to find as much shit as possible and get good with bosses but will definitely return to this later and try the other character and routes.

rancid siren
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I have 2 days left to do this. Pretty sure it can be done if life doesn't interfere.

floral tundra
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Definitely can, 1 sitting is all you need

tall dock
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Playing with Maria, damn it is weird to play Castlevania with double jump

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It's cool she has a different set of weapons

raven minnow
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I have 2 stages left. Gonna get this one. Unlike ridge racer, I forgot to finish it before the last race

harsh fossil
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Fuck the bridge

uncut spoke
raven minnow
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The beginning of 7? Yeah. Axe city for me, no other way

unkempt socket
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and 2'

rancid siren
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No errands to run. No prior obligations. After work, it's CastleMANIA.

raven minnow
serene oriole
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bridge was annoying but I just rushed it, I think 1/3 of my play-through was spent trying to get past the 4 summoned bosses

rancid siren
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I was ready. I was so ready.

It won't work.

Not ready to call it "dead." I've read too much about reviving old systems to give up so easily.

Guess it's RP3+ time now, and surgery time after some extensive research.

20230531_181615.jpg
indigo heart
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Maybe it just needs a recap

rancid siren
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That's what I was thinking. But I don't want to jump to any conclusions.

indigo heart
rancid siren
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The Analogue Duo just got way more tempting, too.

unkempt socket
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yeah i want an analogue duo kinda but i know its probably not really worth it. but it woudl be cool to start collecting turbografx

rancid siren
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The potential of an FPGA system with a disc drive that may be jailbroken some time in the future is what grabs me.

unkempt socket
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oh fair

indigo heart
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But yeah, I get the appeal of the hardware

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The thing that has stopped me from ordering a Duo is that I’m pretty sure it would take Analogue at least 18 months to ship it to me and that’s a long time to let them hold onto my money

uncut spoke
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Mister can play TG16 just fine. Close enough to real hardware for me.

serene oriole
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I so want a mister but it's hard and expensive to buy one on here.

slow depot
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Sure I'll use this thread instead I guess

slow depot
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I just got to the boss of Stage 3'

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How have I played and beaten this game four times and never knew you could moon walk while holding II

heady urchin
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What is the favored version of this game, out of curiosity?

mighty forge
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PCE