Castlevania Blood Moon offers a somewhat more challenge, and very slightly different look than the original game its hacked from. The levels are fresh and new, and some of the foes have been reskinned. For instance the nasty medusa heads are now the floating eyeballs from Simon's Quest. Our hero Simon has a fresh set of clothes and few new upgrades to help him out. First off, he may now move and attack at the same time. Second, there are also a ton more drops from enemies : kill-all-foes pentagrams, score upgrades to reskins of weapons (the holy water is now a bomb, the axe a scythe), as well as the traditional heart points, which now seem to cost less to use the subweapons .
Where Blood Moon really tries to differentiate itself is in the level design and the more frequent barrage of monsters. The stages can be confusing, with stairs that blend into backgrounds and some paths requiring you to hit hidden, destructable blocks just to proceed. Enemies reappearing as the screen is moved is nothing new to NES games, but it seems more pronounced in this one. This becomes a bit of a problem since your hero's whip animation has not been sped up, and he still suffers from knock-back like the original. Lots more pits this time, is what I'm getting at.
Graphics: 6
The first Castlevania had decent graphics, but looked a little clunky. The reskin and level changes.. kind of don't work. Sure, the stages are more clever in some places, but I found all the new sprites pretty ugly - especially the new 2nd boss. The new items that drop from candles and enemies, however, look great. Hero Simon has received no new upgrades and his whip is the same, as are some of the bosses.
Music: 8
I thought this was the best part of the game, the music is arranged differently, and for the most part, suits the stages well. I believe some of these tracks are from Simons Quest as well, though its been a long time since I played that.
Addictiveness: 6
Because the game is trying to challenge you, and the stage designs are sometimes a bit difficult, this game can put you off. I am not really into games that just try to be more difficult versions of the original. The story and overall game hasn't changed enough to make it really feel fresh, but it is fairly solid to play through, a few glitches aside.
Story: N/A
Nothing changed here, theres nothing to rate.
Depth: 6
The biggest change is being able to swing your whip while walking, which works.. but also seems more slippery in practice, like your hero is walking on ice while doing so. The enemies dropping a boatload of new items is great, I loved that part of it, since there was much variety. The dozen or so enemy reskins, eh. I don't really care for them, or think they added anything to the game.
Difficulty: 8
There are a lot of stages with flying bats or eyeballs that try to interrupt your jumps, your attacks, or knock you in pits. Get used to it. The bosses haven't changed at all, though some now feature pits to complicate things. The base enemies are still fairly easy, and generally most die in just a hit or two of your whip.
Overall: 7
While I love the homage to the classic Castlevania, I don't know this is worthwhile for anything but those seeking a challenge. In some ways though, it is easier, despite its attempts to be more of a struggle.
Castlevania Blood Moon offers a somewhat more challenge, and very slightly different look than the original game its hacked from. The levels are fresh and new, and some of the foes have been reskinned. For instance the nasty medusa heads are now the floating eyeballs from Simon's Quest. Our hero Simon has a fresh set of clothes and few new upgrades to help him out. First off, he may now move and attack at the same time. Second, there are also a ton more drops from enemies : kill-all-foes pentagrams, score upgrades to reskins of weapons (the holy water is now a bomb, the axe a scythe), as well as the traditional heart points, which now seem to cost less to use the subweapons .
Where Blood Moon really tries to differentiate itself is in the level design and the more frequent barrage of monsters. The stages can be confusing, with stairs that blend into backgrounds and some paths requiring you to hit hidden, destructable blocks just to proceed. Enemies reappearing as the screen is moved is nothing new to NES games, but it seems more pronounced in this one. This becomes a bit of a problem since your hero's whip animation has not been sped up, and he still suffers from knock-back like the original. Lots more pits this time, is what I'm getting at.
Graphics: 6
The first Castlevania had decent graphics, but looked a little clunky. The reskin and level changes.. kind of don't work. Sure, the stages are more clever in some places, but I found all the new sprites pretty ugly - especially the new 2nd boss. The new items that drop from candles and enemies, however, look great. Hero Simon has received no new upgrades and his whip is the same, as are some of the bosses.
Music: 8
I thought this was the best part of the game, the music is arranged differently, and for the most part, suits the stages well. I believe some of these tracks are from Simons Quest as well, though its been a long time since I played that.
Addictiveness: 6
Because the game is trying to challenge you, and the stage designs are sometimes a bit difficult, this game can put you off. I am not really into games that just try to be more difficult versions of the original. The story and overall game hasn't changed enough to make it really feel fresh, but it is fairly solid to play through, a few glitches aside.
Story: N/A
Nothing changed here, theres nothing to rate.
Depth: 6
The biggest change is being able to swing your whip while walking, which works.. but also seems more slippery in practice, like your hero is walking on ice while doing so. The enemies dropping a boatload of new items is great, I loved that part of it, since there was much variety. The dozen or so enemy reskins, eh. I don't really care for them, or think they added anything to the game.
Difficulty: 8
There are a lot of stages with flying bats or eyeballs that try to interrupt your jumps, your attacks, or knock you in pits. Get used to it. The bosses haven't changed at all, though some now feature pits to complicate things. The base enemies are still fairly easy, and generally most die in just a hit or two of your whip.
Overall: 7
While I love the homage to the classic Castlevania, I don't know this is worthwhile for anything but those seeking a challenge. In some ways though, it is easier, despite its attempts to be more of a struggle.
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| ID: 1145577 | 607 Words
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