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31 Nights of Castlevania: Castlevania: Bloodlines

Castlevania: Bloodlines Screenshot

Castlevania always appeared to be a franchise only for Nintendo consoles and handhelds. In 1993, Genesis/Mega Drive owners finally got to experience this classic series. Castlevania: Bloodlines features one of the best presentations of the entire series. Aside from a generally engaging story and gameplay as fun as ever, Castlevania: Bloodlines is a very good entry in the series. Not as great as other entries, but absolutely worth owning for the Genesis.

Castlevania: Bloodlines Screenshot

Sega’s only Castlevania game is a one bloody adventure
Bloodlines is, strangely enough, connected to a famous literary source; Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula actually plays a part in this game. The main character, John Morris, is the son of Quincey Morris from the novel.

Taking place in the early 1900s, Countess Elizabeth Bartley, based off of the infamous historical figures Elizabeth Bathory, is resurrecting her uncle. And his name is Count Dracula. John and his friend Eric Lecarde, a French knight wielding a lance, travel all over Europe to put a stop to the evil Countess.

Castlevania: Bloodlines Screenshot

Bloodlines is an adventure, as the player is no longer just confined to a castle. Instead, John and Eric’s excellent adventure has them traveling all over Europe. The two will be fighting all kinds of monsters in Atlantis, a munitions factory in Germany and in the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Castlevania: Bloodlines Screenshot

It’s easily one of the more creative setups in the whole series, as each level has its own unique flavor. There is also some unique graphical tricks that rival Super Castlevania IV.

Castlevania: Bloodlines Screenshot

 

Bloody does describe the game quite well. This is one of the few 2D Castlevanias which features blood on enemies. It’s a little gimmicky, but it fits the atmosphere of certain stages.

Castlevania Bloodlinesreaches for greatness, but falls short in one way
Castlevania: Bloodlines has a few flaws that set it back from greatness. The controls are a little awkward at first, but once a player gets used to them, it’s no trouble.

Castlevania: Bloodlines Screenshot

Oddly enough, the game’s biggest flaw is the gameplay. It’s as fun and challenging as ever, but there are no real additions to it. It plays fine, but for a game which is pushing the boundaries in terms of level design and graphical aesthetics, it would have been nice to see a little more improvement or additions to the gameplay.

As a standalone Genesis action game, Castlevania: Bloodlines is great. As an entry to the legendary Castlevania franchise, it’s one of the better entries. Not one of the best, but still a solid game in its own right.

The Lifecast Presents… 31 Nights of Castlevania!

The night has just fallen onto Transylvania, as a familiar evil fills the air. A broken down and terrifying castle looks ominous in front of the full moon. It appears Count Dracula has risen again and whoever wields the Vampire Killer whip will have to destroy him. Using their skills and weapons, can they survive the night?

Image courtesy of VG Museum

Their adventure will be filled with perilous traps and horrifying monsters the likes mere mortals are too terrified to see.

This is Castlevania.

Castlevania is a video game franchise which celebrates horror and manages to cram in some of the best gameplay of any action/action-RPG game. The spooky atmosphere, references to classic horror films and mythology and overall quality between games has made Castlevania a series many gamers are fond of.

Everyone has a Halloween tradition…

As the Lifecast’s resident Castlevania fanatic, I always try to play as many of the games as possible during the Halloween season. Whether it’s running through the castle in Symphony of the Night or fighting Dracula for the first time in the original game, I am not picky. I enjoy the series that much.

Image courtesy of VG Museum

I decided to change it up this year for my yearly binge. I decided to share my love for the franchise with the Lifecast.

Welcome to the 31 Nights of Castlevania!

From October 1st to the 31st, there will be a new Castlevania review on the Lifecast’s homepage. It will end with a big 30th anniversary retrospective on the first game in the series, as it is celebrating the big 3-0 here in the ‘states.

Giving Castlevania a proper series retrospective

The entries themselves will be varied enough from the series’ eras. The classic platformers on the NES and SNES, the awkward but decent 3D period and the birth of the Metroidvania genre. There will even be some coverage of spin-offs, rip-offs, and the (surprisingly) critically acclaimed Netflix show.

It will end with a big 30th anniversary retrospective on the first entry, as it is celebrating the big 3-0.

However… what will be the first to kick it off?

Here’s a hint…

Image courtesy of VG Museum.