After Konami honestly tried with the N64, they swung again with Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness.
You know how Skyrim has a ton of mods that make the game an overall better experience? Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness might as well be called Castlevania 64, But With Mods. Gameplay is completely switched around and fits the 3D environments. Although, some previous problems do carry over into the game and bring it down a notch.
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness doesn’t star a Belmont…*GASP*
The game takes place around the same time as Castlevania 64, and stars a lycanthrope named Cornell. Cornell has found out his younger sister has been kidnapped by the Count, but his longtime rival is after her too. Shonen anime tropes aside, it’s another nice change of pace to play as someone different.
And Cornell plays awesomely. Instead of a whip, he uses brute strength and projectiles. This is a more than welcome addition to the otherwise clunky and unfair combat of the previous game. Cornell can also change into a wolf and use more abilities to fight Dracula’s army. The controls are fit more for a system like this one, and platforming is a lot less tiresome.
The cut scenes, while featuring a LOT of the same characters from the first N64 game, do a great job of fleshing out Cornell and who he is. It’s a shame Legacy of Darkness gets overlooked, because there are some great story moments.
Beating the game unlocks Henry, a knight who wields a shotgun. That is just too awesome.
An overall improvement to Castlevania 64…but not without its problems
One of Castlevania 64’s biggest issues (among others) was its lack of atmosphere and poor level design. Sadly, this carries over into Legacy of Darkness. Konami reused a lot of the game’s previous stages and it comes off even more unfinished. There are a few redesigned places here and there, but it still has an empty feeling.
Music is OK. A small amount of remixed classic tunes are welcome, but it’s the same kind of atmospheric droning that plagued the last game.
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness is a sadly overlooked game in the franchise. But then again, if your game had to follow a terrible entry like Castlevania 64, it would be overlooked too. The little tweaks to the overall package, along with tight gameplay, make Legacy of Darkness one entry worth seeking out in the classic series. Unlike its predecessor, it’s not worth tossing the game in the fires of Mount Doom.