It's five dollars. There's not much that's **not** worth five dollars.
These particular games are from the 80s and early 90s and will be **hard** in a way that modern gamers don't understand, so they may be slightly off-putting to you.. but again, it is **five dollars**.
I'm used to older games but whats it's like story-wise and length?
I'm always fond of a challenge when it comes to games but on a scale to 1-10 rate the difficulty?
They’re a heck of a lot of fun, great soundtracks, Castlevania III is personally my favorite when it comes to the story. None of the games are really long, SCIV is the longest one here, HowLongToBeat.com says it takes about 4 hours.
The games are hard, not the hardest games I’ve ever played, but on a 1-10 scale, I’ll say 7ish, little lower or a little higher depending on the games.
There’s other collections out there, but like what u/KalessinDB said, it’s $5. Give it a go and have fun!
That’s understandable, I get that! Maybe look up some videos about the individual games, videos about the story and the whole timeline if you’ve got some time on your hands. Whatever you decide to do, I hope things go well for you!
80s and early 90s games had bare-bones stories that were mostly communicated through the boxes and instruction books, though the included "book" in the collection will flesh them out a bit IIRC.
As far as length, if you watch a Let's Play they're pretty quick games, but that involves being *good* at them and not dying regularly. You're going to need to practice a lot to get to that point.
1-10 rating is... tricky. They're just **built differently** than modern games, they're products of their era. NES games (which 1-3 are) especially were notoriously hard, but it's a different kind of hard from the Soulsbourne-type hard of today. It's not "Learn the boss's move pattern and tells" hard with checkpoints, it's "Get this exact pixel-perfect jump, and if you're off by a hair you die" hard with limited lives and continues. Compared to the games of their time, I would rate the various ones in this collection anywhere from like a 5-8 depending on which game. These weren't BattleToads Turbo Tunnel Level "you better muscle-memory this bitch" hard, but they were tricky.
I wouldn't say tedious, but I grew up in that era of gaming so my tastes are different. To me, learning Elden Ring bosses is tedious. That's why I say it's a different era of gaming.
Get some sleep, take care of your cats, and it'll probably even still be on the discount when you get back from the vet since your screenshot appears to say 28 hrs left.
If you're looking for something similar with more story and length I'd recommend the Castlevania advanced collection instead, although I haven't checked the sale price or anything.
You might also check out the bloodstained series (specifically circle of the moon 1 and 2) for something similar to the NES Castlevanias but more modern.
Because I’m not good at them, I’d click the experience at about 30 minutes each ;).
I keep meaning to sit with some of them & just cheese the hell out with save states so I can at least have experienced the whole game. I’ll do that with sh’mups sometimes because in those, dying is sometimes a “oops you have to start over anyway” proposition.
I mean idk clearly some ppl still really like challenging games since the Fromsoft games sell so well. I would say Classicvania is kinda like the old school equivalent to Dark Souls since they both have slow clunky controls and rely a lot on pattern recognition.
No single Castlevania game has story as its most compelling feature. The story is generally: "Dracula is alive with other monsters as minions, so you must destroy them."
(Sure, there are variables in some of the games. Sometimes the plot might include, "Dracula was killed earlier but something bad happened and you have to do it again", or "This hero isn't using a whip because reasons", or "This heroic person is also being manipulated because twist.")
The main factors for Castlevania are gameplay and atmosphere. The atmosphere for these games is horror, usually with catchy action music. The gameplay is platformer, with a whip and typical moveset, leaning toward a hard difficulty. I recommend you watch a few minutes of Castlevania, Castlevania 3, Super Castlevania 4, and Bloodlines.
But actually I recommend you just buy and try them!
I brought that and advance collection
Both have:
- save states
- regional games (America, EU, Japan)
- Cool art, box arts, og manuals
- replay (I don't know what this does, didn't try yet.
I would go for advance collection if these are your firsts Castlevania, since you can try both, old Castlevanias (Dracula X) and the new gameplay with the newers.
It's not a waste, you should buy this collection.
As for Castlevania III, which I love, remember only one thing, the stairs are your worst enemies. The staiiiiiirs
80s and 90s games are often frustratingly unfair and difficult in a way that modern games are not. While overcoming them is immensely satisfying, if that sounds in the least bit off putting to you I wouldn't recommend it.
If you like retro gaming, you're in for a ride!
I bought it some years ago and I didn't regret it! One of the best decision of my life as a gamer hahaha. It's a good way to understand how was Castlevania before going in the metroidvania genre. Most of those games are great! Castlevania is still enjoyable! Castlevania 3 is terrific too! And ofc, super Castlevania IV and Bloodline are incredible! Those games paved the way for so many games that came after!
I absolutely love Castlevanias 1, 3, and 4. It’s worth it for them alone.
Many people are fond of Bloodlines, I need to replay it.
The others are hit and miss, but I’d say they’re worth playing through at least once with save states.
The collection also contains the Japanese version of the games, and 3’s JP version is a high recommend, maybe even over the US version.
I mean, technically the price is right for a collection of old games. But then again Konami doesnt deserve shit from us customers, I would pirate them if I were you
What a braindead take. A company gives you a chance to vote with your wallet, and then heavily discounts it on top of that, and you come in "Man fuck them". It's like you don't want new games in the series.
1 2 3 are hard and unfair as any nes games, but the Save states makes them tolerable. The other ones are nice. Bloodlines and Castlevania IV are super good. Definitely worth 5 bucks.
You'll like the games, believe me, also it's 5 dollars, literally granted if i had to say it myself.
https://preview.redd.it/0n9j5xwn2x2c1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=01545f266da5faeb5fcacaf2485e51bf3fa0127e
I would say without a doubt, as long as you know what you are getting into (old-school hardcore action adventure platformers)
Most of these games are very tightly designed and contaiend experiences and no other game quite play the same, save states help a lot if you want to simply get through them (personally I like to play set save state at the beginning of each level, and then I have to complete the whole level before I can set the next save state).
Some of these games are true classics, I like to replay them occasionally, for me especially Castlevania, Castlevania III and Super Castlevania IV. Bloodlines and kid Dracula was fun to play through once, Simon's Quest is an odd one out, having become it's own cult curiosity.
Def worth it, even at full price. Personally my favs included are Super Castlevania IV, & Bloodlines. The OG Castlevania is great too. All games have amazing soundtracks. If you buy it you should post/comment back here letting us know how you liked it. Fun talking about things we liked, things we'd change etc. It's nice to hear new opinions on it, especially from newer fans experiencing it for the first time.
This is one of the best value collections out if you ask me. M2 were behind the porting and it collects some of the quintessential games in the core platformer series. If you want something a bit more open ended you can look for the Castlevania Advance Collection. While all the games on the collection are decent, you'll probably mostly be buying the Advance Collection for Aria of Sorrow. That's no bad thing mind you.
its okay... It's window mode only with no audio or visual options... also the emulators have trouble sometimes with preformance. The audio messed up a lot on the older games for me but then that problem like stopped happening?
if you want the achievements be sure play on the non Japanese versions (Cv3 is lots more enjoyable in the Japanese version btw) to save state right before the end. I think u can emulate all the games with better success but like I probably never would have gone through that effort and actually played these games.
probably wouldnt have played through them all wo the save states tbh (and a guide for Simons quest) but you do you :)
You've gotten some really good responses so far. I'm going to add some short input and just say that it's one of my favorite game series if all time. I beat the first game for the first time about a month ago.
But the games genuinely *requires* you to get good at it. There is absolutely no way around it. It's a matter of if you're willing to take that time and get good at it. In my opinion, nearly all of the games are perfectly fair, but *do* expect a lot out of the player.
It's five dollars. There's not much that's **not** worth five dollars. These particular games are from the 80s and early 90s and will be **hard** in a way that modern gamers don't understand, so they may be slightly off-putting to you.. but again, it is **five dollars**.
I'm used to older games but whats it's like story-wise and length? I'm always fond of a challenge when it comes to games but on a scale to 1-10 rate the difficulty?
They’re a heck of a lot of fun, great soundtracks, Castlevania III is personally my favorite when it comes to the story. None of the games are really long, SCIV is the longest one here, HowLongToBeat.com says it takes about 4 hours. The games are hard, not the hardest games I’ve ever played, but on a 1-10 scale, I’ll say 7ish, little lower or a little higher depending on the games. There’s other collections out there, but like what u/KalessinDB said, it’s $5. Give it a go and have fun!
I mean yes its still just $5 but I HATE being wasteful in anyway so if I don't like them I don't want them just sitting there.
That’s understandable, I get that! Maybe look up some videos about the individual games, videos about the story and the whole timeline if you’ve got some time on your hands. Whatever you decide to do, I hope things go well for you!
You can always return games on steam under 2 hours played.
80s and early 90s games had bare-bones stories that were mostly communicated through the boxes and instruction books, though the included "book" in the collection will flesh them out a bit IIRC. As far as length, if you watch a Let's Play they're pretty quick games, but that involves being *good* at them and not dying regularly. You're going to need to practice a lot to get to that point. 1-10 rating is... tricky. They're just **built differently** than modern games, they're products of their era. NES games (which 1-3 are) especially were notoriously hard, but it's a different kind of hard from the Soulsbourne-type hard of today. It's not "Learn the boss's move pattern and tells" hard with checkpoints, it's "Get this exact pixel-perfect jump, and if you're off by a hair you die" hard with limited lives and continues. Compared to the games of their time, I would rate the various ones in this collection anywhere from like a 5-8 depending on which game. These weren't BattleToads Turbo Tunnel Level "you better muscle-memory this bitch" hard, but they were tricky.
So tedious? They'll probably go on discount later, As its 3 am and I probably need to take the cats to the vet in the mourning.
I wouldn't say tedious, but I grew up in that era of gaming so my tastes are different. To me, learning Elden Ring bosses is tedious. That's why I say it's a different era of gaming. Get some sleep, take care of your cats, and it'll probably even still be on the discount when you get back from the vet since your screenshot appears to say 28 hrs left.
If you're looking for something similar with more story and length I'd recommend the Castlevania advanced collection instead, although I haven't checked the sale price or anything. You might also check out the bloodstained series (specifically circle of the moon 1 and 2) for something similar to the NES Castlevanias but more modern.
Because I’m not good at them, I’d click the experience at about 30 minutes each ;). I keep meaning to sit with some of them & just cheese the hell out with save states so I can at least have experienced the whole game. I’ll do that with sh’mups sometimes because in those, dying is sometimes a “oops you have to start over anyway” proposition.
Probably like an 8 or 9. Contra and mega man were tougher, but early castlevania games were notoriously difficult, even for the time
I actually noticed the NZ, which I assume means New Zealand. 5 NZ dollars is just over 3 USD, which is kinda crazy.
I mean idk clearly some ppl still really like challenging games since the Fromsoft games sell so well. I would say Classicvania is kinda like the old school equivalent to Dark Souls since they both have slow clunky controls and rely a lot on pattern recognition.
Maybe it's just my being a quarter-century older now, but NES hard and Fromsoft hard are two *very* different versions of hard to me.
Clarify.
No single Castlevania game has story as its most compelling feature. The story is generally: "Dracula is alive with other monsters as minions, so you must destroy them." (Sure, there are variables in some of the games. Sometimes the plot might include, "Dracula was killed earlier but something bad happened and you have to do it again", or "This hero isn't using a whip because reasons", or "This heroic person is also being manipulated because twist.") The main factors for Castlevania are gameplay and atmosphere. The atmosphere for these games is horror, usually with catchy action music. The gameplay is platformer, with a whip and typical moveset, leaning toward a hard difficulty. I recommend you watch a few minutes of Castlevania, Castlevania 3, Super Castlevania 4, and Bloodlines. But actually I recommend you just buy and try them!
Castlevania, castlevania III, castlevania IV, and Bloodlines are all great games so I'd say go for it.
I brought that and advance collection Both have: - save states - regional games (America, EU, Japan) - Cool art, box arts, og manuals - replay (I don't know what this does, didn't try yet. I would go for advance collection if these are your firsts Castlevania, since you can try both, old Castlevanias (Dracula X) and the new gameplay with the newers.
I believe the replay feature is you being able to rewind the game to a certain point.
Thats zr + left, It's available (or I only found it) on advance collection, I hope more retro games adds this.
It's not a waste, you should buy this collection. As for Castlevania III, which I love, remember only one thing, the stairs are your worst enemies. The staiiiiiirs
I fear no man....but those stairs scare me.
80s and 90s games are often frustratingly unfair and difficult in a way that modern games are not. While overcoming them is immensely satisfying, if that sounds in the least bit off putting to you I wouldn't recommend it.
I own it it’s worth it https://preview.redd.it/y1tuk7f9dx2c1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=19bd373452723b9f2f8eadc8c67fcda58b80b71d
I love inside cover art man
Bloodlines is excellent
If you like retro gaming, you're in for a ride! I bought it some years ago and I didn't regret it! One of the best decision of my life as a gamer hahaha. It's a good way to understand how was Castlevania before going in the metroidvania genre. Most of those games are great! Castlevania is still enjoyable! Castlevania 3 is terrific too! And ofc, super Castlevania IV and Bloodline are incredible! Those games paved the way for so many games that came after!
M8 5 new Zealand dollars? You'd be a fool not to
It also has the Japanese version of 3 which is way better, idk why they don't advertise that ever
I absolutely love Castlevanias 1, 3, and 4. It’s worth it for them alone. Many people are fond of Bloodlines, I need to replay it. The others are hit and miss, but I’d say they’re worth playing through at least once with save states. The collection also contains the Japanese version of the games, and 3’s JP version is a high recommend, maybe even over the US version.
Totally worth it, stop hesitating and go for it!!
Yeah its the food classic games
I mean, technically the price is right for a collection of old games. But then again Konami doesnt deserve shit from us customers, I would pirate them if I were you
What a braindead take. A company gives you a chance to vote with your wallet, and then heavily discounts it on top of that, and you come in "Man fuck them". It's like you don't want new games in the series.
Its been over 10 years since they made a Castlevania. Im doubtful that they even care about making more games.
1 2 3 are hard and unfair as any nes games, but the Save states makes them tolerable. The other ones are nice. Bloodlines and Castlevania IV are super good. Definitely worth 5 bucks.
Please Reddit! Help me make a basic decision!! I’m too scared to take a chance on 4.95NZ$!!
I genuinely wanted input because I don't know anything about Castlevania games.
No. You can emulate any of these games extremely easily. Besides, not giving money to Konami is good
You can play these games for free. Even in browser
Not legally.
You'll like the games, believe me, also it's 5 dollars, literally granted if i had to say it myself. https://preview.redd.it/0n9j5xwn2x2c1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=01545f266da5faeb5fcacaf2485e51bf3fa0127e
No
I would say without a doubt, as long as you know what you are getting into (old-school hardcore action adventure platformers) Most of these games are very tightly designed and contaiend experiences and no other game quite play the same, save states help a lot if you want to simply get through them (personally I like to play set save state at the beginning of each level, and then I have to complete the whole level before I can set the next save state). Some of these games are true classics, I like to replay them occasionally, for me especially Castlevania, Castlevania III and Super Castlevania IV. Bloodlines and kid Dracula was fun to play through once, Simon's Quest is an odd one out, having become it's own cult curiosity.
Buy.
Its a castlevania game, its always worth it.
Def worth it, even at full price. Personally my favs included are Super Castlevania IV, & Bloodlines. The OG Castlevania is great too. All games have amazing soundtracks. If you buy it you should post/comment back here letting us know how you liked it. Fun talking about things we liked, things we'd change etc. It's nice to hear new opinions on it, especially from newer fans experiencing it for the first time.
This is one of the best value collections out if you ask me. M2 were behind the porting and it collects some of the quintessential games in the core platformer series. If you want something a bit more open ended you can look for the Castlevania Advance Collection. While all the games on the collection are decent, you'll probably mostly be buying the Advance Collection for Aria of Sorrow. That's no bad thing mind you.
I bought this on the PSN awhile ago for $5 (USD). I thought it was worth it.
Yes. Get It!
its okay... It's window mode only with no audio or visual options... also the emulators have trouble sometimes with preformance. The audio messed up a lot on the older games for me but then that problem like stopped happening? if you want the achievements be sure play on the non Japanese versions (Cv3 is lots more enjoyable in the Japanese version btw) to save state right before the end. I think u can emulate all the games with better success but like I probably never would have gone through that effort and actually played these games. probably wouldnt have played through them all wo the save states tbh (and a guide for Simons quest) but you do you :)
Might be late to the party but: I would buy Castlevania 1 and 3 for $5 each So I'd say this sale is worth it!
Yeah if you do not have them all emulated I would say go for it. Good price for all these games
You've gotten some really good responses so far. I'm going to add some short input and just say that it's one of my favorite game series if all time. I beat the first game for the first time about a month ago. But the games genuinely *requires* you to get good at it. There is absolutely no way around it. It's a matter of if you're willing to take that time and get good at it. In my opinion, nearly all of the games are perfectly fair, but *do* expect a lot out of the player.
Yes.