Tag: jeremy parish

2D: Castlevania Stages 13-15

After the unevenness of the fourth area, Castlevania‘s fifth set of stages picks up the pace with a challenging level trio that make use of all the skills a player has acquired to date and tells a concrete visual narrative in the process. After having re-entered the castle through the catacombs (or whatever) and defeating […]

2D: Castlevania Stages 10-12

I’m sorry to say it, but the fourth area of Castlevania is easily the game’s low point, both literally and metaphorically. After spending the entirety of stages 07 through 09 making a precarious walk over high, crumbling bridges and desperately trying to avoid allowing Simon to be knocked to his death by falling, you begin […]

2D: Castlevania Stages 07-09

So this is where Castlevania gets mean. The Medusa Heads seemed maddening, but they were really just a warm-up for what’s to come. After the first two level sets, you’ve come to terms with the core mechanics of the game and hopefully found the “rhythm” by which Castlevania works. So, now the game completely destroys […]

2D: Castlevania Stages 04-06

I just realized that in writing about the level design of Castlevania, I have inadvertently ripped off Glass Knuckle’s A Critical Look At Mega Man Stages thread. I am a talentless hack. But you already knew that, I assume. Image cropped from neoseeker.com With its second set of stages — each level in Castlevania comes divided […]