

He'll appeal to the Castlevania fan looking for some good old monster whipping action. He can use the whip swing to clear across gaps that Eric can't.

John uses a whip, in keeping with the time honored tradition of the series, and can weild it almost as well as a Belmont, but not quite (you can't whip in all eight directions). Instead, we get two new characters: John Morris and Eric Lecarde, two vampire hunters who, as it turns out, are ancestors to the Belmonts. The gameplay is kept classic: sidescrolling, whip snapping action with some light platforming and intense boss fights at the end of each level.īut, some fans may be disappointed to hear that there isn't a single Belmont in this game. All the other releases are based on the PlayStation version and do not feature these changes.One of the more overlooked titles in the series, Castlevania - Bloodlines is a great counterpart to Super Castlevania 4 for SEGA fans. The iOS and Android versions are based on the version found in the Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles release (has the Saturn versions familiars and items). However, it sacrifices a few of the graphical effects from the PlayStation version, particularly true transparencies. The Saturn release adds two new areas to the castle (the Underground Garden and the Haunted Path), a third playable character (Maria), and a few new remixed music tracks. Magic plays an important role, as well as secondary weapons and a large amount of "special moves" that are executed similar to advanced one-on-one fighting games. In a separate screen, players need to equip attack weapons, shields, and other items. There is also money to be found in the game, and various accessories to buy. The hero receives experience points for defeating enemies, gains levels, and becomes more powerful. The action-based gameplay incorporates now strong RPG elements.

Unlike the previous installments of the series, the game is set in a castle which the player can explore freely with many different paths, although often items in certain areas need to be found that will allow passage to others. Symphony of the Night is a direct sequel to Rondo of Blood. Alucard, the son of Dracula, is awakened from his eternal slumber after this large shift in power and enters into the castle to find some answers and confront his father. Now, Richter has suddenly vanished, Dracula's castle has mysteriously reappeared, and Maria, now a young woman, sets off to find Richter. Five years ago, Richter Belmont, the latest in the Belmont lineage and the one destined to be a Vampire Hunter, defeated Dracula in a brutal battle which nearly cost him the love of his life, Annette, and her sister, Maria.
