PixlBit

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To begin this year's list I decided to revisit and old classic that I'm sure everyone and their dog has either owned or played in some form. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night has been heralded as one the best, if not the best, when it comes to the Castlevania series. I really don't need to speak on what exatly makes it a classic and why it's found itself ported to various systems. The only problem is I've already covered this game in a past Top 11 list and I'm sure this game is in someone's Top game lists for Halloween gaming. So this year I decided to try something different. I normally don't get the chance to do something like this, espeically when this list was originally meant to be a means of playing Halloween themed games on a budget. But I've been needing to boost my feeling for Octoberween given that I'm hard pressed to be in the mood for the weird and wonderful this year. So I figured why not go back to a classic that I've always come to associate with Octoberween gaming. But instead of being like the rest that play this game on their PS1, PSP, PS3 or XBox 360, I decided to play it on a system that I'm sure a majority of gamers have overlooked or forgotten about. Call me priveliged if you must, given how that seems to be the new mood to affix certain gamers that don't have what mainstream gamers have, but I had a chance and I decided to take it. My number 11 pick for this year is none other than Devil's Castle Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight for the Sega Saturn.

 

Marking as my first choice in a physical import title in my Top 11 Octoberween Games List (the actual first import choice was Castlevania: Rondo of Blood off the Wii Virtual Console) I wanted to make it a speical decision given my love for all things Castlevania, despite the current hate Konami has been getting for understandable reasons. Despite the current trend toward Konami I can't bring myself to join the fray so instead of lamenting the present I've decided to embrace the past. I've always wanted to play Akumaj? Dracula X: Gekka no Yas?kyoku ever since I learned there was a Sega Saturn version floating out there. Espeically when I learned that the Sega Saturn port included both Richter and Maria as playable characters from the onset, new music, new items, new enemies and new levels to explore. For me it sounded like all the more incentive to hunt this game down and play it. But as years passed that plan had always fallen sway in the rivers of time. During that time though I came to learn that perhaps that version was best left buried like my beloved Sega Saturn. Poorly optimized for the system, I was told it had horrible load times, slowdown in gameplay and despite the addition of Richter and Maria as playing in the beginning, the newer stages offered didn't seem to warrant the effort in trying to find an import copy let alone pay the premium price for it. As luck would have it i was able to obtain a copy at a rather decent *ahem* price that I was willing to stomach. So after battling some technical issues involving corrupted save files, using the right region lock out device, and installing a new Saturn battery, I was able to give this game a try. Was it worth it?

 

The UpSide
Despite the negatives I've heard and read about this game, it is still Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The same music, levels, enemies, plot and gameplay all retain the same charm that made the game on the Playstation worth all the while. The Castlevania fan in me enjoyed replaying the same levels that I'd played before in prior re-releases of this title, complete with gothic themes and spooky atmosphere. The music themes to each level still sound exactly the same as I remembered them in prior outings and I was able to find my way around Dracula's castle without any problems. Though the game is a bit hard to follow given that most of the text and spoken dialouge is in japanese, I was able to explore to my heart's content given how I've played past versions of this game to death in the past. The only issue that almost came up in my playthrough was when I reached the librarian and found that all the items he was selling, including the game progression critical item that allowed me to open blue colored doors, was all written in japanese. Thankfully I remembered that the items appearance also shows on the librarian's desk when you highlight it on the purchase list, thus being able to find what was what a bit more easier. The controls felt tight thanks to use of the Sega Saturn controller and thanks to the new added "third hand" feature in this game it made for using secondary items all the more easier instead of having to swap out a weapon or sheild to use a critical health or status effect item. I'm not sure if it's because of being used to playing 2D titles on the saturn's gamepad but it seemed to me that the difficulty level wasn't that steep. Perhaps I'm just that damn good at Castlevania: Symphony of the Night or maybe the difficulty setting in the Saturn version is a bit more forgiving. I was even able to find the two new levels without much difficulty. It was also nice to see that one of the new levels gave you an alternative way to reach certain areas in the castle than by means of the lower levels involving water. It didn't hurt that a certain enemy in the Cursed Prison gave a heafty XP boost after each kill.

What I enjoyed the most out of this game was not only being able to relive playing Castlevania: Symphony of the Night as a teen, but also be able to play as Richter and Maria immediately instead of having to unlock them after the first playthrough. At first I was just expecting what I saw in the Playstation release with them being just tacked on at the last minute. Instead both Richter and Maria get their own approaching intro to the castle's gate, on horseback no less, before the dismount into the courtyard and their own music themes play as the game begins. I now know where some of those Castevania music remixes came from. Here I thought it was just a standalone remix when infact they were made specifically for this game! Some reason playing as Richter was much easier. I was able to pull off most of his speical moves without any problems. And after playing Maria in the Castlevania: Dracual X Chronicles, it was interesting to see how she handled back then to how she handles now. I will admit that some people were right to call her control type to be "mega man" like. Overall I'm left with the same feeling I got playing this game like I did all those years back. Indeed the Octoberween spirit was slowly being worked into my thanks to Devil's Castle Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight. If you've played the Playstation version and just score it on the overall feel for the game, you'll indeed find it a worthy title to be considered one of the best in the Castlevania series. But can it top the Playstation version or the later versions we've come to enjoy? Well that depends on how you look at it, rose colored nostalgia glasses notwithstanding.

The Downside
I'll come right out and admit that the talk about load times and poor system optimization are true when it comes to the Sega Saturn version of this game. But in my opinion it isn't game breaking or make it no worse for it. It might not animate the same way, some lighting effects are missing or completely downgraded and you may find the "Now Loading" black screen to pop up when you least expect it, but overall it doesn't completely ruin the Castlevania experiance. If played side by side you'd definitly see the differences and if your too used to the Playstation and later revisions of the game then this version on the Sega Saturn might blemish some of those found memories you might feel as your play this version. Instead of a second or five to load between levels or even certain dialogue/boss battles like you'd expect in the Playstation version, you can expect double the wait time during those key moments. For me that wasn't much of an issue but I'm sure others would balk at even seeing load screens longer than they'd expect. Also the slowdown in some levels can be baffling. Killing the first Warg in the courtyard at the start of the game is a telling sign in how much slowdown can happen in game. Even performing simple crash attacks like the Holy Cross can drag the gameplay to a slow crawl. I really couldn't tell a pattern of specific slow down depending on the level, enemies on screen and player character movements but it'll happen when you least expect it or shouldn't even expect it.

Even though you get two new levels in this game, they are not well designed and too small to be worthwhile in of themsleves, including the upside down versions. They are essentially two rectanglar shaped areas stuck below the courtyard at the beginning of the game and between the marble gallary and underground catacombs. If one's expectations were high on exploring these levels then you might be left with some disappointment and traveler's guilt after you've traversed them. Frustration if you venture into them not strong enough and found yourself instakilled. You'll indeed find shortcuts to animations done on certain enemy types that you might not notice if you hadn't played the game so much over the years. I can't exactly explain but there was something off about some enemies during their animation. Not that many transparanies are seen, lighting is off in some areas and certain character sprites don't exactly animate the way they used to. The sword knight that uses that invisiblie shield in the outer wall stage is an example that sticks out in my mind. And though the new music tracks offered while playing as Richter and Maria are nice, they don't quite fit with the overall theme to the original soundtrack but that might be I'm just to use to hearing them outside of the main game itself.

OddSide
Though I did say the same music is found in this version of Castlevania, I did notice some musical differences and sound effects while playing this game. During the scene when you face off with Death I could've sworn I heard a cartoon-ish "swiping" sound as Death stole all of Alucard's weapons and armor off him as if it were a saturday morning cartoon. Plus the music that played during that encountered sounded off and heavy on the base as if to try to set a nefarious tone but came off as overly misplaced like an old 16-bit horror title. The voice acting sounded strange to but that might not be saying much given the original english dub offered. It makes me wish there was an english subtitle mode offered with this game. Also during my first playthrough I found enemies actually dropping better weapons and armor before I could get the better weapons and armor after exploring sections of the castle.

In the end I have no regrets in getting this game for this year's Octoberween Game Titles for this year. And after getting a chance to play this game, and replay it again with different characters offered. But I'm sure your probaby wondering: is it worth it? Well let me put it to you this way. If your NOT a diehard Castlevania fan like me, your probably better off just sticking with the Playstation version or the other versions offered on the other consoles digitally. Despite the extras offered in the Sega Saturn version they might not be fully enjoyed, espeically given the technical limitations and financial huddles found here. But if you are a diehard fan of the series, have the system to play it on that can play import titles and be willing to pay up to $120+ for this game then it might be something to enjoy. I was lucky enough to find this game for $95 locally in my area but even for some that might be too steep of a price to pay to enjoy an alternative version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. This game is one of the few titles that has found it's way on my Top 11 Octoberween Game Titles list. I don't plan on making this a recurring theme but given my current Octoberween funk, I needed something to help push me in the right direction. For that the cost of admission was worth it.

My Top 11 Octoberween Game Titles for 2016
#11: Devil's Castle Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight - Sega Saturn: $95.00 CIB.