Castlevania game continuity

[Goodfellow]

Is it true that the N64 games and Simon's Quest are not part of the Castlevania timeline?

[MonkeyFunk]

According to this page (http://castlevania.classicgaming.gamespy.com/storyline.html), Simon's Quest is canon but the N64 games, Castlevania Legends and Circle of the Moon ain't no more.

[Goodfellow]

According to this page (http://castlevania.classicgaming.gamespy.com/storyline.html), Simon's Quest is canon but the N64 games, Castlevania Legends and Circle of the Moon ain't no more.

Circle of the Moon is GBA. I thought there wa sonly one N64 game though?

[Lord Dalek]

Circle of the Moon is GBA. I thought there wa sonly one N64 game though?Sorta. Castlevania 64 was later reissued under the title Legacy of Darkness which added two additional quests on top of the original game.

For those who wish to save time...

Leon Belmont
1094 - Lament on Innocence

The Trevor Belmont saga
1476 - Dracula's Curse
1479 - Curse of Darkness

The Christopher Belmont series
1576 - The Castlevania Adventure
1591 - Belmont's Revenge

The Simon Trilogy
1691 - Castlevania*
1698 - Simon's Quest
1748 - Harmony of Dissonance

The Richter Trilogy
1792 - Rondo of Blood**
1797 - Symphony of the Night
Circa 1830s - Order of Ecclesia

Pseudo-cannonical sidestory adventures***
1830 - Circle of the Moon
1844 - Legacy of Darkness (Cornell's story)
1852 - Legacy of Darkness (Henry Oldrey's story)
1852 - Castlevania 64

Back to cannon again... The Morris Family Saga
1897 - Dracula (Stoker's novel)
1917 - Bloodlines
1944 - Portrait of Ruin

The Julius Trilogy
1999 - As-yet unmade Demon Castle Wars title
2035 - Aria of Sorrow
2036 - Dawn of Sorrow

*There are multiple versions/remakes of this installment, but the NES version is the official one.
** This would be the original PC-Engine SuperCD/PSP version not the somewhat different SNES iteration of events
*** All of these were readded to the official timeline in 2007 as being semi-cannon. This leaves Castlevania Legends as the only retconned CV in existance

[Goodfellow]

Why did they make Circle of the Moon non-canon? Is it just that bad of a game? I need to know for I just purchased it off ebay with Harmony of Dissonance.

Honestly though, I do not understand why the Bram Stroker novel is even mentioned, for it has nothing to do with Castlevania.

[straw_hat]

Circle of the Moon is a decent game, I never could beat Dracula though, but according to the current producer Koji Igarashi:

These games were taken out of the timeline [...] not because I didn't work on them, but because they were considered by their directors to be side projects in the seriesAs for the novel Dracula being canon they are borrowing characters, not to mention the main vampire himself, from it so they might as well include it.

[Lord Dalek]

As for the novel Dracula being canon they are borrowing characters, not to mention the main vampire himself, from it so they might as well include it.That and it is directly referenced in the events of Bloodlines as John Morris is the son of one of the supporting characters in the novel.

[SirLemming]

Why did they make Circle of the Moon non-canon? Is it just that bad of a game? I need to know for I just purchased it off ebay with Harmony of Dissonance.
Circle of the Moon is usually considered a decent successor to Symphony of the Night (in terms of being the next 2D CV game, not in terms of storyline), although it's less pretty and has some brightness issues (probably not a factor if you have one of the backlit systems). Some also consider it too difficult. Overall, Harmony of Dissonance would probably be the black sheep of the "Metroidvania" games, since it doesn't have the instant allure of being the first portable SotN-style game, it's way too easy, and its overall look and feel are kind of weird. (The music is also criticized for sounding 8-bit, but I think it's really cool.) I'm not sure how the continuity decisions were made.

[Goodfellow]

My other question then is why is Order listed in the Richter Trilogy while Dracula X is missing?

[Shawn Hopkins]

Circle of the Moon is usually considered a decent successor to Symphony of the Night (in terms of being the next 2D CV game, not in terms of storyline), although it's less pretty and has some brightness issues (probably not a factor if you have one of the backlit systems). Some also consider it too difficult. Overall, Harmony of Dissonance would probably be the black sheep of the "Metroidvania" games, since it doesn't have the instant allure of being the first portable SotN-style game, it's way too easy, and its overall look and feel are kind of weird. (The music is also criticized for sounding 8-bit, but I think it's really cool.) I'm not sure how the continuity decisions were made.

Circle of the Moon is definitely the best GBA Castlevania, in my book. I'm not sure why it would be removed from canon.

The COM brightness issues do bring it down on a standard unlit GBA, but it looks fantastic on a Gameboy Player. It has the best difficulty, most ambitious and challenging bosses and the most engaging gameplay system with finding and combining the cards. Harmony of Dissonance, my second favorite, is more old-school action and finding secrets but the magic system is much less interesting. They overcompensated with the brightness, too, especially putting a sort of aura around the main character that looks weird. Stealing powers from enemies in Aria of Sorrow was fun, but not enough to save it from being overall my third favorite.

Goodfellow, Rondo of Blood is Dracula X.

[sdp]

Well since the revised Castlevania timeline in early 2000's a few games were removed but then most incorporated back. I thought now CoTM, C64, LoD were all 100% continuity again not just parts.

And I'm glad since I really like those games. Castlevania Legends being the only one in the timeline makes me angry since I really enjoyed it. Playing as Sonia Belmont was really cool not to mention its my favorite GB Castlevania. I mean its not like the Castlevania timeline isn't as far removed from being believable for them to remove games., why do they need to revise it?

[Invidente 7]

And I'm glad since I really like those games. Castlevania Legends being the only one in the timeline makes me angry since I really enjoyed it. Playing as Sonia Belmont was really cool not to mention its my favorite GB Castlevania. I mean its not like the Castlevania timeline isn't as far removed from being believable for them to remove games., why do they need to revise it?

Because they can't have Alucard as Trevor's dad, since that was strongly implied at the end of Legends :eek:

[sdp]

Why not? Haven't played as many new Castlevania games to know why.

I thought it was more because of Sonia Belmont being the first Belmont

[Don_East]

Well since the revised Castlevania timeline in early 2000's a few games were removed but then most incorporated back. I thought now CoTM, C64, LoD were all 100% continuity again not just parts.

And I'm glad since I really like those games. Castlevania Legends being the only one in the timeline makes me angry since I really enjoyed it. Playing as Sonia Belmont was really cool not to mention its my favorite GB Castlevania. I mean its not like the Castlevania timeline isn't as far removed from being believable for them to remove games., why do they need to revise it?
Then this will make you madder...

The main reason that Igarashi retconned Legends is just because the main character was a woman. Stating that video games wasn't ready for a female protagonist. Which is funny considering he turned Castlevania into a rip-off of a popular franchise with a female lead.

[SirLemming]

Then this will make you madder...

The main reason that Igarashi retconned Legends is just because the main character was a woman. Stating that video games wasn't ready for a female protagonist. Which is funny considering he turned Castlevania into a rip-off of a popular franchise with a female lead.
And that franchise would be...?

[Don_East]

And that franchise would be...?
Metroid. Running around a big area, along the way fighting bosses and finding items. Doesn't that sound familar?

I wouldn't mind it so much if there were still Castlevania games that play like the original, better yet like CV3. But no, every 2-D title since SOTN play like Metroid.

[Goodfellow]

Goodfellow, Rondo of Blood is Dracula X.

No no, the US SNES Dracula X game, not Rondo of Blood. Dracula X is an entirely different game with similar themes.

Anyway, I have a new, sort off-topic question, has Neca announced what will be in the second series of Castlevania figures yet? I'm personally hoping for SotN Maria, RoB remake Richter, Shanoa, Anette as RoB remake Succubus, and Aria of Sorrow Death.

[Lord Dalek]

No no, the US SNES Dracula X game, not Rondo of Blood. Dracula X is an entirely different game with similar themes.

Akumajou Dracula XX (yes it has two X's) is usually filed with games like Super Castlevania IV and the MSX Vampire Killer in that it is a different interpretation of the events portrayed in another game. In this case its Akumajou Dracula X: Rondo of Blood for the PC-Engine Super CD and later PSP.

[SirLemming]

The US game "Dracula X" for Super Nintendo is a bastardized version of the Japanese game commonly referred to as "Dracula X: Rondo of Blood" for the PC-Engine. The SNES game carries over many environments, enemies, music, and story elements from the original, but a lot of elements are either removed or switched around, and most of the new features that distinguished the game from previous CV games were abandoned. The original PC-Engine game is what was recently remade/ported on PSP.

I'm not sure if this was what someone was getting at before, but I just wanted to make it clear.

[Goodfellow]

Like how Maria is not playable even after you rescue her, right? I recently replayed Dracula X as a rom, and it is pretty terrible. The biggest issue is that there is nothing that even hints at how you are supposed to save Maria and Annette, it all just ends up being pure dumb luck.

BTW, how do you get 100% in Dracula X Chronicles? I am stuck at 91%, as I have collected every piece of music, beaten every boss in every stage with both Maria and Richter, gotten 100% in the original Rondo of Blood, and 200.08% in SotN, yet, I still do not have 100% completion in the game. What am I missing?

[Squall]

I've always loved how the Castlevania series relates not only to Bram Stoker's "Dracula" novel, but to real World History. For example, knowing that Bloodlines occured during World War I and that Portrait of Ruin occured during World War II is really cool (IMO).

Leon's story takes place in Europe's Dark Ages; Trevor's story in Europe's Middle Ages; Richter & Alucard's story during Europe's Enlightment; and so on. :)

[Lord Dalek]

BTW, how do you get 100% in Dracula X Chronicles? I am stuck at 91%, as I have collected every piece of music, beaten every boss in every stage with both Maria and Richter, gotten 100% in the original Rondo of Blood, and 200.08% in SotN, yet, I still do not have 100% completion in the game. What am I missing?
Have you beaten all the levels on boss rush yet?

[Goodfellow]

Have you beaten all the levels on boss rush yet?

:eek: I cannot even get through one level. You mean to tell me that I have to get through all 3 of them to complete the game? LAME!! Bush Rush is supposed to be an extra feature, a bonus, not part of the requirements.

[SirLemming]

:eek: I cannot even get through one level. You mean to tell me that I have to get through all 3 of them to complete the game? LAME!! Bush Rush is supposed to be an extra feature, a bonus, not part of the requirements.
Technically, getting 100% isn't a requirement either. Oh, and Bush Rush is what's going on at the White House.

[Lord Dalek]

Technically, getting 100% isn't a requirement either. Oh, and Bush Rush is what's going on at the White House.Well it is if you want to unlock the fourth bonus "game" (don't get excited its Akumajou Dracula Peki (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDiA5s-QtKg&feature=related))