Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness

Chasing what appears to be a modern trend Castlevania: Legacy Of Darkness, like all follow-ups these days, is set in the time before the first game. Don't start drooling all over this 'brand new' instalment of the vampire feast yet though, wipe your mouth and prepare to be shocked. Konami have decided to take advantage of the 'prequel' tag by re-using many features from the original title. This includes locations, enemies and even bosses, but hold on, it isn't that much of a cop out – honest!

The Legacy Of Darkness story takes place eight years before the original N64. You play Cornell, one of the four selectable characters in the game (and the only one playable to begin with), who is officially a man-beast. Like a good wolf, Cornell has been away training his inner powers, and now has the ability to change between man and beast whenever he wants. After a year of travelling and 'discovering' himself, he returns to his village to find the buildings burnt to the ground and his sister Ada missing. This may not be the warmest of welcomes, but it's a picnic compared to what lies ahead, as Cornell jumps on a ship and heads to Dracula's castle to save Ada.

Blinding Sunlight

The first and entirely new level of the game, takes place on Cornell's voyage. Though, of course, it isn't exactly difficult or in-depth (no pun intended), it does at least mean it will be a little while before you see any of the old locations. From here on in, virtually all the levels are exact copies of their Castlevania counterparts. It's amazing how eight years hasn't effected the scenery, or even the textures at all! You could feel understandably miffed if you bought the game first time round. On the other hand, if you're completely new to the whole N64 Castlevania 'creatures of the night' genre, you won't be feeling in the least bit cheated playing this game.

What's particularly striking is that most of the enemies you come across, including all the bosses, are rehashed from the first game. If you've played the first game and defeated some of the original bosses, such as the huge skeleton, you'll know what to expect. Admittedly, the bosses have been given a few extra moves to give them a fighting chance, but there is not enough of a difference to provide a challenge to hardened veterans. Disappointingly, most if not all of the old tactics, will work in this new game.

Smelly Garlic

Those who have played the original will also find the game a little predictable. For example, by the time you get to the castle you know that you are going to be confronted by three-headed dogs. It's the same with the Nazi motorbiking skeletons – you will be able to just shrug them off, because they are nothing new.

If you are a huge fan of the long running series, and have the very blood in your heart set on buying this, you won't be disappointed. Sure the locations are the same and the baddies are as familiar as an old friend, but the story and puzzles are brand spanking new. Just because you know the areas inside-out doesn't mean you'll know where to turn first, or what to do around every corner. Undeniably those who have played the original will have a distinct advantage over everyone else, but they may also get more from the experience. Although Legacy of Darkness does provide some background information, it isn't a stand-alone title. Compare it to having seen The Phantom Menace without knowing the other three films – it'll be good, but some of the story will be lost on you.

Evil Crucifixes

Thankfully Legacy Of Darkness makes use of the Expansion Pak, for improved high-resolution graphics. To make things better still you also get some improved in-game cut-scenes, which help move the storyline along a bit more smoothly (or give you time to make a cup of tea without too much fear of coming back to see your character lying in a pool of blood). This improvement in resolution does necessitate a slight drop in frame-rate, but as the camera still makes controlling your character difficult, it isn't all that noticeable or annoying.

In fact, the control system and the camera have been as faithfully reproduced as all the levels and textures in the game. Suffice to say, if you were frustrated by the unforgiving camera as you jumped from platform to platform the first time round, don't buy this game. In fact, nearly all of the drawbacks of the first game have been carried over to Legacy Of Darkness along with every single texture of each level. Fog may be befitting a title drenched in horror, but it doesn't exactly do the game any favours.

Pointy Stakes

The game does impress with its efforts to offer a serious amount of replay value. Let's face it, replay value isn't something you'd usually associate with an adventure game. Konami is trying to change all that by giving you four characters to choose from, all of whom have their own individual storylines! As well as new Werewolf boy Cornell, you get the two characters from the first game, Carrie and Reinhardt. Add to this another new character, the shotgun wielding Henry, and you get more than the odd two or three hours of gameplay for your money.

However, if you've got or played through the first game there is little point spending more money on what is essentially a rehash. Castlevania: Legacy Of Darkness is definitely a superior game to the original, but so much of the game is almost exactly the same! There really are too few additions to justify the purchase. The story and some of the puzzles maybe different, but as this is basically a glorified platformer, the puzzles are rarely more cerebral than switch-flicking and key-finding anyway. This is the perfect game if you're new to the Castlevania franchise, hence the high score. If you have played the first game, knock 20% off the final mark. Legacy Of Darkness is what the first game always should have been, not a giant step forward.

The N64 version of Castlevania - whilst annoying many traditionalists with the move from 2D to 3D - was a thoroughly entertaining slice of vamp-filled undead-slaying.

It had its problems, though; an annoying camera and an emphasis on pixel-perfect jumping being the two main offenders. Foggy, muddy visuals didn't help either, but the wealth of wonderful set-pieces (the begging villager, without a reflection in the mirror behind him for one) more than made up for it.

Which brings us neatly to Castlevania 2, the inevitable sequel - of sorts. You see, Castlevania 2 is more of an add-on adventure than a true sequel, hence the American title of 'Special Edition'. Taking place a decade before the events in Castlevania, there's now the option to play as hairy werewolf chap Cornell or the armour-plated warrior Henry, each of whom has his own quest to tackle, much like the previous games' Reinhardt and Carrie. Intriguingly, Reinhardt and Carrie are both also playable in the game, so you're effectively getting the original game bundled in with Castlevania 2. Which isn't half bad.

Although the development cart we got hold of this month was still early code, the game itself is scheduled for a January/February UK release (which means, hopefully, that we should have a review for you in the next issue or two). Sections that we've played include several impressive boss encounters - with a huge serpent, a harpy and a vile Medusa - plus some platforming sections that were admittedly fairly similar to equivalent sections in the original game. All will be revealed very soon.

Don't fret, Castlevania fans--going3D hasn't driven a stake through Casdevania's heart Quite the contrary: Castlevania for the Nintendo 64 appears to be every bit as much blood-sucking fun as its predecessors.

Revamping the Vampire

The hands-on preview version contained plenty of familial elements from the series for veterans to sink their teeth into, including huge levels and multiple characters. Plus, the innovative new 3D gameplay engine brings the series into the '90s.

As for the story, once again, the Belmont family leads the fearless vampire killers. Earlier preview versions of Cas-tlevania had featured four playable characters (see "Sneak Previews," October '98), but Konami recently narrowed down the lineup to two: Rheinhardt Schneider, the traditional whip-toting vampire hunter, and Carrie Fernandez, a 12-year-old with supernatural powers. The Frankenstein monster and the wolfman have been sent to the grave.

Monster Mash

Castlevania for the Nintendo 64 appears to shore up some of the series' strongest aspects: mean monsters, eerie environments, and solid gameplay. Along with the usual Castlevania creeps and giant bosses, new creatures abound, including suicide-bomber skeletons, which pursue and then explode when they get close, and stained-glass warriors that shatter into pieces when you deliver the final blow. The environments range from creepy (the dungeons of Dracula's castle) to beautiful (a gorgeous underground cavern with glass walkways).

Moreover, several innovative elements make this game stand out from previous entries. For example, the time of day impacts gameplay. Monsters are more plentiful and more powerful during the night hours than they are during the day. Another cool game-play challenge consists of poison and vampire bites that can infect characters. If a wound goes untreated, your character could eventually die--or become a vampire!

Nothing Bot the Tooth

Commanding the characters in the new 3D space will take some practice-- even for Castlevania vets who have mastered the 2D games. For example, you'll have to learn how to snap Rheinhardt's whip quickly and accurately from a lot more angles and directions. But the controls quickly become second nature, which is very helpful because Carrie and Rheinhardt have multiple abilities and attacks. In addition to the all-powerful whip, Rheinhardt can also use a short sword for an effective two-hit combo attack. He'll also climb ledges, slide into enemies, and collect and use a variety of weapons, including throwing knives, a cross, and holy water.

Carrie's a force to be reckoned with, too, despite her small stature and the fact that she suffers damage more easily than Rheinhardt Her standard weapon is a magic projectile that you can charge by holding down the attack button, transforming it into a homing missile.

The Dead Live

With the release of the Nintendo 64 version of Castlevania in January, the series will have crossed over into eight gaming platforms in 11 years of existence. This latest incarnation should prove that the Belmont vampire-stalking quest will easily last through the year 2000 and beyond. Game systems may die and be buried, but Castlevania's tradition of excellent gameplay will rise again...and again...and again...!

schneider's Story

The Castlevania saga continues. This time the story takes place at the end of the 19th century-about the same time as the Genesis game Castlevania: Bloodlines. After 10 years of vampire-hunting training in the mountains, the 25-year-old Rheinhardt Schneider returns to his homeland of Walachia to find it overrun by monsters-commanded by the prince of darkness himself, Count Dracula.

Carrie's Chronology

Rheinhardt Isn't the only Walachian watching for the undead. Carrie Fernandez was bom with magic powers. As Dracula's evil sweeps the land, people become afraid of the little girl But when Carrie's mother tries to protect her daughter, the people call the mother a witch and execute her-right in front of Carrie. Years later, Carrie senses an awesome power radiating from Dracula's castle. With her heart filled with hatred toward adults, Carrie sets out for the castle.