A few hours in, the “adventure quality quotient” I can only describe as being somewhere in the same range as all the other games, except that with modern snazz there’s a notch more talking and story than I expected. It really is actually pretty good looking most of the time imo, anything weird usually gets eclipsed by how much I like seeing the rest.
No level 1-1 and so on, pure interconnected zones and areas. Also listed sidequests (not obnoxiously) and seemingly robust upgrade/crafting systems.
It’s a shockingly ugly game in some places but overall I don’t think it looks too bad. It’s pretty fun! Not reinventing the wheel but since there hasn’t been a Castlevania now in like what 10 years it’s nice to play one that isn’t on a portable screen.
the game has some really nice lighting effects in 4K HDR 10. the teleport rooms, for example, look really beautiful, with the stars in the background. there’s another room lit up by a red moon that looks absolutely stunning. but some parts are just sort of ugly.
i died a whole lot against Zangetsu! maybe i was underleveled, idk. i’m not trying to farm anything and so far everything has felt decently challenging. mostly like SotN if you aren’t grinding; that’s what i’d compare it to most.
found another weird bug: when you select multiple quests and then accept them you just get a big dialogue box that just says “0” in the middle of it lol. idgi.
So apparently the new patch that hit today (1.02) breaks a bunch of chests by opening ones you haven’t opened yet, and resealing ones you already have.
There’s story critical stuff in some, and enough people are out there saying they can’t progress because of this that, I dunno! Maybe hold off for a while on this one.
(I’m hoping they find a fix for it and I don’t have to restart, but it’s sure looking like I’m going to have to )
Shiii-! I was about to jump back in. Found it interesting how a character or certain note described certain chests (maybe only blue ones) closing up again with different treasure inside, and sure enough I came across one figuring its a kind of refresh for basic alchemy materials and the like. Could be unrelated but I wonder if that’s tied into the bug.
The main “check this early on to see if you’ve got the bug” chest I’ve heard is the one just past the iron maiden.
I managed to kite one of the flying pigs into it and, sure enough, the chest just past it was already opened.
There are also a few chests you can only open after beating bosses that people are finding are also already opened, with at least a few of 'em halting progression.
I was reading about this while the update was downloading and just cancelled it and kept playing. there aren’t any online features so they’re isn’t any penalty for doing this right now. also my understanding is that it’s only an issue when picking up from a 1.01 save, so creating a fresh file now shouldn’t be an issue if you haven’t started yet or have just started
also also it sounds like they nerfed a bunch of stuff (like double jump cancels) so I’m going to luxuriate in great swords actually being kind of fun to use for once for as long as possible before the next materially relevant patch
Alright, restarted, this time with the Japanese dub. You still get to hear David Hayter say “BLOODSTAINED” but I’m gonna argue…the rest is better by a longshot.
Finally, finally beat Zangetsu. Turns out the easiest solution is to just stay super close and hop over him when he attacks. Went by quick after that!
There’s…kind of a lot to love in this game? The Kickstarter backer portraits that come to life and attack you. The demon barbers that make Choi Bounge sounds as they hop around. The giant cat with horns and wings. The corny writing? It’s all pretty good.
Also the new patch added eyeballs to two of the NPCs, who previously had vacant black holes in their faces. A nice touch.
I think I’m pretty close to the bugged chest in question (the other one wasn’t what I thought it was, but it’s a good one to check and see if the bug hit), and yeah, it would be a good 4-5 hours or so in that you’d have to toss. I’d wait.
The more I play of this the more I enjoy it so I’m really pleased. There’s tons of little fun secrets and cute animation type things that are extremely SOTN and weren’t there in any of the portable Vanias.
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