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A History of Castlevania
The series continued in the
style of a traditional 2D actionplatformer for several years,
occasionally making tweaks to
the basic structure but following
a recognisable formula, and
garnered mostly positive critical
opinion during this time. The
next major change in direction
came just before the turn of the
millenium, when Castlevania was
released on the Nintendo 64.

to 3D, which not only changed
the feel of the platforming but
also allowed for a substantial
increase in depth for the combat
mechanics. Like Castlevania II,
a day/night cycle is featured
and this affects many aspects
of the game, including enemy
composition and NPC behaviour.
However, the game does revert
to a more linear structure,
with no player choice in level
order and no ability to replay
In a radical change of direction, previous stages. Despite a linear
this Castlevania was the first in progression, the transition to
the series to make the transition 3D did increase the scope of the

individual stages and provided
the opportunity to engage in
some in-level exploration.
Reception to this revamp on the
N64 was rather a mixed bag. The
game received largely positive
critical attention, with reviewers
praising the bold new direction
and transition to 3D. Fan reaction
was, however, mixed. While most
series fans shared the critics’
opinion that the modernisation
of the franchise had been mostly
successful, a significant and
vocal minority criticised the
game’s departure from its roots,
as well as citing poor graphics,
camera problems and issues
with the targeting system as a
disappointment.
Castlevania on the N64 will
always be a divisive point in the
history of the franchise, but is
undoubtedly a landmark point
as well, representing the first
time the series truly broke away
from its 2D trappings.
Over the next few years,
Castlevania titles were split
between 3D and 2D titles;
largely focussed on 2D handheld
titles and 3D console releases.
Console titles such as Lament
of Innocence and Curse of
Darkness, released in the mid-

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Edition

9 • GameOn Magazine