Stuck In 2D: Castlevania
Over the years many iconic video game franchises have tried and failed miserably to enter the 3rd Dimension. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re taking a look at the Castlevania Franchise’s attempts to break from its 8-bit past.
Making its debut in 1987 on the Nintendo Entertainment System, Castlevania instantly enchanted gamers with its sprawling worlds and tale of the Belmont family’s eternal quest to defeat Dracula as he returns from the grave every hundred years.
Throughout its long history the franchise has spawned dozens of sequels on every platform imaginable, with a significant prominence on Nintendo’s portable consoles where they continue to receive stellar side-scrolling adventures.
Despite its perfect reputation in 2D, Konami has given the series a 3D facelift several times over the years to lackluster results.
The first such attempt was in 1999 for the Nintendo 64 console. Commonly referred to as “Castlevania 64”, the game delivered a mediocre transition to 3D environments due to several technical flaws and erratic camera control.
In spite of its lukewarm reception in 3D, gamers still embraced the transition and were quickly treated to a special edition known as “Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness” later that same year. The re-release served as a way to correct several of its glaring technical hiccups and add new content and chapters to lure newcomers over to the series.
After a notable absence on consoles, Konami then released “Lament of Innocence” for the PlayStation 2 in 2003. It served as an origin story for the franchise in order to further draw in new audiences, but it was heavily criticized for cloning all of the gameplay elements from the ‘Devil May Cry” series. Plus, players didn’t enjoy the poor level design and subpar visuals they were given.
Unfazed, Konami tried again with 2005’s “Curse of Darkness.” Unfortunately, the game also received mediocre reviews, and was heavily disregarded due to its notoriously bland level design that featured long empty hallways devoid of monsters or items to interact with.
As a result, players began to expect more from their beloved hunting childhood franchise and vocally demanded a return to its roots.
Sadly, the series then drifted even further away from the original style and charm with the release of the tournament game “Castlevania Judgment.” Even before its 2008 release, it was bashed for trying to sell itself as an official entry in the long running series, and for disregarding the action-platforming genre players expected, as well as the series’ signature art design.
As a result, gamers decided to dull their enthusiasm for a 3D romp in Castlevania and instead continued to explore its haunted grounds on downloadable services and the portable consoles. Fortunately, Konami has continued to pump out excellent side-scrolling sequels year after year.
Before Castlevania can claim its place as a successful and popular 3D franchise, Konami needs to eliminate the slew of technical issues and rekindle the classic charm of its side-scrolling counterparts.
