The next in this February-long lineup of 16-bit grudge matches is between another popular Konami franchise. The two Castlevania entries that graced consoles back in the early 90s were both awesome action sidescrollers, but which was the better entry? Let's find out.
Development
Much like the two Contras discussed last week, Konami handled the development of both Castlevania: Bloodlines and Super Castlevania IV for the Genesis and Super Nintendo respectively. Also, similar to Contra, the games were developed several years apart with IV coming out in 1991 and Bloodlines hitting shelves in 1994. Super Castlevania IV is lauded as being one of the best games in the series and is often looked back on as solidifying the series in gamers' minds to this day. Bloodlines, on the other hand, is looked on a little less fondly by fans of the series, and for good reason.
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| Something about this... |
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| ...seems very familiar. |
What's the Difference?
Super Castlevania IV is the best representation of how classic Castlevania should look, sound, and play and feels like the culmination of all that the developers wanted from the series. Eventually, gamers would be treated to the amazing Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on the Playstation, but before that next evolution of the series could take place, IV was the go to Castlevania game. The game has some outstanding levels that all retain the Gothic feel that the series is built around. The developers also added a few new gameplay options to the mix such as using your trademark whip to swing from platform to platform as well as shield the player from certain attacks and multi-layered levels that allowed the player to move in and out of the environment. On top of all this, the game features one of the best 16-bit soundtracks ever composed.
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| Throw me the idol... |
Castlevania Bloodlines, on the other hand, visits a variety of locations from The Leaning Tower of Pisa to the Palace at Versailles. Additionally, the game has two characters to choose from both with their own unique abilities, but the change is primarily a visual one. Eric Lecarde uses a spear to pole-vault to higher locations while John Morris uses his whip to swing in order to get to those same locations. Boss fights also varied greatly in terms of tone. This made for some fun playing albeit nonsensical battles. Bloodlines also features a strong soundtrack and solid visuals; although, they weren't quite as impressive as its predecessor.
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| Bloodlines had some impressive visuals. |
Which is better?
Both games have their strengths, but Castlevania IV's perfection of the series's formula makes it much more enjoyable overall than Bloodlines. Certain elements of Bloodlines look more visually impressive than IV, but IV's gameplay couldn't be more polished and fun. Castlevania: Bloodlines seemed to be trying to replicate Contra: Hard Corps's method of trading graphical fidelity for flashier environments. However, this decision didn't pay off nearly as well in the case of Bloodlines. Bloodlines falls short of the amazing soundtrack found in IV. There are a few memorable tracks in the Genesis title, but almost every track found in Castlevania IV is superb.
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| While bosses in Super Castlevania IV kept a common theme... |
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| ...bosses in Bloodlines got a bit silly. |
The Verdict
Bloodlines's tone suffers from the seemingly random locations, and although there are a few cool visual touches, the game lacks the focus that IV has. In fact, just about everything in IV feels like a more focused vision of what Castlevania should be; the bosses all share a common theme; the music all has the trademark style that the series is known for; and the settings all seem to lead into each other nicely. Alternately, Bloodlines seems to be held together with very pretty tape. The bosses range from really cool (the werewolf in the first stage) to ridiculous (a giant version Frankenstein's Monster, suit and all) to nonsensical (a bunch of sentient gears in a factory). Bloodlines's final stage tries to steer the setting back to Dracula, but it's too little too late. Bloodlines is by no means a bad game, but it definitely isn't the classic that Super Castlevania IV is.
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