Yep, it's Castlevania. How do I know? Cause....I CAN'T BEAT THE F@#KIN' GRIM REAPER STAGE!!!!.....(whew) Just like in the first one. For those gamers used to being pampered, it's a good idea to pad yourself with a few extra lives in the option menu cause you'll get no mercy from this game.
So, here comes the third installment in the Konami Rebirth series for the Wii. Strange how they named the title: Castlevania....the Adventure...Rebirth. As if to dredge up the horrifying memories from the deep recesses of the scarred minds who had unfortunate chance to cross path with that monster only to say....we made a better game...........Is it?
Don't let "the Adventure" pitch fool ya? Sure, there's a FEW similarities but rest assured, Konami threw that mess out the window and heads back to the lab to construct a truly different beast. One that captures the golden memories of our youth, injects blood flavored with old-school goodness, stitched together by good fundamentals, and megawatts of Nintendo Power (oh yeah, we're playing with power!) to give it life to fulfill one purpose....to take us back to the past....and its succeeds.
The game has six levels and no save points. That's right, you have to beat the game in ONE sitting and giving up means starting all over again (boy does that bring back memories). The difficulty ramps up the further you go along. Like in stage 5, every enemy hit takes 4 life and since our hero has 20 life, its take only 5 to kill ya. On top of that, every stage has two bosses to fight, and plenty of cheap moments (a.k.a. Medusa Heads) to give plenty of reason to scream out the seven words you don't say on television. But you're not going into monster's den unarmed....
All the Belmont's favorite tools are back including the return of the flame whip. But it bugs me a little that it's effective only for a limited time. That's like saying Mario can use a fire flower for 30 seconds. Powerful, yes, but too powerful to warrant heavy restriction like the Invincibility Star. Sure, the flames can kill enemies in a distance but the lack of attacking diagonally and the cheap ways to die helps the argument in the other direction.
There one new additional tool called the key. It opens locked doors (duh!) but those doors could lead to secret vaults providing tons of hearts, ungrades, and 1 ups. Sometimes, they unlocks hidden shortcuts that bypasses some of the minibosses and enemies, going to the stage's main boss and they're littered throughout the game, putting a big win in the replay departments. Sounds too good to be right? The catch is it takes the special weapons slot a.k.a giving up your axe, cross. etc. As the key does nothing, you'll heavily rely on your whip to fend off enemies. So, it's a risk-reward type of deal.
To say this game is a remake is like saying Dracula drinks fruit punch, nothing can be further from truth. Castlevania Rebirth (the proper title it should get) plays, feels, looks and listens like a completely NEW game that stays true to tradition but stands out among its brethren, offering a different gauntlet of challenges and secrets for fans both new and old to experience. It's the kind of game we've been waiting for since the Virtual Console inception and not this half-assed attempt.....
So far, Castlevania Rebirth does not disappoint and makes an excellent addition to the Rebirth series. However, it quite a quagmire to see Konami do great by WiiWare titles, yet so poorly for Wii titles. You'd think the creators of DDR, Guitar Freak, and Boktai would have a field day with motion controls, but so far, it's been dismally disappointing. But Konami want to get back on track, why not bring back this guy?
Happy New Year!
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