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[Crocodile]

So I'm pretty well versed in the Igavanias but I haven't had much play experience with the Castlevanias of the "Classic"-style.

Castlevania
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Super Castlvania IV
Bloodlines
Rondo of Blood

These are the core of the "Classicvanias" as I see it with a bunch of remakes/alternate/handheld versions thrown in as well.

Among them:

• Some games have one playable character and some have multiple
  
• Of those that have multiple characters some let you swap characters mid-stage (Castlevania III) or swap character only at the start of a stage/gameplay session (Rondo of Blood)
  
• Some have a Limited Jump (most Classicvanias) or Fully Controllable Jump (Super Castlevania IV)
  
• Some let you interact with the stairs in a range of ways (Super Castlevania IV; Rondo of Blood) but most don't
  
• Many of them have Upgradeable Weapons (Castlevania, Bloodlines) or Static Weapons
  
• Subweapons/Magic are handled differently between games - some even have things like Item Crashes (Rondo fo Blood)
  
• Some have Branching Pathways and/or Alternate Stages (Castlevania III, Rondo of Blood) but others have Linear Progression (Other Classicvanias)
  
• Some restrict the way you can use your main weapon (most Classicvanias) but others offer more freedom (8 Way Whip in Super Castlevania IV, 4 Way Attacks in Bloodlines)

I'm curious: Which combination of the above would result in your ideal "Classicvania"? How many characters? If more than one when/how can you swap them? How much freedom do you want with your jumps/attacks/interacting with stairs? What Sub-Weapon/Magic system did you like the best? How do you want stages to be constructed and flow?

and more importantly.....WHY?

 

[@MUWANdo]

Even though it's not my favourite of the classic games, Bloodlines is probably the closest to having all the elements I want from an "ultimate classicvania": character select from the get-go and slight level branches depending on character, a decent amount of character utility without being overpowered, selectable difficulty levels, item crash, etc.

 

[Subhuman Filth]

Without getting too technical, the majority of Classicvanias have what I would call a very "arcade" feeling to them. Linear levels that have branching pathways. Exchangeable power-ups. Unique jump physics. Trial and error difficulty that rewards methodical thinking. Stuff that you just don't see much of these days.

If the Classicvanias had dedicated cabinets, they'd fit right in with Strider, Ghosts & Goblins, and the like.

 

[AzureSkies]

Make sure to include Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth for Wii, it's an amazing classic Castlevania game.

 

[jasminlovesyoux]

A lot of people knock it for being too easy, but Super Castlevania IV is my favorite of them all. Even more so than the metroidvanias. It felt like a true successor to the series at the time. The whip mechanics alone made it so much fun to play. Again, it also made the game easier, but it was worth it to add a new method of whipping away the armies of Dracula. The graphics and sound are still top notch to my eyes and ears, and I absolutely love how epic of a journey the game feels with all the various locations leading up to and in the castle. Amazing game.

If I were to add anything else to the already 10/10 game, it would be Castlevania III's branching paths and multiple characters.

 

[tav7623]

I know many could care less about Bloodlines given how it's seen as inferior to the controls/movement/graphics of Super Castlevania IV, but for me personally Bloodlines did an amazing job of bringing classic Castlevania staples such as the branching paths, selectable characters and a kickass soundtrack to the 16 bit era.

 

[Overside]

I guess Castlevania 3 because of the alternate characters and the different play styles and the branching paths.

Obviously because it feels closer to igavania.

I wont even pretend that I am not heavily biased towards igavanias over classicvanias.

 

[Neoleo2143]

Rondo of Blood, really well balanced difficulty, lots of variety in enemies, looks excellent, wonderful music, a second playable character who is fun as hell, multiple routes. It's just a fun ride through and through.

 

[orborborb]

None of the things you listed matters so much to me, I prefer the classic castlevanias because of the the platforming and the way enemies are levels are carefully placed to provide increasing challenges and clever traps and tricks, the newer ones all rely on rpg mechanics so your character is getting stats more than the player is improving in skill.

 

[Card Boy]

If you are going to play Simon's Quest you need to played the Redacted romhack. It reduces the message timer between night and day, fixes a few bugs and adjusts the translation so clues are not cryptic as fuck.

 

[120v]

pretty much all the control mechanics for castlevania IV. you could argue it renders a lot of subweapons useless and it makes the game easier, but it's the most most fun game of the bunch for me.

shame a quarter of a century has passed and no other sequel really expanded on it

 

[ugh_the_boot]

I love boss fights and 2d games (especially action/beat em up) and the Castlevania games have some of the best 2d boss fights and monster designs i've ever seen. The light rpg aspects are really cool too.

EDIT: I haven't had much experience with the list of games in OP except Super Castlevania and what I liked most about that were the large sprites. I have played and finished all the GBA and DS ones however.

 

[Tizoc]

The protagonists dont RUN
They POWER WALK through dracula's castle like they own the place
Also moon walking up stairs

 

[World SkiFree]

Classicvania is my only vania. I love CV1, it's my favorite. Just feels right. Good mix of old school horror and camp, iconic bosses and neat levels. Puts the Castle in Castlevania.

CV2 is fun and novel but the linearity of 1 makes the original more replayable for me. Couldn't quite get into 3; just don't care for multiple characters, multiple paths for CV.

I own Bloodlines and that I agree with others, it's excellent. Just haven't played it as much as 1.

CV4 is good fun too but similar to 3, I just couldn't quite get into it. Probably me old nostalgia goggles, I suppose.

Kinda edit: reading through the original post, my loose ranking probably didn't address the talking points. It seems I prefer less features and frills with CV; the more arcadey, the better.

 

[Spman2099]

Rondo of Blood is, in my opinion, the perfect Castlevania game. Bloodlines and Dracula's Curse are also top notch.

 

[Ceadeus]

Super Castlevania 4.

Everything in this game is top tier and unforgettable. It's quality and quantity. It's a game you had to be there when it came out. Because at the time, this game was fucking impressive.

 

[NinjamicWZ]

Double tap jump to back flip in Rondo of Blood is the best addition to formula beyond the original mechanics. It's the exact right weighting, timing and balance retaining kind of addition.

Multiple characters and multiple pathways really do it for me too... so Dracula's Curse, Bloodlines and Rondo of Blood are my jam.

I really like Bloodlines a lot, but I dislike having a button for sub weapons... up+attack or bust.

Being able to jump on and off stairs is a must, and navigate them correctly without falling to your death if you didn't press up/down in the exact right way. That was just a minor technical growing pain the series promptly worked out.

 

[emag]

Rondo is probably my favorite as well (followed by CV1 and Rebirth), but that's despite its additional features over OG Castlevania rather than due to any of them.

I'd prefer no extra characters, no item crashes, or item upgrades, no 8-way whip, no spinning whip, and definitely no controllable jump or RPG elements. Alternative paths and whip upgrades are tolerable. Down-whip and jumping on/off stairs are nice improvements, though.

Also, I really dislike Bloodlines. It doesn't feel anything like Castlevania, just as Hard Corps feels nothing like Contra.

 

[Sir Ilpalazzo]

Don't forget about the X68000 game (released on PS1 as Castlevania Chronicles). One of the best in the series for sure. I'm not sure that I'd call Castlevania 2 a "classicvania", too; it certainly doesn't work like any of the others and is significantly worse than every other game in the OP.

Also, I really dislike Bloodlines. It doesn't feel anything like Castlevania, just as Hard Corps feels nothing like Contra.

Why? It doesn't deviate from the formula any more than Rondo of Blood.

 

[Already Torn]

The music is the immediate standout for me.