Hi there y'all!
Still alive and kicking, even if my old mattress wants to split my back in half. But now it's time to get back to some good old level design, and today we are in for a rollercoaster of emotions in Level 3 of Castlevania!
Previous entries:
Level 3-1
Level 3, Castlevania, Castlevania Crypt
Ah, Level 3. I believe this is were Akamatsu and his team started to feel they could add a bit more spice to the challenge with the introduction of by far the most annoying enemy in the franchise after the Medusa Head: the Fleaman. These little rascals will jump around making the player understand the importance of being swift with their decisions in the game. Too close? That's a free hit for them. Too far? It's time to fight or flight buddy. And since they are constantly hunched, hitting them without crouching might be hard to do. However, what do we have spawning before we even take a look at the first one? Holy water! The perfect weapon against the Fleaman, and the level tells the player this by having the first one jump towards them from a higher position. And as always, WLAR applies here, as we have another one to test the practice one more time. Also, say hello Skeleton! It's your first time here, don't be shy and throw some bones before we even leave so we know your deal! What a great and iconic enemy.
Overall, a solid intro once again showcasing two new enemies that require accuracy in order to deal with them effectively. Let's see if the quality is still there after we go upstairs.
Level 3-2
Level 3, Castlevania, Castlevania Crypt
Is this Activision making games for the Atari 2600? Because I sure see lots of pitfalls here.
I'm not sorry for that.
Here we have the bane of many Castlevania rookie players: gaps between floor tiles, oh heavens no! However, I do agree that some enemy position here may result in some frustration during the player's first attempts. Also staring at Simon high above we have the Raven, an enemy that lots of people hate if the player doesn't deal with it fast.
Same as the Ghost, the Raven targets the player's position and moves towards them, but unlike our non-corporeal foe, this pesky bird describes a small sine wave pattern and then seeks them from behind slightly faster. Or in simpler terms, it goes WOOSH and then does the WOOSH again.
I appreciate the placement of the candles in this section here a lot, as the only subweapon that spawns here is not in one of the tricky ones located close to the staircases located in the middle of the stage. Once again, the original Castlevania wants the player to pay attention to what's in front of them, and not to rush things. The candles will only offer hearts, so the risk reward is still present, but you can ignore them and still have some ammo in less risky areas.
Level 3-3
Level 3, Castlevania, Castlevania Crypt
Medusa Heads are back in the menu! Short stage, not a lot to say here. Mind the pattern of the Medusa and push forward, nothing else to say. If anything I'd say that having the Heads spawn by the end while having a Skeleton throwing bones at the player might be a bit of a pain, but once again I get a counterargument to that from the previous stage. Why? Because the subweapon spawn was an Axe, making the final stretch of this area very straightforward. Stop making me love you so much Castlevania, come on!
Level 3-4
Level 3, Castlevania, Castlevania Crypt
Ravens and Bone Pillars, oh boy. Another short one, but the challenge here comes from, well, nothing if you have plenty of ammo. There's a Stopwatch here that completely removes any semblance of challenge from this stage, but if the player feels like not doing that at all the foe elimination hierarchy is clear: Ravens first, Bone Pillars second.
Level 3-5
Level 3, Castlevania, Castlevania Crypt
I think this level might trigger some war flashbacks to some readers, and for a good reason. This stretch is by far one of the most infamous ones in the original game. And it's funny that it's once again just another straight line! Ravens and Medusa Heads will be your worst enemies, but if the player still has the Stopwatch this is an easier ordeal. But unlike the previous stage, here the challenge still maintains its status thanks to the enemy placement. And in the end we will face the Mumm(y)ies, which is honestly one very straightforward challenge since it doesn't fly around like the previous bosses. Not the best ending for such a good level, but it could be worse. Hey look, foreshadowing.
And that was Level 3. We are halfway through our journey, and next level will be-oh come on it's Level 4 I hate Level 4.
Stay cool and see you in the next one,
-Ray