Castlevania for Sharp X68000 Akumajo Dracula compared to NES, SNES, Genesis/Mega Drive & TurboGrafX
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 ก.ค. 2024
- This is a special X68000 game review by Mr. Jakes and Neo-Alec of Basement Brothers.
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00:00 Introduction
01:48 Packaging
01:47 Installation & Setup
06:44 Stage 1 & How to play
08:34 The other stages
19:04 Conclusions
20:57 MIDI Modules!
25:31 PlayStation Version
25:57 Wrap-up - เกม
You can still change the soundtrack arrangement on the PS1 version if you hold L1+R1 while it's booting up either the Original or Arranged mode, it brings up the same X68000 music menu, but with the added CD dance music for those who prefer to use that on the original version instead of the arranged mode. And of course, you can select the GS Midi music for that delicious mid 90's MIDI soundtrack on the PS1.
The menu always comes up in the original Japanese PS1 release. In the international release you have to hold L1+R1 for the menu to come up. I'm not sure why they chose to hide it.
@@BasementBrothers probably because no one in west, they would think, would know or care about it
I got an earlier version of Chronicles that always show up the sound module selection screen without the L1+R1 hold. It did confuse me at first after playing and then reading up the articles on the game (usually Mr.P's Castlevania Realm and Castlevania Dungeon back in the day)
Does Chronicles include the original x68000 version’s loading/“lobby” music? I remember that was part of the charm from playing games in those computers.
@@noharakunthey were so wrong, there were dozens of us!! Lol
"In order to make the most of ... resources, I ... put in all sorts of dubious functions" is a fantastic description of game development
CV1 has a choose your own adventure book of Remakes:-
*>Vampire Killer for MSX(Plays like a hybrid of Simon's Quest&CV1)*
*>Haunted Castle for Arcade(Well, it was an attempt...)*
*>Akumajo Dracula for X68000(A very faithful re-imagining of CV in 16bit)*
*>CV Chronicles(A remastered version of X68000 Version with Rave Music)*
*>SCV4(The most well known remake of CV1)*
Don't forget the scuffed Amiga conversion!
Such a wasted opportunity...
> Haunted Castle for arcade
> an attempt was made
lol
Don't forget the actual "choose your own adventure" book (loosely) based on CV1, published by futabasha.
@@serella Which itself was a really strange port of the DOS version.
It’s not remastered so much as it’s remade from scratch with different levels, bosses, and features. It’s pretty dope they did that. I think remastering is more so when you enhance or change something that’s already there Vs remaking
I've been playing Akumajo Dracula since FC (NES).
Midi uses MT-32 and Roland SC-88VL on PC-98,
Using Yamaha EOS keyboard as DTM (desktop music), connecting MT-32 (PC98 C bus inserted) and midi board
I used the SC-88VL as an external sound source in a PC-98 game.
Since there was no Dracula game on PC-98, I played the game with midi.
I used to play songs.
I play software sold to Super Famicom (SNES), NDS, ps, ps2, and ps3.
Unique BGM enhances fear and remains in memory.
I love this Dracula series even in Konami games, so this time
I miss the x68000 and would like to play it again.
Which Dracula game is your favorite today? 3 and X68k are my favorites.
(I played the X68k version on PSX)
In Japan, the x68k was expensive at the time and few people owned it.
So I let him play at my friend's house.
At the time, the x68k had outstanding quality, so
I was surprised by the sound source and the image.
What a Rolls-Royce of a gaming system the X68K was in it's day.
I had heard of this machine, I knew it ran on the M68000 CPU, I knew it was released circa 1986, I knew it was a 16 Bit home computer and I knew it had quite a few of the same games that appeared on the Megadrive and other 16 systems of the day, so in my head I had it in mind that it must have been somewhere around the same sort of spec as an Atari ST. I didn't believe it would live with the Amiga with all it's custom chips, I didn't think it would have lived with the Megadrive having been released so much sooner.
Needless to say, when I finally saw it in action, running it's version of Streetfighter 2, it was a revelation.
X68000 is basically arcade machine disguised as home computer
I just tried this game for the first time the other day, and stage 2's music theme blew me away, haha. Good stuff.
Thank you for another great review!
What an excellent breakdown, analysis, and conclusion. Nice work.
Appreciate the kind feedback. Thanks for watching!
@@BasementBrothers You're very welcome. Subscribed.
The maid enemies from this game made a return in Aria of Sorrow. Looking back it’s really neat to see how much Iga liked to homage the series’ past.
Moon Fight and Tower of Dolls also mak returns in a few of his produced games. Iga really likes this one and I don't blame him.
The toad, flyng skeleton, and the black panther sprites from this game are also reused in Symphony of the Night and some of the DS games.
@@vayouvoogie1033 The panthers were in the original game too, and the Flying Skeletons were in a few CV3 stages. EDIT: Misread. Yep, pretty sure you're right for those.
I've had 6 work shifts in a row. Now I have 7 days off. What a great way to start my mini holiday with a quality Castlevania video :). 👍
"We'll be back with another video soon." :D Looking forward to it, man.
Underrated game. Maybe the hardest in the series along with the western version of III and SNES Dracula X.
The soundtrack here is amazing,Moon fight and Tower of the dolls are phenomenal themes.
The MSX and the arcade game are the hardest, X68000, Western III and Dracula X are still pretty respectful of the player's sanity at least
@@marx4538 Honestly, the MSX version isn't that hard at all. The hourglass and holy water are pretty much broken -- if you have one or the other, and especially if you have both, you can absolutely walk over any boss in seconds. People always say the MSX version is crazy hard because it has no 1-ups and no continues, but it's one of those games that's less about twitch reflexes and more about careful planning. Learn where to find the best items in each stage, and which candles to avoid (since there are power-downs as well), and you should have little difficulty beating the game, even if your reaction time is awful.
I say this because... I have beaten the game! And my reaction time IS awful! ;) I actually was never able to beat Castlevania on NES, yet I could beat the MSX game after only a couple weeks of trying. I consider the NES game to be much more difficult than the MSX version, despite having multiple lives and unlimited continues, if only because it DEMANDS you have actual twitch reflexes. You have no shields to block enemy projectiles, the stopwatch doesn't freeze bosses like the hourglass does, the holy water is nowhere near as powerful (and takes up your sub-weapon slot, which it doesn't in the MSX version; it counts as a wholly separate bonus item instead), and there exists no boomerang axe that's 2x as powerful as the Morning Star with each hit.
Tl;dr version, MSX Castlevania gets a bad rap. Game is great, and far more balanced than people give it credit for.
@@Wyrdwad
That's fair - while I'd still say that the lack of 1-ups or continues is a bit extreme, the MSX game definitely isn't unbalanced, even if it's still rather hard for me.
That does mean the arcade game, Haunted Castle, is the hardest (and least sane)
SNES X is only ridiculous in the final boss fight. The freaking fall deaths are so stupid.
I agree, the werewolf boss gave me hell.
A soundtrack aside: Nintendo and Roland offered SNES conversions of the Roland GS sounds from the original SC-55 Sound Canvas to licensed SNES developers. Most games chose to make custom instruments instead, but one that didn't was Super Castlevania IV. As a result, fan-made MIDI arrangements of SCV4 tunes played on an SC-55 sound just like the SNES game but higher quality.
Woah, this is such a high effort review! I really appreciate the cross-game comparisons as well as showcasing the various sound options via differing hardware. This is the quality to which other retro review should be held!
Great video!
I picked up Castlevania Chronicles on the PS1 when it was first released here in the U.S. and was blown away by the X68000 version (along with the arranged). As a 43 year old, I grew up on the linear series of games and still prefer them over the SOTN/Metroidvania formula. This game is still challenging.
Moon Fight is an excellent track, definitely one of my favorite Castlevania tracks.
Incredibly underrated track for sure
i love the amount of improvement you've made for your videos over the years. also biweekly videos is such a godsend.
very happy to see this video perform well. you deserve it more than anyone i know, dood.
Your videos are fantastic. They are professionally and passionately made and a joy to watch. Thanks for the obvious effort you put into making these.
Another fantastic video! This is very quickly turning into my favourite channel. Great work.
Probably the best review that I have seen for this game here on YT. Good job!
This is amazing. It's amazing how much reacserch you did and it's always great to hear about the developers thoughts and ideas. Subbed!
So much interesting information! This is already one of my favorite channels on youtube
Amazing as always. Love the size of that box and the artwork.
The loading music actually got what it deserved and was reused as a stage bgm in castlevania rebirth on wiiware.
My first exposure to this was the OST, too. "Hope the game is as good as the soundtrack..." It was. God I miss Castlevania.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Curse of the Moon 1, and Curse of the Moon 2 are pretty good replacements for them, though, as are La Mulana 1, La Mulana 2, and Cave Story/Cave Story+.
@@paxhumana2015 castlevania can never be replaced
Even if they keep the rights Konami should at least license the Castlevania brand and let some other studio make a new game.
Just stumbled upon your channel and I'm so glad I did, great video and loving these rendition of the game ❤️
I just wanted to watch 5 minutes of this video to burn some time while my dog falls asleep, but ended up watching it completely. Awesome video! I really love the Castlevania series and the golden age of 16-bit Konami. I still remember the day I saw Super Castlevania 4 for the first time. Absolutely amazing. My family couldn't afford the game at the time (1993). I finally got a copy some months ago.
great episode very thorough with varied and engaging approach to the game, thanks, keep 'em coming!
greets from france^^
Dude this game looks amazing, they really went in on the backgrounds. Works of art.
You're making some killer content out here, and I love it.
I admire your very detailed knowledge on this niche gaming PC!!! Please keep these videos coming!
You guys are killing it. It so hard to find truly compelling retro video gaming content these days. Thank you for thoroughly entertaining me with theses deep dives! Another beautiful game from Japan.
This is an extremely impressive video. Well done!
An interesting video on a lesser known and even lesser played Castlevania game.
Thanks for this 👍
I was sure you'd be getting to this one eventually. I'm always glad to see another Basement Brothers video and this one does not disappoint. I'm certainly not good enough to clear this game but it's a great one for any X68k player to try. I appreciate the extra knowledge about the different sound cards too. Even GameSack glosses over that slightly.
Another great video! Sweet MIDI goodness!
Dude, booting this up with the MT-32 Pi on my MiSTer was just like, "Wow. This is what it was like for Japanese X68K users SO SO long ago?!" So impressive. Even to this day, IMPO.
You got my subscription man, I knew about the existence of this game, but I didn't knew it was so good!
I think its very cool that you go into the OST part of things in this review :)
I truly love your channel and your documentary style overviews. 🖤 Chef's Kiss 😘👌 perfection and one of my must sub/view channels. Stay blessed and I wish you continued success/growth. 🤘
You are a genius Sir, i love the way you put it all together just for Castlevania.
Really good content here. My first exposure to a lot of lesser known games and systems was from scouring vgm soundtracks. The early/mid 2000s were such an exciting time of discovery through emulation of games and sound chips.
Great video! I'm a big fan of this game. It's extremely hard, but it's also incredibly compelling and definitely worth playing.
Thanks for the great video! I discovered this game through Castlevania Chronicles. This game, alongside Super Castlevania IV, Bloodlines, and Rondo of Blood really represents for me an amazing piece of gaming history, with each of the quartet representing a unique take on a timeless series. Also, despite some of the more “techno” tunes, Castlevania Chronicles Arranged Mode has an incredible rendition of The Theme of Simon Belmont.
Absolutely, and I'm sad much of the discussions have become a contest on which 16bit Vania is the "best", which just takes away from each game's experience when they're all worth playing and enjoying. I don't think any of the four do anything better than the rest, they all have unique identities and are mechanically all pretty different.
Good video and showcase!
I remember finding castlevania chronicles at funcoland by accident. What a treasure! I still revisit it every few years
Amazing like always 😃
Great coverage.
wow I wish I could've had one of these PCs growing up. And you've gotten your hands on those Roland modules too. So cool...
Great channel, subscribed😊
Superb review.
Man, that computer tower is just such an incredibly cool looking piece of tech. I want one just for the aesthetic itself
This channel kicks ass!
I love this damn channel!
As a Vania nut this game could use more love. It's basically a homage to the Simon games in general, references to each of the games starring the character. As a Vania it's solid on its own as well. Didn't push ideas or experiment as much as the other 16bit ones but think its simplicity helps it stand as an easy one to pick up and play every once in a while. There's also concepts and material here seen in later games. Once Iga took the producer role he considered this to be the canon Simon v Drac story, not that it matters.
these videos like water in the desert. beyond the actual games (well a fraction of the games), japan's glorious 8 and 16 bit gaming (and computer) era, its unique culture and gaming gear is criminaly underrepresented, even neglected (ok, for obvious reasons). so your videos like this and about the pc-88 and such are a godsend. top quality informations and presentation, brilliant stuff. and you got the best intro ever. so thanks and keep'em coming!
also, this very x68000 akumajo dorakyura is comig to the (aga) amiga! i hope it will be finished, not even soon, but at all, coz as i understand its a one-man project. however a demo is already out with 2 playable levels. naturaly its a cut-down version of the original but still looks almost as good and plays just as good as the x68000 one (although i havent played that one only the amiga demo so i cant really compare the two). seeing the later levels and all the gfx trickery those have i wonder what can be achieved on the miggy, fe. with the stage on fire, or that fast scrolling stage with the transparent water or the big and complex level boss sprites. in the amiga demo the big bat boss at the end of level one is already a cheap, chinese knock-off version of the x68000's one, so based on that one i think we cant expect too much. but - as its only a demo - it is possible that they will improve on that. technically its possible, with skill, time and effort. i've seen many things on the miggy which were deemed impossible... it will certainly not be a 100% perfect port, but it can be a very very good one and fo' sho a million times better than that abysmal horrorshow what the amiga's got as castlevenia (a "port", but rather a recreation, of the nes game. a really terrible one done by some cheap hungarian coders behind the iron curtain, who im certain had never played or seen a videogame before this job)
Amiga CV1 is a depressing sight to behold. So much potential just squandered by a team who either didn't care or didn't have time. I like some of its graphics but is otherwise one of the ugliest Vanias.
My frothing demand for more of your outstanding content intensifies.
I love the algorithm at times, found this suggested to me yesterday. I'm a huge retro (console) gaming enthusiast, but I know next to nothing about Japanese computers like this from the 80s-90s, they're so fascinating to me. Awesome video, the MIDI stuff was such a treat!
The algorithm giveth, and the algorithm taketh away... Welcome aboard!
i had bought a roland mt-32 for ms-dos gaming back in the day (silpheed, monkey island, dune, wing commander, ravenloft stone prophet.....). this game, with this midi module, is the only reason why i went looking for an x68000. never regreted it (and got my mind blown by a few other sountracks like granada -by far my favorite on the system, especialy the last stage, smashing street-, gradius2, super hang-on, or the "special mode" of xenon2)
Castlevania always good!
9:08
The Basement Brothers. Awesome channel name
Shit man, you are nailing Every point about the X68K!! I got one about 6 months ago, with a hard drive and some games on it. Now I understand about the loading, the music with no picture, twhy I got no sound when I first started (because it defaults to midi) and thanks for the midi info too!! Stellar video dude !! Very excellent !!
Great video! keep it up!
Get the herb. Get the herb. Get the herb.
I wasn't especially fond of Castlevania 4, so when I want to play an enhanced version of Castlevania 1, this one(the PS1 version anyway) is an easy choice for me. I was a little worried about this one before I tried it due to the graphics looking a but more like CV4, relatively speaking, and also the difficulty. Luckily, I ended up liking the way this one looks, feels, and sounds in action. I enjoyed it a lot more than expected and was happy to add it to the pile of CV games I like. The audio options are a nice touch. Of course, as I understand it, those MIDI modules were quite expensive back in the day and not something most people would have just for game playing. The built-in FM chip was no slouch and was the model most used in arcade boards. The MIDI modules produce some nice renditions of the tunes in this game and each audio option has some advantages. For me, the FM sound is the most consistent and cohesive and is the one I prefer. I always liked good FM synth in games, though.
The solution to adapt the game to the PS1 from the odd resolution of the X68000 is a good one. It only really got slightly in the way once or twice. The actual gameplay area is the same, with the X68000 using the extra 32 pixels for the HUD. Good that they made the game available another way. I really enjoy this game and recommend it to those who like the older CV games.
nice work my fellow "basement brother" 😆
Wow that game looks phenomal. that sprite work looks great even without scan lines to blend anything.
Thank you for the Captain N references.
Kind of surprised you like Super IV so much. With it's too-large character sprite and the ability to hit enemies everywhere on the screen I always found it to be a pretty poor entry in the series. Though, i know fans of it usually praise the music as being really good, the gameplay and graphics just don't do it for me. I hadn't known much about the x68000 entry, so this was a really great video. Thanks!
I remember hating IV when I first turned it on when I was 11. heheh. I love all the early 90's Castlevanias, and IV is also a phenomenal game once you get used to it.
I'm with you. I ended up playing Rondo, Bloodlines, and CV4 for the first time at the same time. Both Rondo and Bloodlines I loved, after a bit of frustration. CV4, I very much did not love. I know fans of the game like the multi-directional whipping, but what they miss is that the level design doesn't compensate for it. I also had issues with the soundtrack, despite the praise. Some of the tracks are very good, but some are just weird and inappropriate. Last year, I decided to play it again while mitigating some of the issues. This involved using the MSU1 hack to change about half of the soundtrack, leaving my favorite tunes in and replacing the rest with Rondo music, and not using the multi-direction whip unless absolutely necessary. I did enjoy the game a lot more this way, but it still wasn't anywhere near the others for me. That's just me. Others love that one. I don't. I thought that was an interesting experiment at least. Clearly, I prefer the more rigid game mechanics and musical style of the other games in the series. Since Rondo and Bloodlines followed, I guess enough other people did to.
For the record, I tried this X68000 edition a couple of years ago, and really enjoyed it. It's one of the good ones.
Nice vid!
Subscribed!
Holy crap, you tested the freaking MIDI modules!!! This is why the Brothers reign supreme
once again, excellet video
The reason the default sound option is the highest-end Roland MIDI device is marketing. Sierra On-Line games on the late 80s and early 90s did the same thing.
If the highlight is on the option with the marketing tie-in, it plants the idea in your mind that it would be desirable to play the game with that device, so you might end up buying one. Simple marketing, no big mystery.
You have gain a new subscriber.
admittedly I've only ever played this one via emulation.... but damn what a cool game it is! I mean even for what just amounts to an HD remake of original castlevania on famicom or in the arcade... but there's enough new stuff here that I definitely recommend checking it out! and the music, good lord even as various flavors of MIDI and fm synth it's just SO GOOD! also the chronicles remixes were done by sota fujimori, I loved a lot of his stuff from over on Konami's BEMANI line (dance dance revolution, beatmania) so I'm assuming that's why it sounds the way it does. I'd probably put it right behind rondo as far as the not-metroidvania versions, for sure.
Wow, i didnt expect soo many details over this rare and obscure game. I just played it last month and i couldnt beat the wolfwoman in the clock tower. This game is deffinetly really tough and i am glad we can play it on PS1 tough it keeps in the shadow of Symphony of the Night
Great video! I always assumed this version was just a port of the arcade Vampire Killer. I guess now I have a reason to try the X68000 MiSTer core.
Thank goodness it isn't...
Great video! Just kinda surprised you didn´t mention some details taken from Haunted Castle, like the phantom tree enemies.
I knew we weren't going to mention everything.
Looks beautiful
so clean grafics .. first time i see thaqt game .. bravo for the video
That looks great 😊
I played so much CC growing up I loved it. I remember walking into funcoland as a kid and blowing all my money I had to buy the last copy of chronicles. It was worth it.
Oh yes, been waiting for Sharp x68000 paradise. Is Fm Towns or MSX next?
This system was insane
"What kind of personality does Simon Belmont have?" "Uhhh not sure, he's...A..big asshole?" "That sounds about right."
Thrashard to me is the standout track, so damn aggressive and in your face.
Also yeah I love how the devs for Adventure Rebirth agreed with you on LOADING and used that for a stage track.
Nice Video
Again, you guys surpassed yourselves and gave us an awesome video!
Btw i have the exact same sound mixer 👍 i think i bought it years ago on aliexpress?? Or amazon?? It's a great piece of equipment as it is ultrasmall 👍
Nice. I had my reservations seeing how cheap and simple the device is. I was originally going to use a powered mixing board, but I figured this passive device would do the job more simply and elegantly.
Cool video =D
I wanna play this again, hopefully one day I can buy it from PSN in the near future.
The PSX version isn’t all dance based music, as the orchestrations for Bloody Tears and Etude for the Killer are legendary.
In addition to the lighter difficulty, it’s a nice change that when hit, you don’t fly back nearly as much, drastically reducing cheap deaths.
The stage 2 theme of the NES version was actually incorporated in the Vampire Killer rendition of this game.
Never seen your channel before (btw, impressed) but I opened this video I seriously thought I was listening to Nerrel.
Funny how that happens.
I found someone on TH-cam named Nerrel, but fhe videos just have an AI voice.
@@BasementBrothers think that’s the wrong channel, unless that’s a joke - he _does_ sound like a bit of a bot 😂
So nolstagic and informative
i was about to ask for line-in recordings of the soundtrack, but fascinatingly, the CD release of the soundtrack of the PS1 ver, actually includes 4 soundtracks in total, FM, LA, GS & PS1 Arrange mode, pretty neat imo.
It does look great.
Super Castlevania 4 and Akumajōu Dracula/Castlevania Chronicles has the absolute best Castlevania soundtracks.
Roland CM-500 midi is the best.
23:00 that was very delibrate. nice
I have this on PlayStation titled Castlevania Chronicles, for $60 in 2015 and dear God am I happy I got that then and not now.