The Making of Super Castlevania IV & Bloodlines
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- After the success of the original Castlevania it would not take long before Konami started plans for the first 16-bit entry in this series. In this episode we dive into the development of Super Castlevania IV for the Super NES and Castlevania Bloodlines for the Mega-Drive/Genesis.
///Support the channel:
All your views, likes comments and shares are really appreciated! My making of videos are part of bigger project. I set up a patreon for those who would like to financially support it: / strafefox
//Music and Sources
For the complete track-listing with time-codes skip to the end of the video
Sources used for this video are also listed there.
Narration by Chase McCaskill
I wish TH-cam would favor more videos with high production quality like this instead of the usual TH-camr daily video crap. The dedicated folks are not rewarded with enough exposure-- instead, garbage content gets pushed through on daily basis. I find it revolting and unfair to quality video producers. Keep up the amazing work my friend.
sadly youtube cares more about quick quantity over quality stuff.
the most popular content has slowly mutated to the same trash content on TV
QUALITY over quantity. This video is more akin to something you would see on Netflix or broadcast television. I agree with you 100%. I watch a lot of video game related content and just stumbled upon this channel today.
Word!
Do it yourself
The blame lies with the tasteless morons who click on the aforementioned stupid bullshit instead of high quality, interesting videos like this one
I’m Chase, the guy who narrated all of Jeroen’s videos for about 5 years. This is the last video I recorded before we parted ways. I mostly do game reviews so if that’s something you like then feel free to join me!
It’s been fun narrating for the channel but Jeroen has decided to go with someone else. I wish him well. :)
What brought the parting of ways?
you voice was way better!!
Who is Jeroen?
@Ottophil the guy that made this channel.
Thought that would be extremely obvious considering the way the previous narrator worded his comment.
@@danyo5786 Such "questions" always strike me. Everything regarding the question, and probably much more than that if needed, is straight in front of you - in the video you're commenting and asking questions about. It's all given on a silver platter. Such people don't expect or want any answer, nor have any interest in the topic in the first place.
Another great episode that deserves its own TV series.
Hell yeah! Though once again Strafefox if you could look at covering Virtua Fighter and its ripple effect on the gaming industry as a whole, that would be great..
Agreed. This shouldn't be lost to the fleeting, trendy nature of TH-cam. It's digital form means its contents will be lost once its profitability is gone and the plug is pulled.
Why would you prefer it have a TV series instead of the channel's presence here on youtube? To allow the page's creator more capability? The production value and overall quality here rival and in many ways surpass that of old-school TV shows. Certainly the operator of this channel deserves more acclaim, so for now of course we all can help by sharing, sharing, sharing.
@@ZaGoudou. Because it doesn't get the recognition it deserves on TH-cam. TH-cam tends to bury channels that don't upload garbage content daily, They want quantity not quality. Although I'll settle for this channel to be a hidden gem, but it still deserves Proper recognition. This channel probably barely breaks even. But luckily it seems to be something he loves to do, Even if out of pocket.
@@aarongreenfield9038 I feel what you're saying. The fact that this channel is a 'labor of love' is very telling. Love over money. Every. Time.
There can't be enough Castlevania. These games still hold up so well.
Absolutely, I still play them both regularly.
@@strafefox ga je er ook nog een maken van rondo of blood? Dat is mijn favoriete 16 bit Castlevania
Yep! Ik was eerst van plan om Rondo ook te behandelen in deze video maar kwam er al snel achter dat de video echt veel te lang zal worden. Mijn plan is nu om Rondo te bundelen met Symphony aangezien die 2 veel met elkaar te maken hebben.
strafefox that makes sense as I've heard there is a good deal of connective tissue between the development or rondo and symphony. That is also coincidentally where castlevania acquired the goth anime aesthetic and habit of using musical references in the subtitle. Aspects that have become quite enduring in the series' legacy
@@strafefox rondo is wat mij betreft het summum van de platform Castlevanias en symphony of the night de beste metroidvania en qua verhaal lopen ze door. Kijk je ook de series op Netflix? Dat heeft bij mij het Castlevania vuurtje weer verder opgestookt
The history before the game's development is so interesting.
Yep, so much it’s inspiring to me honestly. I’ve wanted the dream of becoming a developer for games and these help encourage that.
13:08 I think you may mean Erzsébet Báthory (Elizabeth Bathory) "The Blood Countess" of late Medieval Hungarian notoriety.
I keep hearing Elizabeth Barkley...
@@D00Dable It's because that was the english translation
They either didn't want Bathory in their game or just mistranslated it
Hungary is Quiet close to Transylvania .
Proud patron of your work! It's incredible how you're able to produce a television-quality show. Keep showing TH-cam what it could be 💚
Thanks so much! :)
Definitely one of the best channels on TH-cam, along with OSW Review.
We be loving seeing dem whips!
STEVE! What bar is Konami?!
nothing to add here! looking forward to new content :)
One of those channels where you know you can press like without having to watch the video.
Awesome as always!
Exactly xD
YES!!!
It never ceases to amaze me the huge quality of your videos! You can clearly see the dedication, the research process to bring all of the solid information, the high quality 3D animations, the spot-on placement of songs and the voicework of the narrator. Cheers and keep up the good work!
Wow I just found this video by searching for Castlevania Bloodlines, and this video was uploaded less than an hour ago? Now that's search value!
It's a great channel.
@@MrDeedsly it is. I am now subscribed :)
These videos are always great to watch. They're well researched and well presented. Great job.
Damn good stuff!
Love your work and thank you!
I'm 47 years old and Castlevania is big a part of my life.
I have always loved the series from the very first adventure on the NES and onward!
And as a guitarist of 33 years, this video game series is part of the reason why I play guitar in the first place!
So again.... Thank you for your work and your research and everything you've done to make this video possible !!🤘!!
Now if Konami? would get off their ass! And give us something new !!! 🤷
Congratulations for conveying the passion of the developers into video ! The three 16-bits episodes were all great and complementary. Castlevania is one of the series that can keep a hardcore fanbase. I am happy to be part of it !
it's my favorite franchise with Super Castlevania IV being my favorite game of all-time
Ah super castle vania.
One of my favorite castle vania.
But unrelated is how underrated this channel is.
You deserve 100k.
un chef d'œuvre castlvania 4
Only stupid dances get a channel over 100K.
And did you play castlevania 64 ?
@Curtis Lang what you think of it?
Thank you for all the hard work, man. Your're in league of your own when it comes to research and production values.
Out of all of the castlvanias, and I’ve played them all, I feel like Super Castlevania IV had one of the most perfect difficulty scaling I’ve ever seen in a game.
It’s nearly flawless how it continues to get just a little bit harder, without being impossible.
I Love these videos! I also just noticed you do a video every other month. *Quality over Quantity*
Super Castlevania IV is a MASTERPIECE. The levels and music are mindblowing for it's time and the graphics as well, i felt such enjoyment finishing that game and some kind of sadness it was over at the same time. Your or/and your crews videos are great and detailed. Satisfying to watch.
The research and production of this videos are amazing! Exelent work!
THE most under-subbed retro gaming channel. The quality of your videos is unparalleled honestly.
The production quality here is exemplary, you could air this on tv or stream on services like Netflix and Amazon
Agreed on the amazing quality, but respectfully disagree on format. Physical Blu-Ray/DVD media would definitely be better than digital services where it can be lost forever once the trends change. This work is masterful and deserves to be preserved accordingly. Konami should hire this producer for official media!
Easily
Everytime I get a Strafefox video notification, I always get oddly exited lol
These videos are extremely interesting to watch. I don't know how they get pumped out every couple months because the amount of research and visual design in these is astounding. Matter of fact I love these videos so much, I watched the Streets of Rage and Shinobi video and now I've been playing the games since last summer, and honestly, I'm glad
This is just an incredible youtube channel, always with a top-rate production, editing and scenery and with these 3D templates ultra "pro" and "eighties-spirit". As a french retrogaming youtuber, I tell myself that we have a lot to learn from a big channel like yours ! So keep up the good work and courage for the future ! And congratulations for all this amazing work Jeroen ! :)
Thanks so much for your kind words! And good luck with your channel! I checked out your Moonwalker video, good stuff, although my french is a bit rusty :)
@@strafefox Oh it's great thanks ! You can try three of our videos which have english subtitles : "l'histoire des beat'em up", "Starfox" and "Starush" ;)
This could be the best retrogaming channel active today
This is researched so well.
Castlevania IV is a game I've been a huge fan of ever since 92 so being able to get this sort of behind the scenes look at its development and history is a treat for me. And I really appreciate that this video decided to tie it in with the castlevania game made for megadrive and rondo of blood a bit as a broader statement on the state of castlevania during the 16 bit era.
One thing about the localization of castlevania IV was the name they chose relative to the fact that it was an enhanced remake. The super part is fitting sure but numbering it number IV suggests it's fourth in a canonical sense which makes it a little more confusing than necessary. But I loved the innovative gameplay in it and like super mario world I wish that this game had been given a direct sequel. Like maybe an enhanced remake of castlevania II utilizing the same sorts of series innovations such as diagonal whipping, swinging using the whip, etc. castlevania II despite being quirky and having been ripped on by AVGN is known for having some RPG elements and the SNES was a platform that had an intense love affair with the RPG genre so on paper such a game could have sold well.
But it's clear from what I've learned watching this video that A. Konami were determined to go multi plat rather than being exclusive to Nintendo and B. The way they managed their ip and staff was not conducive to such a game being made. If they allowed their employees to have a little more creative freedom and a sense of ownership of their creation then maybe they could have kept teams together and retained employees like Nintendo does. Well they at least gave us castlevania IV which to me is a special game
16:32 That is one of the coolest things I've ever seen a game company do. That is awesome.
Your video is art: contents, arts, videos, musiques, editing and narration. Thanks.
I have been busy strafefox with work but I can say without a doubt, this is my favorite episode. It feels so new yet reminds me of the old msx days. And the loads of new information shows. From the Twitter post you showed me to the use of the Anniversary collection and more really is amazing. For a long time you were one of my favorite yt channels, but I can say without adoubt you still are if not, my favorite. Bar none.
Im very glad over the years Bloodlines slowly got the love it didnt get when it was fresh. I still think alongside Sonic 3 & K its the best soundtrack in the Genesis.
It's the one Genesis game I constantly come back to. Something about the atmosphere is just so perfect. I love Bloodlines!
Bloodlines is awesome
Bloodlines music and the whole game for that matter pales in comparison to the masterpiece Super Castlevania 4, Revenge of Shinobi and streets of rage 2's title screen music alone slaughter the whole bloodlines soundtrack.
@@danielnicholson6174 no
@@danielnicholson6174 I wholeheartedly disagree. i was always a nintendo man, but i've never even bothered to beat 4 and I still play BL's to this day
Now THIS is the type of channel and content that deserves millions of subs and donations. This is quality work that is second to none in production. This is what youtube needs, not more half naked bimbos begging for money while they play video games and give fake reactions. This guy has more talent than 99% of any of the so called top youtubers. Keep up the good work
My goodness, it’s like the History channel needs to give you a chance on TV! It really is THAT excellent... amazing. Talk about doing the games some real justice! I could only imagine that the Konami teams shed tears of joy as they watch somebody tell their story in such an amazing way 💕
Super Castlevania 4 is one of my favorite games of all time. You have done justice to this timeless masterpiece.
Fantastic doc! My favourite all time game probably. Yeah there have been better but the nostalgia, the atmosphere, that music! Best Castlevania game. Glorious! 🥰
Me encantó el vídeo en general . Eres de los youtubers que más empeño y edición le pone a los videos en cuanto a videojuegos . Lo amé ❤️ . I love your videos
Castlevania Bloodlines is one of my favourites. It looks and sounds gorgeous and plays absolutely perfect. What a classic!
Great video, thank you so much for putting that time and effort into these videos.
Fantastic video. Your research is unparalleled. I think I say this in every one of you videos, but I'll say it again; you make the best video games related content on YT. Thank you so much for all of the hard work you put in to each episode.
The highest quality content every time. It almost feels illegal to be watching these for free.
I never get over how much work goes into your videos. Amazing as usual.
These high quality videos explaining how some of my favorite 16-bit games were made is why I subbed. Outstanding job, and I can't wait to see more!
I found your channel through Oney, and am absolutely blown away at the level of quality in your videos. Amazing stuff dude. I'm going to replay Super Castlevania IV after this.
Astonishing work as allways.
I´m glad that this channel grows more and more every time you release a new video.
Greetings from Spain.
One of the best Castlevania videos I've seen on youtube, hope you make more! I heard some music from Castlevania the concert too, double nice!
The channel that makes you nervous over not paying to watch and has 0 dislikes
Who would disliked such amazing videos? Only nazis or the deranged I guess.
DBZeh Atari Jaguar fans
More people need to know about this channel. Your production values are so insane. I love all your videos. Keep it up!
You guys are something else. From the music transitions, to the interesting narrative. A lot of effort went into making this documentary and you have my gratitude for brightening up a rainy afternoon. I'm not sure what compelled you guys to direct this expertise into documenting videogame history, but I am certainly glad that you did.
Amazing production, nice narration and great script. I have been a Castlevania fan since I was a kid and didn't knew some of the secrets behind the development of these old games. Great video!!!
I've always dreamed of you creating a 'making of castlevania'
It's my favorite series of all time!
Probably one of the most amazing video i've ever seen on youtube, the research and the materials used are utterly fantastic!
Thank you so much for this 22+ minutes of pure passion.
I still can't believe we haven't had a Castlevania with the 8-Way whip mechanic since Super Castlevania IV. Seems like it would be awesome to implement in a Metroidvania.
I've heard most people think it makes the game too easy.
As someone who is very bad at Super Castlevania 4, I think it's fine.
Bloodlines did at least have diagonal whipping (though only when jumping), and Eric could use his spear in at least 5 directions (+ the spin).
Makes so much sense and gameplay in 4 so satisfying
@@Omeganed0 really? Because 4 is way harder than Rondo or Symphony.
@@Thor-Orionmaybe you think 4 is harder because it contains lot of instant death when the game progress.
This, is the highest quality channel of its kind. Easily. Like how the hell!? It’s so good!!
Moved to tears when the Rondo of blood theme song started playing at the end...
I always (I mean ALWAYS) get the goose bumps when I listen to it.
I know right! Its kinda unbelievable how well it holds up
yeah me too long,live to castlevania
This video is very professionally presented with many good information devoid of inaccuracies many other videos suffer from.
22 minutes of genuine, absolut, nostalgic Joy!! Thank you very much from a great fan from Brazil!
Your uploads are of such a consistent high quality that it's insane. Excellent work as usual. :)
I'm not a fan of this series but i have to watch everything from you. Every video has it's unique style and i love it so much.
You don't like castlevania?!?!?!?
Even the metroidvania games?
Even the 3d games?
same here
How the fuck are you not a fan of Castlevania, it’s genuinely one of the greatest video game series in existence
Your videos are truly amazing in every way! Always know I'm in for a treat. You and Chase face make a great team! Thank you!!!
Super Castlevania 4 = God Tier OST
Couldn't agree more. The soundtrack fits the tone of the game so well. It isn't really the most bombastic or varied soundtrack, but that works in its favor in my opinion.
My username agrees
never gets old and it's my all-time favorite
Rondo of Blood is even better IMO. That's what you hear in the outro of the video.
The ending theme always gets me
every time
The Super Castlevania 4 Soundtrack is perfect. Really quality content, Splash wave. Your videos are always perfect too.
So in Japan, Castlevania 4 was literally considered a remake of CV1? Huh. Didn’t realise that.
well to be fair there were SEVERAL games simply titled "akumajo dracula" in the series history:
one on arcades (1986)
one on nes (1986)
one on msx2 (1986)
one on MS-DOS (1990)
one on snes (1991, cv4)
one on the sharp x68000 (1993)
castlvania 3 was also never given a number in japan and was simply called "akumajo densetsu" (demon castle legends) as it was a prequel
Jesus only 2 mins in and the graphics and aesthetics are off the charts! Wonderful job!
You earned yourself a subscriber. Good work!
im so glad that this guys voice wasn't annoying. NO intrusive lisp. Had real pace and made it sound like an real documentary. Great video.
Top notch video as always. If there is such a thing as video game museum, your videos should be playing there on repeat. Bravo strafefox
Top video as always! You may not upload often, but when you do, its always a treat! Ive never seen that beta footage from that sales video you showed, it looked a lot more basic than the actual retail version. Its amazing how great Super Castlevania was with it being released so early in the SNES' life. It was one of the first games I bought for SNES.
Just found your channel. Love it! So detailed and researched. Production is amazing too.
Thanks so much!
I was going to have this on in the background while I worked on art, but found myself watching the whole thing! Your videos are made with a ton of care and reverence for the source material :D
I'm a little surprised that there was no mention on how the US version of Vampire Killer / Bloodlines changed Eric's face to look rough and grizzled because they were afraid that hetero-male gamers would feel uncomfortable looking at a pretty boy. lol
Amazing as always! I feel like Super Castlevania is underrated, it's overshadowed by the classic trilogy for being what it is, metroidvania for changing what they did, and Rondo of Blood for its style and gameplay, rarely does anyone mention IV, unless you're the Nerd
It's always so fun when game companies make design contests like this. It brings a touch of unexpected magic and connexion with players into the title.
You get slicker with each video. Bravo again!
Alove these games!!!¡ Greetings from México city , Castlevania fans!!!!!
I love how much care you put into these videos.
This channel is an enigma. It has great production, excellent coverage, yet has only 84k subscribers.
And morons get tons of likes and subscribers... go figure!
I still maintain that your channel produces the highest quality video game history and development content of any channel I've seen. Truly fascinating information and amazing how you were able to dig up so many design documents over the years! I had no clue about the two extra characters in bloodlines that were ultimately scrapped... too bad... I whip a candle in their honor!!
These are so incredible! All of the concept art, motion graphics, narration.. Utterly amazing!!! Such important historical gaming content
What an awesome video! congratulations for the great work, it is simply perfect (as usual). I can’t even imagine the amount of work that goes to built something as great as your episodes. Congrats!
I've said it before, but I have to reiterate just how amazing your videos are. This was a great watch. Excellent work.
Thanks so much! Always wonderful to hear!
Fantastic work!
Elizabeth Bartley. Was a mis translation of Elizabeth Bathory ?
Another incredible entry. These episodes leave me with a smile every single time.
Thanks! that's great to hear :)
It's not "Bartley" it's "Bath-ory" Countess Elizabeth Báthory.
@bodd boward I did not know that, thank you.
Wow. Thanks again for your incredibly in depth, researched and unparalleled production value. Just great stuff.
Love it!
My first watch from this channel and I had to stop midway through to post. The production quality is top notch here. Had to scroll to see what channel I was watching to be surprised at the sub count. You definitely deserve more subs! I subbed right away! Keep up the great work!
Thanks so much!
Bolt Ericsson would make a great pro wrestler name.
Like Belnades, Ericssin should make a entry on new titles of the franchise.
Dear Strafefox, a confession: Whenever you upload a new video, I immediately click, like, skim, and then I actually save your videos to watch in full later - I specifically save them up for times and days where I'm not having a great day because I KNOW they're going to be good. That perfect balance of production, nostalgia, and feel-goodness always makes me feel better afterwards. Keep the up the GREAT work. Love your videos.
Definitely the best gaming channel on TH-cam, at least the ones I've seen. Every episode is a joy
The quality of your videos is superb! I noticed in the first minute of watching and now Im subbed.
The music is the real treat of this series. We got a whole concert by a live orchestra out of it. Lol
I remember when looking at the CD cover of Symphony of the Night and thinking how gorgeous it looked and expecting a game like Super Castlevania 4. And oh boy. Oh boy. And history was written.
This is... a ridiculously good video.
Holy crap, thanks for making this!
I thought I subbed you ages ago - as your videos always get in my recommendations... but today is the day :)
Castlevania is one of my favorite games of all time. 4 was a masterpiece. The music set the mood perfectly.
Your videos are always beyond my expectations.
Another well documented episode. It's always a pleasure to watch!
The production quality of this is astounding. Bravo!
The quality on these videos are amazing and never fail to show actual new facts on the games. Here's to wishing Rocket Knight will have enough material one day to be more than just a mention. :) awesome video as always!
It's been a stressful week of insomnia and heart ache, but strafefox comes back with a bowl of cereal and brings another awesome video. It not many times when you get excited when you see a video notification, but when it's a Splash wave vid it's time to make some space out of your day.
Edit: That was stellar Strafe! Could you lead me to a scan or source for that prototype sonic monster cameo in Bloodlines? I really want a poster of that guy!
Thanks so much and hope you are feeling better soon! Yeah that Sonic monster is really cool :) I scanned him from the magazine Mega-Drive Fan august 1993 issue but it was a tiny image.
@@strafefox Thanks friend. Much better now, just the insomnia lingers which might be for the best on getting these deadlines done for work.
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Though might not be best to enlarge it for print if its tiny. Reminds me of Zodic (demon sonic cameo) from Illbleed except this little guy is so much cooler!
@@KokoroNoSama I've uploaded my original scan to my server, maybe you can used it: www.strafefox.nl/stuff/concept3.png
Your videos are brilliantly made. I can't believe it took me this long to become a patron, but I hope to make up for lost time. You create art.
As always, simply first-class content. I would safely say that your gaming documentaries are the best in the world, hands down. Always well researched, written, expertly presented and rich with visual presentation. Stunning! Amazing!! I’m not even a Castlevania player and I loved every moment of this :-)
What about Modern gamer & 8 Bit Guy? 🤣
@@NathanChisholm041 Those channels have great content too, but the productions qualities and presentation of Strafefox content is on another level