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Post by claimhsolais on May 11, 2023 3:04:50 GMT -5
Personally I love Dawn's a lot. The idea of it being like a messed up kind of HQ/tribute by a Dracula worshipping cult was always funny to me and I like how a lot of the areas feel sort of like a weird perversion of the typical castle like the Demon Guest House which, with the childlike wallpaper, the giant piano, etc I always saw as like the cultists idea of where Alucard would've been raised, the lab with all the homunculi, the Death-less Clock Tower, the other tower which serves as an amazing setpiece for the Gergoth fight, the whole entire series tribute underground. Also love the village as a hub and a starting area. Even tho its really bizarre and macabre I just love that whole map lol
Symphony's castle also comes close for me which, I know SotN already gets mentioned so much but I feel like it just has this crazy undeniable it-factor and that shows in how iconic the castle and its music are. Was never a fan of the inverted castle though gameplay wise. Also feel like mentioning Harmony's castle not because I think its amazing but its so harrowing in its layout and design it kinda loops back around to being iconic to me. A lot of those chiptune tracks and neon visuals stick with me that way like I'm gonna be 80 in a nursing home with that clock tower theme still lodged in my brain tormenting me. Beyond that I do like how both castles reflect both sides of Maxim and stepping out of that teleporter for the first time only to realize you're not quite in the same castle anymore was always a cool moment. Would love to hear what everyone else's fav castles or major map areas are
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Post by wygolvillage on May 11, 2023 6:54:11 GMT -5
Gameplaywise, I think SOTN really got it right.
Visually I am SUCH a huge fan of OOE's weird almost biological castle design with bones and tentacles and stuff. Also, how is this the only castle with a kitchen area??? (Also omg the way Dracula's throne room visually resembles the room in which Shanoa lost her memories and was going to use Dominus in Ecclesia... it makes me insane) But most importantly: backgrounds pretty :)
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Post by claimhsolais on May 11, 2023 14:48:11 GMT -5
Gameplaywise, I think SOTN really got it right. Visually I am SUCH a huge fan of OOE's weird almost biological castle design with bones and tentacles and stuff. Also, how is this the only castle with a kitchen area??? (Also omg the way Dracula's throne room visually resembles the room in which Shanoa lost her memories and was going to use Dominus in Ecclesia... it makes me insane) But most importantly: backgrounds pretty :) I love Ecclesia's castle visually it feels like they really tried to make it look and feel distinct from everything that came before which I can always appreciate. Even reused areas have some sort of spin on them with the Clock Tower having a different look and being based more on using the Magnes glyph or the Library just having that visual effect of pages flying upwards wherever you walk. The bosses are also such a step up in difficulty at least imo, specifically Eligor, Blackmore and Dracula himself whos tricky even if you use like death ring + dominus agony + the luminatio/umbra glyph union to cheese half of it. Always a high point of that game.
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Post by beevean on May 18, 2023 15:11:21 GMT -5
SoTN's castle is iconic for how detailed and well thought out it is. At times it feels like a real castle people might have lived in. And man, do I love the environmental progression from the Marble Gallery to the Catacombs! HoD's castle is the second most memorable to me, and for the complete opposite reason: it's pure chaos. It's bright, it's unnaturally colorful, the environments don't make any sense, you have volcanos and crystal caverns and a whole wing made of bones - it's not a castle, it's an eldritch location! The eerie music helps with the feeling of dread that pervades the whole game.
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