Castlevania: Circle of the Moon - The 1st non-IGA, IGAvania
Aug 30, 2017 13:18:58 GMT -6
Galamoth, XombieMike, and 1 more like this
Post by RichterB on Aug 30, 2017 13:18:58 GMT -6
I've been spending some time replaying Circle of the Moon recently, and have been surprised by several things. It was the first "Metroidvania-style" Castlevania game I ever played at length (I sampled SotN at a friend's house prior to this, but did not have a Sony console at the time.) As such, having played SotN and its follow-ups (aside from OoE), I kind of started to get the notion that while there were differences, they weren't that different in design philosophy. But now, having spent some good time with CotM on a New Game file, I'm not so sure...
For one, CotM is much more about "pace." Once you get the ability to run and double jump (both happen fairly early in the game), this game plays faster than any other Castlevania game, IGAvania or otherwise. And yet the way the castle is laid out, there are points where this speed is a necessity and/or a commodity*, but also just as many points where you need to slow down and fight in a measured way with walking and short jumps to overcome enemies. Even so, I'm struck by the pace, which is promoted by areas of the castle that are structurally much more open than in later games of this style; at times, I'm left thinking this is a game that is made for speed-running players.
*I say "commodity" because the speed makes backtracking less arduous, especially when you combine that running with warp points later on.
I remember the jumps being stiff and/or floaty...but they're actually in a comfortable middle ground for this style of Castlevania. The basic jumping works with the double jump and running to create some really smooth and active platforming that almost seems to have more moving environmental parts to it than an IGAvania (the crumbling platforms, the rail platforms you release in the Underground Gallery, the mechanisms in the Machine Tower). Likewise, the whip moves with a weight to it, and because of this and the amount of time and distance it extends with each strike, timing is more important. The whip spin move is also neat and more useful than I remembered, deflecting attacks or clearing out swarming aerial enemies of a certain strength; there are some sections that use a rhythm of "whip and then hold whip for a spin to defend yourself from a projectile."
The placement and amount of enemies seems more copious (and demanding) than in a typical IGAvania, too, where things quickly become about item, subweapon, and stamina management and knowing where the nearest Save Room can be found to use as a hub for exploration. That sense of danger and the nuances to the action-platforming, while not as "staged" as a Classicvania, make me understand my impression in previous years that this had more of a Classicvania feel, though the RPG and exploration elements make it something else. The progression, with bosses being relegated to key upgrades or plot developments, is also more Classicvania than IGAvania, and shows a little different approach to this Metroid-like formula. Each new area feels meaningful, and the way it teases upcoming areas you'll need to backtrack for is done in a way that it sort of predicts how the player will want to explore and rewards that curiosity. Because of all this, it feels less meandering and more driving.
The enemy selection seems fairly diverse and the enemies' usage seems to alter in areas over time based on where you are in the game, progression-wise. While there are some palette swaps, there are some that actually work to the benefit of the game. For instance, the diversity of armors appear to be just different colors at first, but then have different weapons and/or move sets, which is really cool and feels like subtle world-building. The animations given to these things have some good weight and nuance to them, as well, and the color style gives them a menacing feel. The Evil Pillars, a new spin on the Bone Pillars, are one of many enemies unique to this game that feel like logical Gothic-vibe Castlevania constructions.
Besides the castle having more spacious areas and timing-based platforming--at points you have to transition from a double jump to a wall kick, even--the gradation of the floors is more present or at least noticeable, with fairly frequent angles, slopes, and dips. There are seemingly more environmental objects blocking the halls as well. It feels pretty organic. As I see the art direction of this game, I'm struck by two things. It has a really high contrast between light and dark that gives off a grittier, more Castlevania IV-ish feel than the other IGAvanias. (I can kind of sense that this was done by the studio that did the N64 games in the art direction; even Nathan has some Reinhardt qualities to him if you squint.) Some of that grittiness I'm sensing might be the textures and tile patterns, which, per square-inch, appear to have more line-work details than some of the more impressionistic IGAvanias with similar graphical resources. And speaking of which, one thing I did not remember was how varied the backgrounds can be. While they don't have as many special effects or eccentric set pieces, each area switches up its background several times in dynamic yet fitting ways that give a sense of progression and make each area feel like its fleshed out rather than trying to present a simple motif. Because some areas are so open, the backgrounds have to sometimes have extra length and transitions even without a screen transition.
And that leads me to another thought: The flow of the castle has more of a denser, castle-like feel. IGAvanias typically have really eccentric (and undeniably interesting) asides, whereas this just feels like an old castle that wraps in on itself with functional areas. That takes away some of the fun, but it also makes each area feel more relevant and interconnected. Also, is it just me, or are there more secret rooms that come by way of breakable walls? Speaking of which, the health and magic extensions feel much more obligatory in this game, with some of its bigger bosses being a handful and requiring real skill and strategy to overcome.
Now, the DSS system adds an extra wrinkle to strategy, but it also creates some problems. You don't need them to clear the game, but they sure help, and you can nab some extra upgrades with the ability to freeze enemies and use them as platforms and such. It's therefore a shame that they're so hard to collect. I was lucky to collect as many as I did during my first playthrough, as they are tough to come across, and I don't want to grind for them. Still, as I said, by playing it this way without many cards, I see that the game works with or without them.
The magic items that change the flow of the game are put in a more progressive way in this game, too. I touched on this earlier, but it feels like there is a distinct, driving flow to how you get things like Tackle, Kick Boots, etc., and how they then open up the castle further. Some might say it's too structured, perhaps, but you certainly feel the build-up of your character, and many of these moves are new to Castlevaniaand change the way you play the game. (I just found out that you can actually tackle enemies, too; never tried that in my first playthrough.)
That you start with a slide attack for the first time with a main character in a "Metroidvania" is an interesting twist that I often forget about, but helps in the navigation and combat diversity departments. Sometimes I'm surprised that it helps me dodge a projectile, too. The game could have used a limited back dash or back flip, but it uses what it has well. Now, the running animation is a little stilted, but with the pace of play, you don't really notice it much, and it seems less is more compared to the awkward frames of Juste. Plus, unlike Juste, when Nathan pushes an object (via Heavy Ring) he actually has an animation for it.
So I'm starting to see why some people hold this game away from the other IGAvanias, either for positive or negative or personal preference reasons...but what I'm more curious about than ever is how IGA sees it. Because this game sort of coerced him to make Harmony of Dissonance, as I understand it. I remember reading that he thought the DSS was messed up; that's the main complaint I remember hearing. So, he tried HoD's Magic Book system as a refinement, and then eventually the Tactical Soul System in AoS.
It strikes me that CotM may have had an influence on IGA starting with HoD...
*Whip-centric main character reappeared in HoD
*The DSS mix-and-match concept was modified into the Magic Books in HoD
*The Roc Wing ability reappeared in HoD as Griffin's Wing to navigate the castle
*The story of rivals trying to rescue someone and the rival becoming corrupted reappeared in HoD
*Said rival has dark hair and uses a sword as their primary weapon
*The whip spin mechanic reappears as a special power-up in HoD
What I mean to say is...it seemed like IGA wanted to make his version of Circle of the Moon, but have it adhere closer to the principles of SotN.
In the end, though, that meant that the mix of things Circle of the Moon presented was never quite brought back. And so it's interesting to look at a different interpretation of the IGAvania formula, as seen by other Konami members, during this nascent period. It's a rare thing to have an IGAvania without IGA...which makes me wonder if it has a different name. It's remarkable how well this game was done overall when, as far as I know, it was done by the people behind the N64 games. I love those games, but they're different than SotN, whereas CotM tried to be more in that vein. Granted, there were exploration and RPG elements like status ailments and resource management in the N64 games, but this was a much different animal. It shows me they were a very talented team that understood the milieu of Castlevania in a broad, longitudinal way, even as they did bring some newer motifs--like the focus on diverse were-creatures. I haven't played Mirror of Fate, but it seems to me CotM may have gotten a better interpretation out of the SotN baseline.
P.S. If this belongs in a different forum, feel free to move it.
For one, CotM is much more about "pace." Once you get the ability to run and double jump (both happen fairly early in the game), this game plays faster than any other Castlevania game, IGAvania or otherwise. And yet the way the castle is laid out, there are points where this speed is a necessity and/or a commodity*, but also just as many points where you need to slow down and fight in a measured way with walking and short jumps to overcome enemies. Even so, I'm struck by the pace, which is promoted by areas of the castle that are structurally much more open than in later games of this style; at times, I'm left thinking this is a game that is made for speed-running players.
*I say "commodity" because the speed makes backtracking less arduous, especially when you combine that running with warp points later on.
I remember the jumps being stiff and/or floaty...but they're actually in a comfortable middle ground for this style of Castlevania. The basic jumping works with the double jump and running to create some really smooth and active platforming that almost seems to have more moving environmental parts to it than an IGAvania (the crumbling platforms, the rail platforms you release in the Underground Gallery, the mechanisms in the Machine Tower). Likewise, the whip moves with a weight to it, and because of this and the amount of time and distance it extends with each strike, timing is more important. The whip spin move is also neat and more useful than I remembered, deflecting attacks or clearing out swarming aerial enemies of a certain strength; there are some sections that use a rhythm of "whip and then hold whip for a spin to defend yourself from a projectile."
The placement and amount of enemies seems more copious (and demanding) than in a typical IGAvania, too, where things quickly become about item, subweapon, and stamina management and knowing where the nearest Save Room can be found to use as a hub for exploration. That sense of danger and the nuances to the action-platforming, while not as "staged" as a Classicvania, make me understand my impression in previous years that this had more of a Classicvania feel, though the RPG and exploration elements make it something else. The progression, with bosses being relegated to key upgrades or plot developments, is also more Classicvania than IGAvania, and shows a little different approach to this Metroid-like formula. Each new area feels meaningful, and the way it teases upcoming areas you'll need to backtrack for is done in a way that it sort of predicts how the player will want to explore and rewards that curiosity. Because of all this, it feels less meandering and more driving.
The enemy selection seems fairly diverse and the enemies' usage seems to alter in areas over time based on where you are in the game, progression-wise. While there are some palette swaps, there are some that actually work to the benefit of the game. For instance, the diversity of armors appear to be just different colors at first, but then have different weapons and/or move sets, which is really cool and feels like subtle world-building. The animations given to these things have some good weight and nuance to them, as well, and the color style gives them a menacing feel. The Evil Pillars, a new spin on the Bone Pillars, are one of many enemies unique to this game that feel like logical Gothic-vibe Castlevania constructions.
Besides the castle having more spacious areas and timing-based platforming--at points you have to transition from a double jump to a wall kick, even--the gradation of the floors is more present or at least noticeable, with fairly frequent angles, slopes, and dips. There are seemingly more environmental objects blocking the halls as well. It feels pretty organic. As I see the art direction of this game, I'm struck by two things. It has a really high contrast between light and dark that gives off a grittier, more Castlevania IV-ish feel than the other IGAvanias. (I can kind of sense that this was done by the studio that did the N64 games in the art direction; even Nathan has some Reinhardt qualities to him if you squint.) Some of that grittiness I'm sensing might be the textures and tile patterns, which, per square-inch, appear to have more line-work details than some of the more impressionistic IGAvanias with similar graphical resources. And speaking of which, one thing I did not remember was how varied the backgrounds can be. While they don't have as many special effects or eccentric set pieces, each area switches up its background several times in dynamic yet fitting ways that give a sense of progression and make each area feel like its fleshed out rather than trying to present a simple motif. Because some areas are so open, the backgrounds have to sometimes have extra length and transitions even without a screen transition.
And that leads me to another thought: The flow of the castle has more of a denser, castle-like feel. IGAvanias typically have really eccentric (and undeniably interesting) asides, whereas this just feels like an old castle that wraps in on itself with functional areas. That takes away some of the fun, but it also makes each area feel more relevant and interconnected. Also, is it just me, or are there more secret rooms that come by way of breakable walls? Speaking of which, the health and magic extensions feel much more obligatory in this game, with some of its bigger bosses being a handful and requiring real skill and strategy to overcome.
Now, the DSS system adds an extra wrinkle to strategy, but it also creates some problems. You don't need them to clear the game, but they sure help, and you can nab some extra upgrades with the ability to freeze enemies and use them as platforms and such. It's therefore a shame that they're so hard to collect. I was lucky to collect as many as I did during my first playthrough, as they are tough to come across, and I don't want to grind for them. Still, as I said, by playing it this way without many cards, I see that the game works with or without them.
The magic items that change the flow of the game are put in a more progressive way in this game, too. I touched on this earlier, but it feels like there is a distinct, driving flow to how you get things like Tackle, Kick Boots, etc., and how they then open up the castle further. Some might say it's too structured, perhaps, but you certainly feel the build-up of your character, and many of these moves are new to Castlevaniaand change the way you play the game. (I just found out that you can actually tackle enemies, too; never tried that in my first playthrough.)
That you start with a slide attack for the first time with a main character in a "Metroidvania" is an interesting twist that I often forget about, but helps in the navigation and combat diversity departments. Sometimes I'm surprised that it helps me dodge a projectile, too. The game could have used a limited back dash or back flip, but it uses what it has well. Now, the running animation is a little stilted, but with the pace of play, you don't really notice it much, and it seems less is more compared to the awkward frames of Juste. Plus, unlike Juste, when Nathan pushes an object (via Heavy Ring) he actually has an animation for it.
So I'm starting to see why some people hold this game away from the other IGAvanias, either for positive or negative or personal preference reasons...but what I'm more curious about than ever is how IGA sees it. Because this game sort of coerced him to make Harmony of Dissonance, as I understand it. I remember reading that he thought the DSS was messed up; that's the main complaint I remember hearing. So, he tried HoD's Magic Book system as a refinement, and then eventually the Tactical Soul System in AoS.
It strikes me that CotM may have had an influence on IGA starting with HoD...
*Whip-centric main character reappeared in HoD
*The DSS mix-and-match concept was modified into the Magic Books in HoD
*The Roc Wing ability reappeared in HoD as Griffin's Wing to navigate the castle
*The story of rivals trying to rescue someone and the rival becoming corrupted reappeared in HoD
*Said rival has dark hair and uses a sword as their primary weapon
*The whip spin mechanic reappears as a special power-up in HoD
What I mean to say is...it seemed like IGA wanted to make his version of Circle of the Moon, but have it adhere closer to the principles of SotN.
In the end, though, that meant that the mix of things Circle of the Moon presented was never quite brought back. And so it's interesting to look at a different interpretation of the IGAvania formula, as seen by other Konami members, during this nascent period. It's a rare thing to have an IGAvania without IGA...which makes me wonder if it has a different name. It's remarkable how well this game was done overall when, as far as I know, it was done by the people behind the N64 games. I love those games, but they're different than SotN, whereas CotM tried to be more in that vein. Granted, there were exploration and RPG elements like status ailments and resource management in the N64 games, but this was a much different animal. It shows me they were a very talented team that understood the milieu of Castlevania in a broad, longitudinal way, even as they did bring some newer motifs--like the focus on diverse were-creatures. I haven't played Mirror of Fate, but it seems to me CotM may have gotten a better interpretation out of the SotN baseline.
P.S. If this belongs in a different forum, feel free to move it.
The pacing is absolutely perfect, and the platforming was swift and precise, none of that floaty shit from Symphony or the original. Yuck. 
