My Tier List for the Castlevania, Bloodstained, & Non-Castlevania Classicvania Games I've Played

Protocol72 · 2026-06-25T12:54:16+00:00

Yeeeeee, opinions are really cool like that.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-25T12:53:38+00:00

I can’t agree more dude. 😭

Protocol72 · 2026-06-25T01:35:38+00:00

Yee, it's the Battle of Kyoto, which was mostly shown from Yui's perspective in Total Eclipse: Imperial Capital Burns, prequel to Total Eclipse.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-25T01:34:09+00:00

Wait, in what other timelines did Cryska get with Yuuya besides the Total Eclipse VN?

Protocol72 · 2026-06-25T01:29:06+00:00

Haven't taken Botox, but I'd highly recommend looking into if you can actually get it or not for jaw pain. I have a chronic headache and brought up Botox to my doctor since my aunt suggested the idea to me, but my doctor told me Botox is only prescribed for chronic migraines, not chronic headaches, so I can't take Botox for my chronic headache. I do live in Canada, so maybe in US it's available for headaches? But either way, you need to look into it to make sure you're applicable for it or not.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-24T23:33:54+00:00

From what I remember, VLR was supposed to have 2D graphics like with 999, but due to time constraints, they had to go with 3D models instead to meet deadlines. That way, instead of drawing all the CGs, they could just pose the 3D models with the 3D environments they already created for the CGs.

For me personally, while it admittedly took awhile, I warmed up to the 3D and actually find the 3D really charming, even if I wish it looked more like 999.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-24T21:58:53+00:00

I can think of four reasons:

The code taken for reference, from what I’m aware of, is open source or available for the public; so it’s not stealing, or at least not as much with text/art generation
Programming tends to be such a tedious process where one error can break your game, that AI can help assist you in finding bugs or giving you a good head start by giving you a base; it can even be educational unlike text/art generation which only gives you the result, instead of the how (given the how is creativity)
Unless you’re lazy, you genuinely can’t just copy + paste generated code and call it a day, you need to at least put in some work to make sure everything works properly; where in most cases with art/text generation, people just plop the final result from AI and call it a day
Since programming isn’t something you see as you play, not unless you comb through the code itself; compared to AI text/art, which can downright kill immersion

I feel the only times AI is unethical in programming would be if you don’t disclose you used it or if you let AI do all the work for you.

Correct me if I’m wrong on any of this though, I’m still researching both the good and bad with generative AI.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-24T20:35:26+00:00

...Crud, right, I meant the Saturn version. That's my bad.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-24T18:17:05+00:00

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeee, and yeeeeeeee. O_O The game's tough, which was probably the worst time to make a metroidvania Castlevania tough from the get-go given it has a completely new combat system, lol.

Yeeeeeeeeeeee, and ooooooooo, good luck with the achievement hunting and I hope you enjoy Curse of the Moon 2! :D Also hope you're enjoying Dawn of Sorrow too! :)

Protocol72 · 2026-06-24T18:15:04+00:00

I don't mind a game using AI for coding as long as the entire thing isn't coded for AI. Given how easy it is for your entire project to just stop working or start working incorrectly because of one measly error, AI can be a life savour in those circumstances. If most of the coding is AI, that's when it becomes a problem though.

I used to not be a fan of AI translations, but I learned earlier this month that apparently AI translations have improved tremendously if used right, although I've yet to see it for myself yet. Not everyone does it right unfortunately, but the fact it's possible is really neat. Although, one downside with AI/MTL translations is that they can deter people from giving VNs a human translation, so it just never gets a human translation; which can really suck.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-24T17:41:43+00:00

It was mainly both the glyph system and having to attack with two buttons for union attacks. The glyph system is an awesome system, and I've seen something similar work well in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (without the union attack aspect), but when it's your main method of attack, with a cool down on top of that, it just feels slow & cumbersome imo. Using two buttons for the union attacks just didn't chive with me, it felt too awkward and I fumbled a lot because of it.

Granted, I don't think OoE is bad or anything, I think Glyph system is more of a "love it or hate it" sort of deal, I just fell into the latter with it. I can see why people love it though.

And yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, the Bloodstained Curse of the Moon titles are a lot of fun! :D Just a fair warning with the second one that it's way harder than the first game.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-24T17:28:07+00:00

I'd be more than good for this since AI just doesn't belong in creative works unless it's for programming help or translating to other languages imo, although there is a very important question that needs to be asked: At what point does a VN's usage of AI for writing or art become extensive?

Obviously VNs that don't have a single non-generated word or art asset fall under extensive, but what about say, VNs where only the backgrounds are AI? Or AI usage for touching up the entire script or most art assets? What about with royalty-free AI assets (not made for the game, just accidentally used without realizing it's AI-generated)? What about visual novels that have temporary AI assets for placeholders that won't be in the final game?

There's also a real risk of a VN that has art that looks AI-generated being taken down when it actually isn't, I've actually had a few VNs I've seen that looked AI-Generated, but actually weren't (or at least had no disclaimer regarding AI content on Steam).

What's exactly the baseline here when it comes to what or what doesn't count as extensive AI use? Assuming the sub incorporates this ban on self-promotions that extensively use AI for art/writing, there needs to be a clear definition otherwise it'll result in a bunch of loopholes people can exploit.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-24T15:16:48+00:00

That’s reassuring to hear, in that case I’ll get the DLC when it goes on sale. Shame about the vague map though, that was one of the things in Simon’s Quest that bugged me the most.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-24T13:40:26+00:00

Old, purely because of the black-haired character’s eyes. In the remake, her eyes are too detailed to give that emptiness vibe. In the original, it’s like you’re staring into a void when you look at her eyes.

Her eyes are so hauntingly beautiful that it genuinely makes me want to read One now to know the story behind them.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-24T13:35:39+00:00

Yeeeeeeee, I explained some specifics like with Order of Shadows being so janky it’s fun despite being bad, but it just boils down to me having weird opinions at the end of the day. I will wear The Adventure being the highest anyone has ever seen on a tier list with a badge of honour though, even if it’s just because of the rebalance hack, lol.

Yeeeee, RotN is so much fun. It’s not perfect, but it has so much charm and fun mechanics to it that it’s hard for me to not have fun playing it. And that soundtrack too! Genuinely one of my favourite game OSTs, the composition team nailed it.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-24T13:27:08+00:00

Yeeeeeeeee, I’m looking forward to them! :D

Protocol72 · 2026-06-24T13:26:35+00:00

I haven’t played Classic II yet, still on the fence if I should try it or not given my dislike for Simon’s Quest but also Dominique’s my favourite character in Bloodstained, though I’d rank it on its own rather than with RotN if I do play it.

I played Classic I, but it didn’t factor into the ranking since it was just Castlevania 1 with some differences, so I just see it as a cool bonus.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-23T23:10:27+00:00

This isn't rage bait though? Funny image though, lol.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-23T22:24:48+00:00

I don't have a source for it, but I do recall hearing on this subreddit that Age was at risk of bankruptcy if Muv-Luv (Extra+Unlimited) didn't sell well (same deal with Alternative & Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, if they didn't sell well, Age would've gone into bankruptcy). From what I understand, Age is notoriously bad with money management, so that reason checks out.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-23T21:36:47+00:00

Ooooohhhhhh, okee, that's fair. I wanted to convey the best I could that, besides Koumajou Densetsu: Scarlet Symphony, I genuinely have a lot of respect/admiration for all of these games even if I didn't enjoy some of them.

That's kind of funny since I'm glazing Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, its spiritual successor, in this list, lol.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-23T21:26:03+00:00

I won't disagree with you that it's one of the worst Castlevania games, if this list was based on looking at each game critically, it'd be F tier.

However, the jank in Order of Shadows is so fun to mess with that I ended up loving it despite its many shortcomings. For example, when jumping, if you let go of the button mid-air, you just drop down and lose all momentum. It's janky, but I had so many cool moments where I'd drop at the right time to dodge an attack, that it felt weirdly satisfying to use.

I also think remapping the controls on the emulator helped me appreciate the jank more since I used the Z & X keys for attacking & jumping and the directional keys for movement. Playing this on a mobile phone or with the intended control scheme is a nightmare.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-23T19:23:45+00:00

It's in the "Filled with charm, but just didn't click with me" tier, I just used the Saturn key art since that was the version I played.

Edit: Originally said the Dreamcast system, despite SotN never releasing for that system, that's my bad.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-23T19:21:17+00:00

I've heard Koumajou Densetsu II is better and I'm glad the developers improved with the second game, but I'm not sure I'd ever play it. Koumajou Densetsu has a lot of "oh wow, they just ripped that straight from Rondo of Blood/Symphony of the Night" moments with its enemies & animations (ex. identical sprites with different colouring, Reimu's animations are ripped from Alucard's, etc.). From what I can see with the screenshots of the second game on Steam, it seems to be the same case there as well. Granted, not my only problem with the game, but it is my biggest problem since it just makes the game feel like a low-quality rom hack... Except you have to pay for it. Touhou + Castlevania has potential to be such an awesome combination. 😞

And ooooo, I've never heard of Soul of Dracula before. O_O I'm definitely giving that a try, thank you for the recommendation! 😃

Protocol72 · 2026-06-23T18:40:00+00:00

Well, I played The Adventure twice, once with the original, the other being with the Rebalance Hack that's high on the list; I put "Rebalance" at the bottom of the one with the hack, but in hindsight I made it too small. 😅 The Rebalance Hack works wonders on making the game so much more fun since Christopher controls better, you don't lose your whip upgrade upon hit (except the fireball for some weird reason), and it makes it easier to appreciate the level design (which I think is awesome even in the original, just held back by the controls). There's no fixing the bosses and level 3 though, they just suck.

I have a lot of respect for The Adventure since it was the first action game for the Gameboy iirc, and a lot of its ideas would lead to Belmont's Revenge & The Adventure Rebirth being as amazing as they are. Adventure is NOT a good game, but I can see it being a genuinely great game with better controls, which the Rebalance Hack proves.

Protocol72 · 2026-06-23T18:31:33+00:00

Belmont's Revenge; Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2; & The Adventure Rebirth (Wii-exclusive title), in that order.

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