Huh... Wait, Succubi disguising themselves as Shrine Maidens? Well, given the main character's girlfriend is a shrine maiden and the...reputation of such monsters... ...Oh dear...
weird thing is, these "monsters" seem less like terrible monsters and more like creatures with personality, take the witch for example, the book notes she is happy to have finally become a which, or the maid phenelope, it states that she was a demon maid for noblemen, even before she fights you she curtsies. also later on, soma literally walks in on a few female monsters in a bath house, I think it was lillith and a succubus, so the game makes exstensive points to make sure you understand that this place is their home, while that perverted example is.... well perverted. another good one is when you defeat the head hunter, a witch moves in and takes out all of the head hunters stuff, and new more witchy stuff is in its place. I like that, it changes the basic idea that these monsters don't belong here, when in actuality you don't, and you're sure as hell are trespassing, if you can make even small enemies have purpose and personality. you have a good game
Fun fact, that shrine maiden is actually Nakoruru from Samurai Shodown series. So instead of being a horny guy who fantasize with his childhood friend, he could also be a video game maniac who has Nakoruru as his waifu.
@@whoopingmuffin9700 That would be persephone, but yes. At the same time it's weird how all of these creatures are tied to the castle like they are a part of it.
Yeah, I wonder if he knows how lucky he was. Getting the baselard (to a lesser extent the cloth tunic) makes the earlier parts of the game such a piece of cake. That's why I always spend the few first minutes grinding in that room whenever I replay the game
TFW you forget to talk about Julius Belmont, the most awesome character in the game, relevant to the plot, preceeds the final boss and is playable by putting JULIUS as your name. And also the bad ending which features Julius coming back to kill Soma after he is possessed. Did you avoid Julius intentionally?
I was thinking the same thing! I actually had to look it up to see if I was misremembering and J was only in the Dawn of Sorrow. Nope, he was definitely in Aria. What the hell!
Lol wait though, a pocket knife is not the same thing as _a kitchen knife that happens to fit in your pocket._ A knife designed to go in your pocket? Super useful and not creepy! Kitchen knife in your pocket? Not very useful and *very creepy!*
You missed the bad ending. Losing to the final boss causes Soma to become Dracula, and you get a cutscene with Julius referencing the classic glass throwing scene from some of the other games. And it unlocks the best mode: Julius mode! where you have to beat the game as Julius, who plays a little more classic style, using sub weapons and the vampire slayer whip. And the final boss? Soma himself.
@@fredstolperman2785 No, OP has his games mixed up regarding Julius mode. Julius mode in Aria is basically Richter mode in SotN while in Dawn it has some story.
I really like Soma, it's almost an insult that he didn't appear in that Castlevania fighting game for the Wii, he is so emblematic to the franchise to me, such an underrated character.
Mina: "So...wait. You asked me out, but you didn't bring any protection?!" Soma: "I did bring protection. I have a knife." Mina: "..." Soma: "And 'lubicant,' according to the menu." Mina: "...Close enough."
Not a single mention of J or the awesome boss fight, downer ending, or bonus mode he directly contributes to...? If you do a video on Dawn of Sorrow, you'll need to rectify this. The final boss of that game's bonus mode is the fanservicey payoff to a brilliant setup.
First of all i agree that he should have mentioned it but I literally just beat the Julius hard mode and i'd say that's a flaw. No history, same bosses, nothing to make me explore the castle again and abilities aren's really a novelty. Also i expected that it would continue the bad ending and having a final fight with "evil Soma".
I just watched this and explained the really awesome J boss fight only to be let down and have to go find a random vid that showed a boss rush and how he was just a really well placed, well intentioned, and right pain in the ass of a character to fight against. I would LOVE to see another boss fight like that should another Metroidvania esque Castlevania come out in the near future. I just bought the Switch GBA compilation and am slowly grinding out Circle of the Moon before going to Harmony of Dissonance. This is going to be the one I save for last, dessert for a set of games I have been yearning to find my copies of for a long time. And then like an idiot I'm gonna try to imitate another YT personality and go full Little Mac on it after one solid playthrough as normal. I hate myself that much to play a game I adore in such a challenging fashion.
Ok, here's a few simple explanations on how Soma could have a Shrine Maiden Childhood Friend while being an Exchange Student. 1. Mina was an Exchange Student herself at some point in the past, and when she moved back Soma may have gone with her. 2. They were internet friends, possibly a school event where they made pen-pals from other countries, and Mina and Soma simply kept in touch until Soma was able to transfer to her school later. 3. Soma may have transferred to Japan as a kid and just calls himself an Exchange Student out of an old habit he never fully shook off. I will admit theory number 2 is a bit of a stretch, but this is a video game, so schools logic there might be a tad different than today's. Personally I feel that number 3 might be the most likely explanation, with number 1 being a close second. Does anyone else have any other idea they would like to share?
Charlotte Shenkenberger wait but didn’t he say that in the japanese version soma is just referred to as a high school student, meaning he’s japanese? I though it was only changed for the english version
LuxCalum True but almost 100% at the time you can only use it 4 times before running out of mana. Lightning doll is weaker but hits multiple times and can end enemies in 1 or 2 hits.
@@Calamity_Leo To be honest by the time you manage to collect all the souls you don't really need it anymore other than for the purpose of being overpowered and spamming bullet souls
3:13 Well to be fair, Mina could still be his childhood friend even if he was an exchange student. Maybe she moved back to Japan and he went to Japan to meet her again.
Too be fair the purpose of a weak 1st boss which will become a normal enemy later in the game to invoke a sense of growth in strength and a sense of accomplishment from it, dark souls did it too with the goat demon.
I don't think his complaint was with the skeleton boss becoming a normal enemy later, it's that is was basically a normal enemy beforehand, just upsized. Granted, in this case, it's still a little silly, because it doesn't remotely act like normal skeletons in the game, but that's besides my point here.
3 years late, but it turns out that retcon was rejected as evidenced by the confirmation of Soma being japanese in Grimoire Of Souls, so yeah, the point stands( Also, it's strange to assume that the english translation is a retcon, original always has more weight unless stated otherwise, I require an official sause on if it was confirmed to be a retcon, but that doesn't really matter, cuz GOS.
Иван Баранов so its basically like brock from pokemon where they removed the japanese aspects of it, despite the fact that pretty everyone knew it was japanese.
I think the touch 13:30 is one of the best moments in the game. I love it when you come in and say "Oh look, a dumb miniboss-" then outta nowhere a much tougher enemy lunged in and fights you instead.
Minor mistake: Graham Jones will transform to final form regardless of whether you have met the requirements (equip the right souls) or not. But WTF only 404 views? This is one of the best videos I've watched talking about Castlevania games. liked and subed
Thank you! As you can probably guess by looking at my channel, a lot of people are mainly interested in my Pokemon stuff. But even so, I still plan to cover more Castlevania regardless of the views any of it will get.
im really glad to hear that as castlevania is one of my most favorite franchises, and your in depth review of it was great. i wouldnt even mind seeing you do an unused content episode on some of the games.
1:50 Well, while not _quite_ as modern as our own, Breath of the Wild has a great deal of technology in it. Many of the enemies (Guardians, Divine Beasts, etc.) are more Magitek than monster, and your special abilities are controlled by what is basically an iPad with some quantum pocket-dimensions that can manifest bombs, project magnetic pulses, and temporarily warp spacetime to a halt. Also a camera, which they don't even bother coming up with a fantasy-esque name for, it's just straight-up called a camera. Also said iPad can plug into kiosks in temples and towers to download (the animation even has data glyphs flowing around before it drops onto the pad) maps, GPS trackers, and other modern-esque information sources to help you in your travels. Oh and it's the most popular game right now (March 2017, for Future Viewers) and has challenged many people's stance on OOT being the best Zelda game ever*. So there's that. *Disclaimer: Not mine, OOT isn't even in my top ten, but BOTW is definitely my favorite 3D Zelda of all time and certainly in my top-5 of Zelda games period.
Funny enough and I know I am late, but both his english (or Greek) and Japanese name references to his title as Mathias’s reincarnate Japanese: So (pale/blue) Ma (truth/reality) Kuru (come/next) Su (by all means) English: Soma (body) Cruz (cross) Yeah one is way more straight forward isn’t it?
Unfortunately, soma does not mean vessel in japanese, it's not even a word in japanese. It might be written in kanji with some meaning individually, but as a word, it's gibberish.
Yuzuki-Tan how is that a bad taste? Even if you don’t consider aria if sorrow and its remake to be your favourite, they’re still considered to be really good castlevania games
This is one of the only few castle vania game I could finish (the other being its direct sequel and like the first game) I really like it. The varied playstlye and sometimes downright overpowered attacks really does make me feels like I'm THE BOSS of the franchise. I even play through the game like 3 times.
This game and the Shaman King series on the GBA share the same mechanics in both getting special moves from enemies and special abilities. Also how the game plays is basically the same as well.
one thing to note might be that to reach the final area, you have to jump through a solar eclipse... inside a castle inside a solar eclipse... to fight the final boss, which is also a solar eclipse...? but really, its nice to see a different vid every now and then, especially when its a fantastic review for one of my favourite games ever!! i hope your channel keeps growing in the future
I remember when this came out, my thought was, "Castlevania? in the Future? Will I get a lazer whip?!" but really its a great and well done game. Its still that gothic horror with some modern twist to it. Great video! Hope you do more castlevania!
too bad this only got 4k views I really enjoy this format where you analyse features of a game. I just binged your whole channel and can't wait for more content.
This was quite the extensive and impressive review. Good quality visuals at all times, some jokes here and there to lighten the mood and break up the flow of the standard review, nice to listen to with a calm, soothingly quiet voice and the background music playing through most of the review itself. One of the better review's for any kind of game I've seen in a long time. Good job, you've definitely got my subscription. :)
Fun Fact: There is actually going to be a Total Solar Eclipse in 2035, more specifically, on September 2nd. We now know the exact date the game starts on.
At least the first boss was done creatively by making it a Gashadokuro (Creaking Skull), a nocturnal yokai that's a giant skeleton that feeds on human blood, spicing basic enemies with japanese folklore
Basically, if you make Pokemon videos, you had better make ONLY Pokemon videos, even one errant non-Pokemon video will cost you a portion of your subscribers if you ever become established as a PokeTuber for any reason. I learned that from Lockstin. :)
yo, your comment about zelda set in the future at 1:55 isnt too far off the truth. myamoto (i know i fucked up his name. has wanted to set the zelda series in the future ever since its conception. sure, its had future like elements, but Breath of The Wild was pretty much the first to have it as a plot device. but suprisingly, (and im not joking, you can look it up) botw was originaly going to be set in modern/future times with link riding a motorcycle, wielding a guitar, invading aliens, ganondorf waering a ACDC shirt for unknown reasons, the works. it was pretty far in development too untill it was changed cause of plot reasons. hell, they had a prototype that used the original nes zelda for testing purposes. i know all this sounds fuckin crazy, but i shit you not its all real.
ngl, something about the localization is hilarious just picturing some kid from spain meeting up some japanese girl during a trip and becoming friends with her and it fits with dracula being european
God damn I love this game. Recently found a randomizer for it and have been playing a couple of playthroughs of various seeds. Really makes you appreciate the incredible replay value the items/souls/monsters can really bring when tossed into a blender.
Because of this video I just tried castlevania series for the first time. I played Aria of sorrow using emulator for android and beat the normal mode. It was so fun so I bought advance collection for my switch. Thanks to your great and entertaining review.
Plot twist! The event in 1999 that they are referencing turns out to be from Hellsing! The zombie soldiers With Grenades are the corpses of the wild geese Mercenaries, and Dracula, or Alucard as he goes by in Hellsing, was defeated and completely vanished.
7:13 you could also compare it to blue magic in FFV. In that game you could gain the ability of any monster you defeat in battle while having the "learning" ability equipped.
Music in Aria kicks so much ass. Whole series has some rockin tunes(simon's theme = banger) and talented composers but I spent the most time playing this one, so I remember its music the most no doubt. Also like that some motifs reoccur throughout the series when visiting some of the similar styled areas common in the games.
Heard of this game but never thought much about it, but you've sold me on it. I've recently found your stuff and subscribed. I was a bit surprised to see you on UA-cam for so long and have so few videos (at least on this channel). Don't feel like you have to do Pokemon stuff to keep views (even thou it does help give the series wide exposure). I like both the Pokemon and non-Pokemon stuff, so keep it coming.
I can't believe you only got around 1300 subs! Your content is genuinely funny and high quality. I really liked the video, especially as a big Castlevania Fan myself, and I'm excited for more content! Keep up the good work!
I randomly started playing this, having not played any other Castlevania, on an emulator trip and man do I love it. I can see why this series has the following that it does.
I really enjoyed this vid. Never played Castlevanua before but I've already ordered a copy of the game after seeing your work. Your humor and voice are both great without being overbearing, and the content is mature instead of maximum clickbait. You seem like a cool person. Keep it up.
I'll have to try this one out! The first Castlevania that I ever beat was Lament of Innocence, which has a similar mechanic with equipping a single colored orb to change the way your subweapon works, It's pretty fun.
Aria of Sorrow was the first Castlevania game I've played. I didn't think much about the giant bat being crushed by an even bigger boss until I realized it was a relatively common boss in past games. I bet that part blew veteran's minds.
My first, and still my favourite, Castlevania game. I played it after we moved and didn’t have internet for a while and it brought me a lot of comfort while in an unfamiliar place. It was on an emulator and I remember leaving the game running while I took a nap so I could listen to the music,
This video got me to try out Castlevania all those years ago, and this quickly became a favorite GBA title for me, and the fight against J has easily become one of my favorite bosses in a game. Haven't actually played many others, but your randomizer streams make me want to play more
Brings back so much memories. Grinding in the train on the way to work until lv. 99, spending endless hours getting those souls... Easily my best Castlevania experience after Super Castlevania (SNES) and SOTN (PSX) !!
Every year that goes by the comment about the final fantasy 7 remake being release in 2035 on the playstation 6 seems less like a joke and more like a prediction XD
It is worth noting that doing the math about Soma's birthday, it falls perfectly in line with the _American_ 2017 Solar Eclipse. Considering the connection, it only made sense to have him be from America, although only the localization team caught it. As for being childhood friends with Mina... I mean... it's the future, so social media is probably in VR at this point.
I have alot of nostalgia for this game thanks to Pikasprey. I watched this video in summer 2018, played it in summer 2019 on the dreaded emulator, now seeing this makes me kinda fuzzy.
I've always liked Castlevania, since I was a kid but when they started with the "Metroidvania" is when I really got hooked. I love exploring the castle.
aria of sorrow might take place in the future, but aside from a couple late-game weapons being handguns and the positron rifle, the time kinda takes a backseat to draculas castle. which feels just as gothic as ever with only the zombie soldiers and officers as the only real "modern" enemies.
You seem to forget sir that Dracs castle is all time wibbely, and the hunters lines have innate magic and even can be maximized in these strange grounds. And who cares if Soma had a knife to start, it is a tool and maybe he just wanted to cut up an apple to share with his not girlfriend, then slips as he looks into her waifu eyes cutting a finger that she can delicately bandage, or even lick clean, *loud coughs as i resist fanboy spiral.
I love this review to bits-I've been itching to play Aria of Sorrow for years-But I have one, petty complaint about it. You didn't mention that Aria of Sorrow has a sequel, named Dawn of Sorrow for the DS, or the second most modern Castlevania game Portrait of Ruin, which is set in 1944 (and yet has no Nazis, a missed opportunity until you realize Germany would have banned it from the get-go)
It might be a little weird to bring a knife to a date, but remember, this is Soma we're talking about. We all know how he is into the power of domination...
I got into the Castlevania series a bit late too. My first game was Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, after playing it I fell in love with series. I've played Aria of Sorrow on an emulator on my phone, I've haven't finished it but I really like the game too. Btw this video is freaking awesome, great job!🙂😊😁👍
Also, nice video. Its nice to see UA-camrs like you making such a great job, you've earned yourself a subscriber :) also, you forgot to mention the fight with Julius, which is pretty intense if you ask me.
I love Castlevania and AoS. Legion is awesome. Always has been. That Balor fakeout made me startle the first time. A gameboy game made me jump. That's masterful.
you need to (we need you to) make more videos, it just fun listening to your voice while doing things. and also to watch the videos, of course, because they are really interesting! Castlevania is always a classic to talk and listen to someone else talking about. really loved these! and Pokemon too :)
![[TAS] Castlevania - Aria of Sorrow "100% souls" by Kriole in 24:56](/img/n.gif)
Graham: "Dracula was ultimately defeated in 1999"
Yeah, that was a bizarre summer.
Ah, JoJo reference
Graham even looks like Kira
It got a whole creepypasta written about it, too.
@@GameboyFanatic Oh my god, I KNOW RIGHT?
@@alimations5226 Mhm
Huh...
Wait, Succubi disguising themselves as Shrine Maidens? Well, given the main character's girlfriend is a shrine maiden and the...reputation of such monsters...
...Oh dear...
Underrated smart comment.
weird thing is, these "monsters" seem less like terrible monsters and more like creatures with personality, take the witch for example, the book notes she is happy to have finally become a which, or the maid phenelope, it states that she was a demon maid for noblemen, even before she fights you she curtsies. also later on, soma literally walks in on a few female monsters in a bath house, I think it was lillith and a succubus, so the game makes exstensive points to make sure you understand that this place is their home, while that perverted example is.... well perverted. another good one is when you defeat the head hunter, a witch moves in and takes out all of the head hunters stuff, and new more witchy stuff is in its place. I like that, it changes the basic idea that these monsters don't belong here, when in actuality you don't, and you're sure as hell are trespassing, if you can make even small enemies have purpose and personality. you have a good game
Fun fact, that shrine maiden is actually Nakoruru from Samurai Shodown series. So instead of being a horny guy who fantasize with his childhood friend, he could also be a video game maniac who has Nakoruru as his waifu.
Ceris Beech
@@whoopingmuffin9700 That would be persephone, but yes. At the same time it's weird how all of these creatures are tied to the castle like they are a part of it.
>Kills first zombie
>Gets a Baselard drop
how the
Yeah, I wonder if he knows how lucky he was. Getting the baselard (to a lesser extent the cloth tunic) makes the earlier parts of the game such a piece of cake. That's why I always spend the few first minutes grinding in that room whenever I replay the game
Cody Jackson
😂 must play this game through again.
That happened to me
Or recieving the Final Sword from that k ight b4 death
TFW you forget to talk about Julius Belmont, the most awesome character in the game, relevant to the plot, preceeds the final boss and is playable by putting JULIUS as your name. And also the bad ending which features Julius coming back to kill Soma after he is possessed. Did you avoid Julius intentionally?
I was thinking the same thing! I actually had to look it up to see if I was misremembering and J was only in the Dawn of Sorrow. Nope, he was definitely in Aria. What the hell!
Maybe he didn't want to spoil the best part of the game.
Worth mentioning that you have to beat the game before you can play as Julius.
HOLY SHIT, I didn't know that you can play as him
@Vorgozz (OP)
You forgot to mention that Julius is unlocked by defeating Graham once, even if it's the Normal Ending.
Having a pocket knife on you at all times is just a good idea in general, man. Don't knock Soma for being practical.
This guy gets it
Lol wait though, a pocket knife is not the same thing as _a kitchen knife that happens to fit in your pocket._
A knife designed to go in your pocket? Super useful and not creepy!
Kitchen knife in your pocket? Not very useful and *very creepy!*
You missed the bad ending.
Losing to the final boss causes Soma to become Dracula, and you get a cutscene with Julius referencing the classic glass throwing scene from some of the other games.
And it unlocks the best mode: Julius mode! where you have to beat the game as Julius, who plays a little more classic style, using sub weapons and the vampire slayer whip. And the final boss? Soma himself.
Did Aria of Sorrow have a Soma Boss fight? Mine ended with beating Graham
Fred Stolperman no. Aria only has graham as a boss for julius mode. evil soma only cameos in the bad ending.
@@fredstolperman2785
No, OP has his games mixed up regarding Julius mode.
Julius mode in Aria is basically Richter mode in SotN while in Dawn it has some story.
@@MH_Zard True, although in the Persephone hack (which I think is intended as a continuation of this game), Soma is the final boss.
I really like Soma, it's almost an insult that he didn't appear in that Castlevania fighting game for the Wii, he is so emblematic to the franchise to me, such an underrated character.
Mina: "So...wait. You asked me out, but you didn't bring any protection?!"
Soma: "I did bring protection. I have a knife."
Mina: "..."
Soma: "And 'lubicant,' according to the menu."
Mina: "...Close enough."
Menú?
@@justaprinny9940 He's referring to the Lubicant Soul, and the menu is the Soul Menu.
Soma's going to need to go to the hospital afterwards.
@@Rodlikespants wrong website
@TrumpeterJen (OP)
Ffhahahahahahahahahahahaha!
"How can a series make such a drastic change without making a huge backlash?"
Simple, by making the game ACTUALLY GOOD.
Keep back dash = No back lash
Thy know how to cook
Not a single mention of J or the awesome boss fight, downer ending, or bonus mode he directly contributes to...?
If you do a video on Dawn of Sorrow, you'll need to rectify this. The final boss of that game's bonus mode is the fanservicey payoff to a brilliant setup.
First of all i agree that he should have mentioned it but I literally just beat the Julius hard mode and i'd say that's a flaw. No history, same bosses, nothing to make me explore the castle again and abilities aren's really a novelty. Also i expected that it would continue the bad ending and having a final fight with "evil Soma".
yalos etodo thats the dawn if sorrow ending
@@Angel-fg2ep tbh they tried to make it close to classic Castlevanias, Dawn of Sorrow Julius Mode is superior though.
I just watched this and explained the really awesome J boss fight only to be let down and have to go find a random vid that showed a boss rush and how he was just a really well placed, well intentioned, and right pain in the ass of a character to fight against.
I would LOVE to see another boss fight like that should another Metroidvania esque Castlevania come out in the near future. I just bought the Switch GBA compilation and am slowly grinding out Circle of the Moon before going to Harmony of Dissonance. This is going to be the one I save for last, dessert for a set of games I have been yearning to find my copies of for a long time.
And then like an idiot I'm gonna try to imitate another YT personality and go full Little Mac on it after one solid playthrough as normal. I hate myself that much to play a game I adore in such a challenging fashion.
Am I the only one pissed about how he didn't mention Julius Belmont AT ALL???
or the bad ending
Probabaly because That will be major spoilers
Or the fact he's an unlockable character with typical castlevania abilities
"2035 and the FF7 Remake is finally out" LOL
Chills ran down my spine when he said that. The bastard shouldve stuck to top 10 videos it hurts my back when I move.
Back here towards the end of 2020, turns out it's like... only a 10th of a remake, so time frame seems on track
Gaster is shivering. *GASTER. IS SHIVERING!* Come the hell on SquareOnix, we all know that complex games have simple glitches!
W.D
Thankfully we got the remake 15 years earlier.
Ok, here's a few simple explanations on how Soma could have a Shrine Maiden Childhood Friend while being an Exchange Student.
1. Mina was an Exchange Student herself at some point in the past, and when she moved back Soma may have gone with her.
2. They were internet friends, possibly a school event where they made pen-pals from other countries, and Mina and Soma simply kept in touch until Soma was able to transfer to her school later.
3. Soma may have transferred to Japan as a kid and just calls himself an Exchange Student out of an old habit he never fully shook off.
I will admit theory number 2 is a bit of a stretch, but this is a video game, so schools logic there might be a tad different than today's. Personally I feel that number 3 might be the most likely explanation, with number 1 being a close second. Does anyone else have any other idea they would like to share?
Considering this is the future, I think 2 is actually the most likely.
Charlotte Shenkenberger wait but didn’t he say that in the japanese version soma is just referred to as a high school student, meaning he’s japanese? I though it was only changed for the english version
I like 1 the most
The red minatour soul is wayyyy stronger than the ripple laser.
LuxCalum True but almost 100% at the time you can only use it 4 times before running out of mana. Lightning doll is weaker but hits multiple times and can end enemies in 1 or 2 hits.
Lol yep
Umm have you obtained the chaos ring? Lol
@@Calamity_Leo To be honest by the time you manage to collect all the souls you don't really need it anymore other than for the purpose of being overpowered and spamming bullet souls
chaos ring is OP
Soma's fashion sense is surprisingly on point haha
Even though SOTN has a special place in my heart, Aria came along and swept me away. It was awesome stumbling upon the Claimh Solais
the souls system make the gameplay more deep than SOTN, as well as a good story
3:13 Well to be fair, Mina could still be his childhood friend even if he was an exchange student. Maybe she moved back to Japan and he went to Japan to meet her again.
Too be fair the purpose of a weak 1st boss which will become a normal enemy later in the game to invoke a sense of growth in strength and a sense of accomplishment from it, dark souls did it too with the goat demon.
I don't think his complaint was with the skeleton boss becoming a normal enemy later, it's that is was basically a normal enemy beforehand, just upsized.
Granted, in this case, it's still a little silly, because it doesn't remotely act like normal skeletons in the game, but that's besides my point here.
It then turns out they eventually retcon it so he is a foreign exchange student that went home to Japan on vacation just to set the record straight.
3 years late, but it turns out that retcon was rejected as evidenced by the confirmation of Soma being japanese in Grimoire Of Souls, so yeah, the point stands(
Also, it's strange to assume that the english translation is a retcon, original always has more weight unless stated otherwise, I require an official sause on if it was confirmed to be a retcon, but that doesn't really matter, cuz GOS.
Иван Баранов so its basically like brock from pokemon where they removed the japanese aspects of it, despite the fact that pretty everyone knew it was japanese.
I think the touch 13:30 is one of the best moments in the game. I love it when you come in and say "Oh look, a dumb miniboss-" then outta nowhere a much tougher enemy lunged in and fights you instead.
"And the Final Fantasy VII Remake is finally out." I appreciate your optimism.
It is out :o
Danny Rollin only part 1
Based
WYRYYYYYYYYY!
Minor mistake: Graham Jones will transform to final form regardless of whether you have met the requirements (equip the right souls) or not.
But WTF only 404 views? This is one of the best videos I've watched talking about Castlevania games. liked and subed
Thank you! As you can probably guess by looking at my channel, a lot of people are mainly interested in my Pokemon stuff. But even so, I still plan to cover more Castlevania regardless of the views any of it will get.
im really glad to hear that as castlevania is one of my most favorite franchises, and your in depth review of it was great. i wouldnt even mind seeing you do an unused content episode on some of the games.
Very glad to hear it! I'm into both your pokemon and Castlevania videos, so good news for me I guess
Light Zhu well this got alot more views in a year
Final Fantasy VII Remake in 2035 on PS6? someone is optimistic^^
I would laugh if this didnt hurt so bad
hA
RetroProGamer wow DUMBASS coming out 2020 on ps4 YOU FUCKING IDIOT!!!!!!!!!
*Laughs in Tidus*
@@alpha1beta1gamma chill this was 2 years ago they probably didn't have a release date back then
Best game on the GBA!
Got that game from the Wii U’s Virtual Console!
Konami was so great with GBA & DS games back in the 2000s before the Pachinko.
1:50
Well, while not _quite_ as modern as our own, Breath of the Wild has a great deal of technology in it. Many of the enemies (Guardians, Divine Beasts, etc.) are more Magitek than monster, and your special abilities are controlled by what is basically an iPad with some quantum pocket-dimensions that can manifest bombs, project magnetic pulses, and temporarily warp spacetime to a halt. Also a camera, which they don't even bother coming up with a fantasy-esque name for, it's just straight-up called a camera.
Also said iPad can plug into kiosks in temples and towers to download (the animation even has data glyphs flowing around before it drops onto the pad) maps, GPS trackers, and other modern-esque information sources to help you in your travels.
Oh and it's the most popular game right now (March 2017, for Future Viewers) and has challenged many people's stance on OOT being the best Zelda game ever*. So there's that.
*Disclaimer: Not mine, OOT isn't even in my top ten, but BOTW is definitely my favorite 3D Zelda of all time and certainly in my top-5 of Zelda games period.
I read somewhere that the name "Soma" actually means "vessel" in Japanese.
Makes sense. He is a vessel for the souls that he steals and a vessel used by Dracula to reign humanity from.
@@Danny-Stylish Almost as if God(or at least, the god in Castlevania’s universe) has finally decided to give Mathias a second chance.
Funny enough and I know I am late, but both his english (or Greek) and Japanese name references to his title as Mathias’s reincarnate
Japanese:
So (pale/blue)
Ma (truth/reality)
Kuru (come/next)
Su (by all means)
English:
Soma (body)
Cruz (cross)
Yeah one is way more straight forward isn’t it?
Unfortunately, soma does not mean vessel in japanese, it's not even a word in japanese. It might be written in kanji with some meaning individually, but as a word, it's gibberish.
I think I've found a new channel to watch :)
Aria and Dawn of Sorrow are my favorite Castlevania games!
thank you for having the worst taste
Yuzuki-Tan not so much
Yuzuki-Tan
What, next to SOTN
AoS and DoS are second and third, ai mean if not first and second. The soul ability is my favorite part of the game
Yuzuki-Tan how is that a bad taste? Even if you don’t consider aria if sorrow and its remake to be your favourite, they’re still considered to be really good castlevania games
I'm from the future. They finally released the FF7 remake.
Less than a fifth of it so chances are the full story will be out by 2030 at best.
Your castlevania video series is the highlight of your channel, earned a subscriber.
This is one of the only few castle vania game I could finish (the other being its direct sequel and like the first game)
I really like it. The varied playstlye and sometimes downright overpowered attacks really does make me feels like I'm THE BOSS of the franchise.
I even play through the game like 3 times.
No mention of Julius Belmont? He's one of the most important characters in the game!
This game and the Shaman King series on the GBA share the same mechanics in both getting special moves from enemies and special abilities. Also how the game plays is basically the same as well.
one thing to note might be that to reach the final area, you have to jump through a solar eclipse... inside a castle inside a solar eclipse... to fight the final boss, which is also a solar eclipse...?
but really, its nice to see a different vid every now and then, especially when its a fantastic review for one of my favourite games ever!! i hope your channel keeps growing in the future
Thanks, I intend to keep working at it^
I remember when this came out, my thought was, "Castlevania? in the Future? Will I get a lazer whip?!" but really its a great and well done game. Its still that gothic horror with some modern twist to it. Great video! Hope you do more castlevania!
handgun is the most recent you will have as a weapon
too bad this only got 4k views I really enjoy this format where you analyse features of a game. I just binged your whole channel and can't wait for more content.
This was quite the extensive and impressive review. Good quality visuals at all times, some jokes here and there to lighten the mood and break up the flow of the standard review, nice to listen to with a calm, soothingly quiet voice and the background music playing through most of the review itself. One of the better review's for any kind of game I've seen in a long time. Good job, you've definitely got my subscription. :)
To be fair, Cruz is just the romanization of Kurusu. I think the change was because there's no way a Japanese person would have a Western last name.
man i love your castlevania content so much, i always come back to your videos when im feeling down and it perks me back up :)
Fun Fact: There is actually going to be a Total Solar Eclipse in 2035, more specifically, on September 2nd.
We now know the exact date the game starts on.
At least the first boss was done creatively by making it a Gashadokuro (Creaking Skull), a nocturnal yokai that's a giant skeleton that feeds on human blood, spicing basic enemies with japanese folklore
I think they changed his surname from "Kurusu" to "Cruz" in order to retain the "cross"-related pun.
The joke about the fan base wasn't even a joke. Less than 2k views?! but this video was awesome!
Basically, if you make Pokemon videos, you had better make ONLY Pokemon videos, even one errant non-Pokemon video will cost you a portion of your subscribers if you ever become established as a PokeTuber for any reason. I learned that from Lockstin. :)
Video wasn't a jelly doughnut, as an American, I couldn't relate.
yo, your comment about zelda set in the future at 1:55 isnt too far off the truth.
myamoto (i know i fucked up his name. has wanted to set the zelda series in the future ever since its conception. sure, its had future like elements, but Breath of The Wild was pretty much the first to have it as a plot device. but suprisingly, (and im not joking, you can look it up) botw was originaly going to be set in modern/future times with link riding a motorcycle, wielding a guitar, invading aliens, ganondorf waering a ACDC shirt for unknown reasons, the works. it was pretty far in development too untill it was changed cause of plot reasons. hell, they had a prototype that used the original nes zelda for testing purposes. i know all this sounds fuckin crazy, but i shit you not its all real.
wow, im not gonna lie people would have thrown fucking fits if we got that game, it would be Zelda 2 all over again
And we have Breath of the wild, now. Probably the closest we'll get to that original idea
ngl, something about the localization is hilarious
just picturing some kid from spain meeting up some japanese girl during a trip and becoming friends with her
and it fits with dracula being european
But Soma is japanese, and Mina is his childhood friend.
God damn I love this game.
Recently found a randomizer for it and have been playing a couple of playthroughs of various seeds.
Really makes you appreciate the incredible replay value the items/souls/monsters can really bring when tossed into a blender.
Just noticed for the first time how Alucard absorbs the souls at the beginning of the game. Neat detail
Who's here after the Nintendo Direct? This game is now on the Nintendo Switch! (with other Advance titles)
castlevania is the best line of game
This was actually my first Castlevania game and will always be my favorite in the series
Technically...
Link’s Awakening had telephones.
It WAS in modern times!..
Kinda
It was just a dream~
Because of this video I just tried castlevania series for the first time. I played Aria of sorrow using emulator for android and beat the normal mode. It was so fun so I bought advance collection for my switch. Thanks to your great and entertaining review.
I’m glad someone shares the wonderful love I have for this game
Plot twist! The event in 1999 that they are referencing turns out to be from Hellsing! The zombie soldiers With Grenades are the corpses of the wild geese Mercenaries, and Dracula, or Alucard as he goes by in Hellsing, was defeated and completely vanished.
no.
7:13 you could also compare it to blue magic in FFV. In that game you could gain the ability of any monster you defeat in battle while having the "learning" ability equipped.
7:13 the whole ability thing reminds me of brave fencer musashi for the psx. using lumina to absorb your enemies abilities
Likes castlevania and pokémon, uses phoenix wright soundtrack. What a man of fine tastes you are, earned a subscriber.
Music in Aria kicks so much ass. Whole series has some rockin tunes(simon's theme = banger) and talented composers but I spent the most time playing this one, so I remember its music the most no doubt. Also like that some motifs reoccur throughout the series when visiting some of the similar styled areas common in the games.
Heard of this game but never thought much about it, but you've sold me on it.
I've recently found your stuff and subscribed. I was a bit surprised to see you on UA-cam for so long and have so few videos (at least on this channel). Don't feel like you have to do Pokemon stuff to keep views (even thou it does help give the series wide exposure). I like both the Pokemon and non-Pokemon stuff, so keep it coming.
"And the Final Fantasy 7 remake is finally out" Pika spitting truth even 2 years ago
Except it's releasing next year, and not in 16 years from now.
@@Iris_Descent Except it's in parts and you can't say it's done unless they actually finish it which if so might be 2035.
[The World] needs more castlevania fans and videos ♡♡♡
I can't believe you only got around 1300 subs!
Your content is genuinely funny and high quality.
I really liked the video, especially as a big Castlevania Fan myself, and I'm excited for more content!
Keep up the good work!
Thanks, I try^
I randomly started playing this, having not played any other Castlevania, on an emulator trip and man do I love it. I can see why this series has the following that it does.
I really enjoyed this vid. Never played Castlevanua before but I've already ordered a copy of the game after seeing your work. Your humor and voice are both great without being overbearing, and the content is mature instead of maximum clickbait. You seem like a cool person. Keep it up.
Glad you liked it^^
pikasprey: "that's the future, where everybody has an iphone 16 and the final fantasy 7 remake finally comes out"
me: "that aged like milk"
8:25 Red Minotaur soul actually makes the Legion soul looks tame by comparison .
Circle of the Moon was my first Castlevania game, and my absolute favorite too. Aria of Sorrow was really fun too, did a 100% run of it recently.
skipped Harmon of Dissonance
I'll have to try this one out! The first Castlevania that I ever beat was Lament of Innocence, which has a similar mechanic with equipping a single colored orb to change the way your subweapon works, It's pretty fun.
This video is so woefully underviewed.
Awesome job, man. Hope to see Dawn of Sorrows soon!
Just gonna say, since this video doesn't have a lot of views. I loved the Video. Entertaining and informative. Keep up the good work!
Thanks^
Oh hey, Legion! I remember seeing you as a boss in Symphony of the Night! :D You were even creepier there, because you actually bled!
Aria of Sorrow was the first Castlevania game I've played. I didn't think much about the giant bat being crushed by an even bigger boss until I realized it was a relatively common boss in past games. I bet that part blew veteran's minds.
My first, and still my favourite, Castlevania game. I played it after we moved and didn’t have internet for a while and it brought me a lot of comfort while in an unfamiliar place. It was on an emulator and I remember leaving the game running while I took a nap so I could listen to the music,
This video got me to try out Castlevania all those years ago, and this quickly became a favorite GBA title for me, and the fight against J has easily become one of my favorite bosses in a game. Haven't actually played many others, but your randomizer streams make me want to play more
Brings back so much memories. Grinding in the train on the way to work until lv. 99, spending endless hours getting those souls...
Easily my best Castlevania experience after Super Castlevania (SNES) and SOTN (PSX) !!
Graham Jones would be voiced by James Woods if this was live action
Looks like someone likes Portrait Of Ruin!
The Legion laser is actually not a guaranteed drop at all.
You only get it if you destroyed the entire shell before finishing the fight
good channel glad i found you. the views on non pokemon vids will come. keep up the good work
Every year that goes by the comment about the final fantasy 7 remake being release in 2035 on the playstation 6 seems less like a joke and more like a prediction XD
It is worth noting that doing the math about Soma's birthday, it falls perfectly in line with the _American_ 2017 Solar Eclipse. Considering the connection, it only made sense to have him be from America, although only the localization team caught it.
As for being childhood friends with Mina... I mean... it's the future, so social media is probably in VR at this point.
I have alot of nostalgia for this game thanks to Pikasprey. I watched this video in summer 2018, played it in summer 2019 on the dreaded emulator, now seeing this makes me kinda fuzzy.
I've always liked Castlevania, since I was a kid but when they started with the "Metroidvania" is when I really got hooked. I love exploring the castle.
Boy.
It's great to hear that someone is as in-love with this game as I am.
This'll probably forever be among my favorite games. :-)
aria of sorrow might take place in the future, but aside from a couple late-game weapons being handguns and the positron rifle, the time kinda takes a backseat to draculas castle. which feels just as gothic as ever with only the zombie soldiers and officers as the only real "modern" enemies.
nice to see another Castlevania fan :D
Graham jones looks like he wants to live a quiet life
You seem to forget sir that Dracs castle is all time wibbely, and the hunters lines have innate magic and even can be maximized in these strange grounds. And who cares if Soma had a knife to start, it is a tool and maybe he just wanted to cut up an apple to share with his not girlfriend, then slips as he looks into her waifu eyes cutting a finger that she can delicately bandage, or even lick clean, *loud coughs as i resist fanboy spiral.
I love this review to bits-I've been itching to play Aria of Sorrow for years-But I have one, petty complaint about it.
You didn't mention that Aria of Sorrow has a sequel, named Dawn of Sorrow for the DS, or the second most modern Castlevania game Portrait of Ruin, which is set in 1944 (and yet has no Nazis, a missed opportunity until you realize Germany would have banned it from the get-go)
It might be a little weird to bring a knife to a date, but remember, this is Soma we're talking about. We all know how he is into the power of domination...
carrying a weapon for self defense is apparently an alien concept to you.
Dude I love the mobile era Castlevanias. The three on DS are some of my favorite games of all time. Would love to see you talk about them!
I got into the Castlevania series a bit late too. My first game was Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, after playing it I fell in love with series. I've played Aria of Sorrow on an emulator on my phone, I've haven't finished it but I really like the game too. Btw this video is freaking awesome, great job!🙂😊😁👍
Also, nice video.
Its nice to see UA-camrs like you making such a great job, you've earned yourself a subscriber :)
also, you forgot to mention the fight with Julius, which is pretty intense if you ask me.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
I love Castlevania and AoS.
Legion is awesome. Always has been.
That Balor fakeout made me startle the first time. A gameboy game made me jump. That's masterful.
You didn't mention how when soma turns to dracula when you fail beating the true boss
7:12 The best comparisson is The Kirby games because in this games you gain Your extra Power from regular enemys and mini-bosses
This really is where bosses started to be great, giant spectacles again.
I found my old gameboy advance sp and I definitely gonna buy this because of this video!
you need to (we need you to) make more videos, it just fun listening to your voice while doing things.
and also to watch the videos, of course, because they are really interesting!
Castlevania is always a classic to talk and listen to someone else talking about.
really loved these!
and Pokemon too :)