PULL MY LITTLE DEVIL TRIGGER! - Castlevania - Curse of Darkness

[@KittyMeow1984]

GASP! How you dare critizicing the skeletons for wearing clothes when you are literally a skeleton wearing a suit and a beanie?!?

[@TaimatCR]

I really like this game, it really felt like a 3d sotn for me, and the un lockable Trevor mode was very good as well

[@ChaoticPesme75]

The Trevor mode in this feels like a proper evolution of the Richter mode in SotN, with actual power ups, character prgression and mechanics.

[@TaimatCR]

@@ChaoticPesme75 yes exactly, you get upgrades and new whips and all, I also remember the sub weapons being really cool too

[@SnipeMD]

0:02 *Sits in 2000-volt electric chair
Hector: "This is fine."

[@hairy_cornflake]

The two PS2 Castlevania were pretty fun, this one especially is an underrated gem for me.
Hell I even enjoy the N64 ones, they have a certain charm behind the many many flaws.

[@VGMJediden1024]

I 100% agree. The soundtrack to this one is so good too. :)

[@tatawbr]

Amen

[@gilgafresh923]

There is indeed a "Richter" mode in some form in this game. You can figure out who said character would be.

[@enlongjones2394]

Trevor fuckin’ Belmont, right?

[@mghegotagun]

DO I GET TO PLAY MARIA?!

[@bishop6881]

@@ellocojoncrazy3270 he controls exactly like Leon and that is to say awfully

[@NewToCool74]

@@bishop6881 Controlled great to me, at least he has the diving whip attack that propels him forward which was great for those long ass hallways.

[@bishop6881]

@@ellocojoncrazy3270 I played Lament before CoD, unfortunately after GoW and DMC so LoI has always felt really awkward to me

[@agustindanielgimenez9483]

With a button you can change the end of the combo at any time, the more hits a weapon has, the more endings a combo has, that gives some depth to the combat, and each type of weapon has a different set of attacks.
On the other hand, the most interesting thing for me is the ID system, I spent hours trying to get out new demons and incorporate them into my way of fighting, and there are many options! If it is true that the maps are quite boring, but if you like those systems you will have a good time.
(If the comment sounds strange, it is the fault of google translator)

[@AtlasTheMayor]

The whole I.D. thing gets way more interesting as you progress further 'cause you keep unlocking new types of I.D.'s that can also evolve into different forms that all have unique abilities
The combination of dmc like combat with the managing of the devils is something i've not seen done again since this game, so it's still my favorite Castlevania (and one of my favorite games ever)

[@GenericSoda]

I absolutely love Igarashi's habit of just throwing goofy anachronistic food items into this games. His sense of humor comes through pretty well in Castlevania despite the story being played mostly straight.

[@MajinBlueTheFutureMade]

Pleaaaase omg, more of this game!! There are SOO many things that get better, especially the Combat and I.D. stuff and of course the best part, the music.

[@cellariusmack2595]

This is one of my favourite Castlevania's. The soundtrack, all the extras and crafting, I buy a copy of it every time I come across it and have like 7

[@itsClaptrap]

the Abandoned Castle theme is one of the hardest bangers on the soundtrack, the fact we open on that is honestly the best thing ever

[@BlurryHeart15]

I would gladly watch Matt playing more of this.
Also Matt technically since the IDevils follow you around and have abilities you could totally treat them as automatic stands.

[@qualityqueen1553]

Speed mail is literally silver chariot.

[@occamsbeatinstick.3076]

Honestly, Matt hit it right on the money when he said this game starts way too slow. If I were the designers, I would've started off with the golem summon monster, and have the alternate Trevor mode just unlocked from the start. It would've made it a lot more palatable. Because the problem is it DOES get more interesting, the combo system rules, the mugging system is interesting (even if it gets annoying) but it's still worth playing!

[@bishop6881]

Parrying Death’s ultimate move to make the Scythe and get the Ultimate demon is right up there with beating DMC3 Bloody Palace for me, honestly I hope Bloodstained 2 leans more into CoD because it’s clear Iga still wants to make a familiar/stand simulator

[@Jigglesthepirate]

It does start off way too slow, but I'm certain that they were wanting to make sure that the player had a firm grasp of Hector and his base abilities before they threw in the tank that can clear most of the game by itself.

[@jeremyabbott4537]

yeah the fact they start you with a completely passive healer ID is really awful. Also the fact they locked being able to open chests to having a Fairy type is really lame and makes them really uninteresting. They could have at least given the fairy the ability to slow or stun enemies occasionally to show how much IDs can help in ways Hector can't do himself.

[@baddragonite]

To be fair, almost every castlevania game with alternate modes locks them behind both a password and beating the game the normal way initially so it's in line with the series at least.

[@martinpadilla5224]

@@jeremyabbott4537 lol they had fairy types that did exactly that.

[@divineknight9261]

I've always loved this game. Combat has juuuust enough variety with the weapons and different combo-finishers. Story is fine for the series and I honestly love the characters and Devil Forging. This game made me a big fan of Trevor Belmont and Ive always loved Amane's design for him. I love how varied the locales are, from the mountains to the aqueduct to a dark forest etc. But well, the actual levels are, of course, incredibly copy paste and visually lacking.
Also this is my favorite soundtrack in all of videogames. Has been for years, Yamane really kicked ass on this ost.

[@VGMJediden1024]

Great soundtrack for sure! :)

[@blumiu2426]

Curse of Darkness ended up being popular, the manga in particular.

[@togliz]

I remember watching my husband play this, and he had this devil-forged wizard he named Orko (guess what it looked like), and he got it to a final evolution… that looked like a fairy princess. Cue me laughing my ass off while he said “Orko… what have I done to you?!”
Turns out, though, fairy princess Orko did light damage, which made her the most hilariously useful and ridiculous aid against Dracula.

[@jrvaters915]

So happy to see that Matt was playing this. That (and the many yugioh references) made my day. I agree that the level design really lacked but the I.D system, creating your own gear and combat skills really made the game awesome.

[@Jechxior]

Curse of Darkness is my personal favourite game in the series. It's so different compared to the others and it gives you so much to do and create with it's I.D.'s and item smything. Was really glad to see it given such a prominent role in the Netflix series.

[@sunflow57]

This is the real Hector.

[@Harukurochan]

I mean, some of the Iga developed Castlevania’s and Bloodstained had familiars. I really liked the owl in “Order of Ecclesia” and Silver Knight in Bloodstained.

[@bishop6881]

OoE has a stupid amount of familiars, Charlotte gets a few in PoR but just having Jonathan follow you makes them pretty useless, Soma on the other hand can throw monsters at people while shooting them with a glock which means he wins

[@mariano3716]

Many souls in Aria of Sorrow/Dawn of Sorrow were familiars themselves, such as Alastor, Imp and so forth

[@Artemas_16]

@@bishop6881 when I played PoR, I never used both characters simultaniously because of single hp/mp bars. I just found easier to use one and better dodge, and switching between depending on magic or physical attack I need.

[@skydonkey9515]

To be fair the electric chair is very therapeutic, the volts running through your bones does wonders 😂😂😂

[@ayamylautrec7065]

this is my 2nd favorite Castlevania (tied with Bloodlines). Considering this game was made from scraps from other Konami projects, Igarashi made wonders with what they gave him. This would make a decent What Happened video. Iga had to implement assets from other games, Konami was greedy and cheap even back then. This game had the best implementation of a Belmont as an unlockable, he is very well integrated and doesnt feel as an afterthought

[@WildMatsu]

This was made from scraps of other Konami projects? That would do a great deal to explain the game's level design totally not fitting the speed Hector runs at or the amount of enemies in it

[@monkaWGiga]

I remember very little of this game EXCEPT for Nuculais being a pretty sick optional boss and a cool second phase of a classic boss.

[@blumiu2426]

Isaac's VA is a famous one, actually...You also might want to read the manga to learn about Isaac. More to him than what's in the game, and more to and between him and Hector than in the show. The only reason he was changed was for diversity sake when Igarashi put a lot of thought into his design, as it had parallel with Isaac and Romanian lore behind it. The story got a manga and was very popular, which explains why things involving it are expensive. Never judge something on the surface.

[@thetraveller4839]

Thank you.
I wished more people would've looked into this. They had the material, but the Netflix writer got drunk on his own ego and power resulting in the mess that is seasons 3 & 4.
I would've loved to see Prelude to Revenge adapted as well as Liam O' Brian and Crispin Freeman reprise their roles. They made Hector and Isaac memorable for me.

[@jorgelucasbarbosa3574]

Say what you want about the Lords of Shadow series, how much they were inspired by God of War and Shadow of the Colossus, but, honestly, Castlevania really needed that jump in quality in 3D.

[@enzo991_]

Wow I was literally just wondering why Curse of Darkness has relatively fewer recent LP's and people talking about it only for this to pop up in my subscription feed. Those recent Castlevania videos are timed well with my current resurgent nostalgia for the series. Here's hoping we see a new Castlevania game at some point.

[@bishop6881]

Sadly I doubt Konami is going to capitalize on the anime’s success in revitalizing the fandom, welp at least we’re getting a Rondo of Blood adaptation

[@enzo991_]

@@bishop6881 We're also getting a new Castlevania game collection of at least the GBA games. Also, I'm confident that the recent GetsuFumaDen revival was almost %100 done to test the waters for a new Castlevania game. So I'm somewhat optimistic.

[@bishop6881]

@@enzo991_ oh damn I hope the GBA collection is real, playing HoD and AoS in HD would be amazing

[@chancemitchell4147]

Curse of Darkness is…possibly my favorite 3D Castlevania.

[@J4o4s4e4p4h4]

Just to imagine in some alternate dimension Bluepoint would remaster this gem of a game. There is what I would like to see being improved. If it had little bit more engaging combat like in NieR Replicant and faster character movement (some sprint type like in DMC) it would be perfect. CoD is one of my favorite games on PS2. I really loved ID system, steal mechanik and OST is arguably the best of all Castlevania games.

[@bishop6881]

CoD and EoE are my favorites and of course they were flops 😩
I’d throw so much more money at a CoD style Bloodstained

[@J4o4s4e4p4h4]

​@@bishop6881 All Igavainias were great. I have soft spot for CoD thanks to IDs. Played it first at the time when pokemons were hit and this was very close to it.
I hope we will see more games from Iga's production in the future. Bloodstained was like a love letter to Castlevania series.

[@jeremyabrahamson2872]

I find it interesting, that while many complaints about this game exist, the ones you seemed to dwell on were series trademarks, like the food anachronism and classic characters being unlocked later. That said, the game coulda used a sprint button.

[@itsClaptrap]

A Sprinting movement option would've been so nice in this game, especially because (speaking from experience) this game is 85% hallways and it gets very tedious on repeat playthroughs to explore the areas again
the fastest movement option (iirc) is chaining single dodge rolls when you have the x2 dodge skill though, but even then I dont think it's that much faster than the jogging pace, if its even actually faster at all.

[@OwlCatStudios]

This game deserves a remaster. Great level-up and combat systems, great music, cool storyline, tons of hidden stuff, @TREVOR and @CRAZY mode. Would love this on Switch.

[@vaulttekka5083]

My boi Hector got done dirty in the anime!

[@ActionAbe1]

hes definitly a better character in the anime his design is just kinda boring. he looks way too normal

[@delcirose]

lmao he’s such a joke in the netflix show.

[@enlongjones2394]

YEAH he did
*wiggles eyebrows*

[@nbngbotw]

the hotdog makes sense because Fenrir dropped it, and Fenrir is technically a "hot dog"

[@N3rv3d4m4g3]

"so they changed Isaac and made him a more compelling character" he was already my favorite lol, but the show definitely fleshed him out more

[@TerravancerYoh]

I do believe there is a Trevor Mode in this game.

[@GWOutsider]

Would definitely like more of this, personally!

[@zerokura]

I need him to fight issac and steal the cheese out of pants. But oh boy now i remember that grinding by having to make weapons i need to evolve my demons.

[@AustinTroth]

incredibly forgettable story, but quite good game. I really liked the Musuo combat system they used in this.

[@AustinTroth]

And in regards to platforming, there is more that comes up later in the game. Not a ton but I do remember some places, like jumping between the battle towers. I'd say definitely stick with it, this game gets great and I much prefer it to Lament of Innocence

[@DarkMirria1]

There is Trevor mode available after you beat the game as Hector. Trevor mode is great, I think his thousand knife ability is amazing.
So it’s like SotN where after you beat the game once you unlock the other character.

[@phstevenswift2805]

I would love to see you play more of this, CoD is actually one of my favorite Castlevania titles! Also, the combat features a sort of Musou/Dynasty Warriors style combo in that you can press Circle (or whatever you change it to in the settings) to add an extra attack to the end of it with various effects like knocking the enemy in the air, multi-hit leading to a stun, or just knocking the enemy back. There will also be more weapons crafted along the way that will potentially add elemental effects like fire or dark.

[@Blacknight8850]

This game's unbelievably more expensive in Europe than its predecessor. I got _Lament of Innocence_ for £15, I'd be lucky to pay less than £70 for this on PS2 or £150 on Xbox, and I've no idea why?

[@itsClaptrap]

if I had to guess it might be because CoD isnt as well kept as LoI was, so it might be harder to find? I remember at the time that Lament was the more loved of the PS2 games, so I would've assumed CoD would've been chump change to get since nobody wanted it but who knows

[@ChaoticPesme75]

I actually replay this game every summer, it's kind of a ritual.
Also I'd really like to see more of this :)

[@lolboykekman5728]

As a kid i loved Curse of Darkness and i find Hector i biggest badass ever of the series Just because He was the Only protag that i see detroying Red Skeletons once end for all lol.
That is the sole reason i hate the Netflix séries for making hin such a dumbass.

[@jeremyabbott4537]

Jonathan Morris can destroy Red Skeletons when he gets a specific whip. You also need that whip to kill the new Red Axe Armor enemies that regenerate just like the Red Skeletons.

[@victoryLeo1]

Season 2 was a wrap for me don't care to watch it due to the pathetic portrayal of Hector.

[@MajinBlueTheFutureMade]

Btw, pressing circle gives you a finisher for each attack.

[@koleksi.game24]

I finished this game back in the day. Have so much fun completing all the summons species.

[@Spuot]

This is actually my favorite Castlevania game so I'm pretty excited to see someone play through it.

[@Plutoburns]

Straight up my favorite Castlevania. Lost so many hours grinding out my pokemon I MEAN summons

[@rohankishibeandpinkdarkboy8853]

"Sandwiches were invented in 1762"
So what you're saying is that people weren't actually living their best life before 1762.
That's all I'm getting from this.

[@Ckoz2829]

I just find it hard to believe that nobody thought to put sliced meat and cheese between two slices of bread before 1762. All these culinary geniuses and Renaissances and it took them that long to slap some meat on bread and call it a sandwich.

[@Artemas_16]

Truly, Dark Ages of mankind.

[@jyojitsukikage4508]

The game gets so much better, although the better devils are hard to grind for and specific devils are needed for some secrets in the game.

[@Leon-857]

My favorite game in the series! So glad youre playing. Id suggest trying out Aria of Sorrow next. We share some different opinions lol
I personally LOVE this version of Isaac. The show is great I just never considered them the same character.

[@scottnotpilgrim]

That intro is hilarious, I do indeed enjoy watching you play Castlevania

[@Acrobuster]

This is the closest I think that the 3d Castlevanias get to the Iga style in terms of RPGness, so that gives it a huge boost for me.

[@Jormunguandr]

"It burns!!"
Zelda: "Good :)"

[@davidsterling7570]

Yeah the story is too thin, but everything else about the aesthetics is great. Probably the best OST in the series, amazing work.
Would love an HD remaster that tightens up the controls, and an exploration of this gameplay style again later (with some platforming and faster movement). Reccomend you give it another sitting and see how you feel when you have combat devils!
I was stoked when they added Hector to the show, and what they did with Isaac. Hector's characterisation in this is colored by a plot detail revealed at the end of the game, so his normal personality might've been different.
Also there is a Hector mode in this :)

[@mortvia]

Man if it wasn't for the lackluster and tedious level design this game would've been legendary! Honestly, seeing a Wha Happun of IGA's 3D Castlevanias would be cool.

[@maxithalo7796]

this games cutscenes remind me a lot of GodHand for the Ps2, an amazing game btw (also very underrated), you should check it out ^^

[@Ahotem]

I really enjoyed the editing work on this one. Great job, Ultima!
Also as several others have commented as well, I'd love to see you (and maybe Liam) do more of this game!

[@joandarc441]

Amazing

[@ActionAbe1]

I love Curse of darkness. Best 3D castlevania and one of the most fun metroidvanias to me.

[@ivanborges67]

this is my favorite Castlevania, it has lots of variety on its gameplay with different weapons and the demons, it has a lot to offer but feels under appreciated

[@neseipraxosia832]

God this is still probably my favorite castlevania to this day.

[@thoraxe2372]

Finally, my second favorite Castlevania. and its weird chair fetish

[@Kry-Edge]

One of my unironically favorite castlevanias, it had all that my feeble tween mind needed.
Loved the video!

[@Jigglesthepirate]

Matt, please keep going at least a little further. The game starts off very slowly, in part to make sure you get the hang of Hector before you have minions doing the heavy lifting. The combat system has more depth when you get new weapon types or if you use the circle button anywhere in the middle of your combo. You don't have a ton of platforming in this game, but there is a little and the areas get more complex as you progress and need specific IDs to reach optional areas. Also if you want some classic whip styling to do there is a second character that you can unlock, or look up and enter the name to try out.
Most important part though! Literally the next room you go in you get an ID that can become a SKELLETON WARRIOR DANANA DA DA DANANA!

[@madaction9373]

Yes Matt do more! This soundtrack is very underated.

[@itschickenscratch]

dont kill me over this, but curse of darkness is my favorite castlevania

[@MattMcMuscles]

It's fine. I can see the appeal! I'm warming up to it more now that I found it has Trevor mode!

[@itschickenscratch]

​@@MattMcMuscles It definitely takes forever to get into the cool and fun systems the game offers, like a good 7 hours (out of like 30 or so) before it hits the loop they designed the whole thing around, but as someone who had all the time in the world when the game released, it was a blast because it felt like there was always something new and additive to the experience around the corner. It definitely would have been nice though if you could just choose to play as Trevor from the start for those that want a more classic run!

[@MrCactusfish]

I will never get tired of that shaft joke

[@kelsokitten]

Uh, Matt? Matt, I love you, and I really love these little taste-test 'let's plays' you do! Genuinely. It's great seeing you earnest and excited and whatnot. But this video looks a little... *stretched?* I think your rendering resolution for the game isn't running great, which I can tell you how to fix! Some PS2 emulated games don't like to fit 16:9, for whatever damned reason despite the PS2 having in-built rendering for 16:9 (If I recall correctly). I ran into this exact same problem with 'Lament of Innocence'. If you just squish it a little, you'll get it! Not that I'm opposed to WIDE ISAAC, I mean, thicc boy. But yeah, just a heads up in case this happens again or if you... ever... see this... comment...
You'll always be my favourite Loona.

[@nickelousf]

The editing on this one is top tier. Especially cheese fries segment

[@thinkingsoup6149]

Watching this playthrough reminds me that I should probably play my copy finally....

[@Iceteague1]

Hearing the narrator's voice: I miss Tom Wyner!

[@onlyadamrosa]

They all speak like Will Ferrell in that MTV Movie Awards spoof on the Matrix. "Ergo!... vis a vis!... Concordantly!"

[@foriarez944]

Yes, Judgement's Bloody Tears is the best version.

[@RebDT]

This is the first Castlevania I ever played. Picked it up randomly at a Best Buy because I was allowed one game and the store was out of stock on most things. I know I finished it. The only things I remember about it are the theme of the castle and and some weird blob boss hanging from the ceiling in a catacomb level I THINK. Everything is very vague.

[@bannetteisthoughtful3509]

More Curse of Darkness!

[@standingbearwhisky]

Listen to the hotdog!
Hotdog: doodalaaadadadadadadaaadaada

[@Riitje]

They call me... The only person to enjoy Castlevania Judgment!

[@tinybee7780]

Wish they stuck with this version of Hector for the Netflix show.

[@tinybee7780]

@@ellocojoncrazy3270 As opposed to being a pet by Lenore. Or basically a naive manchild that's easily to take advantage of by Carmilla? I'm okay with Isaac since some of his he had some of the better combat and non-combat scenes in the series, but you can't deny that Hector had the shorter end of the stick in terms of character development and motivations.

[@Stinger420]

LoL!!! @4:03,Was that Lionel Ritchie?! My mom used to love him.

[@HayatoEvoker]

Alright, Matt, here's the thing, I can get behind a LOT of opinions you have, and even if I don't with some, I still respect them, you know, like a decent human being should
But don't you tell me Liam O'Brien as Isaac is BAD VOICE ACTING
It's the cheesiest, most spectacular thing ever

[@babababab71]

Hope you play more of this. Had you entered the green door you would have gotten the new devil. Some of the forms are wacky.

[@Wicked061]

God damn do i miss this game. It was so underrated imo.
*enemy draws sword* "foolish human! How dare you defy dracula"
*me pulls out minigun*
*enemy shocked pikachu face*

[@Jebbtube]

Oh hey, it's that guy who did nothing in the Netflix series.

[@amahrle2767]

Yeah more of this game would be cool, there are some pretty fun boss fights. Also you can do some cool attacks with the Triangle(?) button after a few presses of the normal attack button. I don't know the PS2 buttons because I have only ever played the OG Xbox version.

[@VictorVonFox]

The only thing that i really remember from Castlevania: Lament of Innocence is the secret boss The Forgotten. Really disturbing but pretty awesome too. This castlevania game had interesting things in common with SotN which i enjoyed. the devils were kinda eh though. Over all it was good.
Question for you Matt. have you done a video about Bloodstained Ritual of the night?

[@Biibop-cd3mh]

I'm loving the visuals when you make a point. Keep it up.

[@nicropolis223]

Yeah I Fucking love this game!!
And by the way Isaac is voiced by Liam o'brien here.

[@KeirfireAzal]

I'm sure there's comments of it somewhere, but similar to Aria of Sorrow you get to play as Trevor after you beat the game (through some name entry trick or something it'll tell you post-game)

[@necry9583]

I feel like this game is part of the reason I quite like summoner type characters in games, a curse due to how hard they are to find
I am quite fond of the I.D. System, I always found them cool sense I played this game a lot at young age
Also seeing him stop right before he gets the battle type ID's was mildly frustrating

[@EliasCassab]

The redeeming quality of this game is the soundtrack. Just banger after banger

[@Leandra001]

Glad your playing this game. Love this 3D castlevania of the PS2 era

[@marianounzue2016]

Oh, hell yeah i love this game, i remember my fave devil was that giant edgy skeleton warrior with the sword, was incredibly powerful.

[@Wicked061]

I had this crazy little floating wizard and he melted everything on the screen. It was nuts

[@barnabasstinson2894]

I hope you can play more of this game, I love it and I love watching this sort of Blind-ish run.
Please play it again on your channel

[@baddragonite]

I'd love to see more of this. Seems like you're having fun

[@justinnoble6393]

The combat does get more fun. As you build new weapons the attack strings get longer and you get more combo enders by pressing the triangle button

[@aarondoherty753]

I think being a big capcom/ goth rock action type mark at that age made the ps2 castlvanias just golden. Give me chaos legion and all that jam.

[@obananagato]

I know someone already Said that here Matt but yeah, there is a Trevor Mode and a Boss Rush Mode (If you kill the secret Boss)after beating the game

[@saltythemaou5719]

i really hope you do more of this its my fav castlevania and gets a lot better when you get cooler IDs (ps there are combo finishers that flesh out combat a bit more)

[@N3rv3d4m4g3]

Matt! Set the devil to automatic! and it will heal you without needing to be told

[@truefighter2420]

Weapon combining is heavly used you also have to steal from certain enemies to get certain items that are hard to find normally.

[@truefighter2420]

Also some foods are more overpowered then the potions but you can only get those items from heavy grinding,pumkin, and increasing your luck.

[@geoffreychauvin1474]

Just like previous IGA games you unlock more characters. Trevor is selectable after you beat the game once.

[@WheelieRex]

Rereleasing all the stone cold classics like SOTN and Rondo, all the GBA and DS games-that's all well and good.
But if Konami weren't COWARDS they'd put out a collection with their weird 3D experimental stuff. Legacy of Darkness, Curse of Darkness, Lament of Innocence... now that's a collection I'd be all about

[@Dredged]

00:03 FEEL GOOD! 🎶