Log in

View Full Version : New 2D Castlevania. Well, Frontier Aja, a Castlevania ripoff.



kupomogli
08-13-2009, 11:05 PM
Graphically looks great, and I'm much more of a fan of level based Castlevania titles than I am of exploration type Castlevania titles.

However, the video posted by Siliconera if you pull up the link is the entire third stage. The stage itself is nothing more than going right, going up a vertical hallway after getting there, going left, going up a vertical hallway after getting there, repeat. It more or less looks like a very bland creation in which all the places you're going through don't have much of a change, especially with the vertical hallways on each side. The boss is really the only thing that looks remotely challenging, but as dumb as the player was, no. But this is the third stage, not the first or second.

Anyways. Obvious Castlevania ripoff. Not just looking similar style, but the way alot of enemies attacked if you watch a few more videos, all the way down to how some of them look. If you look at the character that's controlled, she uses a whip, and also looks like the Circle of the Moon incarnation of Camilla(except instead of just a pink dress, it's a black and red dress.) Now Camilla doesn't use a whip, but the Belmont clan does. Check out the skeletons who throw bones, they have almost the same AI as any of them on the earlier games and look like they were used as reference for the art. How about the skeletons that slash at the character with the sword? Oh look, modeled exactly after Bone Scimitar.

Anyways. Even though I'm complaining about all its flaws, it looks good. But considering when attempting to download it it says "trial," It's not something I'd pay for the full version unless it happens to get much better.


Speaking of being inspired, indie developer Frontier Aja looked at Castlevania while developing Koumajou Densetsu: Scarlet Symphony, an upcoming PC title scheduled to debut this weekend at Comiket 76. (Thanks for the tip Destron Prime!!)

This video does a fantastic job explaining Koumajou Densetsu: Scarlet Symphony. It even covers little quirks about hit boxes so I’ll let it take you through the game. I just want to explain a reference that might fly over your head. The main character, Reimu Hakurei, is part of a series of doujin or hobby developed Japanese games. She’s a key character in the Touhou Project, which includes a bunch of PC shoot ‘em ups like Mountain of Faith from Team Shanghai Alice.

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/08/13/frontier-aja-whips-up-doujin-style-castlevania/

http://aja-games.com/products_koumajo/index.htm

Superman
08-14-2009, 02:34 AM
Looks nice.

It also seems like it uses a Castlevania engine.

Ed Oscuro
08-14-2009, 03:02 AM
lol, kouma castle, and scarlet symphony

C76 you say? Is this essentially a doujin group? I've never heard of aja games before...

Edit: OH GOD COMMIE LOLIS!!! @_@

Gapporin
08-14-2009, 03:55 AM
http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/9135/ajaalbumcover.jpg

Kid Fenris
08-14-2009, 04:52 AM
Rip-off or not, that's fairly impressive for an indie game. And it looks to control better than the typically sluggish old-school Castlevania.

Touhou fandom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touhou_Project) can get damn creepy, though.

Icarus Moonsight
08-14-2009, 05:14 AM
Ooooo free Castlevania? Yes, please! Especially if I can float around an shoot stuff too! Castlevania with shmup elements? This could seriously kick ass. :D

What is a ripoff? A miserable pile of code. But enough posting, have at the trail.

todesengel
08-14-2009, 10:12 AM
Looks real nice but I hope the levels are a little less bland in the full version.

GuyinGA
08-14-2009, 11:01 AM
If you really really really love Castlevania SOTN era forward, this looks awesome. I'm hoping it's more like the Metroidvania incarnations of the series.

bb_hood
08-14-2009, 03:50 PM
This game looks really nice, but I gotta say the music is horrible. Its like they tried to copy the music directly form SOTN and just failed making it sound good. It looks like a game id like to play but hearing the music would constantly make me think 'rip-off'

exit
08-14-2009, 05:44 PM
This game looks really nice, but I gotta say the music is horrible. Its like they tried to copy the music directly form SOTN and just failed making it sound good. It looks like a game id like to play but hearing the music would constantly make me think 'rip-off'

I agree with you 100% there. The game looks nice, but the music makes it feel more bland and mediocre than it really is.