Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
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| Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness | |
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| Developer(s) | KCE Kobe |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Series | Castlevania |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 64 |
| Release date |  NA November 30, 1999 JPN December 25, 1999 EU March 3, 2000 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen ELSPA: 11+ |
| Media | 128-megabit cartridge |
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness is a video game that was developed and published by Konami for the Nintendo 64. It is part of the Castlevania series, and was first released in North America on November 30, 1999. Its Japanese title is Akumajō Dracula Mokushiroku Gaiden Legend of Cornell (悪魔城ドラキュラ黙示録外伝 LEGEND OF CORNELL Akumajō Dorakyura Mokushiroku Gaiden Rejendo obu Kōneru?, lit. "Demon Castle Dracula Apocalypse Supplemental Story: Legend of Cornell").
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[edit] Gameplay
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[edit] Plot
Set in the year 1844, the game stars the man-beast Cornell in his quest to prevent his adoptive sister, Ada, from being used as a sacrifice to resurrect Lord Dracula. The game opens as Cornell arrives at his village, which has been burned to the ground by Dracula's minions. He finds Ada's pendant in a doorway and follows her scent to Dracula's castle.
During the course of the game, Cornell comes upon a grand estate owned by the Oldrey family: J.A. Oldrey, the master of the Villa, Mary, his wife, and Henry, their son. Gilles de Rais and Actrise have turned Oldrey Senior into a vampire. At Mary's request, Cornell guides Henry to safety. Later in life, Henry returns to Castlevania to save kidnapped children.
Throughout the game, Cornell encounters his rival and fellow man-beast, Ortega. Ortega has allied himself with Dracula to finally best Cornell in combat. They eventually battle near the end of the game, just before Cornell defeats Dracula and saves his sister. He only accomplishes the latter by sacrificing his man-wolf powers. Unbeknownst to the hero, acquiring this power was the true aim of the dark forces, as it was the perfect sacrifice (not Ada, as Cornell had assumed) to resurrect Dracula at his full power.
The quests for Carrie Fernandez and Reinhardt Schneider (from the original Castlevania for the N64) are also featured in Legacy of Darkness. They can be unlocked by rescuing children in Henry's quest.
[edit] Characters
Protagonists:
- Cornell
- Henry Oldrey
- Carrie Fernandez
- Reinhardt Schneider
Antagonists:
- Actrise
- Death
- Malus / Dracula
- Fernandez warrior
- Ortega
- Gilles de Rais
- Renon
Supporting cast:
- Ada
- The Ferryman
- J.A. Oldrey
- Mary Oldrey
- Charles Vincent
- Rosa
[edit] Development
When game designer Koji Igarashi took control of the series during the release of Castlevania Chronicles on the PlayStation, he retconned Circle of the Moon, Castlevania Legends, and the two Nintendo 64 titles out of the storyline. However with the new 20th anniversary timeline, all of them except for Legends were reinserted during their respective time periods, albeit without any explanation.[1] Nevertheless, Legacy of Darkness is more of a side story in the timeline, as it does not follow either the Belmont or Morris clans of vampire hunters. Cornell and Henry Oldrey aren't Belmonts who took up the fight to destroy creatures of darkness. Although the secret characters, Reinhardt Schneider and Carrie Fernandez have a connection to the Belmont and Belnades families respectively, Reinhardt does not hold the Belmont or Morris family names.
Legacy of Darkness was a continuation of Konami's first attempt (Castlevania, also published in 1999) to create a 3D Castlevania. It is officially referred to as a "Special Edition" of the original game, and more fully realizes the game designers' vision. For example, Cornell was present in early development media and press information for Castlevania, but was ultimately removed before the game's release.
Legacy's primary focus is on a new story (a prequel to Carrie and Reinhardt's adventures) in which Cornell explores new levels, as well as redesigned levels from Castlevania 64. Levels from Castlevania 64 that have not been drastically changed (such as the Villa) are often navigated in a new or novel manner and feature different puzzles. Carrie and Reinhardt's quests are a secondary focus, and can only be unlocked after completing both Cornell and Henry's quests. Carrie and Reinhardt's quests lack voice acting, some cutscenes and the original level designs present in Castlevania 64, instead adopting the new designs. Very minor details have been removed as well; a demonic sound effect used when Death summons giant barracuda through pentagram portals and animation of a female vampire boss in the Villa stage slowly backing away after receiving damage. Their quests also feature new bosses such as Medusa.
In Legacy control of the game's characters, camera, and frame-rate were streamlined. The game also supports the Nintendo 64's Expansion Pak add-on, which allows for an option in which textures are displayed in a higher resolution. However, this mode is plagued by frame rate problems. Legacy of Darkness also features several minor additions, such as an alternate costume for Cornell and new alternate costumes for Carrie and Reinhardt (their original costumes from Castlevania 64).
[edit] Reception
Although IGN believed that this title is a more complete version of the previous Castlevania Nintendo 64 title, it was not worth $60 for a "rushed regurgitation".[1]
[edit] References
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