Akumajou Dracula X: Gekka no Yasokyouku

Wing of Faith

I'm doing this one as a request from Lovely Mai.

I don't revere the game like she does, but I'll at least try to give it a fair hearing.

How do you improve on what is considered by many to be a perfect game? Well, Konami gave it a shot when they “ported” the PSX smash hit Akumajou Dracula X: Gekka no Yasokyouku (Released stateside as Castlevania: Symphony of the Night) to the Sega Saturn (though it’s more of a overhaul than a port). The end result was hardly a success, but I can't quite bring myself to call it a total failure. For all its faults, some interesting additions were made.

Most notably, the addition of Maria Renard as a playable character, and the addition of 2 new areas, and an extra costume for Richter, designed to more closely resemble Ayami Kojima’s official artwork. Also, Richter Belmont and Maria come pre-unlocked right from the get-go, which I found refreshing, since I didn’t want to have to beat the game again, having already beaten the PSX version and not wanting to do it over again if I didn’t have to.

That said, the game is also quite shoddily ported. The graphics are reduced in quality, and many of the new enemies look like something out of Loony Tunes. The mist form looks like it was downgraded quite a bit, as well. Also, the game lags quite a bit, and there are far more loading screens. In addition, the Saturn port (despite being on a console with 2D capabilities beyond the PSX), did not include the graphics in a new resolution to solve any pixelation from the PSX version, and merely stretched the PSX resolution, warping the graphics. Also, the graphics look smudged compared to the PSX version. Does this automatically make it bad? Well, no. Not yet.

There are numerous flaws in some of the extras though. For one, Maria is WAY overpowered. Richter’s new costume also has a few flaws (he’s INCREDIBLY broad shouldered for one). Some people point to Maria’s ninja-like attacks as a major flaw, but I didn’t have a problem with that, honestly. It was mainly her overpowered stats that annoyed me.

The new stages are hardly eye candy, consisting of reused tiles with a boring layout. The only reason to forge these areas is basically to level up, and fight the boss.

With the new areas came a need for new background music. Most of the new compositions are quite good, with the two new versions of Vampire Killer standing out as some of the more memorable ones. In addition “Guardian”, the new boss theme for when you fight Maria as Alucard, is also very good. The most outlandish theme is the jazz/ragtime version of Beginning, which just seems completely out of place in a Castlevania game. It’s not a bad piece at all, but it completely ruins the tone of the game. “Charconne c. Moli”, the Cursed Prison Theme, fits a Castlevania game to a tee, however, and is one of my favorite pieces from the whole series.

However, this game finally explains the origin of the Alucard Spear, seen in Bloodlines, and you can equip it as Alucard himself. There are other useful items, such as the Running Shoes. Items like these make Nocturne much more evenly balanced in some areas than its PSX counterpart.

The sprites on a whole are more animated during dialog sequences, which helps those scenes feel more like cutscenes, rather than just typical “stop all action and watch the scrolling text with dialog” that Symphony of the Night had. These cutscenes felt more like a blend of Rondo and SOTN’s scenes. Of course, the whole game was in Japanese, so I had to learn how to play without reading as much as possible, but it’s not that big a deal if you get into a proper groove. Or if you speak and read Japanese.

Altogether, the game was a decent enough concept. Many of the additions could have carried real weight and made this version better than the PSX game, if only the game were properly remade. As it stands, the smudged, stretched graphics from the PSX version combined with the cartoony graphics for the new enemies damages the visual appeal, and even though most of the music did fit, it wasn’t really required. The constant load screens ruined the pacing, and all that results in a lower quality game than the original. Still, I would advise that you play it and make the final call yourself.

As for me, I give Nocturne in the Moonlight a 4 out of 10, because while this could have easily been a better version, laziness and mindless additions without planning degrade the experience, and result in a poorer version of the game.

Alec · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:28 pm Post subject:

A fair hearing indeed. You hit on a lot of the complaints, leaving out the only one that's left:

The fact that it's on the Saturn.

I'm not kidding. People bitch on and on about the fact that because they've never owned a Saturn and thus never got to play it.
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Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the one's who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it..Friends are like balloons: once you let them go, you can't get them back.

Butterfly Spirit · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:41 pm Post subject:

I don't even know what a Saturn IS. Isn't it a car?
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WATCH THEM LAUGH IN UNISON! LOLZ!

Lady Corrington · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 9:01 pm Post subject:

Lovely Mai · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 3:59 am Post subject:

A four out of ten?

Aww...

I mean, I like that you covered everything, but couldn't it at least go for a 5? Just for a friend?

It's a good review but... four out of ten... Crying or Very sad

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"It is often stated that we must weigh the potential benefits and risks before we do something perceived as risky. Of course we must, but it is mathematically impossible to solve one equation with two unknowns. In the end, it all comes down to common sense, which varies among all of mankind, and is never foolproof. Let it be no other way, and let us rejoice for those who are brave and boldly step out into an uncertain future and let us pity, comfort, and then gently nudge in the right direction those who lack the bravery or ability to do so by themselves."

~Mary Elizabeth Cameron

Alec · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:14 am Post subject:

Esperenza Grace · Chieftain Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 166

Wow. I'll be sure to play this to get in my final word.

I can probably pick up a ISO somewhere and emulate it on my computer.
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"I am a blooming Lilac in the dread valley; beauty in an ugly life, and when the rain comes to bring life to a dead land, my purpose is served, and I fade away, to return when death takes the valley once more."

~Family Saying

Sands of Arrakis · Demi-God Joined: 18 Jun 2007 Posts: 247

Sounds interesting enough. I'm game.
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"I must not fear. Fear is the Mind Killer. I will face my fear and let it pass through me, and when it is gone, only I will remain."

-The Litany Against Fear

Creeping shadow · Lair Staff/ Lookout Joined: 19 Mar 2008 Posts: 542

A fair review indeed.

P.S. I own a Saturn. LOLZ!

Wing of Faith · Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 10:21 pm Post subject:

Creeping shadow · Lair Staff/ Lookout Joined: 19 Mar 2008 Posts: 542