A slightly shorter newsletter this week due to some real life commitments that have kept me away from my computer but what I have written is about one of my favourite games on my favourite consoles. It's a game that I consider way, way better than what the general consensus is about this game and one that I recommend you check out as soon as you can. It could also be deemed as a guilty pleasure because there are some aspects I simply cannot defend.

Castlevania 64: A defense.

Combining two of my most favourite things in the world, Castlevania and the Nintendo 64, it should come as no surprise to anyone that I have a soft spot for what is the series' first foray into full 3D. Christ, that was a mouthful.

It's a game that gets a lot of flack, coming after series high watermark Symphony of the Night, a game that not only revolutionised the classic 'Vania gameplay with some RPG elements and exploration lifted entirely from the Metroid series but was also a game that showcased what could still be done with 2D art at a time where everyone was diving headfirst into 3D's rough, early stages. Thing is, despite its legendary status, Symphony of the Night tanked, sales wise. People wanted 3D, but outside of Mario 64, it was clear that many other developers were still trying to get to grips with a lot of the things we take for granted in regards to traversing a 3D space - camera movement, momentum, responsiveness etc - and many of these early attempts at moving a beloved franchise into three dimensions wasn't quite as smooth a transition as many hoped it would be.

Here are the main complaints thrown at Castlevania 64

• is ugly

• has terrible camera

• has terrible combat

• has terrible platforming

• isn't Symphony of the Night

To me, that list reads like "tell me you spent ten minutes with Castlevania 64 on an emulator without telling me you spent ten minutes with Castlevania 64 on an emulator".

The opening level or so is hardly putting its strongest foot forward. It's in the wilderness surrounding Dracula's Castle and, well, its a lot of grey rocks and gravel paths. The enemies are either skeletons, exploding skeletons or a big skeleton. Personally, I think it is quite an atmospheric opening but I can see why some people take one look at this dull, block-y area and assume this is a game that emphasises the worst aspects of the N64 aesthetic.

It's also home to a section of the worst platforming in the entire game.

There's no other way to say this but the platforming IS quite bad and you have no control over the camera, so you need to master a very specific trick to avoid suffering loads of frustrating instant deaths. By holding the jump button, you'll grab hold of any platform - so as long as you keep that held down, you shouldn't fall to your death... too often. Unfortunately, your turning circle is a little slower than you'd expect and the jump itself is a little clumsier than it seems but it is something you can mitigate and - crucially - platforming is much less of an issue from after this introduction until the final few sections of the game, where the overall quality is just much better in general.

Eventually you fight the boss at the end of this section - another run-in with the giant skeleton - and this time he has brought some minions in to help him. Brilliantly, he's flanked by two skeletons on 1940s motorbikes. It is at this point you'd be right to think that maybe Castlevania 64 is worth persevering with.

Once you hit the castle, the game changes dramatically. Going from a 3D action game that feels quite dated when compared to anything post-Devil May Cry and even 3D platformers around its original release, it becomes something more akin to a survival horror game, with Dracula's Castle being a big Arklay Mansion-esque area full of locked doors, keys to find and traps to avoid. Suddenly, the camera is a non-issue and jumping is barely required and the game improves exponentially. Not that you'd know it from the online reception but this (and the surrounding gardens/underground passages) is actually where about 70% of the game plays out.

Eventually, you have to tackle two towers to unlock the inevitable Clock Tower and final boss, all of which feel like big 3D classic 'Vania levels, where although there's more platforming, its far more refined than the opening area and a lot more enjoyable.

From the castle onwards, the game also begins to look a lot better, the areas become far more varied and full of lovely touches like fake lighting effects coming in from windows and colouring areas via stained glass. Enemy types become more varied and require you to consider your approach to each room based on what you need to fight to get through it. The soundtrack is, genuinely, one of the very best on the N64 - a mix of atmospheric pieces and some classic Castlevania style gothic bangers.

There's plenty of brilliant little ideas too. Try spending a fortune at the merchant and see how that plays out for you before the end of the game. There's two different characters to play as, each having to tackle two totally different towers in their particular run through the game. There's a bad ending to find and some really brilliant boss encounters.

Admittedly, there's some undeniably stinking bits (the part where you have to transport a highly dangerous nitro explosive across the castle without jumping feels like a particularly cruel joke) and the platforming, although improved towards the back end of the game, is still a bit hit and miss. On the whole though, I find Castlevania 64 to be a very enjoyable title. It isn't a 3D evolution of Symphony of the Night, that's for sure, but it is a game that feels like an attempt to bring Castlevania 3 into three dimensions, rather than the PS2 titles which do the same with the Symphony of the Night formula and, for my money, don't quite have the same charm as Konami's first N64 'Vania outing.

THANKS FOR READING.

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