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A playthrough of Konami's 1998 action/platform game for the Sony PlayStation, Castlevania Chronicles. Played through on the Original mode. At 52:56 I show the FMV ending for Arrange mode, and at 53:20 is the unlockable video interview with Koji Igarashi. Castlevania Chronicles is a pure, unadulterated “old school“ Castlevania game. It does not follow the post-Symphony of the Night 2D titles, but rather, it plays very much like the NES Castlevania games. The reason for this is that it is a port of Akumajou Dracula, a Castlevania game that was released exclusively on the Japanese Sharp X68000 computer back in 1993. This game was a really cool effort by Konami to bring a previously unknown classic to the west. It featured an “original“ mode, which was essentially a perfect port of the original game: the only notable change was the loss of the floppy disk load times. The big draw for many, though, was the “arrange“ mode that changes a fair number of things. It gave you the option between the original X68k FM soundtrack (the one played in original mode), a remixed redbook audio one, or the X68k soundtrack as it sounded when played through a Roland midi module (a relatively common but pricey option that many games supported). It also changes the player sprite to have flowing magenta hair, provides a difficulty option, and kills the knock-back effect when you get hit by something - overall, this is the mode for people that don't want the sheer difficulty of the original game. It's much easier, and far more accessible without hours and hours of practice and memorization. Of course, that's all a matter of preference. I prefer the harder original mode, but I absolutely think that more casual players will prefer the less harsh difficulty level of the arrange mode. The original mode is outright punishing until you've logged a whole lot of hours getting to know it. The original art from the X68000 holds up really nicely in this one. Granted, it was an incredibly powerful machine in its day, but the original is now almost 25 years old. It's aged impressively well. I loved Castlevania 1-4 (2 is by far my favorite, though I know many people seem to hate it), and Chronicles really focuses on that same style. I've often thought of it as a hyper-beefed up 16-bit sequel to Super Castlevania IV. With it being Halloween soon (and Friday the 13th even sooner), I figured this would be a fun nod to the mood for creepy retro games. _ No cheats were used during the recording of this video. NintendoComplete () punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games! Visit for the latest updates!
