Castlevania Judgment

Last updated
Castlevania Judgment
Castlevania Judgement.jpg
North American box art
Developer(s) Eighting
Publisher(s) Konami
Director(s) Akihiro Minakata
Yuta Kobayashi
Producer(s) Koji Igarashi
Artist(s) Takeshi Obata
Composer(s) Yasushi Asada
Series Castlevania
Platform(s) Wii
Release
  • NA: November 18, 2008 [1]
  • JP: January 15, 2009
  • EU: March 20, 2009 [2]
  • AU: April 2, 2009
Genre(s) Fighting
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Castlevania Judgment [lower-alpha 1] is a 2008 fighting game developed by Eighting and published by Konami for the Wii. The game is based on the Castlevania series of games, and is the series' first fighting game. [4]

Contents

Gameplay

A fight in Castlevania Judgment. Castlevania Judgment screenshot.jpg
A fight in Castlevania Judgment.

The game features 3D environments, and uses the motion-sensing controls of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. [4] The Wii Remote is used for attacks, including basic attacks, "sub-weapons" and weapon attacks, by swinging the remote, and the Nunchuck is used to move the character around the stage and for defensive moves. [5] Players can move freely around a stage, similar to the game Power Stone . [5] [6]

Each character utilizes different weapons and different types of weapons that are available depending on the stage and interactive environment of the stage; also, they can set traps or use monsters in the stage to attack one another. [4] [5] Summons are available in combat, some of which can be caused by items. Players are able to make use of the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection to play against each other, and can connect with the Nintendo DS game Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia to unlock bonus content in both games. [4] [6] Examples of stages include the Throne Room, Torture Chamber and the Ghost Ship. [5] [6] Players can choose to pick a different palette color for their chosen character, referred to in the game as "alignment color", two of which apply accessories chosen by the player. [6]

Plot

Galamoth plots to send his servant, the Time Reaper, from ten millennia in the future into the past to destroy his rival Dracula and change history. [7] A man named Aeon discovers this and pulls together champions from different eras of history into a time rift, in order to find a chosen one capable of destroying the Time Reaper. [8] Each character has their own unique storyline, cutscenes and ending sequence when playing through the game's story mode. [5]

Characters

Judgment features 13 playable characters, made up of heroes and bosses from throughout the Castlevania franchise's history, [4] [6] [9] along with the new original character Aeon for a total of 14. [10]

Other non-playable characters roam the game's stages, serving as obstacles that can be eliminated to replenish energy. These characters include common Castlevania enemies such as zombies, mermen and minotaurs.

Development

Konami registered a game called Castlevania Judgment with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on April 11, 2008. [11] The game's lead designer, Koji Igarashi, began planning to bring a Castlevania game to the Wii, and wanted to utilize the motion sensing controllers. To do so in a prolonged adventure story, however, would have been very tiring, since much of the franchise's gameplay involves whipping and swinging. But in an action setting, the swinging motion would be broken up with resting intervals and be more enjoyable. [5] The game is focused on recreating the Gothic feel of the franchise. [5] Igarashi described the process of developing multiplayer combat as a somewhat challenging task. [5] The design team worked on the game's graphics, especially in-game textures, with some of the designers of Elebits and Dewy's Adventure who joined Igarashi's development team. [5] The characters were all given new redesigns for the game by manga artist Takeshi Obata. [4]

Reception

Initial reaction to the announcement that the game would be a fighting game was received by some with shock and skepticism. [6] IGN's initial viewing of the pre-E3 build of the game made their reviewers conclude the game had promise. [6] However, the character design was harshly criticised by David Oxford of Kombo.com, who thought the design was not in the style of Castlevania and too similar to Obata's work on Death Note . [25]

After being shown at the 2008 edition of the Tokyo Game Show, the game received generally harsh criticism. Kotaku editor Luke Plunkett wrote a long hands-on article about the game. [26] He reported "I walked away from the show feeling bad. Bad for Castlevania fans, at least" and "There is just nothing right about this game. Nothing." Game designer Koji Igarashi had complaints about the control scheme, reporting that "There's also the issue of the Wii controller. It's difficult to do those sorts of precise movements when you're waving something around." [27] He otherwise objected that the initial reaction to Judgment was "unfair." [28]

The reception of Judgment was negative, holding a total rating of 49% on Metacritic. [12] Gaming website 1UP.com rated the game a D−. In addition to criticism about the art direction, 1UP also noted some things that they said disregarded established fighting conventions. This included complaints about the "disorientating" camera control. According to the review Konami had described the game as "Versus Action" which is said by the reviewer to be "an amalgamation that fuses action-game mechanics with a fighter" and then goes on to call the term "the bastard son of neologism". [13] IGN called Judgment a "deep, fun fighter", praising the variety of characters, style and design, while criticizing the camera and lack of control customization possibilities. [22] IGN also nominated it for Best Fighting Game of 2008 for the Wii, but it lost the award to Super Smash Bros. Brawl . [29] Nintendo Power rated the game a 7.0/10, stating that "In spite of being radically different from its action-adventure predecessors, however, Castlevania Judgement is actually pretty fun", praising its presentation, accessibility, and remixed music, while criticising the implementation of sub-weapons, the control scheme, and the character designs, calling them "questionable". [23] In contrast, X-Play gave the game 1/5, claiming it to be enormously unbalanced and having an awful control scheme, as well as "bastardizing established Castlevania designs". GameSpy gave the game 1.5/5, praising the game for its unlockables and its online mode, while criticizing the game for unbalanced characters and irritating camera. [20] GameSpot gave the game a 3/10 score stating "The abhorrent camera, dreadful art, and cumbersome controls are for masochistic applicants only; fans of the franchise, fighting, or fun will find nothing of value in this sloppy cash-in." [19] Following its later release in Japan, the game was a financial bomb, having only sold 3,700 units. [30]

Notes

  1. known in Japan as Demon Castle Dracula Judgment (悪魔城ドラキュラ ジャッジメント, Akumajō Dorakyura Jajjimento) [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Castlevania</i> Video game series

Castlevania, known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula, is a gothic horror action-adventure video game series and media franchise created by Konami. The series is largely set in the eponymous castle of Count Dracula, the main antagonist of the Belmont clan of vampire hunters.

<i>Castlevania: Symphony of the Night</i> 1997 video game

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is a 1997 action role-playing game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. It was directed and produced by Toru Hagihara, with Koji Igarashi acting as assistant director. It is a direct sequel to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, taking place four years later. It features Dracula's dhampir son Alucard as the protagonist, rising from his slumber to explore Dracula's castle which resurfaced after Richter Belmont vanished. Its design marks a break from previous entries in the series, re-introducing the exploration, nonlinear level design, and role-playing elements first experimented with in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest.

<i>Castlevania: Rondo of Blood</i> 1993 video game

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, originally released in Japan as Akumajō Dracula X: Chi no Rondo, is a 1993 platform game developed by Konami for the PC Engine's Super CD-ROM² System directed by Toru Hagihara. Part of the Castlevania series, protagonist Richter Belmont goes to save his lover Annette, who was abducted by Dracula. It was first released exclusively in Japan on October 29, 1993. A direct sequel, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, was released worldwide in 1997.

<i>Castlevania II: Simons Quest</i> 1987 video game

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest is a 1987 action role-playing game developed and published by Konami. It was originally released in Japan in 1987 for the Famicom Disk System, and in North America in 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the second Castlevania game released for the NES, following the original Castlevania (1986). Set seven years after the events of the first installment, the player once again assumes the role of vampire hunter Simon Belmont, who is on a journey to undo a curse placed on him by Dracula at the end of their previous encounter. Dracula's body was split into five parts, which Simon must find and bring to the ruins of Castle Dracula in order to defeat him. The game deviates from the traditional platforming of its predecessor, incorporating role-playing and open world elements.

<i>Castlevania: Circle of the Moon</i> 2001 video game

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, titled Castlevania in PAL regions, is a 2001 action role-playing game created by Konami for the Game Boy Advance. Published as a launch title in 2001, Circle of the Moon is part of Konami's Castlevania video game series, the premise of which centers on the eternal conflict between the vampire hunters of the Belmont clan and the vampire Dracula. The game sold one million copies worldwide and was acclaimed by critics. The events of its plot were retconned by former Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi, a move which was met with some criticism.

<i>Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow</i> 2005 action role-playing game

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is a 2005 action role-playing game developed and published by Konami. It is part of Konami's Castlevania video game series and the first Castlevania game released on the Nintendo DS. The game is the sequel to Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and incorporates many elements from its predecessor. Dawn of Sorrow was commercially successful. It sold more than 15,000 units in its first week in Japan and 164,000 units in the United States during the three months after its initial release.

<i>Castlevania III: Draculas Curse</i> 1989 video game

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse is a 1989 platform game developed and published by Konami for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in Japan in 1989, and in North America in 1990, and in Europe by Palcom in 1992. It was later released on the Virtual Console for the Wii, Nintendo 3DS, and Wii U.

<i>Castlevania: Curse of Darkness</i> 2005 video game

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness is a 2005 action-adventure game developed and published by Konami. It is the fourth 3D Castlevania title, following Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, and was released for PlayStation 2 and Xbox in all regions except Japan, where the game was only available on PlayStation 2. Curse of Darkness received mixed reviews, common praise was directed towards its combat system, music, content, and replay value, while criticism fell towards its story, characters, repetitive level-design and gameplay.

<i>Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness</i> 1999 video game by Konami

Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness is a 1999 action-adventure game developed and published by Konami for the Nintendo 64. A prequel and expanded version of Castlevania, also released on the Nintendo 64 earlier the same year, it contains a remake of the original game with improved graphics, added villains, and alternate versions of some levels.

<i>Castlevania Legends</i> 1997 video game

Castlevania Legends is a 1997 platform game developed and released by Konami for the Game Boy. The third Castlevania game released for the system, the story follows Sonia Belmont, a vampire hunter battling the first incarnation of Count Dracula. The game was conceived as a prequel to all other games in the Castlevania series; however, it later became recognized as non-canon.

<i>Super Castlevania IV</i> 1991 video game

Super Castlevania IV is a 1991 platform game developed and published by Konami for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It has been re-released multiple times, including for the Super NES Classic Edition.

<i>Haunted Castle</i> (video game) 1988 video game

Haunted Castle is a 1987 platform game developed and released by Konami for arcades. It is the second arcade game in the Castlevania franchise, following Vs. Castlevania, an arcade port of the original 1986 NES video game released in North America. Unlike the previous arcade title in the franchise, Haunted Castle is not a direct port of an existing console game, but a newly-developed arcade game running on custom JAMMA-based board.

<i>Castlevania Chronicles</i> PlayStation video game

Castlevania Chronicles is a platform game compilation developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo for the PlayStation. Released in 2001, it includes two distinct game modes: Original Mode and Arrange Mode. Original Mode is a direct port of the 1993 game Akumajō Dracula for the X68000 home computer. This version of Akumajō Dracula is itself a remake of the original Castlevania, which was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986. Players control Simon Belmont, a vampire hunter who has entered Dracula's castle to defeat him and save Transylvania.

<i>Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin</i> 2006 video game

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin is a 2006 action role-playing game developed and published by Konami. The game was released on November 16, 2006 in Japan, and in North America on December 5, 2006 for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. Portrait of Ruin is the first Castlevania to feature a cooperative multiplayer gameplay mode and the first handheld Castlevania to have English voice-overs, outside of its original Japanese release.

<i>Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia</i> 2008 video game

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is a 2008 action role-playing game and the third Nintendo DS installment of the Castlevania franchise. It was directed by Akihiro Minakata, with producer Koji Igarashi returning. The plot involves Shanoa, who is part of an organization set to defeat Dracula after the Belmont clan has vanished.

<i>Castlevania: The Arcade</i> 2009 video game

Castlevania: The Arcade, released in Japan as Akumajō Dracula: The Arcade, is an arcade game, part of the Castlevania franchise by Konami. The game was announced on July 23, 2008. The game was released in Japan on October 2, 2009. A European release was announced for 2009 but only appeared at test locations in 2008.

<i>Castlevania: Harmony of Despair</i> 2010 video game

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is a multiplayer-focused platform-adventure game in the Castlevania series, featuring an ensemble cast of characters from the 2-D Metroidvania era of games, developed and published by Konami for Xbox 360 in August 2010, and for PlayStation 3 in 2011.

<i>Castlevania</i> (1986 video game) 1986 video game

Castlevania, known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula, is a 1986 platform game developed and published by Konami for the Family Computer Disk System. It was originally released in Japan in September 1986, before being ported to cartridge format and released in North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in May 1987 and in Europe in 1988. It was also re-issued for the Family Computer in cartridge format in 1993. It is the first game in Konami's Castlevania video game series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Belmont</span> Castlevania series character

Simon Belmont is a fictional character who serves as the first protagonist to appear in the Castlevania series. He appears in Castlevania, Vampire Killer, Haunted Castle, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Super Castlevania IV, and Castlevania Chronicles, and acts as a supporting character in Castlevania Judgment and Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. He also appeared as a playable character in DreamMix TV World Fighters and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Simon has received positive reviews from critics.

References

  1. "Release date at IGN". IGN. 2008-07-31. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
  2. "Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH brings its legendary Castlevania series to Nintendo Wii in all-new action guise". Voltage PR. 2008-07-09. Archived from the original on 2013-12-31. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  3. Konami (2010-08-04). Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. Konami. Japanese: 歴代の「悪魔城ドラキュラ」シリーズから選ばれた登場キャラクターを操作して、仲間たちと悪魔城に乗り込み、宿敵ドラキュラ伯爵に立ち向かおう。 English translation: Take control of past protagonists from the Castlevania series to brave the Demon Castle alongside friends and defeat the ancient enemy Count Dracula.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Konami Announces Castlevania Judgment for Wii". IGN. 2008-07-01. Archived from the original on 2008-07-11. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Bozon (2008-07-11). "Pre-E3 2008: Interview With Iga". IGN. Archived from the original on 2008-07-15. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bozon (2008-07-11). "Pre-E3 2008: Hands-on Castlevania Judgment". IGN. Archived from the original on 2008-07-15. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  7. http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php?option=com_altcaster&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=9cfac7534b&ipod=y Archived 2012-02-14 at the Wayback Machine Konami's E3 press conference
  8. Castlevania Judgment manual, pg 1.
  9. Bryn Williams (2008-07-15). "GameSpy: Castlevania Judgement preview". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2008-07-19. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
  10. "Castlevania Judgment's Final Three Revealed". Kotaku. 4 November 2008. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  11. "Latest Status Info". United States Patent and Trademark Office. 2008-07-01. Archived from the original on 2008-09-13. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  12. 1 2 "Castlevania Judgment". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2008-12-11. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  13. 1 2 Li, Richard (November 18, 2008). "Castlevania: Judgment 1UP Review". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011.
  14. Sempere, Josep Maria (11 April 2009). "Castlevania Judgment". Eurogamer.es. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  15. 1 2 "Games". SYFY. Archived from the original on 2019-10-17. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  16. "Game Informer Online". Game Informer . Archived from the original on 2008-12-17. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  17. "Castlevania Judgment Review from GamePro". 7 June 2011. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011.
  18. "Castlevania Judgment Review". GameRevolution. 17 December 2008. Archived from the original on 2019-04-09. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  19. 1 2 Dyer, Mitch (9 December 2008). "Castlevania Judgment Review". Archived from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  20. 1 2 "GameSpy: Castlevania Judgment - Page 1". wii.gamespy.com. Archived from the original on 2019-02-16. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  21. "YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-01-09. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  22. 1 2 "IGN review". Archived from the original on 2008-12-04. Retrieved 2008-11-19.
  23. 1 2 Nintendo Power, Holiday 2008, p.77
  24. "Castlevania Judgment". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
  25. David Oxford (2008-06-27). "Passing Judgment on Wii's Castlevania". Kombo. Archived from the original on 2008-07-16. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  26. Plunkett, Luke (October 15, 2008). "I Wish I Hadn't Played Castlevania Judgement". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  27. Ashcraft, Brian (October 23, 2008). "Koji Igarashi: Precise Movements Hard When Waving Something Around". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2021-09-26. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  28. Ashcraft, Brain (July 24, 2008). "Koji Igarashi Tries To Explain Castlevania Judgement Hate". Kotaku. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  29. "IGN Wii: Best Fighting Game 2008". IGN.com. 2008-12-18. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
  30. Comments: 0, rawmeatcowboy (22 January 2009). "Castlevania Judgment bombs in Japan". GoNintendo. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)