Genesis: Castlevania Bloodlines Review

This review will be on the sole Castlevania game on the Sega Genesis, Sega's pinnacle of gaming that went toe to toe with the Super Nintendo during the Golden Age of Gaming. This game was released in 1994, one year after the JPN release of Dracula X:Rondo of Blood. As we did not see a domestic release, Bloodlines would be the first US Castlevania in 3 years. This game was significant as it was the first CV on a non-Nintendo game system, it wasn't censored (much) and the music was good! (Definitely a rare occurrence on Genesis!).

Castlevania: Bloodlines takes place in 1917 during World War I. A resurrected niece of Dracula named Elizabeth Bartley supposedly had a hand in starting the war in order to bring the evil to the world necessary to bring Dracula back to life. If this is not weird enough, this niece is meant to be the historical character, Erzsebet Bathory, the rumors about her tendencies lend itself to Castlevania well, I guess.

The story is further overextended by the notion that the hero, John Morris is meant to be the son of Quincy Morris, from the Bram Stoker's Dracula novel. There are also bits about age contradictions, wooden stakes and more. This story is great proof of how Castlevania storylines were good to stay with the adage "less is more" until recent entries.

Genesis' graphics are often a victim of the system's limited color palette. Images are grainy, backgrounds look washed out; this is especially true when comparing SNES game versions to Genesis versions. Castlevania Bloodlines is wise to focus on the strengths because this game has some quite evocative and great looking scenery. At you travel throughout Europe in this game, the developers take the opportunity to showcase many of the great landmarks, such as the Palace of Versailles and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Your two characters, Eric and John, have sprites close to the NES Castlevania, another way that the developers planned around the Genesis' graphics well. The enemies are pretty typical, but the bosses and midbosses are impressive.

Lastly, I will mention the blood and uncensored violence in Bloodlines, which seems natural given the double entendre of the game's title. Zombies die and their entrails spill on the ground, a water foundation becomes a blood foundation, Cerberus is reduced to a detailed skeletal mass and plenty more. It is a surprising thing and a far cry from the BOOMERANGS of the NES Castlevanias (see my video review for a deeper explanation).

Music is incredibly impressive for a Genesis game, this being Michiru Yamane's debut. She is able to work with the Genesis sound chip like the master Yuzo Koshiro and make it output far more than we thought it capable of. From classics like Simon's Theme to new pieces like Reincarnated Soul, Bloodlines has great music. Whereas much Genesis music makes ears bleed, Bloodlines is a symphony for the ears.

In replaying this game for this review, I have discovered something new about how I feel Bloodlines' gameplay was meant to be designed. Because Rondo of Blood was the last CV game and the US missed out on it, the developers seemed to give us two characters in Bloodlines as a kind of homage to Rondo's duo. Eric Lecarde is more fun to play with and best for beginners, much like Maria Renard. John Morris plays like Richter Belmont in a traditional Castlevania hero role. Item crashes from Rondo are also present once again.

Both characters have special abilities that grant them access to exclusive areas. Eric can jump with his lance and John can attach his whip to certain ceilings. Unfortunately these unique paths still lead to the same bosses, no extra bosses or stages.

Speaking of stages, there are only 6 in this game though they are quite long with multiple sections and midbosses. At least the stages have a good deal of variety.

The challenge in Bloodlines is again dependent on which character you decide to use. Playing as John Morris definitely makes the game tougher as he has to jump to hit tall enemies and can't deflect projectiles with his whip. These handicaps aren't worth the extra damage he does.

There is also a unique bit of challenge present in Bloodlines. Some of the bosses have weak spots that you must hit to damage them. It is more frustrating than fun and you'll be glad that it doesn't return in later games.

Replay value is only slightly better than Super Castlevania IV, due to the two distinct characters. John Morris still seems to be for masochists, but granted, playing as him is different.

In summation, Castlevania Bloodlines is definitely a great traditional Castlevania game that has unique elements, making it a fun experience for any Castlevania fan.

- Ugly Bob