Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
Encyclopedia
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness is a video game that was developed and published by Konami
for the Nintendo 64
. It was first released in North America on November 30, 1999 and is a sequel to the first Castlevania
game on the Nintendo 64, but also contains a remake of the original game with improved graphics, added villains (Spider Queen, Medusa), and alternate versions of some levels (Forest of Silence, Tower of Science, Tower of Execution, Clock Tower).
. The game opens as Cornell arrives at his village, which has been burned to the ground by Dracula's minions. He finds Ada's pendant in a doorway and follows her scent to Dracula's castle.
During the course of the game, Cornell comes upon a grand estate owned by the Oldrey family: J.A. Oldrey, the master of the Villa, Mary, his wife, and Henry, their son. Gilles de Rais and Actrise have turned Oldrey Senior into a vampire. At Mary's request, Cornell guides Henry to safety. Later in life, Henry returns to Castlevania to save kidnapped children.
Throughout the game, Cornell encounters his rival and fellow man-beast, Ortega. Ortega has allied himself with Dracula to finally beat Cornell in combat, turning into a chimera like creature. They eventually battle near the end of the game, just before Cornell defeats Dracula and saves his sister. He only accomplishes the latter by sacrificing his man-wolf powers. Unbeknownst to the hero, acquiring this power was the true aim of the dark forces, as it was the perfect sacrifice (not Ada, as Cornell had assumed) to resurrect Dracula at his full power.
website omitted it - as well as several other Castlevania games - from the series' continuity. The others also included Castlevania Legends
for the Game Boy
, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
and the original Castlevania release for the Nintendo 64
.
In 2006, series producer Koji Igarashi
stated that "These games were taken out of the timeline [...] not because I didn't work on them, but because they were considered by their directors to be side projects in the series". Since the 2002 removal, the events of Legacy of Darkness have occupied an ambiguous place in timelines published by Konami of Japan, Konami of America, and various gaming publications. The most recent English language timeline, distributed with preordered versions of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
in North America by Konami of America, includes Legacy of Darkness but does not describe the game's plot. IGA later clarified that he looks at the titles as "...a Castlevania "gaiden" (subseries)" and complimented them by stating "...they both have a really unique take on the Castlevania world." IGA later included Cornell as a playable character in Castlevania Judgment (Nov 2008). The game included references to the plot and elements from the game including Cornell's sister Ada and his clan. Chronologically speaking his appearance in Castlevania Judgement is set before the events of Legacy of Darkness. The manual states that Cornell's previous appearance was in Legacy of Darkness. According to IGA characters from different eras of Castlevania's timeline were brought together by magic to save the timeline from being destroyed.
Unlike most games in the series, Legacy of Darkness does not follow either the Belmont or Morris clans of vampire hunters. Cornell and Henry Oldrey aren't Belmonts who took up the fight to destroy creatures of darkness. Although the secret characters, Reinhardt Schneider and Carrie Fernandez have a connection to the Belmont and Belnades families respectively, Reinhardt does not hold the Belmont or Morris family names.
Castlevania. The game more fully realizes the game designers' vision. For example, Cornell was present in early development media and press information for Castlevania, but was ultimately removed before the game's release.
Legacys primary focus is on a new story (a prequel
to Carrie and Reinhardt's adventures) in which Cornell explores new levels, as well as redesigned levels from Castlevania 64
. Levels from Castlevania 64
that have not been drastically changed (such as the Villa) are often navigated in a new or novel manner and feature different puzzles. Completing the game once unlocks Henry's quest, and he explores his own set of levels and new bosses, many are newly redesigned levels based on the levels of Castlevania 64 as well.
Carrie and Reinhardt's quests are a secondary focus (bonus features), that can only be unlocked after completing both Cornell and Henry's quests. Carrie and Reinhardt's quests lack the voice acting, some cutscenes and the original level designs present in Castlevania 64 (due to space concerns), instead adopting the new level designs (from Cornell and Henry's quests). Very minor details have been removed as well; a demonic sound effect used when Death summons giant barracuda
through pentagram portals and animation of a female vampire boss in the Villa stage slowly backing away after receiving damage. Their quests also feature new bosses from Henry's quest, such as Medusa
and the Queen of the Spider. They are also given new armor and weapon designs, though the original starting armor from Castlevania 64 can be be unlocked during Henry's quest.
In Legacy control of the game's characters, camera, and frame-rate were streamlined. The game also supports the Nintendo 64's Expansion Pak add-on, which allows for an option in which textures are displayed in a higher resolution. However, this mode is plagued by frame rate problems. Legacy of Darkness also features several minor additions, such as an alternate costume for Cornell and new alternate costumes for Carrie and Reinhardt (their original costumes from Castlevania 64).
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
for the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
. It was first released in North America on November 30, 1999 and is a sequel to the first Castlevania
Castlevania 64
Castlevania, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure video game developed by Konami's Kobe branch for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It was released on a 64-megabit cartridge in North America on January 26, 1999, in Japan on March 11, 1999, and in Europe on May 14, 1999...
game on the Nintendo 64, but also contains a remake of the original game with improved graphics, added villains (Spider Queen, Medusa), and alternate versions of some levels (Forest of Silence, Tower of Science, Tower of Execution, Clock Tower).
Plot
Set in the year 1844, the game stars the man-beast Cornell in his quest to prevent his adoptive sister, Ada, from being used as a sacrifice to resurrect DraculaDracula (Castlevania)
, whose real name is Mathias Cronqvist , is a fictional character from the multi-platform Castlevania video game series...
. The game opens as Cornell arrives at his village, which has been burned to the ground by Dracula's minions. He finds Ada's pendant in a doorway and follows her scent to Dracula's castle.
During the course of the game, Cornell comes upon a grand estate owned by the Oldrey family: J.A. Oldrey, the master of the Villa, Mary, his wife, and Henry, their son. Gilles de Rais and Actrise have turned Oldrey Senior into a vampire. At Mary's request, Cornell guides Henry to safety. Later in life, Henry returns to Castlevania to save kidnapped children.
Throughout the game, Cornell encounters his rival and fellow man-beast, Ortega. Ortega has allied himself with Dracula to finally beat Cornell in combat, turning into a chimera like creature. They eventually battle near the end of the game, just before Cornell defeats Dracula and saves his sister. He only accomplishes the latter by sacrificing his man-wolf powers. Unbeknownst to the hero, acquiring this power was the true aim of the dark forces, as it was the perfect sacrifice (not Ada, as Cornell had assumed) to resurrect Dracula at his full power.
Position in chronology
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness was present within the series' original chronology from its original release until 2002, when a timeline published on the official Japanese Castlevania: Harmony of DissonanceCastlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure game developed and published by Konami for the Game Boy Advance. Belonging to Konami's Castlevania video game series, it is the second installment of the series on the Game Boy Advance...
website omitted it - as well as several other Castlevania games - from the series' continuity. The others also included Castlevania Legends
Castlevania Legends
Castlevania Legends is the third and final Castlevania title released for the original Game Boy. It was released in Japan on November 27, 1997 and in North America on March 11, 1998...
for the Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, known simply as Castlevania in the PAL region and as in Japan, is a video game created by Konami only for the Game Boy Advance...
and the original Castlevania release for the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
.
In 2006, series producer Koji Igarashi
Koji Igarashi
, also known simply by the nickname IGA, is a Konami employee and one of the producers of the Castlevania video game series. He is best known as the assistant director of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, his first major involvement in the Castlevania series , also known simply by the nickname...
stated that "These games were taken out of the timeline [...] not because I didn't work on them, but because they were considered by their directors to be side projects in the series". Since the 2002 removal, the events of Legacy of Darkness have occupied an ambiguous place in timelines published by Konami of Japan, Konami of America, and various gaming publications. The most recent English language timeline, distributed with preordered versions of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, known in Japan as , is an action video game developed and published by Konami. The game was released on November 16, 2006 in Japan, and in the US on December 5, 2006 for the Nintendo DS handheld game console...
in North America by Konami of America, includes Legacy of Darkness but does not describe the game's plot. IGA later clarified that he looks at the titles as "...a Castlevania "gaiden" (subseries)" and complimented them by stating "...they both have a really unique take on the Castlevania world." IGA later included Cornell as a playable character in Castlevania Judgment (Nov 2008). The game included references to the plot and elements from the game including Cornell's sister Ada and his clan. Chronologically speaking his appearance in Castlevania Judgement is set before the events of Legacy of Darkness. The manual states that Cornell's previous appearance was in Legacy of Darkness. According to IGA characters from different eras of Castlevania's timeline were brought together by magic to save the timeline from being destroyed.
Unlike most games in the series, Legacy of Darkness does not follow either the Belmont or Morris clans of vampire hunters. Cornell and Henry Oldrey aren't Belmonts who took up the fight to destroy creatures of darkness. Although the secret characters, Reinhardt Schneider and Carrie Fernandez have a connection to the Belmont and Belnades families respectively, Reinhardt does not hold the Belmont or Morris family names.
Lords of Shadow universe
In Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Cornell appears as a boss. Along with the other two founders of the Brotherhood, he left his dark side on earth to become pure. The end result was the evil Cornell, Lord of the Lychanthrops.Development
Legacy of Darkness was a continuation of Konami's first attempt (Castlevania, also published in 1999) to create a 3D3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
Castlevania. The game more fully realizes the game designers' vision. For example, Cornell was present in early development media and press information for Castlevania, but was ultimately removed before the game's release.
Legacys primary focus is on a new story (a prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
to Carrie and Reinhardt's adventures) in which Cornell explores new levels, as well as redesigned levels from Castlevania 64
Castlevania 64
Castlevania, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure video game developed by Konami's Kobe branch for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It was released on a 64-megabit cartridge in North America on January 26, 1999, in Japan on March 11, 1999, and in Europe on May 14, 1999...
. Levels from Castlevania 64
Castlevania 64
Castlevania, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure video game developed by Konami's Kobe branch for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It was released on a 64-megabit cartridge in North America on January 26, 1999, in Japan on March 11, 1999, and in Europe on May 14, 1999...
that have not been drastically changed (such as the Villa) are often navigated in a new or novel manner and feature different puzzles. Completing the game once unlocks Henry's quest, and he explores his own set of levels and new bosses, many are newly redesigned levels based on the levels of Castlevania 64 as well.
Carrie and Reinhardt's quests are a secondary focus (bonus features), that can only be unlocked after completing both Cornell and Henry's quests. Carrie and Reinhardt's quests lack the voice acting, some cutscenes and the original level designs present in Castlevania 64 (due to space concerns), instead adopting the new level designs (from Cornell and Henry's quests). Very minor details have been removed as well; a demonic sound effect used when Death summons giant barracuda
Barracuda
The barracuda is a ray-finned fish known for its large size and fearsome appearance. Its body is long, fairly compressed, and covered with small, smooth scales. Some species could reach up to 1.8m in length and 30 cm in width...
through pentagram portals and animation of a female vampire boss in the Villa stage slowly backing away after receiving damage. Their quests also feature new bosses from Henry's quest, such as Medusa
Medusa
In Greek mythology Medusa , " guardian, protectress") was a Gorgon, a chthonic monster, and a daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. The author Hyginus, interposes a generation and gives Medusa another chthonic pair as parents. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone...
and the Queen of the Spider. They are also given new armor and weapon designs, though the original starting armor from Castlevania 64 can be be unlocked during Henry's quest.
In Legacy control of the game's characters, camera, and frame-rate were streamlined. The game also supports the Nintendo 64's Expansion Pak add-on, which allows for an option in which textures are displayed in a higher resolution. However, this mode is plagued by frame rate problems. Legacy of Darkness also features several minor additions, such as an alternate costume for Cornell and new alternate costumes for Carrie and Reinhardt (their original costumes from Castlevania 64).