Castlevania 64 - What Happened? 

i love the fog over the "dusty tome" that covers up the Shrek logo

Konami: *Considers Symphony of the Night a failure* "We must reincarnate it to the third dimension!"

Honestly, "Wha Happun" has made me develop quite the sympathy for the people developing games out there (not the companies though, only the employees). As fans, we are very passionate about some games and are quick to hate when they come out in a lackluster way, but we often forget that game development is a job like any other, with deadlines, pressures and all that stuff. Even when some games suck I'm pretty sure the developers tried their best to make a somewhat quality experience with their resources while trying to deal with sales projections, company and market demands, fans and marketing and these series show this a lot. It must definitely be heartbreaking to see a game you worked your ass off fail because something just didn't work out during the production.

Normalise no fall damage

Fun fact: this game is very popular here in Mexico among N64 collectors. I have yet to meet a person who thinks this game is bad.

Me: Vampires versus Werewolves? I wonder what clip Matt will use, Underworld or something? (Shows "What We Do In The Shadows" ) Me: A man of taste and culture.

6:21 legit thought this was a mugshot

I'm surprised Castlevania: Resurrection, the cancelled Dreamcast game wasn't mentioned, but I'd guess that'd be the subject of another Wha Happun.

Honestly Castlevania 64 is dripping with atmosphere, has a really good soundtrack and a VERY memorable opening level. I knew even when I was a kid that the game had glaring faults but I enjoy It for the same reason I love Gauntlet: Dark Legacy and Legends. Aesthetics yo

I never knew that SotN sold so poorly! Also, in retrospect it is quite funny that every company was pushing for their games to be polygonal 3D games as the majority of 2D games from the 32bit era have held up beautifully, whereas the 3D games... erm, not so much.

I was thinking, this game needs a remake, there's lot of potential here, but then I remember, Konami

Trying to replace the word "metroidvania" with "search action" is not a war you can win

The last time I remember being this early to a Wha Happun, Konami made more than just pachinko and Pro Evolution Soccer.

What is a bad game? But a miserable pile of broken code and assets!

I'm happy to see the 64-era Castlevania games getting some exposure. Despite their shortcomings, they still hold as pretty good games for their time. It's also got some surprisingly good cutscene direction, which you wouldn't expect in a game like this. I still recall being genuinely jump scared by the cutscene after you defeat the first vampire boss. And when you meet the spider-women.

The chainsaw checked out unlike the "skele-bike"

Ah, the late 90s, the era where every series had to go from 2D to 3D, with many, MANY of those jumps left them falling flat onto their faces, leaving a stain in their legacy. Some of them were able to fix that, like Mortal Kombat, Castlevania, Dragon Ball. But then we get to the Bubsy 3Ds, oof.

Castlevania 64 was actually the first Castlevania game I played, and is actually my favorite. No Castlevania game has ever captured me like that game, I beat it multiple times, and even recorded all the cut scenes on VHS. I know I’m weird.

Gets rid of Martial Arts Werewolf and Chainsaw Shotgun Zombie but keeps magic using little girl. Oh, Japan.

No gonna lie, I actually enjoyed the hell out of Castlevania 64 when I was a kid. The whole idea of not seeing the actual final boss based on how quickly you completed the game I thought was a really cool concept. Yeah, the part where you carry the nitro was kinda gimmicky, but I felt it raise the tension a bit because if you got hit, you exploded. And yes, even back then, the camera was difficult to manage at times. Despite all that, I feel nothing but fond nostalgia whenever I hear about this game.

Castlevania 64 is an underrated game with some great ideas very good graphics, excellent music and presentation, fantastic atmosphere and much better than many praised titles on the other consoles. Yes it had its flaws like the problems with camera and platforming sections, but it was the first 3d Castlevania for Konami and the first 3D game ever realized for its developers so as they said in the interviews, they were testing and learning at the same time how to make a 3d game and the limits of the implementation of their ideas in a 3d environment. "Then Legacy of Darkness", (the directors cut) fixes lots of things and adds the content they had in mind with Castlevania 64, so even better.

I love the N64 Castlevania games and really wish there had been more like them. I don't think people give them anywhere near enough credit in retrospect.

I actually really Like Castlevania 64 , I think that it has a Really distint atmosfear and the Game was Really entertaning. I Didn't have problems with the puzzles and thinks like that , but the camera sucks i give you That. The soundtrack was really good as well and some concepts in the game are interesting and cool , I Think that the Hate towars the title Has something to do With AVGN Review. That's it because The People tends to take the opinion of some of They favorite RU-vidrs and Don't experience The game in first hand to the beggining At the end, At least Legacy of Darkness Fix up some of the problems that it has and mantening the same Atmosfear that I love some much. PD: Sorry for the Broken English , Great video

I bought Legacy of Darkness when it came out. Still one of my favorite games.

The sound effects make the intro like ten times better, and it was already awesome!

Don't think I've ever heard anyone refer to Metroidvainia style as "Search Action" lol

Castlevania 64 is an excellent game with some flaws. I know that it’s sort of a meme at this point, but the game itself really is something special if you come at it with an open mind. I encourage anyone to give it a try before dismissing. Castlevania 64 really is an incredible game.

The Castlevania games in the N64 are the best translation of the classic style of the saga, and maybe even the most castlevany of the 3D games. They do have issues (akin to those in many 3d debuts), but underneath, it also has the best atmosphere, narrative and character development in the series. I encourage anyone who only knows these games from the fame the internet made for it, to actually try them past the bits that are nitpicked all over youtube and you may find quite the, dare l say it, hidden gems on the N64.

Spiderman Turn off the Dark would be a perfect non gaming topic for Matt

I don't think I have ever heard the genre called "Search Action" before. I was sure you were going to say Metroidvania.

I used to sneak out at night and try to play Castlevania 64. I couldn’t get far since I was only 5 years old and I eventually would get to scared and go back to bed. That opening atmosphere with the music, the undead skeletons coming from the ground and then coming to the giant Medieval Gate always gave me such a feeling of horror, knowing what was on the other side was going to start chasing me.

I love the games since childhood and recently the Netflix series

I loved Castlevania 64. It was hard as hell (mainly because of the camera impacting the platforming aspects), but playing the series evolution into 3D felt down right state of the art at the time. Beloved memories!

Man, I played Castlevania 64 to death as a kid, managing to make it to the end with both characters through pure determination. Like most people, I never heard of the "Legacy of Darkness" version until many years later. Now I must go on a quest to find a copy without destroying my wallet.

Lack of franchise leadership is what happened. It's amazing that Castlevania was as good as it was up until SOTN.

2:26 Chad move using the Limp Bizkit version xD

The 64 games were not bad, just unpolished. If they would have delayed those games to the 6th generation of consoles, they would have been much better. It's a shame, the 64 games had more of the Castlevania series in its roots (combat, exploration and platforming) than most other future games in the series. If Konami was the reboot the series into 3D, they should look into the 64 titles.

Honestly I liked Castlevania 64, though I do know alot of stuff happened behind the scenes. Thanks for this video Matt

Watching speedruns for this game gave me a new appreciation for it.

This was surprisingly even-handed given the game’s, I think, undeserved bad reputation. Legacy of Darkness in particular is one of my favorite Castlevania games as, aside from the transition to 3D, I feel the game has more in common with the original games in the series than the subsequent Metroidvania and Devil May Cry style entries did. One thing that I’m sure didn’t help the game’s reputation that was only briefly touched upon in the video was that Igarashi, after taking the reigns of the Castlevania series, not only wrote out Circle of the Moon but also Castlevania 64/Legacy of Darkness, and Castlevania Legend, basically all the games post SotN that he didn’t produce or direct. I thought that was a dick move.

The unused Battle of the Holy theme. Thank you.

Shame what happened to Circle of the Moon, that was actually the one that got me into the franchise

Man still my favorite 3D castlevainia game. It is a gothic ancestral game to his core.

I played this as a kid and it terrified me. I couldn't get passed the scary dogs in the hedge maze. But seeing the clips here now, 21 years later, and I wonder how the hell did any of that look scary.

I actually enjoyed Castlevania 64 and Legacy of Darkness when they were released. One of my favorite renditions of Dracula in any of the Castlevania games.

*slap in that expansion pack, yeaaaaaaah*

The game with the Innocent Devil is like the only Castlevania game I have and I love it to pieces.

Search what?.... Oo metroidvania ok now I understand

I still have a lot of "love" for both Castlevania 64 and Legacy of Darkness, even if they are not all that great ( well, Legacy of Darkness was a LOT better in my opinion )

God that intro made subscribe faster than ever, I love it. Great video man, I was always curious by this game back in the day because I was fascinated and obsessed at that time with Castlevania, but never got to play it. Great videos, I'm definitely keep watching! Cheers!

I really like Castlevania 64 back in the day. Part of it was the gameplay and atmosphere for its time. I loved it. Plus, it was one of the few games from that generation I could play.

Bummer...I must be the one person who has fond memories of playing Castlevania 64. I have only fired it up a couple of times in the last 20 years but I think it still holds up somewhat...sort of. I like the music!

Great work as always. I'd love to hear more about the unreleased Dreamcast Castlevania too. I remember seeing previews for it in magazines for years before it just disappeared, never to be seen again. Probably an interesting story there!

The jams picked out for this vid are so choice! Castlevania has such great soundtracks.

The speed and quality of these videos is staggering. Keep up the good work!

Y'know, you should really take a break every now and again. Maybe sleep once in a while! Thanks for all of these phenomenally well made videos

I honestly love C64 and it's expansion despite it's flaws. Along with that Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness are awesome.

I remember watching my cousin play this and we were both super confused on how to proceed. I think it was the part where you needed some kind of explosive but you couldn't jump or get hurt otherwise it would explode. He made it all the way to the boss arena but we didn't know how to blow up the wall... Eventually, he figured it out and was promptly killed by the huge undead beast that came alive. Memories...

say what you will this is probably my favorite castlevania game lol

I needed something to watch on this Sunday morning; thanks, Matt!

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 needs a big What Happun?

I would very like to see a remake of Legacy of darkness, I really like the ambiance of the castle in 3d

I loved CV64 when I was younger and still do, and I remember thinking Demon's Souls was up my alley because of how much it reminded me of a more put together version of CV64's gameplay, barring the jump button.

Thank you for introducing the phrase “heaving bosoms” into my lexicon

This is the first time i have heard the term "Search Action", ive always heard it called Metroidvania

Dante's inferno sequel what happened

Spot on Intro!

Awesome vid as always

"SONIC HAD A ROCKY START ENTERING INTO 3D" Castlevania:"HOLD MY WHIP"

Thanks, Matt. Very Cool.

Really happy to see this in my sub box. A Wha Happun' on what's probably my favorite N64 game is like, exactly what I needed today lol. I'm just happy to see people talkin' about it.

I still love this Castlevania's atmosphere so much, can't help it. That hedge maze scared the hell out of me as a kid.

I still maintain we need one for Sleeping Dogs and that pseudo-sequel Triad Wars.

I think I'm playing Circle of the Moon again, this video had good bgm choices. CV64 was always such a strange one. It's incredible to know how much better it could have been given how LoD looks and feels.

I remember seeing those 3d model screenshots and getting super excited. I also remember finally renting it and being super confused by the wonky camera and let down overall.

Always a pleasure Matt. Thank you.

Koji: I hate the card system in Circle of the Moon! Also Koji: You ready to collect shards for Bloodstained. Also... Cooking.

hey matt, could you do a what happened on kingdom hearts three or the n64 dd? thanks, nick

5:20 thank you for adding Circle of the Moon music

Ah man, this was a nostalgic episode for me. I *LOVED* these games when I was a kid, warts and all. I still look back on them fondly tbh, they had a lot of really cool ideas that I wish had stuck around (like actual vampire enemies, including the vamp status). They were rough, sure, but there was some great stuff there. I remember also liking it because one of the heroes was a kid in like a horror setting, since I was a kid myself and always thought it was lame that we rarely got to do that lol. She was such a little badass, too.

I really love the quirky graphics of castlevania 64, time has made it look like one of the best n64 games not made by Nintendo.

Man N64 is not gonna lie pretty fun for me[especially Legacy of Darkness]but imo Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness is the better 3Dvania with DMC-esque gameplay,and Matt how about what happened with DMC2[i'm still curious who's the real director before Itsuno came in]or the Simont Castlevania reboot/remake that Kojima and Mercury steam reworked it into Lord of Shadow.

The amount of Ash Williams in this episode was a pleasant surprise.

I appreciate the Circle of the Moon music so much. I feel like that game is so underappreciated and it got me into the series

Now known as "search-action". By whom?

Dracula: The first Bumble Lord

Thanks for shining some light on the Goemon series, a very big and fun series but its much underapprectiated. Love you videos keep up the good work.

This OoT and Donkey Kong 64 were my first video games when I was 4. Castlevania terrified me as a kid. I remember the first giant skeleton boss scared me so much I cried.

I think this is one of those cases were a bad game should be given a remake; a second chance. Legacy of Darkness has the right ideas, as far as being transfer the NES games into 3d, but was limited by the technology. Meanwhile the other 3d Castlevaina games are most just DMC/GoW clones.

I don't want to be a dick, but you gave credit to everyone at the end, except AVGN. Not sure if there was a reason or you just missed it. Either way, great video!

This was my 1st castlevania game actually and made me fall in love with the series.

Castlevania 64 and Legacy of Darkness really aren’t the worst game in the series as many people like to make them out to be. They’re in my opinion very underrated and misunderstood games in the series. Yes these games have obvious flaws with how dodgy the platforming can be and how the camera is poorly implemented (although a tip for this the camera has two modes you can switch from called battle mode and free mode, you normally want to switch to battle mode when you’re facing enemies and to free mode when exploring, still doesn’t fix some fundamental issues with the camera but does help) and the fact some of the puzzles the games make you do aren’t explained properly coupled with the Sun/Moon card system not further elaborated in that the game does have a time limit if you’re going for the best ending which these cards can compromise if not used properly. The game truly did feel like a 3D transition of 2D Castlevania gameplay and has a very atmospheric feel to it, while it doesn’t have the classic banger soundtracks Castlevania is known for, the OST it does have really does well to compliment the atmosphere. Later 3D Castlevania games would more lean on more combat based gameplay over platforming as Lament of Innocence has very flat level design with platforming sprinkled here and there with Curse of Darkness being in my opinion the best 3D Castlevania due to level design improvements, the crafting system, as well as the Innocent Devil system. Lords of Shadow wasn’t a bad reboot as the first game was serviceable but Mirror of Fate felt like they tried to throw too many design aspects of Castlevania into a blender and you get a game that doesn’t know what it really wants to be. Lords of Shadow 2 was a mediocre sequel and is so far the last Castlevania game to be released that hasn’t been a compilation. The series has been somewhat stagnant since and while the Netflix series has renewed interest into the series we still haven’t had any new mainline games (since Castlevania is currently suffering a mobile gaming hell atm) in such a long time and it’s uncertain when we will. Thank you for anyone who took the time to read this tangent on Castlevania.

This may be controversial, but I'm not a big fan of Circle of the Moon, though to be fair, I was introduced to Aria of Sorrow first, so I understand that I'm biased. My main problems with Circle is that the enemy variety is laughable, taken up almost entirely by variant of armors, and the card system is inferior to Aria's Soul system in almost every way.

This game is a guilty pleasure. Especially blowing yourself up with nitro. Honestly CV should be only 2D. Some things are just better 2D with 3D elements.

Love these vids please keep em coming!

Major props to takahata from tfs for the spot on voice of dracula in the beginning

To be fair circle of the moon had potential but it was too difficult and not many health recovery's along with how confusion it was on how the story fits in contenuity of the castlevania universe (I believe I butchered the spelling) I can see why igga chopped it out🧛‍♂️

The Chad Symphothy of the night vs The Virgin Castlevania 64 .

I just want to point out real quick that every single song Matt used to make this video is an absolute banger. CV has literally some of the best music in the industry.

Search Action is the new official name of the genre! Thanks for solving this naming kerfuffle!