I played 5 bizarre Castlevania Clones! 

While yes the banks of the river Thames is filled to bursting with street stabbers I'm fairly certain we sent all the boomerangs to that far away prison island.

I can confirm that if you hang around long enough under any bridge near the Thames someone will definitely come along to try and stab you

To think that Vampire: Master of Darkness was the closest thing to a Castlevania game that Sega fans would experience until an actual Castlevania game came along in the form of Castlevania Bloodlines for the Genesis.

Not a beekeper but former melittologist (study of bees) and hymenopterologist (study of Hymenoptera: bees, wasps and ants), wasps are indeed incredible contributors to both pollination and biological pest control. As such they can play a major role in agriculture by being natural competitors to pesticides. A few very aggressive species might ruin your day, but most wasps are quite chill and will just go about their day in the same way that bees will. If you hate pests like spiders, flies, caterpillars, and enjoy organic vegetables, thank your fellow wasp for keeping their population from reaching ridiculous numbers and destroying our crops with less of an effect both on the environment an on your food. :)

#1 Blimon Belmate "Oi! Do you have a loicense for that Ouiji Board!" #2 Frankon's Belmonster #3 Simon James Diont #4 Falcon Birdmont #5 Belmont-Chan in Cas-Cas-Vania (or Rusty Melbont)

I just looked up 8 eyes on wikipedia. Apparently the NA version took place in a post apocalyptic future, but the JP version was the 19th century. No changes to how the game looked between them. Also you get a jewel at the end of every stage, and at the end of the game if you put the jewels into the alter in the wrong order you just get a game over.

FUN FACT(S): Holy Diver is a difficult game, I would say harder than battletoads and GnG etc. this game has a mandatory glitch jump at the end of the game no less. (if you don't do the jump you can't win) Also certain bosses hard lock the game if you kill them too fast lol

What a Boss progression. First Death himself followed by a weird bird and the Demon Horse. Death must've been through some rough times if a accepted a job as the First Boss.

So the game with the bird...your bird is one of the bars you were thinking was health. A second player can actually control the bird with the second controller. Had a blast watching as always! Keep up the great work!

I remember finding a speedrun of HOLY DIVER and wishing i had it as a kid. Also, that 8 eyes stage select is ridiculous - you got 5 countries of varying sizes, one peninsula of several countries, and one ENTIRE CONTINENT to choose from.

Matt: “Let’s play Holy Diver!” I dunno, we don’t want to be gone too long in a midnight sea…of pixels.

The best part about Rusty is the ending: Rusty slowly walks away from the village as the sun rises so the villagers can see her depart.

Rusty is actually freaking awesome! Incredible music, great art, solid gameplay. My biggest complaint with it is that the levels are a bit too long, making continuing a little painful. Nonetheless, if you jump through the hoops to get PC-98 emulation going, there's a good translation patch out there, and it's a fun time.

in his quest to defeat jack the ripper, doctor whateverhisnamewas only killed many people and left a massive trail of death behind him, like some kind of ripper... named jack

So regarding Molotov cocktails: the earliest use I can find of that particular style of incendiary weapon is the Spanish Civil War. The name, however, comes from the Winter War, when the Soviet Union invaded Finland; the Soviet foreign minister, Vyacheslav Molotov claimed on Soviet state radio that the bombs being dropped on Finnish territory were actually humanitarian aid for their starving neighbors. The Finns started sarcastically referring to them as Molotov bread baskets, and as petrol bombs started being used an effective weapon against the Soviets' tanks, they started joking that they were just supplying cocktails to go with the bread, and the name stuck.

Wonder if that vampire game is why Darkstalkers has its US name…

I have the Master System version of Master of Darkness and it is a lot of fun, I do prefer the MS version due to the larger screen allowing you to see more. I believe in the Master System version the Wax House is directly refereed to as the Tussaud's wax works.

There's a hack for 8 Eyes that replaces the main character with Simon Belmont. The range of the whip makes attacking enemies more tolerable. Also, Orin is the bird, you can command it to attack or to hit switches to open doors.

Holy shit, I remember 8 Eyes. In two player mode the first player plays as Orin the dude and the second player played as Cutrus the birb. I was sad because no one ever wanted to play it with me. lol

You've been killing it with spooky content Matt!

Dr jekyll and Mr Vibes would 100% have been a 90's comedy about a geeky professor Dr jekyll tries to create a way to make him attractive to ladies and creates Mr Vibes, his cool alter ego who wears Hawaiian shirts and hangs loose who teaches Jekyll to just be himself and date Rachael Leigh Cook.

8 eyes actually has a system like Mega Man where what you get in some stages helps beat later stages. It is not a game to jump into without reading the manual.

I really liked Frankenstein, but I was using an emulator so I could cheese it with save states. I can't imagine beating that game naturally, it gets insanely brutal with a lot of cheap deaths.

The way you said “Dracula” Matt, I instantly heard in my head a commercial (ok, saw it too) “ (jingle) Always Dracu Cola!” Blah’ When I have a wicked thirst, I always try to B-positive and enjoy the fresh relaxing taste of Dracu Cola. It comes in multiple flavors, including alcoholic and sugar-free. The taste is always right no matter the night.”

People were tougher but guns were also incredibly weak

The hunchbacks of Notre Thames.

Why does almost every game in this video think its a good idea to give the player the absolute bare minimum attack range

Master of Darkness on both the Master System and Game Gear, is the best Castlevania clone ever made. Also Holy Diver on the Famicom is also the best made clone too.

I used to play vampire master of darkness on camping trips to pass time and oh boy young me had a tough time with it

I’m really surprised that after taking so much damage you didn’t figure out that Cutrus was the bird’s life bar and Orin was your character’s life bar 🤦🏽‍♂️

Not only the Where the wild things are movie came out, it was excellent. Spike Jonze never misses !

Rusty actually came out for the old PC-98, as you mentioned (based on IBM) and is generally considered to be one of the best games on it. It has kind of a cult following and a complete English patch, so if you wanted you could play through the entire game. Very technically impressive from what I've heard, as explained well here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rA69c69KaZE.htmlsi=NvKl6LJSGlaHKYD4. Love the vid, by the way. Ton of fun watching you go through these.

I owned 8 eyes as a kid, the only reason I could assume was that my dad picked it up cheap in a bargain bin . The gameplay looks as fun as I remember. Hey at least they let you play all 8 levels from the start.

I HIGHLY recommend “Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth”.

"You thought that game was a Sabbath or Priest reference.. but it was me! Dio!"

I had 8 eyes back when I was a kid. Kinda wish I would've kept it. If memory serves my correctly. If you pressed up and attack while the bird was flying, it would make the bird perform a diving attack.

Vampire Master of Darkness is a very well known game - on Master System. Itd probably be a lot better playing on there too. Its actually a good game, generally speaking.

Frankenstein has Battle for Olympus vibes. Olympus was a surprising purchase back in the day, in a good way. That was a tough game.

Yo matt, there is a translated version of Rusty now

Im with you on energy drinks matt. Im only 31 but i keep buying monsters, I take 3 sips, feel like my hearts gonna explode and end up throwing most of it out. Lol

As a self-proclaimed Frankenstein expert player(I'm not), You didn't even get to the REALLY bad part of the game where you can fall in to the water. IT'S SO BAD.

So, as someone who owned 8-Eyes as a kid, let me tell you; it's (as you so love putting it) buck wild. To start with, it's not the past, it's the future. There was a big, apocalyptic nuclear war that did the usual post-apocalypse thing. At the centers of the 8 largest nuclear blasts were formed magical gems (yes, a nuclear war created magic). A man gathered the gems and became king, ruling the world wisely. However, he was betrayed by a woman named Ruth and his 8 dukes, who stole the gems. To get them back, he dispatches his greatest swordsman, Orin the Falconer, and his trained falcon Cutrus. (So, yes, the two health bars are for you and the bird). Orin has to go to the palaces of the 7 dukes, defeat them, reclaim the 8 eyes, then go to face Ruth. Thing is, you don't kill them. After you beat each of them, Orin sits down and has a cup of tea with them. The game makes some...interesting choices. Each of the dukes gives you a sword, which is effective against one of the other dukes, like Mega Man. Once you beat the dukes, you go to the House of Ruth to fight them all again, then Ruth herself. After you defeat her (and have tea with her, naturally) you have to put the 8 Eyes where they belong. There are 8 slots in the wall, and there is a clue, hidden within the walls of each stage, and you use those clues to figure out where each gem goes. It's a weird-ass game.

Wait, in 8Eyes there is an Egypt and an Africa Level? did the devs think Africa is a separate country from Egypt or something?

Remember to close the connection on the Ouija board don't teabag the Ouija board and get haunted balls

that last boss has a bit of "what if HR Geiger was horny" vibe

Intelligence is knowing Frankenstein isn't the monster. Wisdom is knowing Frankenstein is the monster. I admit, it's more a meme than a great analysis of the book or character, but it's a bit funny.

the first game seems like an accurate bri'ish simulator. they have an insatiable urge to stab things must be something in the river water

Can't believe someone else remembers that design for the langoliers 29:49

Like any port Game Gear port of a Master System game you should play the Master system version to avoid the screen crunch. Master of Darkness is great and I'm I have it in my Brazil's exclusive Master System 3 (model 74 games) from 2002

44:14 The Finnish during the WinterWar with Russia, Molotov was the name of some Russian commander and it was named as a joke towards him.

That AVGN on Frankenstein is one of my favourites, so many great lines "When game genie doesn't work, you know you're f****d!" What a fascinatingly bad game that nes game is, a more mainstream playable counterpart to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Struck by lighting!!

Watching you play 8eyes wrong was soo painful. My brother and I used to love that game. I would always play as the bird. I was hoping you were going figure out the citrus/Orin mystery lol. Great content. ❤❤❤

8 Eyes works at least somewhat better with two players. One person fully controls the swordsman Orin, and the other the bird Cutrus. In single player, the controls are far worse having to do inputs for both.

Oh heck YES Rusty! It's so good!

I know the bus isn’t Dracula… It’s the ghost of Dracula😂

I had a lot of fun with Vampire back then. Idk if ya mentioned it, but the floating masks are more or less the candles in Castlevania. Each weapon also don't deal the same amount of damage (I think the rapier is weaker than the axe and idk why anyone would use the knife)

****Dude. Holy shit. I had a ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK for the first time in years. I went to take a shower and idk if the steam/heat mixxed with the energy drink made me almost pass out. Super dizzy. Shaking for almost an hour. Thank goodness i am an emt ai I new little tricks to keep myself from passing out but it was sketchy for sure. So be safe and thank you for all the entertainment!!

Oh I wouldnt say it couldnt get past censors back then. There was Abadox which had stages and bosses made of body parts. And the world hell was used in Castlevania 2. Monster Party had the screen changing scene. Those are cute bats.

I laughed so hard when you pulled up 8 Eyes. Calling 8 Eyes a Castlevania clone is like saying Dark Souls is a Xanadu clone. Imagine thinking Castlevania was partially a puzzle game like 8 Eyes lol. Nothing will ever be as horrible as that action puzzle platformer.

A kid I grew up with had 8 Eyes. We never got anywhere on it but played it all the time in 2 player mode. When you're 7 it makes your day to play as a killer bird. Expectations were low

19:27 you're smart for that, don't do it there's only pain on the otherside

Man, I had forgotten about 8eyes! When I was "designing" nes games back in my preteens, controlling two characters with directional attacks was a really cool concept. Kids these days have 80 buttons on their controllers so it's not quite so important.

8 Eyes is a mix of Castlevania and Megaman. Houses can be played in any order but the bosses are only vulnerable only one sword. Bosses drop a sword after defeat. I would try to find a corner and spam Cutlass (Japanese edition), Cutrus (English edition).

2:42 lol omfgggg me and my brothers had this game 😂😂😂😂😂

In answer to the questions about the River Thames (pronounced Tems) yes. Yes to all of the questions.

The same friend who got me into FF and Dragon Warrior shoved me into the 8 Eyes mind-prison also 😵

I vaguely remember Master of Darkness, though I'm pretty sure it was the Master System version. Also I hope you give Rusty another chance in the future. It's an excellent game with a killer soundtrack.

Master of darkness on master system is pretty awesome for a Castlevania clone. Glad to see u play the game gear version

That first game gear game looks awesome, i had one growing up and never got that one. I need to play it. The master system version looks even better.

This was a treat!

Londoner here, your pronunciation of Thames made me spot my coffee out this morning 😂😂 The H is silent, pronounced "te-mes"

That Castlevania feel baby!!

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Vibes would have been a VERY different story.

Vampire was also on the SMS if memory serves

Has Matt played Frankenstein before? Feel like I've seen it on the channel

Wasps are actually very useful and cool, but I get it, a lot of people ave had negative experiences.

Wow the first boss in Rusty is like the Nameless King with massive honkers

man i loved vampire:master of darkness for the game gear back in the day - i could never get very far, but that ost is still burned into my memory, good times.

Vampire: Master of Darkness looks like a game loosely based on Phantom Blood

Keep fighting Death. Never give up! ❤

3 of these I've never heard of

This is inspiring me to look up 8 Eyes speedruns.

I'm going to have to step in and defend 8eyes. Kinda. The game takes a little bit to learn. However, once you do take the time to figure it out, it actually plays fairly decently for a Castlevania clone. There's supposed to be a Mega Man-esque "choose the level order/enemies have weaknesses" thing going on, but both the game and manual lie about the gems. Each one overwrites the previous one, so the game really needs to be done, to maximize the sword's power, in a specific order. The game is available on Steam (yes, emulated) if someone wants to check it out. It's far from the best NES game out there, but far from the worst also.

Flophouse: "It's some kinda music reference, I can't remember." Holy Diver: "It was me, DIO all along!"

thank you for not just saying Ouija correct but also advising folk to close the board- so many don't and that causes the problems. Genuinely, thank you for noting that my friend

If there’s one element Rusty took from Castlevania I love it was it’s soundtrack! No good Castlevania game is complete without an amazing ost! And Rusty has to it’s credit some excellent music!

I played 8eyes a lot in 😅the secret is the in the instruction manual it’s 2 player 1 person plays the hawk

A while back I stumbled across a Castlevania hack. I didn’t realize how many were out there. There’s nearly as many hacks of it as there are of SMW. Many of them have been put on NES carts! I bought a few. Very cool.

49:03 "The biggest CROSS-IFIX of them all!" 😅 The is the first of these multiple-game videos where I actually knew all the games ahead of time. It also just occurs to me now that for somebody who doesn't consider himself a Castlevania fan, I sure own a lot of Castlevania games. 🤔

Looking at it, Isn't Holy Diver just a Castlevania-themed Mega Man game? A kinda clunky one, sure, but same stage-boss-power up formula, same kinds of random drops from enemies, and the basic attack is pretty close to a buster shot.

If it wasn't in English, I'd assume "Rusty" was a mistranslation of "Lusty"

They named a game after Dio's holy diver? The game play looks kinda fun.

I died a little every time you said “Thames”. 😅. It’s pronounced “Tems”. Thank god it wasn’t set in Worcestershire. But yes. There are rabid dogs (they are actually foxes in London though) and plenty of coke ridden men in suits that think they are entrepreneurs, but are just sleazy blokes that need to be axed.

8eyes you can control the bird as a weapon or to hit switches

it was early speedwagon from phantom blood

I think their may be a mistranslated name, I think her actual name is Lusty, R and Ls kinda get switched when translating Japanese and English

Um *ackshuaaalllllllyyyyyyy* Frankestein was the doctor's naaaame! I figured someone was going to say it eventually.

After playing Master of Darkness on the Master System for years, it's so weird to see the screen-crunched version of it on the Game Gear. Didn't seem to bother the gameplay too much bacause of the slow tempo at least, unlike all the Sonic titles. Would say that Kenseiden is the better CV-clone on Sega's 8-biter, but it's also less obvious of a clone with a cool progression system and open level progression.

I think Citrus is the bird's health and Orange is the player character's health. Either way, 8eye looked absolutely miserable to play.