General Info

Emulator used (why isn't this detected automatically...? some guys don't even write this anymore) Snes9x 1.43+ re-recording v10
Aims for fastest time...
Takes damage to save time...
Manipulates luck...
Best ending...

Lalala...

Well, here it is, after a few months of hardcore work. This run obsoletes the published run by 2 minutes and 44 seconds (9880 frames) and multiplies the re-record count by 6. This is my first "professional" run. There's just no useless input in the whole movie. If the command would be ignored, it's not entered. Cosmetic effect...
Note: I tried to end the run as early as possible, so don't press anything before you see the ending sequence... you will die in if you fall into the pits in that room, silly...
Note2: When I save Maria and Annet, you notice I jump to get closer to them. Those cutscenes are scripted, so no time is lost (if you look closely, you'll see that when I save Annet, the screen fades out before Richter leaves the room, proving my point).
Note3: This game doesn't have the II and III upgrades. Instead, it uses a rather weird system: if your hearts amount starts with 2(20-29), you can have 2 sub-weapons on screen at the same time. If it's 3 or greater(30+), you can have 3. To kill Dracula that fast I need exactly those 35 hearts I get in that room right before the fight.

Game Info

There isn't too much to say about the game... It's conversion of the PC Engine game Akumajou Dracula X - Chi no Rondo. The hero is Richter Belmont, the one I read somewhere he's the son of Juste Belmont. Even though the game is pale when compared with Chi no Rondo, it's playable. It's main features:
  • Good graphics (better than Super Castlevania 4... at least this one doesn't look like a Genesis game!)
  • Good soundtrack (mostly remixed versions of the classic BGMs from the previous 8-bit games, very different from the gay techno of Super Castlevania 4!)
  • Old school gameplay (almost the same of the NES games. There's no Tarzan-like swinging with the whip, like it was on the other game... the hero's name is Richter, not Indy)
  • Nice dificulty level.
It has multiple endings as well. In this run, both Maria and Annet are rescued, to reach the best ending.

Versions

There are 3 different localized versions of this game:
  • Original Japanese: Akumajou Dracula XX
  • American: Castlevania - Dracula X
  • European: Castlevania - Vampire's Kiss
The differences between the original and the traslated games:
  • The original Japanese game doesn't have a "Licensed by Nintendo" screen at the start;
  • The collectable Cross sub-weapon is a little different, with one extremity a litlle longer than the other 3;
  • The western versions have white blood.
I've choosen the US version because it's the most popular and easy to find.

Windows on Possible Improvements

If you're interested in obsoleting this movie, it won't be easy (even for you, Shinryuu), but I'd say these are the best points to try:
  • The 3rd boss, the headless knight: if you can manipulate him to jump twice in a row, you're awesome.
  • Stage 5'.1, with the stupid mermen popping out everywhere...
  • Stage 5'.2, if you can manipulate the first moving platform better than I did.
  • Stage 5'.5, mermen again...
  • The 6th boss, Death. Luck manipulation again. When you hit him and he flinches downwards, the axe can hit twice. Maybe you can do better then I did.
Also, if you can figure out that godmodeknockback thing, it would make a big difference, I guess.

Please forgive me a lot and see you next mormon mission!
...goes home backflipping

Truncated: You inserted the key on the first try! Accepted!
I think it's fun that you mentioned that SCV4 looks like a Genesis game when the Genesis Castlevania looks better than both that and this game. :>
Maza: Encoded. I will publish it after couple hours.

NesVideoAgent: Hi! I am a robot. I took a few screenshots of this movie and placed them here. Here goes! Feel free to clean up the list.


TASVideoAgent
They/Them
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Joined: 8/3/2004
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Location: 127.0.0.1
This topic is for the purpose of discussing #1823: pirate_sephiroth's SNES Castlevania - Dracula X in 14:07.60
Player (24)
Joined: 4/23/2005
Posts: 435
Location: Germany
Great done. Looks perfect. So yes from me.
Last TAS finished: Final Fantasy Adventure (4.0 Warp Glitch Run) WIP in the moment: Tail Gator (GB) Matty
Player (223)
Joined: 10/17/2005
Posts: 399
It certainly looks well optimized. Yes yes.
<adelikat> I've been quoted with worse
Skilled player (1430)
Joined: 7/15/2007
Posts: 1468
Location: Sweden
I'm going to vote no because you dissed Super Castlevania 4's soundtrack. Just kidding, a yes vote on a good run. Though seriously You'll burn in hell for that.
Agare Bagare Kopparslagare
Skilled player (1669)
Joined: 6/11/2006
Posts: 818
Location: Arboga, Sweden
What CPadolf said. Very good run on the far inferior SNES-Castlevania, so one yes-vote coming up.
Warp wrote:
omg lol this is so fake!!!1 the nes cant produce music like this!
Active player (308)
Joined: 2/28/2006
Posts: 2275
Location: Milky Way -> Earth -> Brazil
Inferior to Chi no Rondo, but superior to SCV4. At the least the main character doesn't look like and doesn't act like a crash test dummy.
"Genuine self-esteem, however, consists not of causeless feelings, but of certain knowledge about yourself. It rests on the conviction that you — by your choices, effort and actions — have made yourself into the kind of person able to deal with reality. It is the conviction — based on the evidence of your own volitional functioning — that you are fundamentally able to succeed in life and, therefore, are deserving of that success." - Onkar Ghate
Bisqwit wrote:
Drama, too long, didn't read, lol.
JXQ
Experienced player (749)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
"Gay techno"? Lol, you insult the most random and retarded stuff. You might as well be trolling, especially since SCV4 absolutely demolishes this game in every aspect. Anyway, I'm watching the run now. Hopefully you don't take two tries to insert a key into the door like the previous run did :)
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
Active player (308)
Joined: 2/28/2006
Posts: 2275
Location: Milky Way -> Earth -> Brazil
Hahah... That game alone is an insult to the castlevania series. Flying horse heads? Some-thing-I-forgot-how-it's-called falls from the ceiling and crawls towards you? A hero that looks more like an evil puppet? An SNES game with Genesis graphics and ridiculous electronic sound effects? That demolishes eveything... I'm really goning to hell, but that game is the worst. I'd rather play the n64 or ps2 versions... and they're pretty stupid.
"Genuine self-esteem, however, consists not of causeless feelings, but of certain knowledge about yourself. It rests on the conviction that you — by your choices, effort and actions — have made yourself into the kind of person able to deal with reality. It is the conviction — based on the evidence of your own volitional functioning — that you are fundamentally able to succeed in life and, therefore, are deserving of that success." - Onkar Ghate
Bisqwit wrote:
Drama, too long, didn't read, lol.
Skilled player (1147)
Joined: 9/15/2006
Posts: 165
Location: China
Wow, a big optimization. Very cool, easy yes vote. Do you think that you shouldn't approach the girls (Maria and Annet) too near? You wasted a few frames to go out of the rooms. And er... the Japanese version named Akumajou Dracula XX. :) Edit: I was wrong, no time is lost.
Active player (432)
Joined: 4/21/2004
Posts: 3516
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
JXQ wrote:
"Gay techno"? Lol, you insult the most random and retarded stuff. You might as well be trolling, especially since SCV4 absolutely demolishes this game in every aspect.
What the man said. Dont you dare make fun of Super Castlevania 4! But seriously, the music in Super Castlevania 4 is one of the best I have ever heard for SNES along with Super Metroid. Anyway, your run was nicely executed. Voting yes.
Nitrogenesis wrote:
Guys I come from the DidyKnogRacist communite, and you are all wrong, tihs is the run of the mileniun and everyone who says otherwise dosnt know any bater! I found this run vary ease to masturbate too!!!! Don't fuck with me, I know this game so that mean I'm always right!StupedfackincommunityTASVideoz!!!!!!
Arc wrote:
I enjoyed this movie in which hands firmly gripping a shaft lead to balls deep in multiple holes.
natt wrote:
I don't want to get involved in this discussion, but as a point of fact C# is literally the first goddamn thing on that fucking page you linked did you even fucking read it
Cooljay wrote:
Mayor Haggar and Cody are such nice people for the community. Metro City's hospitals reached an all time new record of incoming patients due to their great efforts :P
Active player (440)
Joined: 3/21/2006
Posts: 940
Location: Toronto, Canada
Excellent work, pirate! Backflipping makes any run better ;) And why does Richter look like someone from DBZ when he does the multi-cross attack? What out-of-context attack are they gonna put next in a Castlevania game? (I'm hoping for a variation on a hadouken...) I liked your...um...creative ways of getting the bouncy red ball as fast as possible :) It was also nice to hear Vampire Killer and all the classic tracks, it really added to the entertainment value. Overall, great game selection. I've never seen the original Dracula X run, but this one looks fantastic nonetheless. Voting yes ftw =D Also, might I suggest a few screenshots? Frames 11,615; 27,027; 43,427 (or somewhere around there where he moonwalks around the scythes). They're cool stuff I found while randomly pausing the movie =P
My current project: Something mysterious (oooooh!) My username is all lower-case letters. Please get it right :(
Joined: 12/11/2006
Posts: 21
Location: Leipzig - Germany
Nice Game! Nice Run! == Yes!
Joined: 4/30/2007
Posts: 151
pirate_sephiroth wrote:
I'm really goning to hell, but that game is the worst. I'd rather play the n64 or ps2 versions... and they're pretty stupid.
lies legacy of darkness was awesome oh and yes vote
Joined: 8/1/2004
Posts: 2687
Location: Seattle, WA
Easy Yes Vote on the far superior SNES Castlevania game. If the other one was even worth noting, wouldn't there be an improvement in the works for it?
hi nitrodon streamline: cyn-chine
Player (88)
Joined: 11/14/2005
Posts: 1057
Location: United States
Sweet run.. voting yes. This game > castlevania 4. The musical remixes of the old school tunes are all amazing, particularly bloody tears. The graphics are amazing as well, the fire background in the first level really looks beautiful. Of course the controls feel just like the old nes games, but that just adds to the charm of this game.
They're off to find the hero of the day...
Joined: 9/23/2007
Posts: 22
Fantastic run. I saw "Movie end" before the boss was down. I was all like "Oh shiiiiiiiiii!" and then the axes came out.
I think i've watched about 70% of the TAS's on this site... It's become one of the first sites I check daily for updates. I'm going to start posting more.
Editor, Experienced player (729)
Joined: 6/13/2006
Posts: 3300
Location: Massachussetts, USA
Awesome. Yes vote. Also, I join the "CV X > CV4" side. Sorry, but I've only heard one stage with good music (the intro) in CV 4, whereas every stage in X rocks.
Homepage ☣ Retired
Player (147)
Joined: 11/27/2004
Posts: 688
Location: WA State, USA
I'll be voting no unless the CVDX and SCV4 groups start an epic 10+ page flame war. To start it off, I'll say that the music in CVDX would be better if the instruments didn't sound awful.
Nach wrote:
I also used to wake up every morning, open my curtains, and see the twin towers. And then one day, wasn't able to anymore, I'll never forget that.
Joined: 12/27/2006
Posts: 532
Location: Göteborg, Sweden
While I take recognition of the huge improvement, the run didn't entertain me. Mainly becuase the character moved WAY too slow, contant backflipping became tedious to see. Good effort though.
My published movies [03:45:05] <Naohiro19> Soulrivers: ... [03:45:19] <Soulrivers> ? [03:46:35] <Naohiro19> <Soulrivers> No! <Naohiro19> So? <Soulrivers> Yes! [03:46:48] <Naohiro19> joke
Joined: 10/15/2007
Posts: 685
XX has the better soundtrack over CV4, but my view of XX has been forever tainted from the day I picked up Chi no Rondo. XX could have just as easily been called Castlevania Spear Knight starring Spear Knight and the Spear Knight Brigade. Weaker level design, no Maria, nine out of ten enemies are a spear knight, no Maria, stupid bottomless pits while fighting Dracula, no Maria... At least CV4 has me cursing something other than, "if I see that damned spear knight ONE MORE TIME". Despite all that, there actually are times when I prefer XX's soundtrack over even Chi no Rondo's. Opposing Bloodlines, for example, I think sounds worlds better on SNES. ANYWHO, the 2D Castlevania series (be it sidescroller or Metroidvania) is still one of my great fandoms, and I'm more than happy to give my attention to a TAS of any game in the series. I give thee a Yes.
Kirby said so, so it must be true. ( >'.')>
Joined: 4/30/2006
Posts: 480
Location: the secret cow level
I was highly entertained.
Joined: 4/7/2006
Posts: 19
Is a YES, nice play!!! Give-me a nostalgic feeling (i'm playing a richter+maria on portrain of ruin, on a emulator... )
Experienced player (611)
Joined: 4/24/2005
Posts: 612
Great run, man. You really nailed everything down! But, I'm not sure I agree that this is the superior SNES Castlevania though. While it has a hell of a lot more context, I always felt the gameplay to be a step down from CV4's (everything except stair-jumping at will and I guess Item Crashing, never cared for it.) I mean, it's pretty damn stiff if you think about it (maybe to be more realistic?) but it does actually mold you into a better player at the other Castlevanias, for some odd reason (I'm not kidding.) Besides being stiff, the game is a bit simplified (I guess to fit the gameplay) but it's also complex here and there so, hmm. I guess I'm done criticizing the game, back to the run... There was a lot cool things that went on in this run like the execution; room by room was done pretty top-notch. I also liked the showmanship during the waiting periods. Nice and organized run as well so Yes vote.
Joined: 4/3/2005
Posts: 575
Location: Spain
I'm voting yes because this movie is awesome.
No.
Experienced player (821)
Joined: 11/18/2006
Posts: 2426
Location: Back where I belong
Excellent work, very entertaining, even with the constant back-flipping. Yes vote from me.
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