Update: Scroll to the bottom, see the developer’s response to me on twitter. The review has also been updated to reflect where Alucard comes from.
I’m not going to mince words here, Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi is basically a Castlevania ripoff. Not the Metroidvania Castlevanias, the older ones found in this collection. It is Castlevania in how it looks, sounds and plays. Also the very premise. Stop me if you heard this one before: You play a whip slinging vampire related to Dracula who must go to Dracula’s Castle and stop him. Well, if you don’t want to play an Alucard from Symphony of the Night knock-off, you can play as a war monk with a staff. You go from stage to stage fighting essentially the same enemies, until you get to Dracula at the end. In each level, there are four gems, which are used to unlock skills and more Mana and Health. There are also four lore scrolls per stage. The lore in Carpathian Night is nice, but could be cut entirely and little changes.
Game play in Carpathian Night is very Castlevania-esque. You got an attack and you can jump. You also have a skill(special attack) which takes a bulb of mana to perform. There is also a very useful dash. At the end of every level is a boss, which are generally easier than the level which preceded it. This is because if you get hit, you get automatic knock back or forward, which can send you careening off a ledge. Fortunately, death just sets you back a few feet, but you may still die 50 times trying to get through a section, like I did in Carpathian Night.
As for Bela Lugosi, he died in 1956. His signature Dracula movie was released 93 years ago, in 1931. Even worse, the notorious Plan 9 from Outer Space has more of him that this game does. He’s really there as a name to sell Carpathian Night, but not much more. If you want to buy this game, buy it for being as close to old-school Castlevania as you can get without the name. And in that, its an admirable effort, as it’s decent, with some longevity due to it wanting you to collect all the collectables. Just you’ll forget Bela Lugosi was in this game until towards the end. Carpathian Night starring Bela Lugosi gets a Recommended Verdict with a seven back-end score.
Overall: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi is a fine Castlevania ripoff. Just don’t go looking for much of Bela Lugosi.
Verdict: Recommended
| Release Date | 11/14/24 |
| Cost | $16.99 |
| Publisher | Tezcatek |
| ESRB Rating | T |
Game received for free from the publisher!
Update: This is the unprofessional response from the publisher about my review:
Developers and publishers: The Game Slush Pile does not make money. In fact, it bleeds cash. But I keep it going as a labor of love for indie games. I call games as I see them. I also keep reviews short and concise because I know people do not read long reviews. People want the gist and the score and move on, so I oblige. If a developer doesn’t like what I say, they are free not to work with me. And that’s fine, I have a review backlog of a hundred+ titles that will last me years or, if I want to, I will just outright buy the game. What developers or publishers should not do is write nasty messages attacking me for my review. It is unprofessional and a sign of insecurity. Therefore, I will never work with these people again or anyone else who behaves in this manner.
Zom
Needs more Bela Lu-ghosty…Lol
Game sounds alright but, I probably won’t buy it for the same unknown reason I haven’t played the OG Castlevania games referred to. 🤷♂️
CA Outlaw
First time commentor but have been reading reviews on and off for awhile whenever I’m curious about a certain indie game. I enjoy the old-school Castlevania games even though they frustrate me from time to time. However I can’t justify supporting a developer who is this unprofessional. They should be aware the reviewers are there solely to provide an unbiased review of the media to allow the general public to make an informed purchasing decision. If they want a critique of their game then maybe look to the comments section on their own game if they have it on platforms that allow comments
Zom
Update: Spicy response from the publisher. Although…I wonder if you had instead used the phrase “…a riff on the OG Castlevania formula…” instead of the phrase “…is basically a Castlevania ripoff.” You may not have gotten them all worked-up. Even a bad game takes effort and a great game even more so. TO the publisher though this game needs more to justify its price and feedback is feedback whether we like that feedback or not.
William Tidwell
I was curious about this game. After reading your review I was convinced to try it… unfortunately after seeing the dev’s unprofessional response to you I can’t in good faith support their product.
nonsense
Nice. A pretty cringe back and forth with the reviewer and the publisher for all to see in public space for no reason. But receipts are receipts.
I will avoid BOTH this website and the publisher in the future. Fission Mailed, indeed.
mordridakon
I don’t know who you are since you put in a fake email, but your reading comprehension is piss-poor anyway since I say why I posted it in my reply. You won’t be missed.