The Olde War: Castlevania IV vs Bloodlines

For years I thought Castlevania IV was superior to Castlevania: Bloodlines....

But after playing both, back to back, on the Castlevania Collection (all things being equal in a sense), I gotta give it to Bloodlines.

Yes, I was a Genesis/MD kid growing up, but i honestly thought IV had better graphics, music etc

But now i see it's not even close, Yes, the music for stage one in IV is one of the best stage themes ever but the ost really drops off after that, I think overall the OST is better in Bloodlines.

And I honestly think the graphics are better in Bloodlines, on a 4k tv anyway. The graphics for Simon just don't look right and the enemies all look half-assed and the subweapons look plain terrible.

For gameplay I gotta give it to Bloodlines as well, for one you have two characters, but it's also faster and feels tighter.

Sure this might stir up some old feelings, but that's why i posted it.

I agree I grew up playing bloodlines as a kid I love all the games in the series but between the 2 I'd give it to bloodlines. Both had great music but I'd agree regarding gameplay.

Bloodlines is fantastic

I was in the IV camp for years but revisiting them recently I've come to appreciate Bloodlines more and more. The soundtrack is in my opinion better, and I like the set pieces. I still prefer the 8 way whip in IVbut the action in bloodlines is thick and fast. It's like comparing an Aston Martin to a Ferrari. You are arguing between the best of the best and nitpicking to prove which is better. I think on balance the graphical performance of IV is better (rotation etc) but I prefer the atmosphere of Bloodlines. (Sinking Old Sanctuary to a Grecian sunset).

Rondo of Blood is better than both, but that's a game from stronger hardware so it's not fair to compare it. The SNES version of rondo is okay too, but really lackluster compared to the PCengine/PSP original versions.

Super Castlevania IV for me. All day, every day. It’s my favourite traditional Castlevania game.

@Archangel3371:

To each his own man, IV is still a great game, i just prefer the look and "feel" of bloodlines, my favorite classic Vania is still Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse!

@MarkoftheSivak: It’s all a matter of tastes. I prefer the look, sound, and feel of Super Castlevania IV over Bloodlines myself. I also really like the mode 7 effects and the bosses in SCIV as well. I generally prefer the colour palette, sound, and visual effects like transparencies of the SNES over the Genesis.

Played Bloodlines for the first time a few years ago ... enjoyable game to say the least. Still, i think Castlevania IV is one of the greatest SNES games and arguably the best Castlevania ever, so yeah, i take that one.

Well I haven't played either so there's my opinion... not much to say.

I'm just glad to see Bloodlines getting some recognition, I think with the rise of retro gaming culture, the anniversary collection, and the upcoming Genesis Mini the game is finally getting the praise it deserves.

I think what separates it from the rest of the traditional Castlevanias (Before SOTN) is that it doesn't take place in dracula's castle, and introduces new characters that aren't the Belmonts. (Even though Morris has some sort of family connection to the Belmonts)

I keep going back and forth between which I like better, I like the whip and controls in IV better, but I really dig the level and music in Bloodlines. I lean towards Bloodlines because of two different playable characters, music, and fresh levels/locations.

I never got into the snes game. The one on Genesis is great, though.

Rondo>Bloodlines>Super

Rondo is the best, but I like Boodlines more than Super for its multiple characters, presentation, and music. Super is good too, but I dislike how muted the colors are, and I'm also one of those people that think being able to whip in every direction makes the secondary weapons unnecessary.

Bloodlines was nice, but Super Castlevania 4 is one of my favourite games of all time.

Super Castlevania IV all day for me, the controls are better being able to move your whip on every direction seems like something small but it made a big difference.

My favourite part is the final boss fight when it switches to Simons theme when Dracula knows hes loosing and Simon is getting Stronger.

Holy shit that still gets me pumped up now.