Super Castlevania IV (SNES) Mike Matei Live

Do you think Super Castlevania IV is the easiest Castlevania game?
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#mikematei #snes #retrogaming #retro #castlevania

[@luisdelarosa3588]

The easiest Classicvania to be sure

[@OneArmedRetroGamer]

I kinda prefer bloodlines or rondo.

[@Trainy2]

Which means it’s still very challenging by most games standards

[@vibonacci]

he cheesed it. Just like Batman.

[@darkangelceresita2768]

I think it's Castlevania 2. It even has infinite sub weapons...

[@strangevision99]

Strangely I have to go with Castlevania 1, it's the only classicvania game that I can beat.

[@mikejesernik1451]

Mike thanks for all that you do for the retro community. I have always liked your content.

[@jhenson6706]

He is so awesome. Great channel!

[@CMB-1988]

Mike i enjoy watching you ur vids keep me smiling for days thank you

[@MysticVee]

Honestly man, Super Castlevania IV was a game i beat when i was like 9, I look back at like, Super Metroid or Megaman X i had as a kid and definitely could tell the difference in how easy the level design was in this game compared to those other ones. Doesn't really detract from the enjoyment i had beating it. I was definitely more into Sega Genesis's Bloodlines, that game beat my ass and i kept comin' back for more. A hard-ass game for me and still is to this day is the game Demon's Crest. Jesus its hard, i've never beaten it, even on emulators i had trouble. Always good to see your content, bud. Suffering makes us stronger.

[@johnmoser9731]

Mike! Can you do Deadly Towers? I know it's awful but I've been looking for a walkthrough for that game that has commentary and I can't find one.

[@WinAFreeAppleIPod]

this game always kinda bored me. early snes, bland pastel colors that don't pop, trivially easy gameplay, just overall sleepy game

[@danberado]

Mike, there are literally two modes of Symphony of the Night that do not involve grinding aka playing as Richter or Maria.

[@warchild9381]

CV4 is a total breeze, but I still come back to it even after playing it for about 30 years now. The music and mood are perfection, it feels good with the movement and of course the nostalgia is great too. Game design wise, I feel Rondo of Blood is the perfect blend of decent fair challenge and top notch crafted quality that is expected of the franchise. Rondo is all class. The X68000 Castlevania (on original hardware, not the PS1 version) is the most ridiculous as far as challenge, that game wants you dead lol.

[@hawkeye7246]

This game (dies) is so (dies) EASY (dies many more times)! Seriously though, I agree that it is one of the easier ones, though obviously not quite as easy as you try to make it out to be as evident by the steep number of deaths (I don't mean to yank your chain here, but it is a bit odd to die that many times on a game you keep saying is so easy). I've played through and beaten it countless times over the past 30 years, and there are still parts that I die on, though that typically doesn't happen until Stage 8 (the dungeon). Easier, sure, but it still provides a good challenge, which makes it worth coming back to over and over. Easily the best of the older Castlevanias for its gameplay & stage design.

[@mikematei]

I mean i barely play this one. I guess i should have done a no death run of it but i dont like it that much

[@patrickjones2843]

I've played Rondo, CV 4, CV1 and all of the DS games and symphony of the night. CV1 was cheap and has cheat mechanics. I think Super CV 4 is way better and strikes the perfect balance of fairness not to mention its creative use of scaling and its amazing music track. All the other Castlevania games have been easier since this one(Symphony, all the DS games because of grinding). Rondo is harder and better but not by much IMO! Just remember when judging this game that its only easy cause we've played it a bunch.

[@Pathos312]

imo CIV was pretty impressive for its time, pushing the SNES to it's technical limits

[@TikiRainbows]

This game was my childhood, the soundtrack blows me away and still does to this day aye aye aye

[@puppykitty6100]

During development, Konami ran into issues with optimization that forced them to remove a lot of the enemies, as the game would slow to a crawl with too much on-screen. This is evidenced by the leaked beta builds floating around. Konami also had a tight deadline of a Halloween '91 release, so this was their band-aid. Game was way too easy as a result.

[@franciscojr.millan2102]

Their's a Castlevania SOTN female for the Sega Genesis. It's not finished yet, but u can play wats there

[@franciscojr.millan2102]

Demake* Not female. Stupid auto correct

[@LylaFur]

hey mike! hope your holding up well.

[@__toad]

it may be the easiest, but i couldn't finish it 😅

[@mikeflyers77]

What about the super mario clone. Kid dracula.

[@camd1518]

SOTN stream/video please.

[@mikeburkhart8336]

Wrong...Castlevania Legends for Gameboy was the easiest Castlevania. It was also the most forgetable one.

[@Drakir79]

Great run Mike!

[@mikematei]

Eh, sometime I'd like to go through where I don't lose the triple cross. The only subweapon that seems to matter when you have this type of god whip. Thanks though.

[@SlickDangler10]

Couldnt you name you guy Alucard and play as a different character in this one?

[@diddy1847]

The Castlevania goat

[@TrueHolyRune]

Castlevania 3 is the easiest for me.

[@brittany3790]

Easiest but the best.

[@GamerWordDotNet]

Castlevania 3 is best (but hardest).

[@AbsoluteDeicide]

Rondo of Blood is my favorite.

[@markula_4040]

Well, I guess one of them has to be the easiest. I don't see that as a negative since it's still challenging and pretty much destroys all other classic titles in the series in most other categories.

[@mikematei]

I like using sub-weapons in Castlevania like the holy water and axe as that's a staple of the series. Having an 8 way whip greatly lessens the importance of sub-weapons. Leaving one scratching their head as to why they are even there anymore. Which I don't think is good design at all. I think the strongest aspect of Castlevania 4 are certain music tracks like "Theme of Simon Belmont" which is iconic.

[@brianirving3420]

I have a soft spot for Castlevania 4 because as a kid its visuals and atmosphere just blew me away. Still looks and sounds awesome today.

[@mikematei]

It has great music and looks nice. I think Rondo looks better graphically but this game looks great. I just wish it was more difficult.

[@Trainy2]

@@mikematei The final fight with Dracula is a real joke in particular. They could have at least made that more challenging

[@RKsolid5586]

@@Trainy2 Not to mention the Slogra/Gaibon/Death rush before that. The game gives you a few too many candles with health powerups between each boss. It also does not make you re-fight the bosses if you die at any point or have to use a continue. I think you get 3 powerups after the Slogra battle and then another one after Gaibon before Death. Would have been a better challenge if you had to fight all 3 in one health bar.

[@ericanderson5195]

@@Trainy2 dracula fight would be much more difficult if they didn't give the food in-between phases. If you dont hit dracula in between the phases he keeps spamming you with food and that kind of ruins the fight

[@kicksex]

@@mikemateithe second quest is harder. Maybe you can keep playing it and it gets harder and harder?

[@radcowley]

People are going to crucify me for this comment. But i think Super Castlevania IV is SUPER overrated.

[@chumorgan443]

A Symphony of the night (genesis port ) is in the works. Built more like a traditional Vania .. no grinding. Bet you'll love it Mike.

[@mikematei]

That would be sweet.

[@Rokku6666]

Still one of the funnest castlevania experiences , thanks for playing it. Regarding the realism talk in games, i was never a fan of it in debating video games , the developer makes whatever rules he wants for his game.

[@nunyanunya4147]

thanks for keeping a more lonely less angry less socially acceptable freak company. no memories ov this game. i had a stole a sega when I was growing up so didn't play this till after I was an 'adult' thanks for 3 hours ov company

[@asthewormturns9564]

This music is amazing!

[@markflores707]

This is such a fun game. It's not perfect, but it's almost there!

[@GamerWordDotNet]

I love short games but even this game is a little too short. Definitely a Blockbuster rental.

[@joeyjo-joshabadu9636]

​@@GamerWordDotNetthis game is hard. It's only considered "easy" because the other games in the series are crazy difficult.

[@ku-sangkain8159]

complain to konami where are the new castlevania games

[@darkangelceresita2768]

"frame lag" lol It's slowdowns. The way people use the word lag nowadays is so wrong. It's funny.

[@mikematei]

Slowdown then. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@darkangelceresita2768]

@@mikematei xD It's all just lingo for the laymen anyway because, technically, that's not really what it is... It's just funny how over the years, lag which was used to describe the results of a bad internet connection not at all related to frame rate started being used by people for anything and everything and others just mimicked them.

[@TwoBlackMarks]

As a non-Castlevania expert, I have always felt this game has very "clunky" controls. I think for example Bloodlines controls better, I do not know if it is missing animation frames or what, but it feels so clunky.

[@mikematei]

Yeah. Try Rondo of Blood. It controls great. Especially with the backflipping and all that.

[@TwoBlackMarks]

@@mikematei That has always looked awesome, never played it.

[@ericanderson5195]

But is it really the easiest? This game is much harder than say the og castlevania if you try a no death run

[@mikematei]

I'm talking about a normal playthrough.

[@TheVgrey]

Well easiest compared to other Castlevania but I like the game still has good gameplay,atmosphere,music and visuals but yea even second loop is not that difficult

[@mikematei]

It has great music. I like the graphics for Rondo more, but yeah it looks nice. Its not really the 8 way whip that makes the game easy, its more the enemies and level design.

[@alcoholica1986]

Thanks for all you do to make sure Bimmy can keep making money

[@MarioPlays64]

Hey Mike will you ever make a SOTN playthrough?

[@strangevision99]

I love that old Konami pause sound, lol. I find Castlevania 1 easier, somehow. I can't finish any of the other classicvania titles.

[@GamerWordDotNet]

Castlevania 3 is difficult but rewarding. Part of the experience is surprising yourself at your own ability to tackle increasingly difficult sections. Heavy on trial and error but it's difficult to match the sense of satisfaction you get from beating Dracula in that game.

[@timhendrix414]

Watching this in Holland while my Bulgarian date is painting eggs for easter, god love living in Europe watching American entertainment, love from the Netherlands ✌🏻

[@xvx5872]

You must beat this game once. Because then you can select another difficulty.

[@mikematei]

Here is my castlevania 4 loop 2 www.twitch.tv/videos/2136625235

[@aaronflament]

Loved this game had this for snes in 1992 played this a lot they have ahack to this game mike

[@shooter-vx7xy]

Hey, Mike. Enjoy the streams!

[@TheVgrey]

Man I love Simon quest even tho is flaw really like how the world look the atmosphere at least it tried to build something but sadly a flaw game

[@GamerWordDotNet]

I think community ROM hacks did a good job at fixing issues with the game. Having said that, it's really a different kind of Castlevania experience. More of an exploration themepark than an actual game.

[@philleotardo8760]

You are a legend if you can beat castlevania Chronicles on normal mode for the x68000 or ps1 version. That game is bar none the hardest Castlevania and also also the most fun. It’s a double edged whip.

[@mikematei]

Here's my stream beating Chronicles original mode. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKWXlKaEgM-KjNk It's probably my favorite one. I need to play it again been a long time.

[@UltimateEnd0]

The most atmospheric Castlevania with the arguably the best OST

[@GamerWordDotNet]

Soundtrack is on par with SOTN - both some of the best music in all videogames

[@toyvania]

Nailed it! ❤

[@stephenfortin9485]

sotn beats it but this is a close 2nd

[@HiNRGboy]

I don't care for the music at all... literally every other classic CV game has a better OST (in my opinion of course lol)..

[@alexh2790]

I'm definitely in the camp that this one has the best ClassicVania OST. The earlier games are more catchy and sound like a new wave band's stab at progrock, but this game goes full Early '70s with the sheer variety of styles present.

[@fusionspace175]

I wish someone would hack an 8 way whip into the NES ones and Rondo/Dracula X. Just that alone would make them all much more equal. Why was this the only time we got it, and whip swinging? It added so much fun. Might not be better but I've played them as is and I'd like a fun alternative. Oh and make a 2 way whip only version of this game just for Mike, let him see if it's still even beatable.

[@opaljk4835]

Bloodlines has whip swinging and diagonals. Chronicles had downward diagonal. I think 8 way whip is just totally unnecessary in most cases, although it’s fun in cv4

[@chadgaul1681]

I'd say both Super Castlevania IV and Symphony of the Night are by far the easiest Castlevania games. As much as I love those games, Rondo of Blood and Dracula's Curse both top the list for me not just because of their addictively hard gameplay, but also because of the playable characters and branching pathways. I played a lot of Castlevania in my time and I still prefer the old-school, sometimes brutal challenge of the older games. I'm a big Castlevania fan and a big fan of watching your streaming videos.

[@Real_Trev]

Mike I still watch James and mike Mondays like there new

[@bardhi09]

Yeah, I don't agree with the game being easy because of the 8-way whip. The game is less challenging because the team who made the game(which was a new team within Konami not the guys who made 1-3) decided to make it less challenging. It was actually a design goal for the game, the director of this game said in an interview said that he wanted to make a more atmospheric less challenging game compared to the Famicom games. And you are right that this game is very impressive, especially considering that it was a brand new team and this was a North American launch window game for the SNES. The game could still be challenging with the 8-way whip if the game was designed to counter-act it, but again, that wasn't the design goal with this remake.

[@mikematei]

It's not necessarily the 8 way whip, I agree. It's more the level design and placement of enemies that makes it overly easy.

[@bardhi09]

@@mikematei Fun Fact: The 8-way whip was also an idea originally considered for the Original Castlevania at one point. You can read about this on the development section of SC4's wiki article(the article credits the book The History of Castlevania: Book of the Crescent Moon). Yeah like I said, the game being easier overall was an intentional design choice from the team. I can see where they were coming from, they wanted to make: A). something a bit different(more atmospheric) B). an easier game to introduce new players who had never played Castlevania before Ideally, they would have designed a hard mode with altered level design and enemy placement etc. but keep in consideration that in addition to the fact that this was a new team who had never made a Castlevania game before(plus they were also figuring out the Super Famicom hardware at the time they were making this) this was also a very small team who made the game even for the time and they had to deliver the game within the American launch window. The Director of the game was also the Main Programmer as well.

[@mikematei]

@@bardhi09 Well, I played Castlevania 1 long before I played the SNES game. So for me, that was my introduction. So playing this game later, it just felt too easy. Since I had already played 1 & 3 which were way harder. My introduction to the series was like "here you go asshole, try beating this shit". And that's what I like about Castlevania, I want a challenge. Not a walk in the park. You are supposed to be killing the Lord of Darkness after all.

[@bardhi09]

@@mikematei American version of 3 was harder too compared to the Famicom version

[@Lachdanun]

When you can 360 a whip. Yes thats the easy one

[@jhenson6706]

360 degree whip makes this game too easy for babies

[@CyanideSublime]

What up MFer Mike! Wish KZbin lets you go back to your roots at some point.

[@Xain3178]

Does 2 count in the argument of easiest? Simons Quest always felt like the easiest in terms of combat. Maybe not the easiest to figure out how to beat without internet or Nintendo Power, but fighting through the areas never felt tough.

[@Spawn3X5]

Difficulty isnt everything to me unless the game is toi easy...whats the fun factor? Thats it for me Later games have the whip twirl instead and physical attacks

[@JLK5241]

One of the most laggy games that comes to mind on SNES is Stunt Race FX

[@professorpenne9962]

race drivin' is pretty bad as well

[@mikematei]

Super R-Type has a lot of slowdown, as does this game.

[@BrockBowles]

I know you hear this all the time. I miss James and Mike mondays! Youre the man Mike. Keep being you

[@janX9]

*HARDEST* Castlevania game?

[@janX9]

Gameboy Castlevania adventure is hard for me.

[@azarerm2914]

SC4 being the easiest Castlevania game pisses me off, because it's the only one I've been able to beat without abusing save states. Skill issue of the highest order on my part.

[@joeyjo-joshabadu9636]

Don't beat yourself up too hard, this game really ramps up the difficulty in the later stages

[@firecracker8826]

i will Always treasure you mike . especially when during where's waldo you threatened him with a brick.

[@abjames3098]

one of my fave games of all time!

[@BRGKasumi77Main]

Please play the Japanese version of Super Castlevania 4!

[@Huntsmaestro]

This is the jam!

[@cillusonion5667]

Just beat this myself for the first time like yesterday

[@friendlypanda9450]

Hey Mike is it considering cheating if you use the password that they give you in the game to come to it?

[@dogslush]

that rocman 2 bac to bullchit u posted the odda day was terrible...monna mé 🃏

[@iwanttoseemrshow]

Great to have this vid playing during a relaxing Sunday. Still remember renting this and happily spending a weekend on it and then eventually buying it and happily spending many more weekends on it. This and TMNT sold the system for me, which I purchased from K-Mart on layaway. Minus 1 point for adding a shitload of obligatory life trivia in the hopes that someone else remembers Kmart layaway

[@paulieswalnut]

Mike there IS a Zelda 2 with no jumping and using the hook shot instead. It's called BIONIC COMMANDO! 😂😂😂

[@mikematei]

Did i ask for no jumping

[@Retroman2447]

You need to stream symphony of the night try and beat that castlevania

[@Novapoid]

Throwing my vote to Castlevania 3 LOOP 2 Alucard route. I wonder which are the best non-NES entries Castlevania hacks ?

[@brentgraham2481]

Thanks!

[@KazuyaMithra]

Honestly, Castlevania IV would benefit from some kind of difficulty select where you can choose between whipping in 8 directions or a "classic" control scheme. Although being able to change direction in mid air suits the platforming sections of IV really well.

[@trackmastersdj]

Great stream MF Mike! Some suggestions for next games to beat on this channel: Ghostbusters (Genesis), Road Rash 2 (Genesis), X-Men (Genesis), Sonic CD (Sega CD) . . . Thanks for the gaming content.

[@joeyjo-joshabadu9636]

I actually find Bloodlines to be easier, but both games to be hard

[@deorodant_oh-one6875]

Read in nerd voice : "It's not the easiest Mike , actually kid dracula is easier ☝ 🤓 " btw I'm just joking

[@tommj4365]

Has Mike played Dracula Kid on nes? That'd be fun to watch

[@Horrorfreak106]

My biggest issue is that in previous Castlevania titles were super tightly designed whether it was level design, enemy layouts, and movement/attacking. People love the 8 way whipping, but I believe that it's actually a design flaw. The original game was very purposeful with it's design. It forced the player to really calculate their every move and attack. Super Castlevania 4 is extremely lenient and often feels like a mindless whipping simulator. It excels in scale, graphics, sound, and atmosphere but REALLY lacks in level and enemy design. Again, most fights just feel like your mindlessly whipping and just hoping that you land enough hits while in other titles, enemies and bosses have clearer patterns that you have to carefully navigate through.

[@Hidon]

yeah its the easiest of them all, still I find a good one, and a great intro to the franchise

[@NMC_1980]

I feel like Simon's Quest is the easiest. It's not difficult at all as far as not dying goes, I mean the most risk you run of dying is falling into a pit lol.

[@mikematei]

If you don't know the cryptic stuff it would be very difficult.

[@camelspiderattack4161]

this is exactly how i feel. IF you know what to do SQ is very easy, much easier than SC4

[@GamerWordDotNet]

It's the definition of a Nintendo Power game. Easiest with it, hardest without it.

[@johncollins6637]

Have you tried the legend of Mario? It combines two of your favorite games. Mario in a Zelda 1 type game

[@mikematei]

I streamed it. Its on this channel.

[@Chamberz55]

Love love love this game but the dracula fight & no secret playable characters SUCKS.

[@mikematei]

Thr dracula fight is pathetic.

[@franktorres2915]

Castlevania aria of sorrow is fairly easy , potentially easier than sotn

[@dan_evilrobot]

Yeah I'm not going to lie, It's like the easiest Castlevania game.

[@curtg1662]

Did you ever stream the Castlevania for Gameboy?

[@Jallge]

I like Super Monkey Ball on the GameCube too. There was a game for the iPhone that I played about 12 years ago and it wasn't bad.

[@GamerWordDotNet]

I love this game but the one thing that always bugs me about it is how zoomed in the screen compared to the previous Castlevania games. Makes for a very claustrophobic experience!

[@TheWehzy]

Hello mike! Hope you're doing well!

[@JohnnyQuaykersBelmont]

Fan games to try! - Simon's Curse (PC), Resurrection of Vampire Killer (PC), CastleVania ReVamped (PC) by Lv4 games, CastleVania Chronicles 2: Simon's Quest by BMC WarMachine, CastleVania Chronicles 3: Dracula's Curse (PC) by BMC WarMachine, and CastleVania: The Seal of the Curse by ArkHouse (CV2 remake) (PC) to name a few!

[@nene71286]

Hey Mike, want a real challenge. Go with Castlevania Bloodlines on the Genesis. Cheers.

[@mikematei]

I'd like to stream it again but I've done it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHeolJl6nKhlb6c

[@stevengreen1121]

Hi always loved your nerd videos and your rage videos respect

[@opaljk4835]

I think this game just has a really great vibe to it. It’s really fun to plow through it. I just love it, even though I think Bloodlines and Rondo are superior in general. I think the Castlevania Chronicles game is by far my least favorite 16 bit castlevania game. It just never felt right to me, next to Dracula X for the snes I suppose. That one’s okay.

[@Glitchesftw]

Thank you for the videos Mike. You are cool.

[@Cajun.Yankee]

This game will have no mike matei rage for sure 😂😂

[@Denjired]

For me to properly answer that...I need to actually beat one of them someday. Back then, we didn't have any of the Castlevania games on NES. This one here is actually the only one my brother and I owned while we had the SNES and I remember my brother beating it and being really proud about that. After that I only remember renting Dracula X on SNES once, not being very impressed by it and that was it as far as Castlevania was concerned in my childhood. I do plan on tackling the classic ones one of these days though. This video actually made me think a bit about the topic of the multidirectional whip and other improvements like the more comfortable hit push and being able to change the jump direction while in mid-air. I personally think that the game developers should have made the game harder to accommodate these changes but I would not fault them for trying to improve what several gamers would have thought are valid criticisms. Sometimes you can do changes like Mega Man getting the slide and the Mega Buster in later games without it being a detriment to the game difficulty (though Metal Blade and Shadow Blade are good examples why Mega Man thankfully never got the ability to shoot in eight directions with his normal plasma gun). Sadly, that was not the case here. I am curious: If I remember correctly, James was of the opinion that he liked the multidirectional whip and found it sad that they removed it from later games, right? Game that is missing from your Games I've Beaten On Stream list: -Mega Man 2 - Back To Basics (NES Hacks/Homebrew/Unreleased)

[@andreakoupal]

Great video, thank you Mike. Some of these early SNES games are so nostalgic. If you're looking for a more challenging platformer, you might enjoy Gargoyle's Quest II on the NES if you wanted to try it again. It has some very challenging stages.

[@8track822]

I remember requesting him to stream this game about a year ago in the comments of another video. Glad he finally got around to streaming it. One of my favourite SNES games, even though I first played it about 4 years ago. And this is obviously not the hardest Castlevania seeing that the Game Grumps couldn't beat the game and gave up on it. Also, I played the PAL version of the game, and it doesn't have any of the lag and slowdown that the NTSC version has. So in a way, the PAL version is the more smooth experience.

[@LITTLE1994]

Not only the easiest, but also the best.

[@mikematei]

Eh. It's okay. I like the music a lot. I think the whip makes the items pretty worthless which isn't really a good thing. I think it's a mixed bag.

[@Peter_1986]

@@mikematei The Cross is quite good; I always spam that thing when I fight the bosses, and it helps a lot, and the Holy Water and the Axe have some uses as well. The worst weapons are definitely the Dagger and the Stopwatch.

[@Correc7edAura]

This game was great. I love the overall look of it but you can't top the original trilogy. I got a request. Please, PLEASE play 'The Legend of Mystical Ninja' it's one of my favorite SNES games of all time and that's quite achievement. It's perfect for streaming cause you can beat it in like 3 - 4 hours. Unless you mess around with little mini games. Please consider it man.

[@OM19_MO79]

The “Nerd” just said that it’s not like fighting with a hand behind your back. I’m sure I could do it just the same.

[@B33FY2011]

Super Castlevania IV is my favourite of the classic Castlevania games. I find that when you're trying to do a no death run or just a clean run in general that I can go for quite a while and be almost perfect, but the minute I die, then I steat to constantly mess up and die multiple times.

[@PowerInOne22]

japanese cart has less lag, oddly enough