The Sad Story of Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls (Original Version Retrospective)

[@StockeTepes]

This was definitely unexpected, but it seems Grimoire of Souls is coming back from the dead as an Apple Arcade exclusive! I’ll definitely be making a follow up video sometime in the future, and the new Castlevania video should be out sometime this month. Thanks everyone for all the support as of late I truly appreciate it and I can’t wait to show you guys what I’ve been working on.

[@olgagachaphoenix9130]

funny, I saw this and was about to comment about that

[@teslafanboy7197]

I’m actually hype for it and came to your channel to find out more, I’m glad they’ve completely removed micro transactions and I hope this game lives up to its potential

[@reddeathvii]

I’m wondering what they did to the gacha mechanic cause Apple Arcade games don’t have in game purchases

[@natew5593]

I’m so excited to finally be able to play this game, I hope it has more legs on Apple Arcade than it did the first go-round

[@jamesgames4553]

Out today! Looks like they’ve significantly upgraded the graphics (lighting, background animation, proper cutscenes instead of text), but the crafting stuff is still in there. Having fun, though.

[@Rihcterwilker]

This channel is everything i wanted, someone still interested in the games, in an age where everyone only remembers that castlevania exists because of the anime.

[@wallacesousuke1433]

"in an age where everyone only remembers that castlevania exists because of the anime." Me, who has always thought about Castlevania game since I found out this franchise: " I.. I exist!"

[@nathanvertil7355]

@@wallacesousuke1433 SAME. I am also another who is a huge fan of the games before the anime coming forth....

[@phoenixdouchebag904]

What anime your talking about? There is no Castlevania anime!

[@lolsomedude9801]

When I first heard of Grimoire of Souls I thought to myself, "wow its just gacha game that they created to make a quick buck". However after watching this video, I realize that this game wasn't actually all that bad. It really did look like Konami was putting some effort into the game. I actually want to see what the game's global release would've looked like now and even give it a try (That is if I wasn't already so invested into FGO lol). Also your videos just keep getting better dude keep it up!

[@StockeTepes]

Thank you so much for the support as per usual, I’m glad my improvement/what I’ve been learning has really shown I’m glad to hear that. Agreed I would love to have seen where the game would’ve gone, especially a global release it’s really a shame. Gonna keep doing my best to improve still a lot to learn, thank you again!

[@DarkMirria1]

Game is back now on Apple Arcade.

[@galdever2030]

Enjoyed the video, glad there's a video that shows that GOS wasn't a complete trash pile now. Haven't heard the main theme in quite a while and it still brings sorrow along with it whenever I hear it. 470 hours and too many rounds of bounty Hunt, hunter rankings, and duel hunt all for nothing.

[@StockeTepes]

Seriously. One of the big incentives I had for making this video was because no one online seemed to highlight the good. It’s a shame because like I said in the video the game could be really enjoyable and there were so many aspects of the game that could’ve improved with time, but here we are. I feel your pain

[@pyroronnie2473]

I was so insanely hyped to try this game... IT PAINED ME SO MUCH when they finally announced the cancellation 😭

[@nicholoswilde4252]

Konomi have no honor left, I would demand Konomi to pull their heads out of their pockets and start making the canceled projects come and also The Castlevania anniversery collection part 2. I have hope for more castlevania games.

[@StockeTepes]

Well, they seem to be trying again at Grimoire, although of course I wish they would bring the series back to their Metroidvania/platformer roots. Most all Konami IPs seem to be in a Mobile game pandemonium right about now…

[@SIFAssassin]

I really enjoyed this game. The character interactions were the kind of things Castlevania fans could only dream of. Was devastated when it got canned. With all the stuff that was datamined? Such a waste.

[@mikeseeley342]

Couldnt wait to try when announced..started getting into it.. surprisingly decent story..then the repetitive, grinding slog..

[@dyll_pyckle]

Another incredibly well-made video. Keep it up!!

[@StockeTepes]

Thank you so much!

[@dyll_pyckle]

@@StockeTepes You're welcome!!

[@LucianTheWorldGamer]

Incredibly deep review for such an unknown title, thanks!

[@StockeTepes]

Thank you so much man!

[@mimicer6877]

Damn this shit is hella underated wtf.

[@dannycastro567]

Nice work you did right there, course for me it's a shameful that I didn't get to play it the mobile game it had a very smooth gameplay and it's kind of satisfying to see it.

[@bobbillans6715]

It really is a shame. The story and the writing were top-notch. I really wanted to see where they went with it.

[@StockeTepes]

Couldn’t agree more

[@richardpaul4205]

I wish that they would just put it on the switch already so we can play castlevania on console like the gods intended. Looks like a decent successor to harmony of despair. Could really go for a sequel to that right about now.

[@adammalik5397]

it seems to be re-released to apple arcade

[@samyabandeiralima8999]

I like The game! I want to play! Netflix is suck destroyed caracters well alucard abandoned all hope Netflix , because destroyed hero of life hector is dog alucard is over

[@LucianTheWorldGamer]

You summed up the whole Netflix series in a nutshell, good job!

[@DarkMirria1]

Well it’s now available for Apple Arcade, the new version. Enjoy.

[@lore6232]

Grimoire of Souls just ended and I think it was a solid entry into the franchise. I'm looking forward to seeing your video about it.

[@StockeTepes]

That’s great to hear, I’m very curious to see what they did! I’ve been avoiding spoilers just for the video… it will happen eventually I’m really looking forward to delving into the topic again

[@lore6232]

@@StockeTepes Then I'll be looking forward to it.

[@JayTekken1]

10:24 what’s the OST name? Smooth as ice.

[@DarkMirria1]

Both the story and character interactions are my favourite parts of the game, along with the art. Especially the art for Arikado. 🤩 He looks great. 😩👌🏻👌🏻 And then Grimoire of Souls rereleases globally for Apple Arcade months later. The multiplayer part of the game, specifically Bounty Hunt, was laggy and would crash often so it’s no longer in game right now. (I like how you’re talking about Castlevania with Devil May Cry music in the background. Vergil’s battle theme’s are great.)

[@StockeTepes]

Yep, I kinda made this video at a bad time lol. But I think it’s still important to highlight the events of its original release. Same here! I really look forward to how they continue the story and gameplay elements, I’ll definitely be making a follow up video once the campaign is either complete or when there’s much more to talk about for it. And thank you! Yes Virgils theme is a banger 😩

[@iamshen6]

After playing for half a year, the game shut down. I was fortunate that I didn't spend any money on this game. It was not worth it.

[@eternityx5413]

Great video bud

[@StockeTepes]

My mann

[@pancakeoverlord1886]

i remember downloading this game in school while waiting for dad to pick me up. Tried it once and never touched it again

[@StockeTepes]

To be honest it’s first impression gameplay wise is definitely not the best so I don’t blame you 😆 Happy the new version makes the intro a bit better but it still leaves a lot to be desired

[@TheAdventGamer]

Watched a guy do a play through of the story, I really liked how all the characters interacted with eachother. Made me want a console Metroidvania game just with this story. Like either you select a character from a hub base or save point or play a main character who summons forth heroes of the past like with Johnathan and Richter.

[@StockeTepes]

Great idea, I would love to see something like it in the future. The story in Castlevania games tend to be a bit overlooked but there’s a LOT they can do with just the established material

[@damonmorse2860]

thank you for making this

[@Amgitstigma]

Your experience mirrors my own, very sad how badly they botched this only to go on to make another that looks like it will be worse and simultaneously more successful at the same time. I really think it had potential and the worst feeling is wondering wtf happened to the team behind this that obviously cared about the series in the way fans want to see.

[@StockeTepes]

Agreed, there were clearly people involved in the project that really cared and it showed. I’m glad I’m not the only one who experienced the game in this light haha, but yeah I wonder where they are now

[@halojustin1]

Wow phenomenal video like wow definitely giving a sub

[@StockeTepes]

Thank you!!

[@chuganoga1908]

So they wasted what could’ve been an amazing game that was apart of the canon continuity (which was the reason the creator apparently stopped making the games to begin with) on a damn mobile port…

[@eliptikstudios8996]

what’s the song that starts at 10:24?

[@mechaguychungus1696]

I played Grimoire around the time when the canada servers opened. I gave like a week or two before downloading it (I'm from Southeast Asia BTW) and I do agree that the has so much potential. But yeah, the became pay-to-win all of a sudden. Heck, even the other whales we have in our facebook group were having a hard time clearing content and spending hundreds of dollars yet it all turned out to be not too fun for everyone. And when the Grimoire of Souls facebook page announced the shut down, I just uninstalled the game. Konami really did the community dirty on this one yet the game in itself feels like a solid Castlevania title. I've played gacha's before and some of them are bad. Konami though just took that up a notch. Uh well, the game is nothing but a fleeting memory for me now.

[@silentvoice6737]

Have you watched castlevania nocturne of recollection?

[@StockeTepes]

Spoilers, I planned to make a video about it after I finish the one I am working on this month 😂. I’ve had my eye on it for a little while and it’s really interesting I can’t wait to watch it and start researching it in the near future. Stay tuned!

[@audiocity1979]

This isn't related but.. I head cannon hellfire saga takes place after grimoire of souls. Why? Because it has Castlevania. Not mostly but I recommend it.

[@detectivenate9144]

Funny thing is that this game is canon to the original franchise and kinda like judgement outside time

[@KeizerZX]

im officially disappointed even more to learn that this and judgement are canon

[@DarkMirria1]

I like that it follows the canon. :)

[@gv82089]

​@@KeizerZX they're as canon as the dissidia games are to Final Fantasy. Alternate timeline stuff

[@AdrianFahrenheitTepes]

This is to Castlevania the way Kingdom Hearts is to Disney and Final Fantasy. It’s a big crossover, but the story isn’t great and heavily repeats what already happened. I got some interest in this game as part of my Apple Arcade trial, but got bored of it before the month was over.

[@prince_audiobook]

Dude, i appreciate your hopefulness on the games. U r mad at konami and its understandable from how they do business. But let me tell u, donot put faith in anything netflix. If its shit any company created between the two, its netflix not konami. Do research on netflix activities n what crap they r involved in. Then u will know. Konami is no where near to bullshitty as netflix.

[@afrinurdin9545]

i still have GoS Canada APK..like General 2 game shutdown by EA..😢

[@antonioavila1737]

Amazing video! Thanks 👍🏾 and please, male the second part, now is alive for ios, and the game have a ending, sorry for my bad english i stand learn yet xD

[@StockeTepes]

¡Muchas gracias! Si hijo. ¡Manténganse al tanto!

[@antonioavila1737]

@@StockeTepes jajajaja ok gracias xD jajaja

[@KeizerZX]

Ngl i never had any hopes with big companies making mobile games, they either suck or their fine, theres no in between Ahem megaman x dive and Symphony of the night android port

[@StockeTepes]

Mega Man X phone port 😨😖

[@KeizerZX]

@@StockeTepes the mega man x Port is unique to say the least What i dont get is Konami successfully ported a ps1 game on mobile and made it awesome, but capcom cant port a snes game on mobile

[@RBDSTN]

2 years late but a minor though still notable reason as to why the gem distribution was diminished was Konami making all equipment farmable from either Bounty Hunt or the main story, giving you little to no reason to pull unless you wanted the seasonal equipment.

[@StockeTepes]

4 months late but yes, that’s absolutely one of the reasons. The games economy relied on players purchasing premium gems, yet the game gave you everything you needed naturally. Grimoire encouraged a healthy daily playstyle with its systems and modes like "Stamina, Bounty Hunt, etc". This will be a big topic I’ll focus on for the next video which hopefully comes out soon 🤣

[@RBDSTN]

Yo????? We may be back.

[@zygardian1364]

Mccock really out here tryna make me cry

[@timm_3r]

It was a cash grab and the fans knew it. The devs did the best with what they had and their efforts deserve acknowledgment but this game will not be missed.

[@fogblades6811]

I have faith that fans would modify this game. I don't know how, but I can believe.

[@knightmarin]

The og version was fun lol I liked it. I never knew it was only released in Canada

[@StockeTepes]

It really was fun. When I think back on my time with the game it is mostly positive, which is pretty surprising. Really looking forward to finding out what they added & changed for the Apple Arcade release!

[@renegadeangel278]

I still have this game installed on my phone lol

[@StockeTepes]

Haha you aren’t the only one!

[@DarkMirria1]

lol Same here. Can’t do anything with it though, so it just wastes almost 1 GB of space. I have the new version now so I have two GoS apps. 😂

[@jaylencassato8034]

I remember playing this game, but I had no idea this was a Canadian exclusive...wow

[@StockeTepes]

It seems in one way or another, this title has always been exclusive 🤣 I’ll showcase it much more in the new video whenever it releases hopefully soon…

[@wolk6129]

This was one of the best platformers i've ever played on mobile,the difficuty was on point even with the top tier gacha gear and each playable character felt soo unique something very surprising for a mobile F2P game,the issue was that it was "way too perfect" for a F2P mobile game and way too ballanced for people to bother spend money on it THOUGH you can't quite say that was the reason why it failed,the game was ONLY AVAILABLE ON CANADA,why?who the f knows,region-locking a F2P game AT LAUNCH is one of the easiest ways to TRASH the total income the game will provide you in its first months and is one of the reasons why games that do this kind of thing end up shutting down this fast now,knowing how greedy KONAMI really is the way the game worked with monetization was just way too off,as i said you could play the game PERFECTLY with AND without the top-tier gear from gacha,why was that?cause the game had more things influencing how hard would a stage be,some characters worked better than others,they all had skill trees that changed ALOT how each and every character played,you had suport characters that also offered you another option on how to deal with certain stages/parts of stages,the main reason for a game to have a GACHA system is to make money,is the easiest way to ANY KINDA OF GAME EVER to make money and it was implemented in GrimoireOfSouls for that exact reason HOWEVER they didn't ballanced thing out "bad enough" to make gacha gear a MUST to complete certain parts of the game. So yea in MY opinion it closed cause "it wasn't P2W enough" like come on,why else a F2P game would have a gacha system dude?ONE GAME BEING MADE FROM KONAMI THE DUDES WHO KILLED FRANCHISES AND TURNED THEN INTO PACHINKO MACHINES A.K.A LUCK DEPENDED GAMBLING MACHINES,it can't be more obvious and now with this new one they are doing (Moonlight Rasphody) by the looks of it the thing is WAY more P2W than GrimoireOfSouls,the game didn't even released and the amount of characters in that game is WAY too crazy for NONE of them to be unlocked via a gacha system and characters locked BEHIND GACHAS is THE way to gain with a gacha system,make the rates low as heck and add a fragment system where you will need extra copies of that character to unlock vital skills and BOOM,you have your money-making F2P Mobile gacha game set to go.

[@tyone50able]

It’s coming to apple Arcade

[@ironrex6979]

It’s sad Konami killed the series. No IGA no Castlevania. At least we have Bloodstained it’s direct bloodline successor and many other excellent spiritual successor.

[@ironrex6979]

Konami should sell Castlevania to IGA

[@AxlCake]

Anyone knows what hes talking about in 13:20 ???? I'm quite desperate for good castlevania fangames and know of none ):

[@StockeTepes]

Look into the Bloodstained series! Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night was produced by Koji Igarashi after he left Konami and a sequel seems to be in the works. There is also Bloodstained spin-off games in the series made by Inti Creates that are definitely worth it as well. Might make a video on the series one day. As far as none Gothic horror metroidvanias, I’d recommend The Messenger, Hollow Knight, and Touhou Luna Nights just to name a few

[@Specter1997]

huh, didn't know it was a f2p before going to become a whale only hell, and... I hope it would release globally, and be on android too u-u Also moonlight Rhapsody is also deleted before being released I heard...? the introducing music is so dramatic, sad, and longing, man you don't hear mobile game music that awesome all the time owo

[@DonkeyKongJr]

So is there any way we can play offline in an earlier build?

[@StockeTepes]

Currently not that I’m aware of. When I make my follow up video to Grimoire of Souls I’ll be sure to cover topics like this

[@DonkeyKongJr]

@@StockeTepes thanks man. Much love. You're doin gods work

[@lolcat]

were you in that discord group back in 2019?

[@GrayFoxHound9]

Konami be like "i'm gonna do gacha game, and then do everything for it to fail!"

[@StockeTepes]

Konami being Konami

[@TheExFatal]

Ans then they re-released it on nothing BUT Mac, incredible move Konami stay classy

[@imreplyingtothiscomment2378]

F it really did seem like it could have been one of the best gachas or inlease stand out from the others

[@lukewood2662]

I played it... It was trash compared to any previous Castlevania, hated the way they tried to turn the franchise into some random mobile game with ads and microtransactions. They have so much good material in hands to make an awesome game.. and they make this cashgrab. Piss me off.

[@kaistrange1672]

I’m always more of a lords of shadow fan and I think it’s way better than original it’s just my opinion and I think that you do lords of shadow 3 or mirror of fate Continuation lords of shadow are the first Castlevania games I ever played but A game that’s based off the original should have done better I think I only played a little bit of them never had that desire to beat them at least not yet all of them go on Xbox one

[@mobgabriel1767]

if i had a nickel for everytime a japanese game series had a shut down, mobile exclusive gacha game with a plot relevant story and actually good writing i would have 2 nickels wich isn't a lot but its weird that i happened twice

[@StockeTepes]

Nier Reincarnation was pretty fun but I couldn’t get behind the gameplay much. The art and music were fantastic tho… and the story was fascinating although I didn’t get far. Hopefully they release an offline version so we can experience the story on its own. And maybe port Grimoire of Souls to modern hardware while the trend continues, but I’ll elaborate more about it in the new video 🤣

[@sikViduser]

Netflix show is cancer to the series

[@StockeTepes]

I’ve definitely grown more sour to it since I made this video a couple years ago. I wasn’t a big fan of Nocturne, to put it simply…

[@reeanimationgaming1034]

I'm sorry.. I can't watch more than one minute of this editing style. It's extremely annoying.. I mean, this is how bad youtubers edit their videos.. If your content is good, then you don't need to put in an annoying sound and zoom every 20 second.. But I don't know if your content is good, because I had to stop the video, even though I wanted to learn more about this game... Oh well...

[@castlev1986]

LOL!