Toziuha Night: Dracula's Revenge is an action-platformer that's deep-fried in Classicvania tradition. As the iron alchemist Xandria, you'll trek through six terrifying stages, slashing apart innumerable demonic fiends and floating candles with a chain whip. Sub-weapons hide amongst the candles, offering would-be vampire hunters an alternative means of dealing with opposition. Every jump is a commitment, so don't even try to change trajectory while in mid-air. Oh, and if you see a red skeleton, then you know damn well that it's going to reform itself seconds after being taken apart.
My thoughts on this throwback are a little hard to explain. First, I want to reiterate that I don't see any value in comparison reviews. I don't judge games on whether or not they're better than their predecessors, and I certainly couldn't care less if they compare favorably to the greatest games ever made. I'm critiquing art, not analyzing toasters. Second, I must admit that while I don't write comparison reviews, I am, at least on a deeply subconscious level, comparing what I'm playing right now to what I've played before. More pointedly, today's game fares better than it perhaps should, because previously I covered the rather woeful Castlevania Legends.
Now, if you want an unbiased review, my suggestion is to talk to a rock. The point I'm making here is that try as I might, I can't always keep outside forces from influencing my reviews. I'm not docking 100 points from every game because a trip to the mechanic ruined my Christmas. At the same time though, I can recognize when I'm susceptible, and Toziuha Night: Dracula's Revenge being a not-unpleasant way to spend the afternoon couldn't have had more perfect timing.
Since the bulk of this game is spent whipping monsters of varying sizes and behaviors, let's discuss the whip itself. While it can't strike in multiple directions, its speed and range make it a natural vampire killer. One notable aspect is its uncharacteristically large hitbox. The whip strikes a small area just above Xandria's head. This is nice for the ghosts and bats that don't often have the courtesy to fly straight into the path of your weapon. Sub-weapons are more of a mixed bag. I got a lot of usage out of the buzzsaw. Throw a few on the floor and they'll function like caltrops, absolutely shredding the bosses that stay grounded. Besides the dependable shuriken, other sub-weapons tend to be either expensive or situational. Mana - the ammunition of the alchemist - is oddly difficult to come by. Defeating the final bosses might as well be a whip-only challenge, because nobody is winning with a weak chakram that costs five mana a throw.
The demonic denizens of Dracula's domain will be familiar to Castlevania veterans. Skeletons and bats are the most common, with the latter attacking in groups of three whenever you're trying to hunt down a key or do some platforming. Evil mages chuck fireballs, devilish skulls spit in an arc, ghosts appear when you're pre-occupied, and ladies too lazy for clothes ride on pillows while summoning swords... I'm just describing what I'm seeing. These and other threats populate each screen, usually placed wherever there's some free space. Picking up a key or unlocking a door can cause more foes to spawn, so don't let your guard down. Besides a few instances where I acted foolishly and allowed Xandria to get knocked off of cliffs, regular encounters usually weren't too rough. At least on normal difficulty, there aren't any of the cruel scenarios like the axe-armor + medusa head combo from the end of Castlevania 1's fifth stage. Damage values are also kept in the realm of fair. Projectiles hurt a little, spikes hurt a ton, while contact with enemies falls somewhere in-between.
I'd describe the level-design as basic, and perhaps a little disappointing. Each stage has all of the necessary elements, whether they be moving platforms or crushing ceilings, but none of them ever congeal into circumstances that made me take a step back and reassess my approach. While I haven't talked about it lately, I must mention that this year alone I've replayed multiple Classicvanias. Again, no direct comparisons, but the thought that Toziuha Night could've been more inventive with what it had crossed my mind a handful of times. A stage might have a series of hazards and enemies to contend with, but nothing about them garnered an emotional response. I don't want to draw the wrong conclusions here, but the generosity of both foods and 1ups eliminated a lot of potential stress, and sometimes stress is essential to the throwback experience. However, I have noticed that a number of reviews in the Steam store mention that they had to play on the easy setting for its infinite lives (no shame in that btw). I also didn't try the hard difficulty, but that's because of my mixed feelings on the bosses.
There is a thought I have tumbling around in my otherwise empty skull that this game designs boss patterns around their "cool factor". Let's say that I have to make a boss-fight out of a giant man-eating plant. I'll put in just enough effort to give it a few attacks that reflect its design and then move on. Now, let's replace "man-eating plant" with "impossibly sexy vampire wife". For reasons that should be obvious, I'm far more invested in designing this boss. She's going to have phases, a huge variety of attacks that have to be memorized, the works. Conveniently, she's also the final boss, so players aren't likely to question why they're spending an inordinate amount of time fighting her. If it sounds like I'm projecting, then it's probably because I am. One of the many reasons why I don't make games is because I'd want my OCs to appear in them, and they'd be impossible to defeat. I'm talking 1,000 Malenias performing 1,000 waterfowl dances at the same time.
Mainly what I'm getting at is that Toziuha Night has an overdesigned final boss compared to the rest of the game. Anastasia Tepes has three phases, close to a dozen different attacks to memorize, and subtle tells that will trip players up multiple times in a row. This finale is where the bulk of my 14 deaths occurred, and I'm sure I'd have had a miserable time if I didn't enter it with 10+ extra lives in stock. Also, I won't deny that one of the reasons I finished the fight was because there's a checkpoint after the first two phases. There's no doubt that my spirit would've left me if I had to redo the entire battle. Each phase can be memorized, but their disproportionately large health meters make every attempt a chore, especially when Xandria doesn't even get a courtesy chicken between them. The thought of fighting Anastasia or any of the other bosses under differing conditions, such as in a boss-rush or on a harder difficulty, just doesn't sound like a good time for me.
Even with all of my complaints, I still enjoyed this game more than the last. It just goes to show much I value pacing. Toziuha Night: Dracula's Revenge might not be as tightly designed and balanced as I would've liked, but it moves steadily, as if stopping the prince of darkness actually matters to the protagonist. Putting it in blunter terms, Xandria walks and jumps like she gives a shit. Clearing the bar closest to the ground shouldn't count for this much, but what can I say? These things just happen.
So.... here's a proposition. If I ever get around to Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists, I'll make sure to replay Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia immediately beforehand. That way, memories of one of my favorite Metroidvanias will cast a massive shadow over the Toziuha Night successor and... Never mind, I'm not jumping through all of these insane hoops. Again, go ask a rock for an unbiased review.
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