- New intro level and a healthbar in Classic mode. New demo - 21 November 2023
A short intro level has been added, and a healthbar in Classic mode - Thanks for the feedback! A new demo is live - intro level Small performance improvements and bug fixes
- HUGE UPDATE! Try it out - 30 October 2023
First, thank you all for your awesome feedback! As some of you know, this is my dream project for a couple of years now, and also my first released game. So I appreciate all the feedback I can get from you all, to make this game as good as possible. I've heard your feedback, did the work and now I have a lot of new improvements for you all to enjoy! A lot now, and more to come later! So let's get into it - what's new? PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS! A very nasty bug was discovered - one that chocked the graphic card on a lot of computers, making the game run slower that it should have (and caused some other issues as well). A lot of work was done to address the issue, and I'm happy to say the game runs a lot better now. As a quick note, the game engine uses some newer tech that doesn't run too well on older GPUs. The 5th gen. Intel iris for example (launched in 2009 / 14 years ago) can run th…
- Performance update and few bug fixes - 12 October 2023
The root of the performance issue has been identified. This is a quick update addressing the issue. More improvements are planned in the future. Also a few minor bugs had been fixed The character control for Dracula (Red skin / Ottoman Kilij sword) had been updated after the player feedback. More adjustments are planned in the future.
- Performance issues and malfunctions may be caused by antivirus and firewall - 7 October 2023
Some players experienced unjustified performance issues or malfunction of the app, that might be caused by the antivirus or Windows firewall blocking the app from functioning properly. If you experience such issues, please make sure you add an exception for the game to the firewall, and maybe disable the antivirus while you play the game. The game engine uses chrome, and that might cause some issues and suspicions with the antivirus.
- Improved character mobility / control - 5 October 2023
Quite a few players were having too much difficulty controlling the characters, they didn't like the sliding, so it was addressed in this quick fix. More polish will come later (feel free to send me your feedback, for future adjustments). Players also reported some other bugs - thank you for reporting, I will address them in future updates. Thank you!
- Launching Vlad Voievod Draula Ep. 1 Manhunt! - 2 October 2023
The wonderful moment has finally arrived, on this beautiful day of October 2nd, 2023! After years of hard work, long hours, tears and sacrifices, this new game is finally born into the world, ready to bring joy and beauty into many lives for decades to come. A small dent has been put out in the universe, something dark and beautiful, a little spark of (de)light, ready to be enjoyed for generations to come. And we get to be part of its journey, we were there the moment it was born. It was neither huge, nor perfect, but it was beautiful in its own dark and twisted way. Thank you all for following its journey, thank you for testing the multiple unfinished and painful iterations, thank you for sharing your feedback in these last three years, to make the game better. I managed to implement a lot from your feedback, but there is a lot more that I would like to do in future updates. So feel fr…
- We have a launch date: 2 Oct 2023! - 3 September 2023
After three years of working on the game, refining the concept over and over after player feedback, rebuilding everything from scratch (three times over), we finally have a game ready to be shipped and enjoyed by fans of the Classicvania genre! It's obviously not perfect, a lot of things can be improved, and are planned to be improved in future updates, but we have an awesome game for you! The full price is $8 (or $7.99 to be precise), to make it more affordable for most people, but it will launch with a 30% discount (so around $5.6) to reward the early adopters. I plan to offer the same 30% discount (+/- 5%) during Steam sales, and I plan to keep the same price for about 1-2 years. So if you're interested in the game, I encourage you to get it at launch, or during Sales events with this 30% discount, if you don't want to wait 1-2 years or more for a more significant occasional discount…
- Demo 3.0 out now! - 12 July 2023
Almost all code has been rewritten New graphics New Story with a strong emphasis on plot, character development arch, and logical motivations and conflict points, all wrapped up in the medieval context surrounding the first ascension to the throne of Vlad Tepes Dracula. It's a very carefully structured plot, not just random lore to bore you for no reason. Select your main sword / outfit from the beginning. It affects your stats, so a different experience with each sword. You have 5 swords to choose from, so a replay value of 5x. I included an "in-game Manual" you might want to check it out (there is something interesting there). You get to play level 1 (out of 4 levels in the final version), so 25% of the game for free. The difficulty has been toned down a little (especially in the first level), but there is still a challenge. Steam page redesign, with new Trailer, new Gameplay video, n…
- DEMO 2.0 - 13 May 2022
DEMO 2.0 Multiple Playable Characters New Levels New Graphics Casual Mode / Pro Mode Sword Pick-ups for Vlad Skin Pick-ups for Vlad
- Demo Update 1.4 - 20 December 2021
Demo update 1.4 - Dueling mode replaces "turn" button. Now, by default, the character turns, and if you want to lock the direction you're facing to engage in duels, toggle the dueling button. - The "Casual" mode was too brutal for many players, so in this demo it's going to be renamed as "Pro" mode. Meaning that in the full game the casual mode will be easier, than what's in this demo. - The default "Pro" mode comes with a different skin for Dracula. - Smoother movement. - Improved death mechanic. Now it's more clear when you get hit (why you died) - Other minor adjustments. There are a couple of small bugs left unfixed in the demo, but if they are not game braking, I would rather invest my time in the next build. If you find something game braking, please let me know. Thank you all for the feedback thus far. Happy Holidays everyone!
- Demo update 1.3 - 3 December 2021
- Faster character movement - Faster attack speed - Better jumps - Less repetitive music - Better enemy and weapon placement - More ammo (Also the cave level has been deleted. It came from the prototype where it was used for testing bats and cave graphics, so the level design was not representative for the game, it was just a draft, and people found it very frustrating. So the red spearman level ends the demo). The feedback was consistent about those issues, so here they are. Try them out if you want, and leave feedback for further improvements, if you choose. I would appreciate it. (Not everything is going to be implemented in the demo, some will come in the full game only). Have fun, and have a great day!
- Demo update 1.1 - 26 November 2021
First of all, I would like to thank you all for the feedback, I greatly appreciate you took the time to test the demo and share your impressions, feedback and suggestions with me. It's important for me to improve this game, and also to make sure that I clearly communicate to you what this game is and what it's not, so I don't set the wrong expectation. Demo update 1.1. After the first round of feedback, a few small things had been changed. 1. Game Perspective A new screen has been added at the start of the demo, to clearly communicate the game’s vision, to put the demo in the right perspective. I received some feedback and suggestion that, if implemented, would transform the game into a Castlevania clone. I do agree that a lot of those things would create a great game, but I don’t want to clone Casltevania, I want this game to be inspired by Castlevania in some aspects, but to have its…
- Soundtrack update! - 14 November 2021
It's been brought to my attention that some players spend more time playing the demo than I was initially expecting, and because of this, the song used as soundtrack (about 3 min long) was becoming too repetitive. (Thank you Sergiu for the feedback!). This update adds 2 more songs, and reorganizes the whole soundtrack. The song that used to play in the main menu (Enter Dracula / Dracula's Theme) becomes the chorus, and the other 3 songs (The craving, Restless and Unreachable) become "stanzas" in the new compilation of songs (Dracula: Rise of the Impaler) which is about 17 min long, and it loops. (Also, a couple of small bugs, just discovered, had been fixed). Now, with the new soundtrack, I hope you enjoy the demo more. All the best!
- First impressions and feedback - 11 November 2021
The demo just release is a proof of concept that allows you, the player, to experience the core gameplay, and it allows me, the developer, to get valuable feedback, so I can make the proper adjustments to the foundation of the game, before adding more and more content. So, if you enjoyed playing Castlevania 1/3, I would really like to hear your first impressions or feedback for this game. If you want to share what you like or don’t like about it, feel free to write here about your experience and impression, or, if you prefer, you can use email me at [email protected] - the email is great for more detailed feedback and conversations. If you’re not a Castlevania fan, your first impressions and feedback are also valuable, but know that the game direction is already set, and I’m looking for fine-tuning, not radical departures. Thanks in advance for sharing your first impressions and f…
- First Demo! - 10 November 2021
First Demo, available now! This demo includes: 7 enemy types, 4 small levels, 3 secondary weapons, 1 game mode (casual) with the first character skin (red Dracula). This demo is a proof of concept, it allows you to experience the core gameplay and asks for your feedback. The objective here is to listen very carefully to your first impressions and feedback, and test if the initial vision of the game was executed properly in the core gameplay; if the vision came across as intended. The target audience here is the NES era Castlevania fan. So if you enjoyed those games, I’m really interested of what you’re enjoying / not enjoying, what do you think about the core concept here. The goal is not to remake Castlevania with a different skin, but to create a new game, that offers a similar experience to people who want to enjoy it. If you’re not a Castlevania fan, your first impressions and feedb…
