JKR - Castlevania

Description
[i]"Die monster, you don't belong in this world!"[/i]
[b]"It was not by my hand that I am once again given flesh. I was called here by humans who wish to pay me tribute."[/b]
[i]"Tribute?! You steal men's souls and make them your slaves!"[/i]
[b]"Perhaps the same could be said of all religions."[/b]
[i]"Your words are as empty as your soul. Mankind ill needs a savior such as you."[/i]
[b]"What is a man?! A miserable little pile of secrets! But enough talk, have at you!"[/b]

Ah, one of my favorite game intros ever! For those who know it not, this is the conversation between Richter Belmont and Dracula at the start of the original english translation of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. And of course, I mention this because of my love for Castlevania, on which this map is loosely based.

My first thought upon seeing the map in the list of files to be reviewed was, "Awesome, finally another CV map!" Unfortunately, while the castle can be seen, it can not really be explored. No, this map was made specifically for racing swoops around the outside of the castle, and only a corridor or two indoors.

When I spawned, I immediately thought to myself that the surrounding trees look horrid. They are 2D, which is something that I wouldn't mind if they didn't look so stretched and blurry. I was surrounded by a number of swoops, which I immediately hopped on and started my race! Into the castle I sped, trying to take in as much of the scenery as possible without crashing.

Right after the first turn inside the castle, I happened to notice that one of the candles was floating a bit in front of the wall, and it's glow showing only sometimes. Not too noticeable if you're racing along with other people, though. On my second turn, I found myself in a corridor with a bunch of paintings on the wall. Of course, I jumped off my swoop to examine them closely. "Pretty cool," I thought to myself. Then I turned around and saw the ugly 2D trees outside and decided to move on.

The next turn led me outside to the graveyard. I tried to jump my swoop over it, but unfortunately, I hit an invisible wall. That disappointed me a little bit. After failing my attempt at a shortcut, I found myself at a bridge to jump. This is probably my favorite part of the entire map. Sadly, using the boost to get over it resulted in me hitting the ground a bit too hard, which slowed me to a near-stop. From there, it simply led back around to where the race started, with no real outstanding features.

It's a rather short map. By the time I was starting to really get into the race, it was already over. I'd love to see another version with more to it. Also, the scenery could use some work. Trees don't ever form a flat sided acute angle. Hell, they never form a flat surface, ever. Also, at the top of that texture is a random line. You can't really notice while racing, but when you stop to look at it, it is painfully obvious.

Bottom line: This map could use some work, but it is far from bad as it is. I'd definitely recommend a download to any fan of Castlevania, or racing!







Game Types: FFA, TFFA
New textures: Yes
New sounds: No
New music: Yes
New models: No