MiSTer FPGA - Super Castlevania IV [No Death] (悪魔城ドラキュラ ) / Super Famicom (SNES)
28**PLEASE WATCH IN HIGHEST QUALITY 1440p - FOR BEST RESULT, INCREASE DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS ~15%** My first video utilizing MiSTer's 1920x1440 output mode, and also the first time I've ever cleared Castlevania IV with no deaths! Video filtering is matched closely to component output on my 32 inch Trinitron. More information below. Looking to get into MiSTer FPGA? Great quality kits, parts & support at https://www.MiSTerAddons.com
This game has a reputation for being one of the easier classic Castlevania games, but I honestly think it's more difficult than the NES original and many others in the series. You get plenty of lives and unlimited continues so you can basically try as much as you like, but that still doesn't make it an especially easy game. Bosses in general are overly easy in this version besides a couple of them, and the Dracula fight is disappointing at best. The stages are the real boss in this version, with tons of instant-death traps and cleverly crafted situations to keep you on your toes. The upgraded whip that can aim in any direction also makes things a bit easier compared to other Castlevania games, but with the increased ability comes a new degree of required precision as well. It's very easy to misfire direction or hold the button down too long and end up with the limp-noodle whip, so increased mechanical precision is required to get the most of it. Some stages are just fiendish also, like 8-2 with the disappearing platforms amongst the many death pits and spike traps.
I didn't expect it to take me so long to get the no death clear on this one, having played it since it released over 30 years ago. It took ~20 tries over a period of 10 days until I finally got it! Getting 40+ minutes into a run only to slip up at one of the many instant-death sections is pretty harsh, so I took it slow as to not get frustrated with the challenge here. The OST is one of my favorites of all-time and that helped with wanting to come back and try again each day.
Regarding the jump to 1440p for video quality, it's kind of a hack at the moment since I still only have 1080p high refresh monitors for my PC. I ended up setting a virtual resolution of 2560x1440 on my desktop by using NVidia's DSR, and then applying that resolution to the OBS canvas. My Datapath E1s capture card thankfully has no issues with capturing 1920x1440p resolution at 60hz also, but can't maintain this resolution for odd things that have 70+ hz refresh rates like the 486 core, etc. I look forward to implementing this higher resolution in other videos where I can't quite capture the quality I want to at 1080p with YouTube's limited re-encoding bitrate. 1440p gives *much* more breathing room for my filter experiments and I will re-visit games like Chrono Cross that were overly noisy at 1080p, and many high speed 3D games I tested that had noisy encoding before.
Please enjoy, and thank You for joining me on this journey through retro games!
The SNES core was made by srg320, whom also made the Sega CD, PC Engine CD and Genesis 32X cores. He is currently bringing the Sega Saturn to MiSTer as well.
You can support his Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/srg320
---
SNES core 2022-09-09 build - Super Castlevania IV
a.k.a: 悪魔城ドラキュラ , Akumajō Dracula
Filter Hori: Gaussian Sharp 65 // Filter Vert: Scanlines - Adaptive\30_60
Shadow Mask: MG Stripe // Gamma: Pure 110
Core Settings- Force 256px: On
Played using an NTT Data Super Famicom controller with Reflex USB adapter & 1000hz polling.
Settings: Integer scaled to 1440p // HDMI to Datapath e1s capture card
---
|:=-Timestamps-=:|
00:00 - Boot / Settings
00:36 - Title / Intro
03:44 - Approach
25:22 - Demon Castle
57:46 - Boss Rush
1:03:14 - Ending
---
=---------------CONTRIBUTE---------------=
None of this would be possible without the constant hard work of Sorgelig. You can support him either at his Patreon in the link below, or on Paypal, depending on your preference. MiSTer is a paradigm shift in how we can experience these classic games. This is a long-term preservation project that will continue to grow so that gamers today and in the future can experience these excellent systems as accurately and lag-free as possible.
Patreon: https://patreon.com/FPGAMiSTer
PayPal: https://paypal.me/FPGAMiSTer
=-----------------INFORM-----------------=
Github link for this core: https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/SNES_MiSTer
MiSTer Forum: http://MiSTerFPGA.org
MiSTer Documentation: https://mister-devel.github.io/MkDocs_MiSTer
Official MiSTer Discord (live chat/help): https://discord.gg/misterfpga
(Be respectful; this server is moderated.)
=------------------BUILD------------------=
Worldwide list of sellers for MiSTer expansion boards: https://misterfpga.org/viewforum.php?f=34&sid=74e1c5e7dae1b99284789d93194cfa0b
I have personally ordered all my parts from https://www.MiSTerAddons.com and have been 100% satisfied with the quality and service there.
Other Videos By MiSTer Walrus FPGA
Other Statistics
Super Castlevania IV Statistics For MiSTer Walrus FPGA
At present, MiSTer Walrus FPGA has 1,340 views spread across 3 videos for Super Castlevania IV, with his channel currently having around hours worth of content for Super Castlevania IV. This is 1.02% of the total watchable video on MiSTer Walrus FPGA's YouTube channel.