History YMMV / Castlevania64

* SlowPacedBeginning: The game begins with the forest complete with nasty platforms hindered by CameraScrew, moves on to the Villa with the [[TheMaze hedge maze]], then puts you smack dab in [[ThatOneLevel the nitro level]]. Once you get past that (along with the Duel Tower if you're playing as Reinhardt) the game actually gets pretty fun, but most people unfortunately don't stay that long and [[NeverLiveItDown its rather bad reputation stuck]].

* CriticalBacklash: After years of being called one of the worst 3D games of all time, many fans have been surprised to find the game actually isn’t that bad and is not without some very strong points; like being a surprisingly effective horror game and, of course, the music. Today ''Castlevania 64'' remains a ContestedSequel for many of the flaws it was criticized for before, like its camera and controls, but it is also much easier to find those who sincerely enjoy it and feel the earlier hate directed towards it was overblown.
* DifficultySpike: The nitro/mandragora escort business; before it, you are happily [[WhipItGood whipping]] or [[MagicMissile magic missiling]] enemies on your path, but now you have to ''carefully'' move a dangerous item along a hazardous path.

* ThatOneAttack: Fighting any vampire means you've got to keep them at safe distance, because getting bitten results in a NonStandardGameOver if not cured of that StatusEffect before midnight in-game. Obviously, this is problem when you encounter said enemy/boss during that time-frame. While ''Castlevania 64'' tries [[AntiFrustrationFeatures to meet the player in the middle]], so getting infected just before midnight mercifully gives you one more day, but being bitten ''just before 11 o'clock [[OhCrap doesn't]]'' - you're pretty much screwed if a curing item isn't on-hand.

** Another contender for the title is the original version of Duel Tower, which they ''[[CheckPointStarvation forgot to put save points in]]''. You've got four were-mini-bosses, and a bunch of jumps, Medusa Heads, spinning spikes, ledges, and a giant acid pool at the bottom of the tower waiting to dissolve anyone who botches a jump or gets pushed off (plus the ceiling is descending in each of the mini-boss fights, and will straight out drop and crush you if you don't bail out fast enough after killing the MiniBoss, [[TimeLimitBoss or fail to kill the mini-boss fast enough]]). Even after defeating the last of the were-friends, you still have to ascend a few ledges and then make two very long jumps that '''will''' kill you if you fail them before you reach the exit. Lose anywhere along the way to the Tower of Execution (the next area, which has a Save Crystal right at the entrance), and you have to do it all over again.
* VindicatedByHistory: Downplayed. When it first came out, the game got hit with middling reviews and generally considered a failure in terms of bringing the series into 3D, with VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight's success guaranteeing that the future of the series would remain largely in 2D. This left the game with a rather poor reputation among fans for many years, with many decrying it as outright terrible. Nowadays, while it isn't necessarily considered a ''great'' game or on par with the better installments in the franchise, there are more people willing to defend the game as at least not being as bad as its reputation made it out to be if not outright decent, praising its nice atmosphere and visuals, as well as its surprisingly decent performance for a 3D game of its time, playing at 30FPS a good amount of the time while many of its contemporaries couldn't even come close to that.

* GameBreakingBug: There's a particularly nasty glitch where if you save in Castle Center while carrying nitro and then attempt to start a new game, the new game is UnwinnableByMistake because the game thinks your character is still carrying the nitro. This predictably leads to your character [[https://youtu.be/uALkr9Rop68?t=18 exploding on the first jump.]]

%%* ContestedSequel

* ThatOneBoss: The Behemoth in [[ThatOneLevel Castle Center]].

** The game had a few reviled levels, thanks to sluggish movements and unhelpful camera angles. But the worst is the Castle Center, in which you had to carry an exploding gunpowder keg called Nitro, requiring you to make the whole trip without taking damage, jumping, or falling; doing any of those causes the Nitro to explode on you and, as the game says, "the story's over". [[note]]You have to do two runs with the Nitro, both of which have a Save Crystal in the room where you pick up the Nitro; one of the runs doesn't require much input or dealing with any enemies, as the place where you need to set the Nitro for that is only a few doors back from where you pick it up, but the other forces you to take a Nitro all the way down to the Behemoth's lair, which is near the starting point of the Castle Center. This one will force you to go through a falling ceiling room, outmaneuver several suits of armor, and deal with a precarious catwalk with lizardmen breathing fire on you and platforms that drop from under your feet, then you have to maneuver through some gears. You may have to do this twice if you accidentally blow the Nitro/Mandragora on that run's target wall up before breaking a seal over it. Thankfully, some vampires that you would normally meet along this path will not be there when you have the Nitro on hand to make this doable.[[/note]] The Mandragora doesn't have those drawbacks. This area also has the Behemoth itself in the giant room with the seal (no music plays in this room normally), and once you are able to break the wall the seal is guarding, you'll find the goal crystal that controls the elevator out of the center, along with a Save Crystal and Renon's Contract. Once you activate the elevator and step back into the arena, you'll be forced to fight the Behemoth to get out of the room, with a follow-up boss fight two rooms later against [[spoiler:a Death-controlled Rosa or Carrie's adoptive mother controlled by Actrise]] before you reach the end of the area.

* VindicatedByHistory: Downplayed. When it first came out, the game got hit with middling reviews and generally considered a failure in terms of bringing the series into 3D, with VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight's success guaranteeing that the future of the series would remain largely in 2D. This left the game with a rather poor reputation in the series for many years, with many decrying it as outright terrible. Nowadays, while it isn't considered a ''great'' game or on par with the better installments in the franchise, there are more people willing to defend the game as at least not being as bad as its reputation made it out to be, praising its nice atmosphere and visuals, as well as its surprisingly decent performance for a 3D game of its time, playing at 30FPS a good amount of the time while many of its contemporaries couldn't even come close to that.

** Another contender for the title is the original version of Duel Tower, which they ''[[CheckPointStarvation forgot to put save points in]]''. You've got four were-mini-bosses, and a bunch of jumps, Medusa Heads, spinning spikes, ledges, and a giant acid pool at the bottom of the tower waiting to dissolve anyone who botches a jump or gets pushed off (plus the ceiling is descending in each of the mini-boss fights, and will straight out drop and crush you if you don't bail out fast enough after killing the MiniBoss, [[TimeLimitBoss or fail to kill the mini-boss fast enough]]). Even after defeating the last of the were-friends, you still have to ascend a few ledges and then make two very long jumps that '''will''' kill you if you fail them before you reach the exit. Lose anywhere along the way to the Tower of Execution (the next area, which has a Save Crystal right at the entrance), and you have to do it all over again.

* MoralEventHorizon: Actrise is a very [[EvilMatriarch bad mother]]. [[WouldHurtAChild She murdered 100 children,]] [[OffingTheOffspring including her own daughter,]] to gain Dracula's favor and eternal youth. She has no regrets for this crime.

* NarmCharm: The fact that there are skeletons on motorcycles is [[CrazyAwesome kind of amazing]].

* GameBreaker: [[PlayingWtihFire Carrie's homing fireballs.]] Also, if you charge one up and then utilize her close-quarters ring attack, it hits with the fireball's strength.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Grown-up Henry with his six-shooter and suit of armor. Plenty of players would dearly love for him to have his full story mode instead of just being a bonus section.
* GameBreaker: Carrie's homing fireballs. Also, if you charge one up and then utilize her close-quarters ring attack, it hits with the fireball's strength.
* GoodBadBugs: It's possible to get a vampire to latch onto ''[[GroinAttack your character's crotch]]'' while they use their blood-suck move by simply standing on a chair. Showcased in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tirQWjm44tI this video]].

* MoralEventHorizon: Actrise is a very bad mother. She murdered 100 children, including her own daughter, to gain Dracula's favor and eternal youth. She has no regrets for this crime.

** For one line, the dialogue reads "Darkness will rule!", but the way it's spoken aloud in the game, it sounds somewhere along the lines of "Darkness will row".
* NarmCharm: The fact that there are skeletons on motorcycles is kind of amazing.

* GoodBadBugs: It's possible to get a vampire to latch onto ''your character's crotch'' while he uses his blood-suck move by simply standing on a chair. Showcased in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tirQWjm44tI this video]].

* ScrappyMechanic: Cornell's ability to turn into a werewolf. The damage boost it provides to regular attacks is minor, and using it drains gems which would be much better used for subweapons. It doesn't help either that it is easy to accidentally activate. Perhaps most damning is that once activated, the only way to turn back is to wait for your gems to run out!

* MoralEventHorizon: Actrise is a very bad mother. She murdered 100 children, including her own daughter, to gain Dracula's favour and eternal youth. She has no regrets for this crime.

* CriticalBacklash: After years of being called one of the worst 3D games of all time, many fans have been surprised to find the game actually isn’t that bad and is not without some very strong points; like being a surprisingly effective horror game and, of course, the music. Today Castlevania 64 remains a ContestedSequel for many of the flaws it was criticized for before, like its camera and controls, but it is also much easier to find those who sincerely enjoy it and feel the earlier hate directed towards it was overblown.

* CriticalBacklash: While panned to hell and back by critics on release, it has built up a large cult following over the years who admit to loving the game.
** Actually, upon released it was highly reviewed, with reviewers like IGN giving it an 8.2 and considering one of the best third person adventures on the N64. The notion that it was 'bad' in any capacity stems from modern day Youtubers who judge the game in hindsight without taking into consideration its historical and technological context. Its graphics, gameplay additions, story and music were considered very good in its day.

** Actually, upon released it was highly reviewed, with reviewers like IGN giving it an 8.2 and considering one of the best third person adventures on the N64. The notion that it was 'bad' in any capacity stems from modern day Youtubers who judge the game in hindsight without taking into consideration its historical and technological context. It's graphics, gameplay additions, story and music were considered very good in it's day.

** Actually, upon released it was highly reviewed, with reviewers like IGN giving it an 8.2 and considering one of the best third person adventures on the N64. The notion that it was 'bad' in any capacity stems from modern day Youtubers who judge the game in hindsight without taking into consideration it's historical and technological context. It's graphics, gameplay additions, story and music were considered very good in it's day.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Grown-up Henry with his six-shooter and suit of armor. Plenty of players would dearly love for him to have his full story more instead of just being a bonus section.

* HilariousInHindsight: [[WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}} Skeletons on motorcycles.]]

** Reinhardt telling Rosa, whom he just met, not to commit SuicideBySunlight because "God forbids it" is far more cheesy than HeartWarming.

** The dialogue reads "Darkness will rule!", but the spoken aloud in the game, it sounds somewhere along the lines of "Darkness will row".

** The game had a few reviled levels, thanks to sluggish movements and unhelpful camera angles. But the worst is the Castle Center, in which you had to carry an exploding gunpowder keg called Nitro, requiring you to make the whole trip without taking damage, jumping or falling; doing any of those causes the Nitro to explode on you and, as the game says, "the story's over". [[note]] You have to do two runs with the Nitro, both of which have a Save Crystal in the room where you pick up the Nitro; one of the runs doesn't require much input or dealing with any enemies, as the place where you need to set the Nitro for that is only a few doors back from where you pick it up, but the other forces you to take a Nitro all the way down to the Behemoth's lair, which is near the starting point of the Castle Center. This one will force you to go through a falling ceiling room, outmaneuver several suits of armor, and deal with a precarious catwalk with lizardmen breathing fire on you and platforms that drop from under your feet, then you have to maneuver through some gears. You may have to do this twice if you accidentally blow the Nitro/Mandragora on that run's target wall up before breaking a seal over it. Thankfully, some vampires that you would normally meet along this path will not be there when you have the Nitro on hand to make this doable. [[/note]] The Mandragora doesn't have those drawbacks. This area also has the Behemoth itself in the giant room with the seal (no music plays in this room normally), and once you are able to break the wall the seal is guarding, you'll find the goal crystal that controls the elevator out of the center, along with a Save Crystal and Renon's Contract. Once you activate the elevator and step back into the arena, you'll be forced to fight the Behemoth to get out of the room, with a follow-up boss fight two rooms later against [[spoiler:a Death-controlled Rosa or Carrie's adoptive mother controlled by Actrise]] before you reach the end of the area.
** Another contender for the title is the original version of Duel Tower, which they [[CheckPointStarvation ''forgot to put save points in'']]. You've got four were-mini-bosses, and a bunch of jumps, Medusa Heads, spinning spikes, ledges, and a giant acid pool at the bottom of the tower waiting to dissolve anyone who botches a jump or gets pushed off (plus the ceiling is descending in each of the mini-boss fights, and will straight out drop and crush you if you don't bail out fast enough after killing the MiniBoss). Even after defeating the last of the were-friends, you still have to ascend a few ledges and then make two very long jumps that '''will''' kill you if you fail them before you reach the exit. Lose anywhere along the way to the Tower of Execution (the next area, which has a Save Crystal right at the entrance), and you have to do it all over again.

* ScrappyMechanic: Cornell's ability to turn into a werewolf. The damage boost it provides to regular attacks is minor, and using it drains gems which would be much better used for subweapons. It doesn't help either that it is easy to accidentally activate it. Perhaps most damning is that once activated, the only way to turn back is to wait for your gems to run out!