CastlevaniaRL

CastlevaniaRL: Prelude, was an entry for the 7DRL programming initiative and is being furthed developed by Slash; It has a community website at http://peltkore.net/~szdev/crl/

In CastlevaniaRL: Prelude, you control a Transylvannian character who travels to the castle of count Dracula, seeking to finish his reign of blood over the land. On your quest inside the castle, you will face horrible monsters and find sacred weapons, treasures and artifacts. Your magical abilities, granted as a gift to fight darkness, and your long years of training, are your only advantage against the upcoming carnage!

The castle, as a creature of chaos, will morph its shape and contents each time you begin an adventure... there is no way to know what awaits you!

Story

In the year of 1691, a dark castle emerges from the cursed soils in the plains of Transylvania.

Chaos and death spread all along the land, as the evil servants of its ruler are unleashed, turning the once peaceful land into a pool of blood.

A shaddy character from a small transylvanian town has been journeying long to get to the castle, he is said to carry the fate of the vampire killers, travelling on a quest to bring an end to the problem. Armed with all his might and courage, he approaches the small town of Petra, some miles away from the cursed castle, it is time to battle evil and try to emerge victorious.

The Hero

In order to challenge the castle, you will impersonate a Transylvannian character who has been granted special abilities to fight darkness; these abilities are resumed in 5 different character fates, which will be explained in the following sections

The Fates

In CastlevaniaRL, all characters are related to a fate, which describes powers he has been granted to fight darkness. This fate also determines the starting equipment, weapon profficiences and gameplay limitations.

As you advance in the game, your character will gain unlock additional powers, which will allow you to face the evergrowing dangers inside the castle.

You can access the special powers using 'S'

VAMPIRE KILLER: A member of the Belmont bloodline, skilled using the sacred Vampire killer whip and the mystic weapons; this character grows strong as he gets inside the castle and finds powerups for its whip; its main ability is the use of the sacred weapons, which he finds scattered all around the castle. He must make good use of support items, as he can't equip conventional weapons or armor; however the best he fights the stronger equipment he is granted.

VAMPIRE VANQUISHER: Since childhood he was discovered to possess special magical powers, which came from distant ancestors that fighted against darkness when it rose and threathened the world; the vampire vanquisher has strong magical attacks which can be improved by finding spellbooks and scrolls. He can also use weapons, altough he is not very good at them with the exception of ring blades, which he is able to enchant to deliver huge ammounts of damage.

RENEGADE: A vampire which discovered the world and mankind were worth to protect and not to destroy; he abandoned the shadows to fight in the light side, but still retains most of his dark powers. The renegade has a wide array of skills that allow him to manipulate energies in dark places, specially Dracula's castle. He prefers light weapons and armor, altough he can handle some of the most devasting mystical weapons.

INVOKER: Similar to the vanquisher, the invoker has been given destructive supernatural powers that bring havoc into the creatures of chaos; however their nature is different as the power of the invoker is awaken in any person, without any seemingly ancestor relationship with magic or previous scholarship about it. The Invoker can call monsters and mytical creatures to its aid, which may cause destruction to the enemies or relievement over him.

MAN-BEAST: In the far mountains of Transylvannia, where only the Belmonts have dared to travel, there are small communities of beings which are neither human nor monsters; they have managed to live along well, after being shunned by the humans as monstruosities. When Dracula awoke he sent messengers to ask them to join his legions of darkness; they refused, their settlements were burned and levelled, and most of them were horribly masacred. The few survivors ran away, and promised to seek revenge against the dark lord using all their power and might.

KNIGHT: When the time for the resurrection of Dracula draws near, and hope seems to fade away, some inidividuals gather together to think on a way to defend themselves and their people, the order of Light. A Knight of light must strive to strenghten himself, both in the physical and spiritual path, before daring to challenge the horrors of the dark castle.

The Vampire Killer

The vampire killer has been trained since childhood to confront his final fate; its main weapon is the vampire killer whip, a magical mid range weapon strong against evil and undead.

The vampire hunter also will find some weapons inside the castle that will help him on his way to Dracula; these are:

• Dagger: Weak, long flight
• Axe: Strong, curved flight
• Holy Water: Area effect
• Holy Bible: Spiral effect
• Cross: Slices through the enemies
• Stopwatch: Stops time

You will also find special items that will power up your whip, allowing you to attack your enemies with flames and thorns, and increase its reach.

Petra and the Merchants

Strangely, there is a small transylvannian town not far from the castle; thereby you will met with the local population, which is a source for tips and also visit the church to heal your wounds. You will also find some merchants inside the castle, that have choosen to defy its dangers just for the chance of obtaining mystical goodss.

The castle

The castle is generated randomly everytime you get into it; as you would expect, it is full of monsters and dangers, as well as valuable trasures and relics.

Commands and Actions

A      Attack
E      Equip
J      Jump
U      Use item
R      Reload
S      Skills
T      Throw item
W      Whip
Space  Use special weapon

F1     Show Help
C      Character Info
L      Look Around
I      Inventory
Q      Quit game