Social House of the Belmont Clan: Simon and Richter Belmont Social Thread.

[Deleted member]

I've been thinking about something, what do you guys think will be Richter's Final Smash? Personally I believe that it will either be Hydro Storm, Grand Cross, or something with Maria.

It's probably Grand Cross, since Simon already uses it despite it originating from Richter. I don't really see them putting extra effort into giving him Hydro Storm (as cool as that would be) or having him team up with Maria (though it'd be neat if she at least appeared as a trophy).

 

[Jedisupersonic]

I've been thinking about something, what do you guys think will be Richter's Final Smash? Personally I believe that it will either be Hydro Storm, Grand Cross, or something with Maria.

Considering they did the Hydro Storm gag on the Pikmin stage I doubt it's his final smash unfortunately.

 

[Bobert]

I've been thinking about something, what do you guys think will be Richter's Final Smash? Personally I believe that it will either be Hydro Storm, Grand Cross, or something with Maria.

Considering it's canonically his strongest move, maybe it will be Hydro Storm? They could have hinted at it in the E3 reveal with the Holy Water and the rain effect on the Pikmin stage. Other than Daisy, he's the only echo who's final smash we haven't seen. We've also seen Dark Samus' FS and it's the same as Samus. It's possible his Final Smash isn't finished or something. If it's Grand Cross, I don't see why they wouldn't just show it if they're going to show Dark Samus using the same FS as Samus.

 

[Diem]

Hydro Storm wouldn't work with this game's style of Final Smashes. They're meant to be quick and not super powerful, and often cinematic, as well as more balanced for when they're used as a meter. Hydro Storm would be something that covers the entire stage for a period of time, and would probably be too powerful for a Final Smash here. It'd basically be PK Starstorm on steroids.

Though it would be humorous and fitting, given how overpowered it is in SotN.

 

[Another K-2L Survivor]

It’s possible that Hyrdo Storm could be more self contained in a small cutscene, only affecting those within Richter’s range when he uses it. A lot of the new final smashes temporarily transport people to a new place for the attack, like Ridley’s (and I believe Simon’s).

Edit: Honestly, I can see it looking almost visually identical to Simon’s, just with the storm and Richter’s pose changed, instead of the coffin and cross.

 

[ChronoBound]

Its been over a week since not only Simon Belmont has been confirmed, but also Richter and a whole bunch of Castlevania content in general (over 30 songs, Alucard Assist Trophy, an item, and Dracula's Castle stage with a whole bunch of cameos by classic Castlevania bosses).

Aside from Mega Man and classic Sonic, Castlevania was among my Top 3 favorite non-Nintendo franchises. When Snake was confirmed back in May 2006, aside from thinking about Sonic and Mega Man joining in Smash Bros., my thought also was, "I wish Castlevania got in as Konami's representative instead of Metal Gear Solid." I always thought Castlevania belonged in Smash Bros. because like Mega Man it was a franchise with very strong connections with Nintendo platforms, even post-SNES. Castlevania series had games on the NES, Game Boy, SNES, N64, GBA, DS, Wii, and 3DS, and on many of these platforms these games were among the best titles for their respective platforms (notably the NES, SNES, GBA, and DS).

Castlevania was a franchise not just iconic to Nintendo platforms, but others as well. Rondo of Blood is regarded by many as the crown jewel of the Turbografx/PC-Engine's library (for both the Hu-Card and CD formats), and Symphony of the Night is seen as among the Top 5 best games on the PS1 and perhaps of all time. Sakurai himself said the original Castlevania was among the the titles that gravitated him towards home console gaming. Castlevania is definitely an All-Star gaming franchise worthy of being part of a series celebrating gaming All-Stars.

For me personally, Super Castlevania IV, Symphony of the Night, and Rondo of Blood are some of my favorite non-Nintendo games of all time, and among my favorite games on their respective platforms (for Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night, they are my #1 favorite game for both of their respective platforms).

Super Castlevania IV is an atmospheric masterpiece, and perhaps the pinnacle of the classic version of the series. It amazes me this game game out in 1991 because its atmosphere surpasses many other games that game later in terms of atmosphere, a large part of this is the phenomenal soundtrack and how the game's journey begins outside the actual castle itself. It was the game that made me a fan of the Castlevania series in general.

Symphony of the Night was another masterpiece. As someone who really enjoys the Metroid series, I greatly enjoyed the "Metroid in a castle" gameplay. Alucard in general ended up becoming one of my favorite non-Nintendo gaming protagonists. I really loved his regal gothic design and especially his animations and movement in the game. Unfortunately, while I liked other Metroid-like Castlevania games (Aria of Sorrow, Dawn of Sorrow, and Harmony of Dissonance), I never enjoyed them to the extent that I did with Symphony of the Night.

Rondo of Blood was another seminal gaming experience for me. Back in 2006, when the Wii's Virtual Console was announced and the Turbografx was announced as one of the platforms to be on the service, I was immediately hoping for Rondo of Blood. It was the only game on the platform that I had any interest in. I waited earnestly for over three years for the game to be released internationally on the VC (especially when games like Sin & Punishment showed that Japan-only games could be released on the VC). I even picked up another Turbo CD title in aniticpation of Rondo of Blood's release (Star Parodier, which has unfortunately been removed from the Wii's Virtual Console, it is a fantastic beginner's shmup). When Rondo of Blood was finally released on the North American VC in March 2010, I was ecstatic. While I still enjoyed the likes of Super IV and Symphony of the Night more, it was still a fantastic game with a lot of replay value. It made a strong impression on me, and was the impetus for me to check out other Turbografx/Turbo CD games on the Wii's Virtual Console. Overall, it is easily my third favorite game in the series, and deserving of the moniker of being the Turbo's crown jewel.

Castlevania finally joining Smash Bros. gives even more meaning to "Everyone is here." It was the one third-party franchise I still wanted to see added in after Mega Man joined the series back in June 2013, but I thought would never happen since people wanted Snake to come back first and the conventional wisdom was that each third-party would only receive one guest. Fortunately, Ryu dispelled the latter notion, and Snake finally returned to Smash Bros. a few months ago.

Sakurai knocked it out of the park with his Castlevania representation. I was pleasantly surprised that Richter was an echo fighter, and he certainly deserves it. Now we have someone on the roster to represent the PC-Engine's contributions to gaming (one from what many consider the console duo's best title I might add). Alucard as an Assist Trophy was a perfect choice for who should represent the series in such a role, and I am very pleased that he is among the more powerful Assist Trophies in the game and has a wide selection of attacks and moves. I also like that they went with Simon's classic design, and I think they did a good job with it.

The stage is pure fanservice. Being able to fight all of these classic bosses again with my favorite gaming characters is splendid.

34 songs!? The possible remixes was among the reasons I wanted to see Castlevania added to Smash Bros., and it looks to be among the most blessed third-party franchises in terms of that sort of content.

Simon Belmont and Richter Belmont are gaming all-stars and deserve their place in Smash Bros. Castlevania is getting the treatment it deserves in general and the content selection was fantastic.

As for Tord, congrats on Simon actually coming true. Many times a leaker can have either wrong or outdated information. Fans of the Chorus Kids and Rhythm Heaven are still waiting for some sort of notable content for their series of choice in Smash Bros.,, and fans of Chrom ended up being humiliated alongside the actual character and they had to wait an additional four years before Chrom finally did have his chance another day. Fortunately, for you, Simon's confirmation not only did happen, but it happened a few months prior to release as opposed to only a few weeks. It also turned out the Castlevania content in general was beyond anyone's wildest dreams, and surpassed everyone's expectations.

The direct on 8/8 was just as much a hype tsunami as the one back in June. The distant dreams for fans of characters like Chrom and Dark Samus got realized. K. Rool fans finally had their decade long wait end with a victory. And Castlevania got the premium treatment it deserved in a series like Smash Bros. We also got to see nearly every stage in the history of the Smash Bros. series return. Phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal.

I can only imagine what else Sakurai has planned for Ultimate going forward.

However, as I said to fans of K. Rool, Dark Samus, and Chrom, I will say to fans of Simon and Richter, congratulations. Just as with many other things with Ultimate, who would have thought that not only we would have Castlevania content in the next Smash Bros. earlier this year, but also to the extent we have it now? Simon, and Richter as his echo, are the perfect representatives for the series in Smash Bros. (even though I am a bigger fan of Alucard). I hope that those who hoped for Simon (and were pleasantly surprised by Richter) are happy with how things turned out.

I have no idea how Sakurai can build hype further from here, however, I thought the same with the June 2018 Direct (which not only brought back every character in Smash Bros. history but also brought in my single most wanted newcomer for over 17 years, Ridley), but 8/8's direct got me just as excited. Castlevania being brought in with a large amount of content, K. Rool finally being added in, and two characters with a lot stacked against them were able to make it in (Chrom and Dark Samus) despite their time in the sun of their series being over.

Not only is this game special, but it is truly ultimate.

 

[Sari]

I want to get into the 2D Castlevania games but I'm not sure where to start. Which game(s) would be the best to begin with for someone with just a basic understanding of the series?

 

[Jedisupersonic]

I want to get into the 2D Castlevania games but I'm not sure where to start. Which game(s) would be the best to begin with for someone with just a basic understanding of the series?

If you want to jump right into the Classicvanias I'd suggest Super Castlevania IV or Rondo of blood, they're the most fair (but still hard) original styled castlevania games. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is also a Classicvania styled game made as a bonus for how many people backed Bloodstained Ritual of the Night (A Castlevania styled game since Konami seems uninterested in continuing the series). Might also be a solid choice.

If you want to get in with the Metroidvania's which are a bit easier I'd suggest Symphony of the Night or Aria of Sorrow to start, although Harmony of Dissonance might also be an alright choice considering that is one of the easiest games in the series period.

 

[Awesomeperson159]

I think Simon is a very fitting Smash character, but I main the character with the worst approach in the game, and man, I am not looking forward to this MU. I thought DH invalidated Luigi, but Simon's disjoint is ridiculous.

 

[RonNewcomb]

I think Simon is a very fitting Smash character, but I main the character with the worst approach in the game, and man, I am not looking forward to this MU. I thought DH invalidated Luigi, but Simon's disjoint is ridiculous.

Look on the bright side: unlike DuckHunt Mr. Belmont has slow ground speed, 10f+ startup on all moves except Up-B into freefall, and no aerial acceleration to speak of. Weegee has trouble getting in, but once he's in, Belmont will have an equal amount of trouble getting him back out again.

 

[Deleted member]

Kind of Castlevania related. Bloodstained is getting delayed to 2019.

 

[Deleted member]

Kind of Castlevania related. Bloodstained is getting delayed to 2019.

And the Vita port has been cancelled.

 

[Fenriraga]

Still staring at the Japanese Nintendo YouTube with a K. Rool tier eye bulge waiting for gameplay of Richter/Simon.

I'm kinda worried they won't show them yet, possibly because they want to keep Dracula's Castle a bit hush-hush considering Dracula's vauge roll.

 

[Sheik_Pwns]

I will become the best Richter in SFL

 

[Jedisupersonic]

Still staring at the Japanese Nintendo YouTube with a K. Rool tier eye bulge waiting for gameplay of Richter/Simon.

I'm kinda worried they won't show them yet, possibly because they want to keep Dracula's Castle a bit hush-hush considering Dracula's vauge roll.

Guessing this might be why they weren't featured, but maybe in a day or so?

 

[Fenriraga]

Guessing this might be why they weren't featured, but maybe in a day or so?

What would change in a day or so? I can imagine them showing up at PAX maybe, but isn't that not until the 31st?

 

[Jedisupersonic]

What would change in a day or so? I can imagine them showing up at PAX maybe, but isn't that not until the 31st?

I was just being insanely hopeful haha.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Okay, so recommend me a Castlevania title that's easy for beginners and explains the lore of the whole franchise well, and also is easily accesable on a Nintendo system.

Please.

 

[Jedisupersonic]

Okay, so recommend me a Castlevania title that's easy for beginners and explains the lore of the whole franchise well, and also is easily accesable on a Nintendo system.

Please.

Explaining the lore too? Hmm... Aria of Sorrow (GBA) kinda delves into it, but it's kind of the entire series together that binds the lore together, you can't get the entire story from just one game or subset of games.

Portrait of Ruin (DS) goes into lore specfically relating to Bloodlines for the Sega Genesis... A little relating to Rondo of Blood, kind of explains the whip too.

Castlevania IV (SNES) has the opening blurb on the lore of the franchise, and is probably the easiest classicvania (by no means easy though).

Harmony of Dissonance (GB) is probably the easiest game but doesn't go much into the lore.

Your criteria is a bit rough to get any other answers besides those 4. The lore is also not the important part of the franchise to many.

 

[Next Door Dog]

Okay, so recommend me a Castlevania title that's easy for beginners and explains the lore of the whole franchise well, and also is easily accesable on a Nintendo system.

Please.

I was gonna say Symphony of the Night, but that's not on any Nintendo system. The ones mentioned above are all great, and I do agree: the lore sort of just builds up the more you play, they're all different snippets of history. Also the plot isn't super crucial. I started with the Sorrow games, which chronologically are the last games in the series.

I'd recommend Portrait of Ruin, given your criteria. It came out in 2006, so it's a bit of a anniversary release for Castlevania (the first releasing in 1986). So it's got a lot of classic bosses mixed in, and unlockable modes that let you play as some of the older characters. On top of that, you get a lot of weapon variety, in addition to the classic whip. I'd say it's one of the easier ones too, with Circle of the Moon and Order of Ecclesia being the more difficult metroidvanias, and the classics being on a whole other level of difficulty.

 

[Oddball]

Castlevania 3 is also defintly worth playing, although I wouldn't call it easy. It's an old school NES platforming game. The plot is minuscule at best but get the point for everything across and the levels and atmosphere are great.

That game stars Trevor Belmont who is basically the exact same character as Simon.

 

[Jedisupersonic]

Castlevania 3 is also defintly worth playing, although I wouldn't call it easy. It's an old school NES platforming game. The plot is minuscule at best but get the point for everything across and the levels and atmosphere are great.

That game stars Trevor Belmont who is basically the exact same character as Simon.

I'd advise playing the Famicom version if he can get ahold of it because it's much easier since in the overseas version damage scales up as you get further in the game for some reason.

 

[Fenriraga]

That criteria is REALLY specific. Yikes.

Yeah the closest thing I think you can get to that is Portrait of Ruin since that's kinda the "Castlevania Generations" of the series, but if you're playing it for lore you're kinda playing it for the wrong reasons. And this is coming from the guy whose favorite game in the series is Portrait.

There's really not much "Lore" to get from these games, tbh. There are of course overarching stories, characters whose bloodline spreads though the entire series, and a comprehensive timeline, but a lot of it is really only supplementary to the bigger picture: Dracula and/or some Bad Mamma Jamma is causing trouble, probably in a castle, go stop them. Everything else is mostly just a bonus for those who play other games in the series.

I mean, if you REALLY want lore, Lament of Innocence, Castlevania 3, and SOTN are kinda the 3 games that give a bit more insight to Dracula's motivation and why he and the Belmonts are fated to fight, but it's really not something you can't summarize in a few seconds.

Basically, there is Lore, and it's pretty great, but it REALLY shouldn't be a primary motivation.

 

[Hinata]

I'm super excited to try and main Richter, and my excitement led me to create this, based on the recolor we already know Richter has.

Spoiler

 

[Jedisupersonic]

I'm super excited to try and main Richter, and my excitement led me to create this, based on the recolor we already know Richter has.

Spoiler

View attachment 159632

Looking great, now I hope his other colors are based on Harmony of Despair etc.

 

[Hinata]

Bonus recolor I just made, based on Fake Trevor, who used an unused Richter sprite for its appearance in Symphony of the Night.

Spoiler

 

[GunBlaze]

Bonus recolor I just made, based on Fake Trevor, who used an unused Richter sprite for its appearance in Symphony of the Night.

thenoreyouknow.jpg

 

[Iridium]

So, I was thinking that Simon's aerials might be able to be used as tether recoveries (perhaps f-air and b-air). Simon definitely was not facing the ledge when he ended the ICs with a f-air, so perhaps his b-air snapped to the ledge. What do you guys think?

 

[Next Door Dog]

Looking great, now I hope his other colors are based on Harmony of Despair etc.

What are his other colors in that game? I don't have access to my PS3 (and I don't think I bought him, just some of the stages). Google isn't pulling anything up either.

 

[Jedisupersonic]

So, I was thinking that Simon's aerials might be able to be used as tether recoveries (perhaps f-air and b-air). Simon definitely was not facing the ledge when he ended the ICs with a f-air, so perhaps his b-air snapped to the ledge. What do you guys think?

His trailer on the site basically confirms that. He latched the ledge like he’d latch a hook in Super Castlevania IV.

What are his other colors in that game? I don't have access to my PS3 (and I don't think I bought him, just some of the stages). Google isn't pulling anything up either.

Been awhile for me too but I know he had a dark green and a white from memory.

 

[Deleted member]

In Harmony of Despair, Richter had his default blue color along with black, red-ish (which is probably what that one alt in Smash is based off of), yellowish gold, green, purple, bright blue, and that white palette swap that I recall being really popular with Richter mains back in the day. That gives him enough palette swaps to work with in Smash.

 

[Hinata]

The talk of Richter's Harmony of Despair alts inspired me, so I looked 'em up and made this.

And here's an alternate version where certain alts have recolored hair, because the sprites from Harmony of Despair had 'em too.

Spoiler

Sorry for all the recolor spam, by the way.

 

[Jedisupersonic]

The talk of Richter's Harmony of Despair alts inspired me, so I looked 'em up and made this.

View attachment 159763

And here's an alternate version where certain alts have recolored hair, because the sprites from Harmony of Despair had 'em too.

Spoiler

View attachment 159764

Sorry for all the recolor spam, by the way.

Don’t be sorry these are fantastic.

 

[Next Door Dog]

The talk of Richter's Harmony of Despair alts inspired me, so I looked 'em up and made this.

View attachment 159763

And here's an alternate version where certain alts have recolored hair, because the sprites from Harmony of Despair had 'em too.

Spoiler

View attachment 159764

Sorry for all the recolor spam, by the way.

These are pretty great! I definitely wouldn't mind having these colors (especially the yellow and purple), though I hope they have some based off other Belmonts.

On the topic of alts, Simon has his default and the SCIV/Richter color. I would imagine he'd get his Simon's Quest and red-haired Chronicles colors too. If Ultimate is sticking with the 8 color total (which honestly I hope there is more, just so characters like DK could possibly get better colors), that leaves 4 more. While ideally all the whip users would get referenced in some way, I'll be happy as long as there are Juste and Julius colors. Though now that I think about it, Nathan Graves could work well as an alt color for Richter.

 

[Jedisupersonic]

These are pretty great! I definitely wouldn't mind having these colors (especially the yellow and purple), though I hope they have some based off other Belmonts.

On the topic of alts, Simon has his default and the SCIV/Richter color. I would imagine he'd get his Simon's Quest and red-haired Chronicles colors too. If Ultimate is sticking with the 8 color total (which honestly I hope there is more, just so characters like DK could possibly get better colors), that leaves 4 more. While ideally all the whip users would get referenced in some way, I'll be happy as long as there are Juste and Julius colors. Though now that I think about it, Nathan Graves could work well as an alt color for Richter.

I’d much rather Richter gets his Symphony of the Night look, if Simon gets his Chronicles one.

 

[Next Door Dog]

I'd love to see SotN Richter just for the sake of actually seeing the character in motion. We only see it in artwork, right? He's always had the Rondo sprite, and the DXC Richter is a different design.

 

[Jedisupersonic]

I'd love to see SotN Richter just for the sake of actually seeing the character in motion. We only see it in artwork, right? He's always had the Rondo sprite, and the DXC Richter is a different design.

It is in motion in the Sega Saturn version of Symphony when you fight him if I recall.

 

[Deleted member]

It is in motion in the Sega Saturn version of Symphony when you fight him if I recall.

And as an alternate costume when playing as him in that version. It wasn't perfect, since you can still see remnants of his original Rondo design due to that sprite being used as a base.

 

[Jedisupersonic]

And as an alternate costume when playing as him in that version. It wasn't perfect, since you can still see remnants of his original Rondo design due to that sprite being used as a base.

My mistake, usually when I fire up Saturn SoTn it’s to play the different areas or as Maria haha.

 

[valkiriforce]

I was glad to see Simon finally make the cut, but was surprised to see Richter suddenly show up right then as an echo fighter in that recent direct. I'm very glad they included Richter since he's one of my favorite Castlevania characters. It seems funnier to me also considering I made a Richter Mii Fighter for Smash 3DS sometime in 2015, and now it's become a reality.