Backer portraits

I mean I don't care for some of them for obvious reasons but I also don't care enough to say CHANGE THEM because...it's backer portraits at the end of the day. I was hoping from the get go they'd do a good job at making them fit stylistically and some turned out pretty goofy and over the top. It's just a personal preference thing but I was hoping all of them would have a gothic seriousness to them. To be clear I think they LOOK good I just was hoping for a less.. LOOK AT MEEEEEE type of vibe to them.

I'm a backer but not one of those lucky enough to have a portrait. But personally I love it. They are hilarious and visually well done, and if they only show up at the start of the game I think that's not a huge hit to 'immersion', chances are you wont be walking through that hall for a long while once you move onto the rest of the castle. And I mean come on if' it's immersion we're going to talk about, Miriam is cooking and whipping out Japanese victory poses how's that any better?


Lets us not forget these people contributed a vast amount of personal wealth to make this game come true, I think they deserve to be acknowledged and immortalized in a fun and unique way.   

Immersion is overrated. I'm about playing a video game-y video game myself, at least as how Castlevania has always been.

When I passed by the portraits for the first time, I immediately had thoughts of "gosh, what kind of weirdos used to live in this castle?" Considering how strange the castle itself is, I think this first impression is nothing if not appropriate.

As far as having them in the entrance, I've heard some folks say they wish it was somewhere else in the castle, but I think the entrance is great for this kind of thing.

Think about it this way - how often did you revisit the long Symphony entrance hallways after you were done with that area, even after the first time? There was no reason to because there isn't much of anything to find or drop in that area and it doesn't connect to anything else, the teleporter and shortcuts are beyond that point.

In the demo, we're making that long walk on the bridge > drawbridge > entrance hallway and back, which we're probably going to need to do all of I imagine like, twice in the full game. The village and castle teleport spots and the lack of anything to find in those hallways will mean that the we and the backers see their portraits first thing, it gives that impression and feeling for if desired a one time experience, and then we can move on and (if necessary) more fully embrace the immersion as it were if that's your preference.

It would be far more "look at me!", I'd say, if the portraits were in something like the library or an art themed stage that we would have to make multiple backtrack trips through. As I recall, there are some others sprinkled throughout other areas of the game, mostly I imagine like the one in the lethal boots find area (a singular room that you won't need to revisit).

The only one I have a "problem" with is the rightmost one in the screen you posted. Not because it's goofy but because it looks like the face is photoshopped on the painting as it was.

Other than that, I think they look nice and are not a problem.

With the whole matter of cute/funny stuff in the game... ok, the past games had it and it's fine (and funny) TO AN EXTENT. There's no need to go way overboard with the joke stuff just because the series always had those elements. They fit right in if they're in a reasonable amount. If I wanted to play a purely humour-centric, silly Metroidvania, I'd just go replay Guacamelee for the millionth time.

Yeah, the cat picture was a request from someone to put it in the game so in the game it goes.

Besides, who is to say the legions of hell don't have felines of note in their ranks?

I like them. Mana did them and we have had weird stuff in IGA's games that break emersion. Backers made the game happen, so having all their portraits stuffed in one big room hidden somewhere in the castle like what was done in Goetia would make me feel like they are less a part of the whole game.



I'd like to see them randomized. If I had my portrait in (I don't) I'd think it would be neat to know it could pop into any picture frame. Plus then it would be like the portraits are haunted and change every time you see them. The backers would be haunted paintings. How cool.

There is nothing more iconic and "look at me" than the front entrance of the castle. A fitting environment for them is far more subtle regardless if you agree or not.