Maria Renard

Maria Renard (マリア・ラーネッド, Maria Rāneddo) is a fictional character in the Castlevania video game series.

Maria Renard
Castlevania character
Maria, as she appears in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
First gameCastlevania: Rondo of Blood (1993)
Voiced byYōko Teppōzuka (Rondo of Blood)[1]
Chisa Yokoyama (Symphony of the Night; Adult)[2]
Sawa Ishige (The Dracula Chronicles X)[1]
Miyu Matsuki (Judgment)[1]
Chiwa Saitō (Harmony of Despair)[1]

Concept and creation

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night contains unused content that suggests an evil or possessed version of Maria was planned to be included.[3] Her theme remix in Castlevania Judgment was designed to evoke Maria's "energetic and innocent" personality. Composer Yasushi Asada opted to utilize a nylon string guitar and accordion to try and match this intensity.[4]

Appearances

Maria first appears in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. She often accompanies fellow protagonist Richter Belmont in games, including Rondo, and later appears in a supporting role in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, where she is attempting to help Richter and aide Alucard in his quest.

Reception

Maria Renard has become a fan favorite in the series.[5][6] Writer Jonathan Oyama referred to Maria as the token shoujo character and suggested that she was added to Rondo of Blood.[7][8] He called her one of the best characters in Castlevania, although he found the change from her Rondo of Blood design to her Symphony of the Night design disappointing.[8][9] Writer Ron Duwell felt that Maria was one of the best aspects of Rondo of Blood, calling her "one of the most fun female protagonists" in any video game.[10] Writer Jonathan Ore was critical of Maria, comparing her unfavorably to fellow Castlevania protagonist Shanoa. He took issue with her needing to be rescued and generally being in a more supporting role than Richter.[11]

Maria's design in Castlevania Judgment was a standout example of the game's problematic designs.

Maria's design in Castlevania Judgment has received generally negative reception. It was a popular example among fans of the problem with Judgment's design.[12] Writer JC Fletcher criticized her design, calling it unrecognizable and called her an "annoying kid in a ridiculous pink Gothic Lolita dress."[13] GamePro's McKinley Noble felt that Maria was completely unlike her standard design, which caused the game to feel "generic and ill-planned."[14] Writer Mitch Dyer found her design unrecognizable and was critical of Maria for her obsession with large breasts, calling it immature.[5] Screen Rant writer Chris Hodges also disliked her infatuation, calling it "embarrassing."[15] The cutscene depicting this infatuation with breasts was included in Joystiq's list of the worst cutscenes. They expressed discomfort by this as well as express incredulity that such a scene would occur in the setting of Castlevania Judgment.[16] Destructoid's Jonathan Holmes called her design outrageous, citing her Chun-Li-like thighs, owl wand, and outfit. He bemoaned that she had almost nothing in common with her standard design.[17] Upon playing the game, he was more forgiving of her design, stating that being in her teens makes her "girl-punk accessories" feel more justified.[18] Nintendo World Report writer Zachary Miller called her design "hideous" while comparing her voice to that of an InuYasha character.[19] However, reviewer Andrew Podolsky praised Maria's owl staff and its originality.[20] GameZone and Jeax Video drew comparisons between her Judgment design and Death Note character Misa Amane, who was also designed by Obata.[21][22]

References
  1. "Maria Renard (Young) Voice - Castlevania franchise". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019. A green check mark indicates that the role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of the title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
  2. "Maria Renard Voice - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Video Game)". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019. A green check mark indicates that the role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of the title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
  3. Baird, Scott (January 21, 2019). "20 Hidden Things In '90s Video Games That Weren't Found For Years". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  4. Jeriaska (April 6, 2009). "Interview: Noisycroak On Traversing Castlevania's Musical Timeline". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  5. Dyer, Mitch (December 9, 2008). "Castlevania Judgment Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  6. Hodges, Chris (May 6, 2017). "15 All-Star Fighting Video Games, Ranked Worst To Best". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  7. Oyama, Jonathan (September 14, 2010). "Castlevania's soundtrack of horror". Venture Beat. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  8. Oyama, Jonathan (September 6, 2010). "Castlevania meets Sailor Moon". Venture Beat. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  9. Oyama, Jonathan (September 19, 2010). "Girls, love, and video games". Venture Beat. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  10. Duwell, Ron (December 31, 2016). "How do your classic video game favorites hold up? - Part Two!". Techno Buffalo. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  11. Ore, Jonathan (October 20, 2014). "Revisiting the Kick-Ass Female Lead Of Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  12. "IGN Presents the History of Castlevania". IGN. February 24, 2014. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  13. Fletcher, JC (December 17, 2008). "Wii Fanboy Review: Castlevania Judgment". Engadget. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  14. Noble, McKinley (December 9, 2008). "Castlevania Judgment". GamePro. Archived from the original on December 10, 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  15. Hodges, Chris (May 6, 2017). "15 All-Star Fighting Video Games, Ranked Worst To Best". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  16. "5. Castlevania Judgment". Joystiq. January 12, 2009. Archived from the original on December 30, 2012. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  17. Holmes, Jonathan (June 28, 2008). "The three big WUTs of Nintendo Power's Castlevania Judgment announcement". Destructoid. Archived from the original on May 30, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  18. Holmes, Jonathan (December 3, 2008). "Destructoid review: Castlevania Judgment". Destructoid. Archived from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  19. Miller, Zachary (March 9, 2009). "Castlevania Judgment". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  20. Podolsky, Andrew (December 17, 2008). "Castlevania Judgment - Wii Review". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  21. "Passing Judgment on Wii's Castlevania". GameZone. May 4, 2012. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  22. "Castlevania Judgment". January 8, 2014. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
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