

You can also play the Japanese originals of these games and discover some of the hidden differences for yourself.
#Castlevania anniversary collection series
It shows off their Japanese box art, as well as the PAL originals, overviews the stories and timelines, gives you valuable hints and tips, and exclusive interviews with renowned composer Michiru Yamane and the new series producer. First, the Bonus Book which gives you a proper History of Castlevania, specifically the games in this edition. The other neat thing to note about this collection is the added extras. Castlevania: The Adventure … not so much. Truth be told, I’ve spent way more time on Castlevania IV and Bloodlines than anything else in this collection, but that’s partly because the games still hold up really well. The NES classics are cool and all, but I’m finding harder and harder to spend longer than minutes at a time on a NES game because of how heavily dated they’re starting to feel. Sadly, though, this Collection also makes me realise why Nintendo need to get SNES games on their Online library by yesterday. To the point where I can’t imagine playing the Anniversary Collection anywhere else, even though it’s on pretty much every other format. But either way, they all work a treat on Switch. To be honest, pixel perfect reaction with scanlines was the way to go for me. Either way, there’s something to suit each playstyle and it’s up to you how you want these games represented. You can play the games with original scanlines just like the TVs of old, stretch them so they take up the entire Switch screen or view them with the frame. There’s even a day and night cycle for goodness sakes!Ĭastlevania 3 does strip things back to the original again, though, but this time with a more open and non-linear world than before, offering two branching pathways that lead to multiple endings along with optional objectives.Īnd in fairness to Konami, it’s all been recreated pixel perfect on the Switch, almost too well as it fits neatly in the centre with a large portion of the screen taken up by the slick anniversary border.
#Castlevania anniversary collection upgrade
You can buy items at shops and upgrade weapons. For another, there’s a world map and you can chat to NPCs to obtain hints for your quest. It’s not until Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest that things get a bit more interesting.įor starters, it’s non-linear in contrast to the original which follows a set structure.


Mostly, though, the original follows a simple formula of climbing stairs, whipping chandeliers, and fighting bosses until the confrontation with King Fang at the end. Next to Mario and Donkey Kong, the original trilogy of Castlevania games were considered an evolution in platformers, dabbling with RPG elements by letting you switch weapons, while adding the use of powerups. There’s the essentials, being the original Castlevania trilogy that started it all on the NES, as well its following sequels. But what is here has been treated with the care and due diligence one would expect from one of gaming’s most important franchises. Look, the Castlevania Anniversary Collection isn’t definitive and some will bemoan a lack of Symphony of the Night, Rondo of Blood, and Circle of the Moon.

First with the Konami Classics, and now with Castlevania. It’s no surprise when they put all of their resources into PES and shut down projects like P.T, a game striving to be a reinvention of Silent Hill.īut things have changed this year as they dip into their back catalogue for their 50th Anniversary. Konami have come under increased scrutiny over the past few years for not showing enough respect to their back catalogue.
