Castlevania Anniversary Collection

Mon 20th May 2019

Nintendo Life said:

Despite the sheer volume of solid gold hits in the series, Castlevania Anniversary Collection is a somewhat mixed bag from Konami, with stone-cold classics sharing the spotlight with a couple of undead clunkers that really should have remained dead and buried. Still, even with the questionable inclusion of Simon's Quest and Castlevania: The Adventure, the 'highs' on offer are among the highest points in the entire franchise, and a Western debut for Kid Dracula is a lovely treat for retro gamers looking for something new. As long as you’re willing to ignore the lesser titles in this package and you're not too bummed out by the omission of other classic entries, then you’re going to have a very good time with what’s left – and there's always room for Castlevania Anniversary Collection 2, we guess.

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8/10

Wed 21st May 2025

JJtheTexan said:

I'm a Castlevania sicko, so I'm pretty biased here. I would have given a good score if this collection had only Super Castlevania IV and Castlevania: Bloodlines. It's got quite a bit more, though, and is absolutely worth the full price for those two stone-cold classics alone.

If you're unaware, the early Castlevania games represented here are all 2D side-scrolling action-adventure platformers with light RPG elements in some cases. All of the 8- and 16-bit titles are represented here, with two notable exceptions: the extremely good Rondo of Blood for PC Engine CD-ROM2, and the somewhat divisive Dracula X for SNES. It's a shame Rondo of Blood is missing, because its inclusion would make this collection pretty much perfect.

Each game has some basic quality-of-life features added, like save states and screen filters, though no push-button rewind to help you get through the toughest spots. That said, Castlevania games are always at their most fun when they are challenging, and while they can be punishing, they reward practice and careful play.

I'd rate each game thusly:

• Castlevania 8/10
• Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest 6/10
• Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse 9/10
• Super Castlevania IV 10/10
• Castlevania The Adventure 5/10
• Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge 7/10
• Castlevania Bloodlines 10/10
• Kid Dracula 8/10
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  I can't recommend this collection enough!

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9/10

Wed 5th Feb 2025

eShopperReviews said:

Castlevania Anniversary Collection is a collection of Action-Platformers that includes eight of the great games from early in the series (well, six great games plus two crappy Game Boy games). This collection gives players a wealth of options and bonus content, and is… actually pretty ideal for a collection of some of the best Action-Platformers ever made. This title is a must for fans of the genre.

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8/10