Konami recently kicked off its trio of Anniversary Collection compilations with an assortment of arcade shooters that, while certainly classics, were let down by limited emulation options (though since then Konami has confirmed it’ll be fixing most of our concerns with a patch). Now it’s time for the second helping, this time aimed at the Castlevania series: specifically, most of its 8-bit and 16-bit entries. Happily, it’s an improvement over the last offering, but there are still some areas where it could be better.
The eight games here cover (with one exception) the early Castlevania games on Nintendo systems. Naturally, the original NES version of Castlevania is the first on the list, and it still holds up brilliantly well 33 years after its initial release. The same can’t be said for Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, the NES sequel notorious for its decision to switch things to a more open-world RPG style similar to Zelda II. Although its attempt at a deeper adventure was a noble one, the horribly translated clues and clunky day/night cycle make it a real chore to play today (not that it was a dream back in the late ‘80s or anything).
This is remedied with Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, the final NES ‘vania and the result of a wise decision by Konami to keep things simple again and focus solely on the original game’s style of action platforming (albeit now there are multiple routes through the game, meaning different playthroughs will see you taking on different stages). When you’ve run out of NES games the next logical step is to move to the SNES, and sure enough Super Castlevania IV is the fourth game in the collection, its fantastic music and lovely gimmicks (like a Mode 7 spinning room) all present and accounted for.
A pleasant surprise follows in the shape of Castlevania: Bloodlines, known in Europe as Castlevania: The New Generation. This Mega Drive title is relatively rare and its inclusion here actually marks the first time it’s ever been re-released since it first came out in 1994 (beating the upcoming Mega Drive Mini, which also includes it, by a few months). It’s great to have it on here too: it’s a hugely underrated Castlevania with a slightly darker and gorier tone to the Nintendo titles.
At this point the collection takes an odd turn. We’d hoped it would have moved onto the likes of the PC Engine game Rondo of Blood (or, if that’s too obscure, its SNES remake Castlevania: Dracula X / Vampire’s Kiss). Then, daring to dream, we wondered if Konami would actually go far enough to include the legendary PlayStation game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Sadly, if you were expecting this you’re out of luck: the collection hits a chronological dead end at the Mega Drive game and then goes backwards, which is both good and bad.
Let's start off with the bad. Next up is Castlevania: The Adventure, the first Game Boy outing for the series which serves no real purpose here other than to remind us that it exists; it's a technical disaster, clunking and stuttering all over the place and running at about half a mile an hour (and yes, that’s how it played back in the day too – it was one of the very first games for Nintendo's monochrome marvel). It was superbly remade by M2 for WiiWare, and why that version wasn't included is anyone's guess; after all, M2 is the team responsible for this collection and Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth is no longer available following the closure of the Wii's online services. Talk about a missed opportunity. Thankfully, the Game Boy sequel Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge is a different kettle of fish entirely and ranks as one of the best action titles on the Game Boy – it also has an utterly amazing soundtrack.
Finally, rounding things off is an interesting little game that many will dismiss as a ludicrous decision but is actually a fairly big deal for the wider Castlevania series. Kid Dracula (or Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun, to give it its proper Japanese title) was only ever released on the Famicom in Japan, and while the West would later get a Game Boy remake, the original was never released over here. This marks not only the first time Konami has released it round our (bitten) neck of the woods, it’s also localised it with an English ‘Kid Dracula’ title screen and changed all the Japanese text to English. A nice effort, and it’s a fun little game with charming cartoon sprites. You may sneer at its inclusion over other titles, but try it first: you may be surprised.
This isn’t the only surprise in the package. Upon launching the game you may be startled to see the aforementioned M2 logo appearing. Whereas the previous arcade collection was developed by Hamster Corporation using its Arcade Archives emulation system, for the Castlevania collection Konami has instead wisely enlisted the help of the talented chaps responsible for the stunning Sega Ages retro releases. It’s a smart move and one that ensures the emulation is as accurate as it possibly could be.
That said, options are still a little thin on the ground, as they were before. There are now a total of six display filters for most of the games: as well as ‘original’ 4:3 (which sometimes creates a very slight shimmering effect when scrolling), pixel perfect and 16:9 widescreen, you can also choose a ‘scanlines’ version of each of these which does the trick if you’re into that sort of thing.
Those who like their games to fill their screen will be disappointed: unless you choose 4:3 with scanlines or the god-awful super-stretchy 16:9 filter, every other option puts the game in a window in the middle of the screen, leaving noticeable borders at the top and bottom. Presumably, this is to make sure the pixel scaling is perfect, but we wouldn’t have minded the option to stretch the screen out a little and get a slightly softer picture as a result.
It should be noted that the Game Boy games are at least treated to their own special display filters: standard black-and-white (in both 4:3 and pixel perfect), a ‘dot matrix’ effect (which emulates the gloriously sickly green-and-yellow Game Boy screen, complete with a very faint grid), and a ‘color’ filter which makes everything a strange brown in that lovely way a Game Boy Color used to half-heartedly attempt to add colour to non-GBC games.
Screen filters aside, there are no real other options to choose from. You can’t change button assignment, can’t choose the Japanese versions of the games (though that’s on the way, according to Konami) and can’t really do much else beyond a single basic save state feature for each game. It also appears that the version of Castlevania (NES) used in the English language version of the game is the original PRG0 release which occasionally crashes after you beat Death in the 15th stage: Konami will probably need to patch this and swap it out for the PRG1 version, though if the patch with Japanese versions does eventually turn up that’ll be a workaround (the Japanese game doesn’t have that bug).
As in the arcade collection there’s also a bonus digital book that breaks down each game, includes interviews with the developers and the like. This is much better than the previous attempt, with more interesting sketches (a personal highlight being a rough sketch of what would become the famous rotating room in Super Castlevania IV). It’s a great addition and one that fans of the series will appreciate.
The overall package, then, is a relatively strong collection of vintage Castlevania titles. There will undoubtedly be questions asked about how some games were chosen over others: the majority of today’s gamers don’t look too fondly on Simon’s Quest, and the first Game Boy game was already considered average 30 years ago, so we aren’t sure exactly who thought it would make for a worthy inclusion here. Even the third Game Boy game – the much-maligned but now highly-collectable Castlevania Legends – would have been a better choice.
Many will rightly wonder why Dracula X and Symphony of the Night are missing, and if we were allowed to dream for a minute we’d have loved to see the aforementioned WiiWare title Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth on here. Still, there’s more good than bad in here, and Castlevania I, III, IV, Bloodlines and yes, even Kid Dracula should keep you entertained for a long time.
Conclusion
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.
Comments 135
You should have mentioned the bad button assignment where you have to use A/Y for jumping and B/X for whip.
Now all we need is Collection 2 for the Game Boy Advance and DS titles.
Went on and bought it, before the review. So far, I'm having a great time with IV, played for a little while Boodlines and found it great! I and III were really difficult, combined with the stiff controls and inability for button assignment, but I will persist, since I think they're great!
The potential next collection is what I'm really looking forward!
Don’t understand the complaints about Simon’s Quest. I played through that whole game last night, and it’s GREAT, as long as you play it with a guide. Now I know that is a pretty big caveat, but this review makes it sound as if Simon’s Quest is a big ol’ heaping dumpster fire, and it’s not. It’s actually a really fun game stuffed full of extremely obtuse puzzles.
@Torakaka Don’t forget to put Symphony of the Night and Rondo of Blood in there!
@ZelthkingYoutube Bitchslap! No........NO! NO!.........NO! BAD PUN! BAD!
@LunarFlame17 Totally agree. I love Castlevania 2 (with a guide).
Do these games suffer from any input delay?
There have been releases like Sega Mega Drive Classics, and Mega Man X Legacy Collection where these SNES and Mega Drive games have surprisingly bad input delay.
so these are just straight up ports, they didn't fix any of II's translations or anything?
well that is EXTREMELY disappointing
" even with the questionable inclusion of Simon's Quest "
Really?? It's questionable to include Castlevania II in a Castlevania collection?
No Castlevania 64 = no deal.
I am going to wait, and hope they add button mapping. Button mapping should be standard on every retro collection.
@MJ1200 that's actually an excellent button assignment. It gives the player the option to use any combination that feels natural to them, A&X or Y&X or B&A or B&Y.
@Torakaka other than SotN the gba and DS games are the best! Incredible games all of them.
I’ve been playing this a lot since I got it. From what I’ve completed so far, rankings are:
1. Super Castlevania 4
2. Castlevania 3
3. Bloodlines
4. Castlevania
5. Castlevania 2
Castlevania 3 is great as always and I love Bloodlines graphics and bosses. I’ll definitely replay Castlevania 3 once they update it and put the Japanese version. The damage that enemies deal in the final stage of the NA version is ridiculous. That part in the aqueduct with fishman and those birds drove me up the wall. Castlevania 2 was worth a playthrough mainly because of the creepy atmosphere and awesome music. Will get to the other games in the Collection soon.
@RupeeClock
No input delay at all. M2 handled the emulation and it's near perfect!
@geox30
That's great to hear, M2 always do superb work.
Been playing this over the weekend. Already completed Castlevania 4, Kid Dracula, Bloodlines and Castlevania the Adventure.
The lack of button remapping is lame especially since for most games I can't use my preferred Y-Attack B-Jump scheme (though X-attack, a-jump does work as a substitute at least)
The collection of games itself is great I think and emulation seems on point. It's kinda bizarre that the collection didn't include the japanese versions of the games by default (For Castlevania 3 in particular that is almost undeniably the superior version) but since they've already promised to update those in then that should be fine.
E: Also did the reviewer just call Belmont's Revenge rubbish? I'll give you Adventure 1 for sure but 2? Those be fighting words.
@konbinilife i find the button assignment terrible and would have wished for an option to change it.
Yes please! And now the wait for the Contra Collection begins.
Spot on review. My quibbles (no ReBirth, no button mapping, no larger 4x3 image option unless you dig scanlines) were all addressed. The omission of discussed titles begs a Volume 2 to exist. Kid Dracula is an excellent inclusion. Fun game and a total Castlevania parody. Were it not for missing Haunted Castle, which sucks but is relevant and already on their Arcade release, this would be the perfect Volume 1 of CV history
As a huge CV fan I got the collection but I want it patched so I could remap the controls as I see fit
Is this collection perfect? No.
Do you want the NES trilogy, Super Castlevania IV, the Genesis Castlevania, Kid Dracula, and two of the Gameboy games on your Switch? Then you know you need to pick this up.
Hours of fun and frustration with a great soundtrack. I basically agree with this review.
@ZelthkingYoutube No Symphony of the Night? That BITES.
Button mapping represents exactly the original ones (except for Bloodlines, of course). I've been playing the first Castlevania with B and A, just like in the old times, but I've seen Super Castlevania IV respects the original SNES mapping.
Everything feels perfect in the port. Absolutely no input lag. Any input in these games and you just can't beat them. M2 nailed it once again!
It's a 9 for me due to the ridiculous Game Boy first game. That one is bad. The second one on the NES is not a great game but it has its historical value due to the inclusion of elements that would later make the franchise so popular in the 90s and 2000s. It's worth a walkthrough (with a guide because the lying is ridiculous!)
Collection 2 sounds like a no brainer if this one sells well enough.
Vampire's Kiss
Rondo of Blood
Symphony of the Night
Circle of the Moon
Harmony of Dissonance
Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania Rebirth
I'd buy that.
I like Simon's Quest, no doubt from a nostalgic point of view.
I remember as a kid returning the cartridge for repair, as I figured it must have contained an error. Eventually it was just a matter of crouching down for 10 long seconds holding an orb in front of a dead wall with no signs at all. Silly me... why didn't I think of such an "obvious" approach. Gaming today with internet and all that... it's hardly gaming at all, is it?
Didn't Konami say something about this being the first Castlevania collection, implying there'd be more? Anyway, I plan on getting this for 1, 3, and 4. I've been wanting a Castlevania Collection on Switch, so time to put my money where my mouth is. Hopefully there's another collection in the future with Rondo of Blood, SotN, and some of the GBA games.
Yeah the 16:9 isn't stretched at all it's actually been redrawn and as a 4:3 CRT die hard O.G i can vouch for the fact that the games play amazingly well in this resolution. Its a wider palying field not a stretched one.
@konbinilife The button assignment is A/Y for Jump and B/X for whip for the NES games.
It's obviously a terrible default assignment - Super Castlevania IV, which had the same 4 button layout, is B Jump, Y Whip (R Item). The Bloodlines mapping mirrors this as well despite being made for the Sega's A/B/C control scheme.
It's amazing how many games get this wrong, including Nintendo's NES Online. SNES's Y/B is the natural translation for NES's B/A.
The only possible rationale is the tight spacing between Y/B and the right stick on the Joy Con, but still that should be the default option, not some backwards Soviet button mapping.
@LunarFlame17 Simon's Quest is my favorite out of the original trilogy.
I’ll have to get this at some point. I really enjoyed Rebirth on Wii. Good thing I still have that.
I was always going to pick this up, being a huge Castlevania fan. Hearing that M2 is involved is great news.
I'm with the others that appreciate Castlevania II. It really is a good game with terrible English translation. I needed Nintendo Power magazines to beat it when I was a kid. It really was a precursor to SotN and the GBA/DS games. Great music and it always felt great upgrading your whip.
I remember playing Bloodlines on my friend's Genesis when I was a kid. I didn't like it quite as much as IV, but it was still a great game. I can't wait to play through it again.
Very excited to finally get this collection.
@John_Deacon But B/A isn't where B and A was on an NES. No NES game ever jumped to SNES and kept B/A. It's awkward. Even Mario All-Stars' 'Type A' default option was Y Run/B Jump.
Great you can adjust - I have to use A/X and trick my brain - but it's definitely not a scheme for players from 'back in the day'.
This game is awesome, and much better than I initially hoped for. I actually like the 16:9 filter for the 16bit games. Also, Konami has been consistently calling this the FIRST Castlevania collection, so for those wanting SoTN or the GBA games, those are probably on their way too!
@MJ1200 That simply solves the problem, A/X are perfectly fine for jump/attack, just like in NES games.
a mixed bag, missing classics, so on the scale from 8 to 10 I will give it an 8
@MJ1200 Bad button mapping? It uses the standard NES/GB buttons. I see no issue with that. But custom button mapping would have been appreciated, i give you that.
Simon's Quest was one of my favourite NES games, it had 'think out of the box' styled puzzles with enough replayability to at least try for the best ending. The one I missed out on was Castlevania 64, but yeah, excluding Dracula X was a weird option, it's probably the best in the series.
@Galenmereth No one said the second game was rubbish?
Not my cuppa. Played Symphony of the Night for first time few weeks ago and, after persevering, ended up really enjoying it. Had Super Castlevania 4 on Snes in the 90s n always thought it was sssooo slow and boring. Played it again last week and it seems even worse than before. Never understood the acclaim it received.
@MJ1200 how would you map jump and whip, given the option?
@Galenmereth Oops, not sure how that got through proofing. Fixed! I didn't write the review but I did proof it, my mistake.
@Spiders
I'm still not clear what the problem is... You want B-jump and Y-whip correct? But they are backwards?
Then you simply move your thumb up and A-jump, X-whip gets you the same thumb orrientation....
@Damo In the reviewer’s opinion maybe it was rubbish. The reviewer shouldn’t be obligated to agree with the consensus.
@Galenmereth The first was certainly of its time, as Chris points out in the review; it feels like the first-gen Game Boy game it clearly is. I know a lot of people have warm memories of it (hence the fact it was picked for the ReBirth series), but I think that might be because the system was new and they were more forgiving, perhaps? The second game absolutely demolishes it though; Konami was at the height of its powers at that point. Legends is somewhere in the middle; it's not terrible but lacks the spark of Belmont's Revenge.
@konbinilife I would put jump on B and whip on Y. Super Castlevania IV and Castlevania Bloodlines have the controls like this in this collection. That's why I don't understand Konami hasn't included an option to change the layout how the player prefers it.
Just couldn't pull the trigger on this, Curse of the Moon basically scratched that classic Castlevania itch. Now Konami please release the 2nd Castlevania collection and I'll be all over that. Hoping it looks something like this (assuming SotN is left out due to the PS4 Castlevania Requiem exclusive):
Rondo of Blood / Dracula X (1993/95, TCD/SNES)
Circle of the Moon (2001, GBA)
Harmony of Dissonance (2002, GBA)
Aria of Sorrow (2003, GBA)
Dawn of Sorrow (2005, DS)
Portrait of Ruin (2006, DS)
Order of Ecclesia (2008, DS)
The Adventure ReBirth (2009, Wii)
Or I suppose it's possible they could go with Castlevania 64 instead of Rondo?
Glad to see collections like this popping up. I hope more companies follow suit. However I would like to see some GBA/Gamecube era titles getting collections/ports/re-releases too.
@MJ1200 then move your thumb up and use A-jump and X-whip. It's the same thumb orrientation.
They did the same thing with tetris99 and it threw me off for a bit, but then I realized it's perfect because it accommodates both thumb orientations (b,y and b,a) whichever one might prefer.
You just move your thumb to a, x and it's what you want.
So this has the same poor button configuration and plain black borders as the NES online service, well done.
As for the chosen games, Rondo and Symphony were never going to be in there considering they literally just released a compilation of those 2 games and instead that should come to Switch. I do feel the Game boy games didn't really need to be here and they probably should have brought the Wiiware version and the "second" N64 game too. I'll still be buying this as all the NES games are brilliant as is the Megadrive game with Castlevania IV still the best in the series for me
I'm loving it so far, but I'm having a tough time with one thing: the character swap in Castlevania III! I don't know if it's a glitch, or what not, but I tried character swapping with the - button, and it wouldn't work (I had Sylva as my secondary). Did anybody else experience this?
I had to buy it. It's great but I wish we would get a part 2 later on then package them in physical
I actually really liked Simon's Quest. Of the early Castlevania games, it was probably my favorite. I'm sure part of that had to do with the ability to level up and resume from a certain point as opposed to most of the games in that era where you could easily lose a useful weapon for something else and have to start over at the beginning of a level if you ran out of lives.
I think I just needed the one hint for the "kneel for ##" part, but on the whole I think I got through most of that game without too much extra help. I loved exploring and slowly getting more powerful items to make it through new areas. I didn't even mind grinding too much, though there were times when I wanted that to go a little faster.
I think I got more interested when Castlevania introduced more of the "metroidvania" gameplay, though. Simon's Quest was a first step along those lines, poorly translated though it might have been.
These are the games I would expect to see in a Castlevania collection of 8 titles, to be honest. I like when bad games are included too, because they do exist and are part of the franchise. I think it's just a comprehensive collection of the first years, and the only complaint I have about it is... where is Vampire Killer, the noticeably different Castlevania for MSX?
Anyway, the problems this review mentions are roughly the same as in Arcade Collection, but the score is significantly higher.
I'll wait for a price drop anyway, because it will eventually happen, like with all digital games. A physical collection for 25-30 would have been a no-brainer, though. And in the meantime, what I dream is that is announced at some point.
@N64-ROX haha loved me some Castlevania 64. Both versions of that game.
Honestly, the absence of The Adventure Rebirth is baffling.
@konbinilife I know that this works as a solution for some but I don't like that position on the controller, it's not working for me, feels kind of uncomfortable to play.
@LunarFlame17
it's the best nes one imo.
I never could get into the timed 'stages' versions. then again i'm no castlevania fan. the games are all 'clunky' imo. kinda like resident evil (except the new remake of 2).
@MJ1200 fair enough.
I also agree, there is zero reason for them not to include button remapping.
@konbinilife I find it sad there is no button re-mapping because besides that, the collection is awesome.
@Spiders On the NES, B was whip and A was jump and most games were like that: b action, a jump. If by the position not being the same as the NES you mean the position on the NES was horizontal and now it is inclined, ok. There's no difference for me. But I don't know why you included the SNES mapping. Super Mario all stars is a SNES game, not a NES game. I don't get it
@carlos82 The button configuration is great though. Jump with A or Y, whip with B or X. It really lets you use any thumb position you’re comfortable with.
And there are border choices besides just solid black. You can see them in the screenshots above.
I wish they would fix the awful high pitch chirp that plays alot in the original Castlevania...total crime to not have perfect music in that game.
Nice collection. I'm excited to get a chance to play Kid Dracula
Vote with your wallet for those who wants a volume 2 of these Castlevania classics. For those who says it's overpriced, it's less than $4 each for the good games in the collection (cheaper than Virtual Consoles). The stinkers are more or less freebies...
Simons Quest > you
I would have bought a physical version instantly, with the special booklet
I just want this for kid dracula
I wanted to get RE4 sooo baaad, but I'm short in cash, I'll have to go with this collection instead. It' just that, I want to play so badly Castlevania IV, but I'm not sure if I'll play the others, I got Castlevania III on Wii U and I barely played it.
I wasn't aware of this existing, or at least thoroughly forgot. I saw it on my Switch news feed yesterday and insta-bought! This explains the lack of these games in the NSO offerings! Ugh.
@imgrowinglegs I was only joking about the borders but having grown up playing the SNES a lot B was always jump with Y being whip/run/attack depending upon the game so it always feels awkward to me. I'm pretty sure the Castlevania collection on PS4 has X has jump and Square as attack and what about the 16 bit games on this? Surely they have B as jump anyway. It won't stop me from buying the collection but also it's not like putting a button configuration option is that big of a deal for them.
I've been playing it for a bit. Since I already played CV I-IV, the other four games are what I'm here for.
Kid Dracula was okay, more of a Mega Man knock-off than a kid-friendly Castlevania when it comes to its gameplay. Castlevania The Adventure was absolutely awful but I'm glad I finally played it. I'm starting Belmont's Revenge now and it's a hell of a lot better. Leaving Bloodlines for last as it'll probably be the best one of the bunch.
So the review questions the inclusion of Simon's Quest and the first GB game? What kind of weird anniversary collection would it have been without them? Doesn't really matter if they are technical disasters/boring or not.
In the minority I'm sure but I'm glad they included the game boy games and kid Dracula. Just hoping we get that 2nd collection and release all the other castlevania games
Any word on the free update?
III & IV make it worth it alone IMO
@techdude Hoping the 2nd collection is a done deal, seeing as Konami's announcements used the wording "...the FIRST Castlevania Anniversary Collection..."
The "Color" filter reminds me more of the SGB than the GBC. the GBC would colour sprites differently to backgrounds, but the SBG just made everything this weird orange brown.
@LunarFlame17 Try playing it without the guide first. Some of the puzzles were literally impossible to figure out with a guide of some kind. I know guides can be helpful in a lot of situations but in this games case its a requirement.
I'm so confused by people who are complaining about the pre-Symphony Castlevania titles, and how they'll hold off for Volume 2 in one breath, and then say that they were really hoping for Adventure Rebirth in the next!
…...you do understand that Adventure Rebirth is nothing more than a lesser version of those old Castlevania games that you have, like, zero interest in?
@Mugen80 Oh, trust me, I have. I know full well that Simon’s Quest requires a guide. That definitely should be held against it when assessing its quality. That said, I maintain that it is still a good game. It’s mechanically sound, the music and graphics are great... As long as you have some help with the absurdly obtuse puzzles, there’s no reason you shouldn’t have fun with it.
I thought Castlevania: The Adventure was decent in the 90s. Played it everywhere. Even the music was fine for the Gameboy.
Great collection, the gb games are good, very good at that time,
Hey bashing castlevania 2? Its awesome, the best in my opinion, getting this game tommorow
I like Castlevania, but the GBA / NDS games are more my bag, so I'll be waiting for that second collection (and of course the SotN/Rondo) !
@LunarFlame17 Thank you. I actually love Simon's Quest regardless of the issues it has here and there. It was the first Castlevania game I actually finished as a kid when it originally came out. Thanks to Nintendo Power I was actually able to complete the game and knew what I was doing as well.
Would had easily been a 10/10 for me if Konami had only include these:
Castlevania (NES)
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (NES)
Super Castlevania IV (Super NES)
Castlevania: Bloodlines (Sega Genesis)
Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth (Wii Ware)
Castlevania: Dracula X (Super NES)
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (PC Engine CD)
Kid Dracula (Famicom)
That way we don't had to suffer through the slow pace Game Boy ports, the complicated Simon's Quest, and save the Metroidvania games for another compilation.
@GrailUK It's ok, but the movement is very sluggish. It's still a good game though.
So I was going to pass on Simon's quest due what I've always heard about it. But I see alot of people saying it's actually really fun, with a guide of course. What guides are you guys/gals using that you would recommend? You all have talked me into giving it a shot
Lack of button remapping. Also, the version of Castlevania that was included crashes if too many sprites are on-screen, meaning its rough times when you get to Death.
Lazy collection. Although the presence of Bloodlines and Kid Dracula makes it worth a purchase if you're a fan of this series.
@NintendoByNature I played it yesterday, and I used the guide on strategywiki.org. I liked that one cause it had maps, which were extremely helpful.
@LunarFlame17 thank You! Having maps definitely sounds helpful
@RupeeClock Yes just like on the Raspberry Pi and PC, if they use emulator then they all had input lags. It won't be too noticeable but still noticeable. Go find the actual games if you're too worry it.
@NintendoByNature You’re welcome.
@Hikingguy I know but companies like to tease us, the entire history of old Castlevania games (from NES to PS1) could all be included on one 4gb game card but we all know Konami would never do that.
@Ralizah Button mapping, physical games, and game manuals are all rare oddity nowadays. It's like you had to look very hard to find these now.
To be honest, I was hoping for Nintendo to put the NES trilogy on the NSO NES library, rather than having to buy the Castlevania collection.
Great review! I had no idea Ioved Kid Dracula until I got this collection. Yep, I can't wait for further releases with Symphony of the night, rondo of blood, Dracula X, the third Gameboy game, Castlevania 64(hopefully with 60 fps graphics improvement), Rebirth WiiWare game, and all the GBA and DS games!
@fluggy I ended up playing Rondo, Castlevania 4, and Bloodlines all around the same time. I came away from CV4 with the same opinion as you. I didn't like it and didn't see what was so great about it. Even the soundtrack, which often gets high praise, had me confused at times with some tracks striking me as particularly terrible. But a lot of people like it so it obviously has some appeal. We're not always going to like the same things. Sometimes, I like games others don't. But CV4 was one of the biggest disappointments for me. Bloodlines and Rondo, however, I loved.
Waiting for Symphony of the Night and Rondo of Blood on Switch!
@John_Deacon I mentioned Mario All-Stars because it is the gold standard for an 8-bit remake - it's NES games on the SNES.
The B/A action/jump is a standard of all platformers on the NES, and the proper translation to the 4-button layout is to move those actions to Y/B.
@konbinilife That's what I'm doing. It's playable, but it's not comfortable, and it's not like every other platformer on the system isn't mapping action/jump to Y/B as standard or an option, save the exceptions that prove the rule like Odallus, Oniken, and Gonner.
It doesn't make it less of a stupid oversight. Konami's own game on this collection figured out the proper mapping for a 4-button layout decades ago.
EDIT: Odallus' latest update set the default mapping to B jump, Y attack.
@sdelfin It’s the multi-directional whip that really makes SCIV for me. I love Rondo of Blood but the static whip is a step back from IV.
The reviewer is too hard on the GB games. Both are worth your time
@nessisonett That's a common reason and I get it. Mechanically, it's quite nice. I found that the level design and enemy placement didn't really account for it. Perhaps that would work better with smaller sprites. To me, the ability to jump on and off stairs in Rondo was much better without throwing off the level design. CV4 was definitely experimental. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. Obviously, I really like the traditional, NES-style games in the series. As I said, we're not all going to like the same games, even well-regarded ones.
Gonna pile on here in defense of Simon's Quest, which was the breakout hit the series needed to become a legend. The "bad translation" bit is a myth. The translation is fine, the villagers intentionally misdirect you in the Japanese version as well. The "you now prossess Dracula's rib" typos and such are a bummer but not serious.
This collection has issues. There's no 4:3 screen filling option without scanlines, as you say. And the 16:9 option is ridiculously stretched and ugly. The frames are nice though, so the default is usually fine.
I do miss the omission of Legends and Dracula X, and am eager for the first patch that adds the Japanese versions in, because they're generally all superior. Maybe Dracula X being missing means it will accompany the rest of the Dracula X games on the second collection. Even Legends might fit there due to it being a SotN contemporary...
There's an audio bug in this collection. I hear it so far in Castlevania, a persistent random beeping noise. It's really irritating and distracting.
I played Castlevania I over the weekend and found it to be fine. The button layouts are reversed from A/X to Y/B so it was easy to find one that worked for me. Of course button mapping would be preferred but what they have is serviceable. As far as the stretch options, I just played it as the default 4:3 and didn't even notice the black bars since I was focusing on the action.
I almost have Castlevania I complete, I'm on Dracula right now and it appears to be another fight that I'm going to have to spend an hour or two beating. After that I'll be jumping into Simon's Quest which is the game I played the most growing up. I did go back and beat it on my NES a few years ago with the help of a guide which I really didn't need up until the end.
Great Collection overall and I concur with the score that was given.
@Galenmereth
At the rate they are going with the NES titles for Switch Online I would be shocked if they get to GBA games.
@subpopz Plus, the games average out to $2.50 apiece, so who cares if a couple of them are subpar?
But I'm right there with you on game preservation. It reminds me of the early years of film, when works would be destroyed intentionally or through neglect. Now those works are lost forever.
Do you keep up with Jeremy Parish's YouTube videos?
@techdude No stinkers here! All amazing games!
@stephenmunn That chirping noise is my single complaint with this collection
Good collection, for the most part. Stinks there is no Symphony of the Night in this collection, and I don’t particularly like the control set up. The games themselves are fun, though. IV remains a classic, Bloodlines is a solid game that was fun to play for the first time. III was more challenging than I remember and the original has ages somewhat with its sticky controls.
As for Simon’s Quest, I can see the faults it has. Cryptic clues that make game almost unplayable without a guide, awkward transition between day/night segments, manshions without a major boss, throwing holy water everywhere to uncover trap doors, a way too easy final battle with Dracula, but I still enjoy with these warts. Like Zelda II, it was an ambitious concept with unique ideas that needed a bit more polish. It’s too bad neither concept was ever attempted again.
First game I’ve bought on Switch in 1.5 years.
I’m not a fan of how the controls feel for 2D games in hand held mode. I’m wondering how do most play hand held? Do people use another controller ?
@sdelfin I forgot about jumping on stairs in Rondo! That really was a great addition, the Belmonts’ aversion to stairs was always a bit silly.
Simons Quest is great. If not for the bad translation it would be tied with Suoer Castlevania for my favorite classic.
A remake of Simons Quest with hand drawn art and proper translation would be amazing.
@MJ1200 that ruined nesremix for me on 3ds
physical copy ? I can dream
8/10... No way. There's no way i could have predicted that.
I bought it and so far I have enjoyed it. It does has some glitches in the main menu sometimes and i seriously have no interest in the GB games even though they look amazing for the period. It feels like it is lacking in offerings but such is life. I am waiting on the Contra series though and I hope they add some other decent games and not just ebook. An ebook, which is difficult to read and some scanned drawings are hardly worth it.
@Darth_Pascal
That's why I'm holding out for a potential physical version on Switch while I already bought it on Steam.
I'm patient
@LinktotheFuture darn right.
for me it would be nice to see button mapping be standard for any new games, especially on switch with its choice of controllers and whatnot (esp if you want to use the gamecube controller)
so no rewind with L-button on the NES games since you can't remap any keys?
@Mgalens Good point! Shouldn't be too hard to do nowadays, either.
Only a couple of Castlevania II's clues were translated poorly (such as the famous tornado hint).
Most of the text WAS WRONG ON PURPOSE. The NPCs are just liars.
Hopefully the inclusion of NES Kid Dracula outside of Japan for the first time bodes well for Konami including some PARODIUS games in any future arcade cimpilation.
I really feel like the review is underselling Belmont's Revenge and Bloodlines, those are excellent games. I really appreciate how Konami threw in some of the lesser appreciated titles rather than just slapping the most popular games on there and calling it a day. M2 being behind it this time is also a big selling point. Looking forward to scooping this up sometime in the future!
Don't knock Simon's quest! I loved it at the time, and completed it. The only issue is it can leave you a bit directionless, and I was stuck on one point of the game for ages until I read I had to kneel with a red crystal at a certain place to summon a tornado. I think it was not knowing its purpose or areas it should be tried. Other than that, I got through it fine and it enjoyed the exploration side of it.
It's a fair collection given it takes in a particular era. It needed Rondo and X to really complete it. GBA versions, while similar style, would have been nice, even for a higher price. Perhaps they'll come later. Adding PS and DS titles probably would be too much. Again, they could be added later.
Interesting the mention of lack of button configuration. I've had terrible trouble mixing up the jump and action buttons so they seem to be in unnatural positions.
A pet peeve of mine with the Switch is tiny text, and this continues here in the menus. Developers don't allow for handheld mode and even with reading glasses I find it difficult to read some text. It's ridiculous.
I liked the castlevania games on the list. I feel that even though castlevania the adventure was slow, it wasn't that bad to me. it was my first Gameboy castlevania that I played, and able to bring on the go. I also wished that rebirth would be included as well. we will see in future games, what will happen.
@retro_player_22
Whilst some input delay is inherent for any emulator, it's usually something so small that it's unnoticeable to most people.
In the case of Mega Man X Legacy Collection, the input delays are so bad that it's near-impossible to execute the Hadouken special move.
Or for SEGA Mega Drive Classics, it's so bad that the games feel like you're playing on ice physics.
This demonstrates the problem well, using Sonic Mania, the SEGA Mega Drive Classics version of Sonic the Hedgehog, and the SEGA AGES (M2) version of Sonic the Hedgehog.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy5oZXHTF2w
@Spiders I'm sure the rationale is to avoid being confusing as all heck. If the default were like you suggested, any game that tells you to "press B" would need you to actually press Y, while doing what the game suggests would actually be a press of the A button. Still should have emulator options for remapping, but by default I understand their choice and using X/A didn't take me long to get used to.
@JJAwiiu I don't think it's less confusing than fighting 29 years of muscle memory using a 4 face button controller. Also woth noting Castlevania never gives you a named button prompt in-game. Only in, ironically, the options for button mapping in SCV4 and Bloodlines.
I'm using the X/A obviously, but I still hit B or Y in a panic (or when I first load in) haha.
It really mars an otherwise perfect compliation. Hopefull it gets addressed with the JP version update. (Can't wait!)
@Spiders I should have made it clearer that I was addressing your complaint specifically about the NES Online button mapping defaults being the way they were. But I certainly agree that options there (and in Castlevania) would be nice and easy for them to do.
If they ever make a 2nd collection, it should include
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Castlevania: Legends
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth
Kid Dracula (Game Boy)
I feel like this list would be incredible!!!
The idea that a historical overview of the Castlevania series should have omitted Simon's Quest is just plain daft. Ridiculous.
As for where they cut off the games included, the inclusion of all games prior to Rondo of Blood (except the forgettable arcade game, which is in the arcade collection) makes sense. While still a 16-bit game like IV and Bloodlines, it's too directly attached to Symphony of the Night to not have those both together. And the two of them are already in a separate package called "Castlevania: Requiem". Unfortunately it's this far exclusive to the PS4.
" Still, even with the questionable inclusion of Simon's Quest and Castlevania: The Adventure,"
Are you kidding?? It is a Castlevania Collection, it HAS to be included. Not including Simon's Quest would have been a bigger mistake than including it.
I never will understand reviewers who complain about including more games in a collection. It is not hard to simply skip playing it, but at least the option is there. If it was not included, it would be impossible to play. My goodness.
I thought Simon's quest was the most enjoyable of nes vania's. Then came the notorious angry video game clown review, and suddenly everyone was dissing the game, just because he did. What sheeps. Holding on to your own opinion instead of some youtuber's shouldn't require enormous backbone. No one complained about simon's quest before the nerd.
"Those who like their games to fill their screen will be disappointed: unless you choose 4:3 with scanlines or the god-awful super-stretchy 16:9 filter,"
(finds some of the language in this part of the article on this page to had been vulgar (or profane), unnecessary, and detrimental)
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