Summary
TheCastlevania Dominus Collection, a five-game bundle, received a new update for October. The patch addresses several bugs across the numerousCastlevaniatitles in the collection while curiously reintroducing a minor glitch that will surely appeal to speedrunners ofCastlevania: Portrait of Ruin. Other changes involve features that don’t impact the gameplay.
During a Nintendo Direct, theCastlevania Dominus Collectionwas announced and shadowdropped,offering threeCastlevaniagames from the Nintendo DSon modern platforms. The collection includesCastlevania: Dawn of Sorrow,Portrait of Ruin, andOrder of Ecclesia. Additionally, two bonus games are part of the collection: the originalHaunted Castle, the first Castlevania arcade game, andHaunted Castle Revisited, a complete remake of that game. This collection is part of Konami’s long-running initiative to bring olderCastlevaniatitles to current platforms.
Konami released the firstCastlevania Dominus Collectionpatch, which is now available on consoles and PCs. The update adds new artwork forOrder of Ecclesiain Gallery Mode and fixes a bug inDawn of Sorrowwhen playing as Julius, a mode unlocked by getting thebad ending inCastlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. While most patches fix bugs, this one specifically reintroduced a minor glitch inPortrait of Ruinthat the community has used for exploits. The patch notes jokingly refer to it as a feature, not a bug.
The update also allows players to save their screen mode preference in the Steam version, and also the possibility to switch between windowed and full-screen mode directly from the pause menu. The first patch of theCastlevania Dominus Collectionenhances titles that many players considerthe best among allCastlevaniagames. The fanbase has long been asking for remakes of the Nintendo DS games but has welcomed these ports. Still, many were surprised that the most recent game to receive a full-fledged remake wasHaunted Castle, an almost forgotten arcade title.
For many fans of the beloved vampire series,Castlevania: Symphony of the Nightis the best entry. Although the game is available in theCastlevania Requiemcollection, it was only released on PlayStation 4. Considering all the effort Konami has been putting into its collections, it’s a head-scratcher. Some players believe the publisher missed theopportunity to bringCastlevania: Symphony of the Nightto more platforms like the Switch or PC with this latest collection, and they wonder ifRequiemwill ever make its way to other hardware.
In some ways, it’s a relief to see that Konami hasn’t completely given up on theCastlevaniaIP. While it seems more focused on licensing the franchise for multimedia productions, such as theCastlevaniaanimated series on Netflix, the release of these collections shows that the publisher is at least making an effort to keep the games from fading into obscurity.
WHERE TO PLAY
The members of the Order of Ecclesia are sworn to defeat Dracula and his minions - and now it’s time to take on the Prince of Darkness again in the third Castlevania title for the Nintendo DS. The challenge has risen to a whole new level and only the brave will be able to side-scroll their way to victory!
Shanoa is the chosen hero from the Order of Ecclesia and, in a break with Castlevania tradition, she’s a vampire-crushing female! A new Glyph attack system means there are over 100 different attacks to be learned and honed – and you’re going to need them as you face a gigantic roster of enemies, all intent on wiping you off the face of the planet. You can collect different Glyphs in a variety of ways, such as defeating enemies or completing missions. Use your magical prowess to battle your way through 20 different stages to reach Dracula himself for the final encounter.
As you explore the game’s many locations, you’ll come across a variety of side quests that will provide you with new ways to power up your character and alter the way the story progresses. Handily enough, you can buy and sell items with your fellow Castlevania cronies via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection or go head-to-head with them in Versus Mode. You can also connect up to the Wii game Castlevania Judgment to get your hands on some very special items to aid in your quest.
Join Shanoa on the road to heroism in Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia – a game you can sink your teeth into!
