Despite it being such an influential cornerstone of gaming history,Castlevaniahas been on the backburner for series publisher Konami. In the last 10 years, the franchise hasn’t received a single new game for home consoles, whether it be a spin-off or a mainline entry. However, a fewCastlevaniagame compilations have been released during that time frame. In 2019, Konami launched theCastlevania Anniversary Collectionto commemorate the company’s 50th anniversary, and in 2021, it released theCastlevania Advance Collection, both of which were well-received.Konami’s latest collection, though, may be its best one yet.
During the August 2024 Nintendo Direct, Konami announced and simultaneously releasedan all-new compilation called theCastlevania Dominus Collectionfor Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC. This collection not only included remastered versions of three belovedCastlevaniagames from the Nintendo DS, but also a remake of an arcade game from the 1980s calledHaunted Castle Revisited.Castlevania Dominus Collectionwas launched at a fairly accessible price of $25, and it received glowing praise from reviewers on storefronts like Steam. While the compilation was already great at launch, a new update has made it even better.
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow(2005),Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin(2006),Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia(2008), andHaunted Castle Revisited(2024) are all included in theCastlevania Dominus Collection.
Castlevania Dominus Collection Received a New Update That’s Made It Even Better
A New Boss Rush Mode for Haunted Castle Revisited Was Added in a Recent Patch
Konami has recently rolled out a patch forCastlevania Dominus Collectionthat fixed some bugs and added a few pieces of previously-unannounced content. One of the new features included in the update is a display layout customization setting, which allows players to alter the positions of the dual screens that are present in the DSCastlevaniagames. The other, more significant feature thatCastlevania DominusCollection’s version 1.03 updatecontains is a new Boss Rush Mode forHaunted Castle Revisited.
In theCastlevaniaseries, Boss Rushes are special side modes that task players with defeating wave after wave of bosses at a gradually more challenging rate in order to receive rare and valuable in-game items. This feature has been a staple oftheCastlevaniafranchisesince 2002’s Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, and can often be found in other video games as well, especially Metroidvanias. Boss Rush modes are not accessible to players right off the bat, though.In mostCastlevaniainstallments, players must either beat the game once or defeat all the bosses in order to unlock its Boss Rush Mode. The new iteration of this feature inHaunted Castle Revisitedis no different in this regard.
It’s important to note thatHaunted Castleis perhaps the one gamein theCastlevania Dominus Collectionthat the developers have given the most attention to. The originalHaunted Castleand its enhancedRevisitedremake are both action platformers, but they are considerably different in terms of sheer visuals and gameplay.The upgraded pixel art, the reworked sub-weapon arsenal, and the redesigned levels inHaunted Castle Revisitedprovide a distinct enough experience from the original game to make its remake worth trying, even for those who have already played the 1986 platformer on modern consoles in theArcade Archives Anniversary Collection.
Castlevania Dominus Collection’s Latest Update May Encourage Some Gamers to Check it Out
Boss Rush Modesare already present in the other three games in theCastlevania Dominus Collection, so their inclusion inHaunted Castle Revisitedgives the titles a level of feature parity that was sorely missing in the original version of the game. This alone may be enough to encourage some diehardCastlevaniafans to give theCastlevania Dominus Collectiona shot, especially if they want to challenge themselves by fighting all the bosses across each game in the compilation.
Castlevania Dominus Collection
WHERE TO PLAY
In addition to the three action adventure games from the Castlevania series, Haunted Castle Revisited, a redesigned version of the very first Castlevania arcade game, makes its debut! And you can also play it in its original format!Experience the world of Castlevania like never before, with never-before-seen art and handy new features such as rewind, quick saves and much more!
