As a lifelong Castlevania fanatic and self-proclaimed Konami apologist, I can confidently say that Castlevania Dominus Collection is the cream of the crop in retro gaming. Growing up with Koji Igarashi’s masterpieces on the Game Boy Advance, I never thought I’d see a day where these classics would be given such love and attention.
I love a good chance to live up to my gimmicks. If you look at my bio (you can read the review and see it at the end!), saying nice things about Konami is part of my brand. That might sound like a hot take in our post-Kojima drama world, but I’m the kind of guy to get hyped up when Super Bomberman R launches with the Switch. I believe in giving credit where it’s due, and there’s no reasonable way to deny how much Konami has killed it in recent years with its Castlevania (and others) collections. From M2’s impeccable emulation to brand-new localizations and extensive museum materials, these things have been on point. Castlevania Dominus Collection is not only the best work yet in terms of presentation, it’s also arguably the top of the mountain in terms of quality games. A surprise banger of a bonus nobody saw coming is the cherry on top of what might be the best package in retro gaming.
Pound for pound, the best of Igavania
During Koji Igarashi’s tenure over Castlevania, we experienced some of the finest games in the “Metroidvania” genre. It is important to note that at that time, the term held a slightly different meaning. Igarashi introduced a new phase for Castlevania by adopting the Metroid-style “Search Action” framework. This shift moved away from lives and arcade challenge towards exploration and RPG elements. While I have a soft spot for traditional Castlevania games, there’s a unique charm in these later releases that resonates with modern gaming culture. Games like Dawn of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia may not have existed without Igarashi’s contributions, and their impact can be seen in games such as Hollow Knight. The Nintendo DS “Igavania” series stands out due to its haunting atmosphere blending horror with mystery, combat that combines the original one-button slashing with escalating magical tricks, intriguing lore, and a timeline rich enough for devoted Castlevania enthusiasts (who later inspired projects like impressive anime adaptations). Nothing quite compares to the magic of these Igavania games.
Thanks to M2’s expertise in emulation, which has dominated this field for over two decades through its work with companies like Konami and Sega, this could be the best way to experience these games. If you’re acquainted with emulation at all, outcomes can sometimes vary when enhancing DS games to higher resolutions. However, this collection appears to offer the best possible visuals for these games, a testament to some partial porting combined with emulation. M2 also spends a considerable amount of time adapting the original hardware’s dual screens for single-screen gameplay. The default view is a type of triple screen hybrid that displays a lot of information without sacrificing readability or requiring players to swap views using buttons. While the maps are generally legible on the Switch in handheld mode, Lite owners might find themselves with a slightly less optimal experience.
Wait, why is Haunted Castle here? Oh man!
In more casual language, the Dominus Castlevania collection doesn’t just offer the best games like Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia; it also adds extra content to create a comprehensive Castlevania library. For instance, the Anniversary Collection had a unique localization of Kid Dracula, while the Advance collection included Dracula X as a bonus. Dominus surprises us with Haunted Castle, an arcade precursor to the original Castlevania, which seemed unusual given it’s also part of Konami’s arcade collection. However, M2 wanted to create something new, like they haven’t since the Nintendo Wii, and that’s a fresh entry in the “ReBirth” series.
Haunted Castle Revisited is a throwback to the WiiWare period, when M2 created a trio of exceptional remakes such as Gradius ReBirth, Contra ReBirth, and Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth. Notably, Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth was a remake of an average Game Boy game, but it transformed into one of the greatest Castlevania collaborations ever produced. Regrettably, there hasn’t been a ReBirth game in these releases so far, yet Haunted Castle Revisited provides optimism for its inclusion in a future collection. In the interim, this is one of Konami’s most delightful surprises to date, taking an initially mediocre arcade game and transforming it into an homage to classic Castlevania that truly captures the essence of the original series. The final boss, a set of massive Dracula heads that fire lasers at you, is the kind of cheesy fun only found in concepts steeped in decades of video game history like this. Simply put, it’s amazing.
The nerdy stuff is great too
Typically, Castlevania Dominus Collection offers museum content, which has become standard in retro collections since Capcom and Digital Eclipse’s Mega Man Legacy Collection revitalized art galleries. The expected features are included such as high-resolution concept art, character bios, and promotional materials. My favorite section, however, transports me back to the time these games were released, showcasing a variety of quirky tidbits that I wasn’t anticipating.
In the 2000s, game publishers would often supplement their websites with wallpapers, comics, and other amusing content along with the typical screenshots and trailers. If you’ve forgotten about this trend, Dominus Collection has returned to refresh your memory. With its collection of quirky manga pages, hilarious holiday-themed wallpapers, and more, it offers a glimpse into how games were marketed back then. It’s fascinating that as these collections expand over time, with publishers constantly trying to outdo each other, we now have high-resolution images of Castlevania heroes dressed as Santa Claus, preserved in the same format as full instruction manual scans. This dedicated effort towards official curation gives me renewed faith in the preservation of gaming history.
For nearly five years now, Konami has been recognized for its dedication to preserving and showcasing video game history. There have certainly been challenges along the way, but Castlevania Dominus Collection is more than just a compilation of ROMs featuring classic games. These games are indeed the centerpiece, but the significant effort poured into making them look and play superbly, coupled with high-quality supplementary materials (even including rare gems that left me amazed), has given these titles a fresh lease on life. To top it off, providing M2 with the means to revive its own abandoned remake series in such an unexpected manner catapults this collection to the very top of my must-play list not just for 2024, but among all gaming experiences.
The Castlevania Dominus Collection has been released on various platforms including PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X|S. For this review, I received a Nintendo Switch code from the publisher.
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2024-09-18 16:27