After months of speculation and leaks, Konami confirmed it was releasing a compilation for modern consoles of all the Castlevania games originally launched for the Game Boy Advance. This latest collection makes even more Castlevania games available to play legally on modern consoles across multiple compilations and remasters. However, there are still several glaring omissions from the vampire-hunting video game franchise that have yet to receive a modern re-release, be it because of licensing or difficulties in developing the proper emulation for several platforms, with entire generations of the franchise missing.
Here are all the biggest Castlevania games that have yet to receive a modern re-release following the launch of the Castlevania Advance Collection and how best to acquire them.
Castlevania 64
Like many video game franchises before it, Castlevania made the transition from 2D to 3D gameplay in the ’90s, beginning with a 1999 title for the Nintendo 64 commonly known among the fanbase as Castlevania 64. The game follows the adventures of Reinhardt Schneider and Carrie Fernandez as they confront Dracula during the 19th century. Like its immediate successor, Castlevania 64 is currently available exclusively to the Nintendo 64, with no digital or physical re-releases.
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
Less than a year after Castlevania 64 brought the franchise to 3D, Konami released a follow-up in 1999’s Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness for the Nintendo 64. Legacy of Darkness‘ main story is set several years before Castlevania 64 as the man-beast Cornell sets out to rescue his sister from Dracula, while beating the game unlocks a slightly remixed version of Castlevania 64 in its entirety. Perhaps due to Legacy of Darkness requiring a Controller Pak to save like its predecessor, it was never officially re-released beyond the N64’s life cycle.
Castlevania Chronicles
2001’s Castlevania Chronicles for the original PlayStation is actually a remastered collection itself, featuring a remaster of the 1993 enhanced remake of the original Castlevania game released exclusively in Japan for the X68000. Castlevania Chronicles includes a remixed version of the earlier game, though was never re-released beyond a straight port for the PlayStation 3 through the PlayStation Store’s PSOne Classics library.
Castlevania Legends
The only Castlevania game released for the original Game Boy not included on the Castlevania Anniversary Collection, 1997’s Castlevania Legends featured the presumed first encounter between the Belmont Clan and Dracula as Sonia Belmont battled the vampire lord in the 15th century. Longtime producer Koji Igarashi distanced the franchise from Legends before quietly removing it from the official canon entirely to help facilitate a new origin prequel. Legends has since only been available for the original Game Boy.
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
1993’s Castlevania: Rondo of Blood has its own complicated release history after initially debuting exclusively in Japan on the TurboGrafx-16 before getting an official North American release over a decade later for the Wii Virtual Console. This convoluted history spreads to its enhanced remakes as well. While the 1995 SNES pseudo-remake Castlevania: Dracula X would be included in the Castlevania Advance Collection, 2007’s 2.5D remake of Rondo included in Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles for the PlayStation Portable is currently unavailable outside its original hardware release. Notably, The Dracula X Chronicles‘ remasters of the original Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night would be released in the Castlevania Requiem collection for the PlayStation 4. The original Rondo of Blood is also available on the TurboGrafx-16 Classic.
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Igarashi removed Castlevania Legends from canon in favor of 2003’s Castlevania: Lament of Innocence on the PlayStation 2 being the true, canonical start of the Belmont Clan’s centuries-long feud with Dracula. Following Leon Belmont in the 11th century, Lament of Innocence received a straight port through the PlayStation 3’s PS2 Classics library on the PlayStation Store but has not been officially re-released since.
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
While Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is included in the Castlevania Advance Collection, its direct sequel Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is not. This is likely due to Dawn of Sorrow being released for the Nintendo DS; to date, no Castlevania games from the DS era have seen a re-release, likely due to their strong gameplay focus on the system’s dual-screen design and touchscreen functionality, leaving the 2005 game only available on that original Nintendo handheld.
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Lament of Innocence was not the only Castlevania game released for the PS2. Launching on both the PS2 and the original Xbox in 2005, Castlevania: Curse of Darkness takes place several years after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, and follows Devil Forgemaster Hector trying to prevent another resurrection of Dracula while avenging his betrothed. Like Lament of Innocence, Curse of Darkness has only since received a straight port through the PlayStation Store’s PS2 Classics line on the PS3. Notably, Curse of Darkness saw a resurgence in popularity recently, thanks to the inclusion of Hector and his rival, Isaac, on Netflix’s Castlevania anime.
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
A sequel to 1994’s Castlevania: Bloodlines on the Sega Genesis, 2006’s Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin for the DS would follow a new generation of vampire hunters during the height of World War II. Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin entered Dracula’s castle to confront the evil vampire artist Brauner. Portrait of Ruin is a beloved entry but, much like Dawn of Sorrow, has yet to be re-released, likely due to its reliance on the DS’ dual-screen design.
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
The third and final Castlevania game released for the DS was 2008’s Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, which introduced the iconic Shanoa, a member of the titular Order of Ecclesia formed to fight Dracula after the Belmont Clan mysteriously disappeared following the events of Symphony of the Night. Just as with its two predecessors also released for the DS, Order of Ecclesia has yet to see an official re-release beyond its original launch on the Nintendo handheld console.
Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth
An enhanced remake of 1989’s Castlevania: The Adventure for the original Game Boy, Castlevania: The Adventure was released in 2009 for the Nintendo Wii‘s digital game platform WiiWare. Following the adventures of Christopher Belmont in the 16th century, The Adventure ReBirth completely expands upon and improves upon the original game but has not been available for purchase since Nintendo shut down the WiiWare platform in 2019.
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