Castlevania has rarely been as prominent as it is right now. The second season of Netflix’s animated series is upon us and has glowing reviews, and in a smart tie-in move, Konami has released two of the series’ best games in one package for PS4 on the same day and christened it Castlevania Requiem.
Castlevania Requiem brings PC Engine title Rondo of Blood and the iconic PS One entry Symphony of the Night exclusively to PS4 and that in itself is a pretty great thing, but it feels like a bit more effort could have gone into this package.
Firstly, what does Requiem actually bring? Well, it brings both games, looking a little cleaner and smoother on a modern console. It brings trophy sets for both games, customizable controls, a strange quick save system, the option to switch between Japanese and English, and it has some fancy borders for the screen. The main takeaway here is that everything is pleasingly clearer, especially items and text.
Essentially, this is the PSP collection from a decade or so ago (including the new voicework that brought to Symphony of the Night) but prettier. I note this now because it’s honestly a real downer for fans expecting a properly revised version of these titles, and likely frustrating for curious newcomers when there’s not so much as a sniff of any quality of life improvements that many retro collections slot in nowadays (and boy, does Rondo of Blood need that). The menu screens are also among the ugliest I’ve seen for some time. I’m baffled as to why they were designed the way they are.
Despite this underwhelming news, Castlevania Requiem is worth it for the experience of the games alone. Rondo of Blood is the lesser known of the two, fronted by Richter Belmont and unlockable character Maria, but this prequel to Symphony of the Night is an underrated gem. There’s shared design with Symphony but plays far more like the Castlevania titles of the NES era. It’s a wonderful marriage of the two styles, and whilst it’s undeniably short (roughly an hour or so) it’s a highly entertaining romp, dripping in goofy Gothic charm.
It’s also rock hard by modern standards and isn’t shy about chucking threats at you at every opportunity. Of the two, it’s the one that you’d have to call an ‘acquired taste’ and its throwback gameplay means it’s aged more than Symphony, but it should gain some new fans with this collection.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night then. It’s not hyperbole to call it a stone-cold classic, because when people say ‘Metroidvania’ this is the game that made that a word mean something. It reshaped what Castlevania was by blending its base formula with RPG elements at a time where that sort of thing was a rarity rather than the norm. You can level your character (Alucard, Son of Dracula) up, boost stats, equip different weapons and potions, and generally feel like you’re building Alucard’s power over time in a far more natural and satisfying manner. It may seem unspectacular now, but it’s a huge part of why Symphony of the Night still resonates so well years later whilst Rondo of Blood shows its age.
It also has a bloody beautiful soundtrack that is still a treat for the ears today. The only real audio downside to it is that while the voice work is clearer, it’s not quite as entertaining as the original, with key lines shifted and changed (including THAT line). Newcomers aren’t going to care, but it’s another reason for long-time fans to feel a tad disgruntled.
It’s not all that long when compared to many modern Metroidvania-types, yet it leaves you with a thirst for more and the many times I’ve returned to it over the years is entirely down to its slick, challenging cycle of replayability. There’s plenty of nooks and crannies to explore, varying paths to follow, and impressive foes to vanquish and it all adds up to ensure Symphony of the Night is an endlessly rewarding treat.
So the port itself is fine, but clearly not much more than that. While the games look great for their age, they’re simply not designed for modern televisions and it shows. A visual overhaul could have done wonders and truly made Requiem an essential purchase. Instead, we have fairly basic ports of one very good game and another that is in the pantheon of the greats. Given neither are on current-gen consoles before now, there’s merit to this collection for that alone, but it should have been so much more.
Castlevania Requiem review code provided by the publisher
Castlevania Requiem is October 26 on PS4