Castlevania fans are in for a treat this weekend.
From now and for the next fortnight or so, Sony is holding a big sale (for what occasion, who knows?) on all things related to the action-adventure series, and one discount, in particular, will no doubt be of interest to veterans who grew up on the Belmont family’s vampire-hunting escapades. First released last year in celebration of Konami’s 50th anniversary, the Castlevania Anniversary Collection consists of eight classics from the NES and Sega Genesis eras, including the original game as well as several spinoffs.
In fact, there’s a good chance you’ll have never even heard of, let alone played, some of the more obscure titles present here as they were initially never translated to English. Admittedly, Kid Dracula, a comical take on the franchise featuring cartoon-styled sprites, certainly isn’t an essential play but worth checking out, nonetheless, if only for the historic value.
See below for a list of every game bundled in the collection:
- Castlevania
- Castlevania II Simon’s Quest
- Castlevania III Dracula’s Curse
- Super Castlevania IV
- Castlevania The Adventure
- Castlevania II Belmont’s Revenge
- Castlevania Bloodlines
- Kid Dracula
- History of Castlevania – Book of the Crescent Moon
In terms of price, all of the above can be added to your PlayStation 4 or 5 library for just $5, so even if you’ve only a passing interest in platformers, this one could be worth the punt based purely on brand pedigree alone.
As for the future of Castlevania, Konami’s apparent reluctance to talk about or release new entries in any of its lucrative IPs means we could be waiting some time for Dracula’s return. Fortunately, however, folks with an active Netflix subscription can satiate their bloodlust with the ongoing animated series. Season 4 of the hit show is due for release sometime this year and you can check out a trailer over here.