Bringing some of the finest 2D games to date, the Castlevania Dominus Collection is a brilliant compilation that is helped even further with the surprise inclusion of a much needed rework of the game that started it all.
The DS-era Castlevania games were unfortunately maligned by part of the audience at the time because of the oversaturation of games in that style then, but it’s undeniable that they were the last great inclusions in the long-running Konami series. So much so that I devoted an article to them last year that I hope to follow-up on soon, especially after this latest re-release, Castlevania Dominus Collection.
The leftover 2D games that had yet to get a compilation of their own, the three Nintendo DS titles, along with a much needed remake of the extremely flawed Haunted Castle, which was a part of the first Castlevania Anniversary Collection, show that Iga and crew were at their peak when Konami decided to shift direction for the series once it hit PlayStation 2.
Whichever game you decide to start Dominus off with is bound to be a banger. In order, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is a direct continuation of the GBA title Circle of the Moon, bringing about more of the soul capture mechanic that made that one so special back when its system was just debuting. The main topic of my previous article, Portrait of Ruin, introduces a dual character gameplay style that gelled extremely well with the established style set by the excellent Symphony of the Night.
To round the DS era’s iterations off, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, is by all means the strongest entry in the bunch, which is saying a lot. It’s an amalgamation of everything that came before it and the smart inclusion of a rotating and evolving power system that, similarly to Dawn, lets you borrow from enemies and other sources to your benefit. All three games are downright classics and thanks to M2’s masterful work in bringing them back, are given the respect they so rightfully deserve.
Haunted Castle Remastered is a beast of its own. The original version, from which the series spawned off was an arcade game that although with great ideas that would eventually be iterated and improved on with later games, leaves much to be desired these days, but thanks to the developer’s work in remastering it, it’s now an awesome entry to be enjoyed as part of this collection. Improvements on control delay, graphics, and sound make it the definite version of the game that started it all, a pleasant surprise among an already hot list of games.
All the expected bells and whistles are here to be enjoyed, especially if you’re playing the game off a portable, since the original resolution of these games has been bumped up significantly, making the graphics pop off the screen. Given their nature as dual-screen games, a challenge that has been thoroughly conquered by the developer was the placement of those in a single widescreen display, which thanks to a bevy of options will suit just about any player’s taste.
Last but not least is the way that the controls have been adapted, allowing you to choose the way you deal with the touch screen ones that are an integral part of Dawn of Sorrow especially, by having you use the right analog or directly inputting commands on the Switch screen if you are playing Dominus Collection there. Other buttons can be freely changed to suit your needs and even on Nintendo’s soon to be retired system, all four games play incredibly well.
The Castlevania Dominus Collection, along with both of the previous entries, is a mandatory addition to any player’s game library thanks to the amazing work done to bring the series’ biggest hits to modern systems. The DS games along with the nice little inclusion of a welcome rework of an aged classic make Dominus one of the best retro deals in town and should definitely not be missed.
