When a video game series has churned out enough titles to set a Guinness World Record, you can bet that not all of them are god's gift to gamers. For Konami's Castlevania, that's certainly been the case - series producer Koji Igarashi's every attempt to drag Dracula into the third dimension has been critically panned, and the most recent outing, Castlevania Judgment, received one of the lowest scores we've yet awarded in a review last week.
However, there has been one place, year after year, where the Castlevania franchise has struck solid gold: handhelds. Since 2001's Circle of the Moon on Game Boy Advance, every portable Castlevania title has not only been a solid entry in the series, but also a defining moment for the very system that hosts it; a must-play game on the order of a Mario, a Metal Gear, a Metroid.
Does Order of Ecclesia stand tall beside its predecessors? Or will this be the game that finally breaks Konami's wondrous streak?
That all depends on who you ask - because while this latest installment has some of the most enjoyable, rewarding gameplay in the series, it does diverge somewhat from the norm.
Castlevania’s twilight years were some of its best, but they were not enough to avert the dramatic end of the series as we knew and loved it.
Someone should fire to the lowest pit the guy on Konami that thought mobile gaming was the future and destroyed MGS, Castlevania and other franchises in the way.
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night are among some of the best Koji Igarashi titles that fans can play while they wait for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night to release on June 18.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Steam reviews are very positive 9/10. I'm going to buy it for Switch though. I want to also play on the go, and at work :D
Damn didnt know Bloodstained just released. Will get it on switch
Yeah I'm REALLY loving what little I've played of it so far and this is coming from someone who hasn't been too impressed with what has been shown of the game, guess metroidvania plays better than they look.
Few game series are as definitive and beloved as Castlevania. Pitting players against Dracula and his unholy forces time and again, it is a staple of the medium of gaming and continues to live on in some way, shape or form after decades of releases. Some entries have been better than others though, so today we've got all 30 ranked from worst to best.
Rusalka was loads of fun, but fighting Brachyura was a constant thrill. What a finisher.
I love CVs!