Singleplayer.
Castlevania is one of the most iconic and influential series in gaming, leading to the creation of a new genre, “Metroidvania.” Being able to experience DS reclusive titles on newer platforms is a big part of what makes the Castlevania Dominus Collection such an intriguing purchase.
While the games are dated and show the limitations of the hardware they were designed for, they are also fun to play.
While the original Nintendo DS was a fantastic handheld, it was not the most powerful console; despite being released only one year and one day before the Xbox 360, it had a processing power of just 0.6 GFLOP compared to the Xbox 360, which boasted a far more impressive 240 GFLOPs.
Compared to the original PlayStation 1 (1994), the Nintendo DS fails to come out on top regarding computational power, with the original DS clocked in at 0.6 GFLOPS, while the PlayStation 1 (1994) clocked in at 1.5 GLOPs.
The PlayStation 2 (2000) clocked in at 6.2 Glops, meaning it was 10x as powerful as the DS despite being released four years earlier.
Because of this, almost every aspect of Castlevania Dominus Collection feels contained by the limitations inherent in Nintendo DS titles, and such limitations must be kept in mind at all times. Visuals, mechanics, sound design, and even cinematics (such as they are) are constrained by what was possible on a console that was mostly weaker than a PlayStation 1 despite launching one year and one day before the Xbox 360.
Image credit Castlevania Dominus Collection - Published and developed by Konami.
Every title in the Castlevania Dominus Collection has an amazing soundtrack. While older titles, such as the 1987 arcade game Haunted Castle and its 2024 reimaging, do not always have the best audio, the three DS titles have amazing sound design.
It is the one area in which they have held up the bets. Even if the quality of the audio recordings is far short of what we have today, any fan of the era will enjoy just listening to the soundtrack, as it is frankly top-notch.
Image credit Castlevania Dominus Collection - Published and developed by Konami.
It’s not easy to summarise how the Castlevania Dominus Collection plays, as each title in the series plays slightly differently. However, despite some titles in the collection being over 35 years old (Haunted Castle), I quickly adapted to each title’s unique mechanics, as will most gamers.
While most of the titles were dated compared to modern Metroidvania, I enjoyed each game for what it was despite having never played them before, ensuring that it was not only nostalgia that made them enjoyable.
Image credit Castlevania Dominus Collection - Published and developed by Konami.
On the topic of nostalgia, while I have never played these particular titles, I have played many games from the era. I know how fun it can be to re-experience something you enjoyed when you were younger.
Most recently, this was re-experiencing the original Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy as part of Sonic Origins and playing through Tomba for the first time after playing through the demo as a young teen.
Fans of Castlevania, and perhaps more importantly, fans of DS titles from the early 2000s, will certainly get their money’s worth from Castlevania Dominus Collection.
Image credit Castlevania Dominus Collection - Published and developed by Konami.
While each title has a unique narrative, and some are a little weaker than others, overall, each title, with the exception of the Haunted Castle games (which were originally arcade games), is well done, and while the dated visuals and low-quality 2D portraits look a little “deep fried”, overall I found the stories easy to get into, and they left me wanting to explore more of the lore of Castnania, which is something I am strongly considering to do over the holidays.
Older games often were brutally hard and included elements that most gamers just do not have time for anymore. It’s great to see the quality-of-life improvements, such as the ability to rewind gameplay and save anywhere, making their way into more classic game collections.
While I have seen better rewind functionality in other games, the system utilised in Castlevania Dominus Collection is functional and will help avoid frustrating moments, such as when you mistime a jump and fall to your death or wander too close to an angry snake lady and close half of your health bar before you can recover from your mistake.
Image credit Castlevania Dominus Collection - Published and developed by Konami.
While most gameplay elements held up very well, combat was the most jarring. I never felt that my character was moving as quickly as I was pressing buttons, resulting in my character getting hit more often than I otherwise would have.
In addition, I disliked how my magic/mana pool limited my ability to throw weapons; I mean, come on, I know plenty of people who can throw things without needing to regenerate magical power between throws.
For the sake of comparison, an average major league pitcher throws 100 pitches in a game, and they do not have the benefit of magical bloodlines or sacred relics.
Image credit Castlevania Dominus Collection - Published and developed by Konami.
The DS games in the Castlevania Dominus Collection were created with a 3-inch 256 x 192 pixels screen in mind; as a result, almost every visual looks fuzzy or pixelated on larger screens, which, while not a dealbreaker, is disappointing.
I would have loved to see the sprites and portraits receive some TLC, in the same way, that Square Enix has released 2D-HD remasters of older games, and Age of the Empires II Definitive Edtion looks amazing even on 4k displays due to every single sprite and asset being brought up modern visual standards.
Image credit Castlevania Dominus Collection - Published and developed by Konami.
Like anything that contains “dark materials”, such as vampires and devils, Castlevania has at times been viewed as being very controversial with traditional Christians, and I get that; I sincerely do.
Some plot points, especially in newer games (and the Netflix show).
However, I like to look at it from another angle; instead of focusing on evil, I would focus on how Dracula is repeatedly defeated by heroes using holy relics.
Do I believe in holy relics? No, I do not. However, I do believe in a Holy God, and celebrating the defeat of evil by the forces of good is something to be celebrated, as it reminds me of how Jesus Christ came into a dark world and brought light, a light that darkness would never overcome.
If you feel playing games like Castlevania makes you glorify evil by all means, please avoid them; however, if you can acknowledge them for what they are (fiction) and recognise they can serve as a reminder of the ultimate triumph of good over evil through Jesus Christ, then, by all means, play them, in all things guard your heart.
Castlevania Dominus Collection is a action video game developed and published by Konami, it was released on 27 August 2024 and retails for $24.99.
Castlevania Dominus Collection is available on the following platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Playstation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
The following peripherals are officially supported:
Castlevania Dominus Collection is rated PEGI 12+ and contains:
Castlevania Dominus Collection is a great way to play three games previously unavailable legally on any platform other than Nintendo DS. While the games in the collection show their age and the limitations of the console they were created to be played on (the original Nintendo DS), fans of the series and the early 2000s games will want to pick this up.
Ultimately, the Castlevania Dominus Collection is a great title for collectors and enthusiasts, but I suggest waiting for a sale for everyone else.
While the Castlevania Dominus Collection contains three very good games, they are very dated by today’s standards. Unless you are already a fan of Castlevania or games in general from the early 2000s, you are unlikely to enjoy them to their fullest.
