Analysis, Castlevania: Dominus Collection leaves the sarcophagus

Castlevania It is one of the most popular sagas in the video game industry, and well deserved. KonamiSince 1986offers many games released on several platforms. One of them was the Nintendo DS, this console that captivated many audiences but, due to its particular appearance, materialthe vast majority of exclusive games have been retained in this system. But now we have the opportunity to play these three (four) classic works how are they: Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia Yes Haunted castle (includes a redesign called Revisited).

For this analysis I played this Dominus Collection on an Xbox Series X, running on the Xbox Series X|S version.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, Order of Ecclesia

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow This was for many the most controversial game in this collection. Among other aspects, changed the artistic conception compared to the previous ones. In any case, it remains a work worthy of this compilation. Set in 2035, we take control of Soma in this exciting adventure. a terrible sect appears to be stalking our protagonist, who begins to regain his powers after escaping from Castle Dracula. With a commendable level design and many playable possibilitieswe will be trapped in this 2D adventure during all phases of the title.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin This is one of the most popular games innovative of the saga. Here the protagonists are of the teenagers who are still learning lessons on how to face a vampire. But without a doubt, the most important thing in this story is the possibility of playing it using both characterscan switch from one to the other with a simple press. We can call our partner at any time; Furthermore, many riddles They will be resolved using these two characters at the same time, which gives a very interesting perspective on how the storyline also exploits, as well as the elements that compose it.

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia This is perhaps the most classic title precedents. Shanoa, our protagonist, has the ability to absorb the glyphs that the enemies leave in our path, as well as those who are in the different spaces of the game. We will fight against final bosses that they will try to complicate things for us and, without a doubt, the level design made the difference in its time, which is still very elaborate today. We can customize Shanoa to the point of confront situations differently through hand-to-hand combat or using magical powers, thus making it very rejuvenable the title.

Haunted castle, completely renovated

This title of recreational It receives a redesign that improves it in every aspect. Playable, it’s a pleasure to direct our character, since the actions respond perfectly to the commands and it’s endless fun to play. Graphically, this is the title that shows the clearest improvement, so everything looks really good (but remember that these are still graphics with a pixel art). In any case, this is one of the additions to this collection that still makes it most recommended. It also brings the original title, in case we want to go back to 1988.

News that this Castlevania: Dominus Collection includes

In all the titles of this collection we will have an attack button, another to dodge and, in addition, with certain combinations we will be able to perform special attacks. In inventory we can use boosters or heal yourself with the different potions that we will find around the map. From this inventory, we will select the armamentmuch of this will have very different attributes from each other, changing how we face enemies. We can also use armor, helmets, gloves, etc.

Some touch functions have been renovated in these editions, being able to use a sort of pointer that can be moved with the right joystick. Also, in all these editions, the backup option at any time (which avoids having to look for backup gargoyles), in addition to the possibility of rewind our actionsthus avoiding death in different situations. Adding a generic menu for all games in the collection, where we can load the game quickly without having to go through the main menu again.

Apart from video games themselves, we have a collected musical repertoire of all the titles in the saga. That we can listen (and rest assured, we will) as many times as we want. In addition to adding an art gallery, sketches, additional levels, etc.

Audiovisually, undoubtedly classic and magical at the same time

It is clear that evaluating the graphic appearance of these titles is a difficult task, because lately we are getting used to seeing “graphics” and, of course, Going back to the original design always costs a little… or not.. Well, those of us who like this type of graphics and art also enjoy this section. Here, as it could not be otherwise, everything seems as good as possible always respecting the original design. Audio and sound soundtrack It rings and resonates everywhere we go, staying in our heads for much of the day.

Conclusion

Castlevania: Dominus Collection This is the collection that we were missing in this great saga. Each of the three titles shines with its own light in the darkness of Count Dracula’s castle, and shines with a completely renewed appearance. Not so much in the graphic aspect (which has been improved), but in the small playable and ergonomic aspects that will make it our games seem like never before. We’re not going to kid ourselves, we have here what we had more than ten years ago, but it’s still more than enoughthere is no doubt about it. In addition, it comes with a series of additions that fans will love, and above all, this soundtrack that will stay for the perpetuity.

Castlevania: Dominus Collection is available now for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC. From Area Xbox, your daily video game news site, we thank Konami for the code provided which allowed us to carry out the analysis you have just read.

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