Belmont from a Land Down Under
Where Malphas' crows tear asunder
Strewth! Toss another WereShrimp on the Vampire barbie! Something called Castlevania Anniversary Collection has been rated in Australia! Details are extremely thin - in fact, there are no details besides its apparently being multi-platform, an advantage that wasn't shared by the previous Castlevania release (last year's content-light Castlevania Requiem was exclusive to PS4). So what's on it? What brace of legendary titles representing the long-running franchise have been included here? How many Draculas will you get to slay?
I don't know. Nobody does. Well, the developers probably do. But my contacts at Konami aren't forthcoming with the deets and - crucially - don't exist at the first place. I'm as much in the dark as you, folks. I may not be able to furnish you with answers, but by god I can speculate.
To my mind, this represents a good opportunity for a decent Castlevania compilation to finally exist. Obviously the NES trilogy (Castlevania, Simon's Quest, Dracula's Curse) will be included, but why not go hog-wild for once and give us some of the lesser-known but brilliant additional entries such as the wonderful long-lost Genesis instalment Castlevania: Bloodlines (known as Castlevania: The New Generation in PAL regions)? It's a crime against the gaming community that it's never been re-released in any form; its amped-up, very Sega take on the series is a breath of fresh air to this day, with superb music and fantastic effects matching the 'Vania-on-steroids gameplay beautifully.
Another currently unavailable title is M2's WiiWare entry Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth. This, along with Gradius and Contra Rebirth, was a fantastic throwback - the gameplay felt totally faithful to the classic style while offering astonishing aesthetic flair. Absolutely (vampire) killer stuff, and I'd love to see it made available on modern systems.
There are many more; I'd personally be satisfied with these, the NES/SNES games and Rondo of Blood, but let's face it, whatever it is I'm going to buy it. It's Castlevania. Realistically, though, I don't expect Konami to push the boat out. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if the NES trilogy were, indeed, all we get. It'll be nice to have them on the Switch, though definitely a missed opportunity.
We're just going to have to wait and see. Whatever Konami deign to give me, I'll certainly be fangful. (Jesus Christ – Ed)
