Summary
- Castlevania Dominus Collection will collect important games from the series, but sadly it is missing Symphony of the Night.
- Symphony of the Night remains absent from Nintendo platforms, causing an imbalance for franchise fans who prefer to play on Nintendo consoles.
- Though this collection is still promising, Symphony of the Night's exclusion is undoubtedly disappointing.
One of the most surprising announcements from the August 2024 Nintendo Direct showcase was the reveal and launch of the Castlevania Dominus Collection. Bringing together three games previously locked behind their Nintendo DS exclusivity, the Castlevania Dominus Collection is an important piece of both Castlevania franchise and Metroidvania history, collecting the final three "Igavanias" under the direction or production of series mastermind Koji Igarashi before he would go on to spearhead Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Together with the Castlevania Advance Collection, almost all of Igarashi's contributions to the Castlevania franchise are now available together, with one glaring exception – 1997's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
One half of the Metroidvania portmanteau (along with the game that inspired it, Super Metroid), Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is arguably one of the greatest PlayStation titles and somehow the one game in the franchise that has yet to appear on a Nintendo console. PlayStation owners have the version of the title collected in Castlevania Requiem, but this is an altered release of the game that changes aspects of the original (and not necessarily for the better). Considering how important Igarashi's work is to both the Metroidvania subgenre of action platformers and the Castlevania franchise, it's high time that Symphony of the Night joined the rest of the Castlevania series on all platforms.
Castlevania Dominus Collection – Launch Trailer
Konami announces the Castlevania Dominus Collection, packaging three classic Nintendo DS games together as well as Haunted Castle Revisited.
The Launch of the Castlevania Dominus Collection Is a Big Win for Series Fans, With a Catch
The freeing of the three Nintendo DS-era Castlevania titles from their exclusivity on a dead console is cause for celebration among Metroidvania fans. Not only do these titles represent some of Koji Igarashi's best work on the franchise (including the highly underrated Order of Ecclesia), they join the rest of the Castlevania series on modern consoles and PC as an important example of game preservation done right. That said, the inclusion of the original Haunted Castle and its remake instead of Symphony of the Night is a bit of a head-scratcher.
Now, instead of there being parity between all consoles and PC regarding which Castlevania titles are available on the system, Xbox and PlayStation owners have an advantage over Switch and PC players. While all three modern Castlevania collections (Anniversary, Advance, and now Dominus) are available on all major platforms and PC, Xbox owners have exclusive access to the Xbox 360 release of Symphony of the Night (ported from the PlayStation original), whereas PlayStation owners have the altered version included with Castlevania Requiem. That the entire 2D era of the franchise is now collected and universally available - apart from what many consider the best game in the Castlevania series - is an odd choice.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Deserves Better
There are plenty of Metroidvania titles available on both the PlayStation and Xbox, but it's safe to say that a large number of players prefer to play games in the genre on a handheld device. As such, it should come as no surprise that the Metroidvania genre continues to thrive on both the Nintendo Switch and the Steam Deck, with the latter serving as perhaps the best showcase for new and upcoming entries in the genre from indie developers. Having the entire Castlevania franchise available on a handheld platform seems like a no-brainer, so it's doubly surprising to see Castlevania: Symphony of the Night still not making its way to PC or Switch.
All three of the modern Castlevania compilations contain the kind of bonuses deserving of legendary titles (original English, PAL, and Japanese versions, museums, galleries, music players, etc.). That Symphony of the Night has yet to receive the same treatment seems like a missed opportunity for one of the most highly regarded games in both its franchise and genre. Even if it's not arriving as an inclusion with the Dominus Collection, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is deserving of its own separate release collecting the original PlayStation and Saturn versions, all regional releases, and digital collections of its iconic concept art, music, and pixel art character models.
- Released
- October 2, 1997
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence
- Developer(s)
- Konami
- Publisher(s)
- Konami
- Franchise
- Castlevania
