While not as perfect collection, 2 of the 3 DS titles are among some of the best 2D Castlevania games in existence. Talking about Order of Ecclesia and Portrait of Ruin. Dawn of Souls is still a good play though all things considered. There's also Haunted Castle which was previously released in the Konami Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection, which was an odd one considering the other games in that collection were all shoot 'em ups. Haunted Castle definitely feels more at home here. and what's more they even did a full blow remake of the title with some QOL improvements like better difficulty balancing for starters.

Haunted Castle and it's remake are the only 2 classicvania titles in the bunch, with the other 3 games being full blown metroidvania titles which are styled after Symphony of the Night. this means they have a less linear approach to progression with the environments offering many branching paths. As well as offering RPG progression, inventory systems and several types of powerups that are necessary for navigation through the big maps. Each game also offers it's own unique style of gameplay, like the glyph system for Order of Ecclasia, or the dual character control of Portrait of Ruin for example. Dawn of Sorrow also makes more use of the "touch screen" controls than the other 2, which can be done with the right analog stick if playing with a controller. If you own a steam deck or any other type of touch screen device you can also just use the screen to do this.

Speaking of screens, these games were originally on the Nintendo DS, and much like ports such as Etrian Odyssey for example, or some of the games from the Mega Man Zero/ZX collection you will play these games with multiple windows. In this case you have a main gameplay window and 2 smaller windows which show the map and also a status screen. You can also orient these windows in one of several ways to fit whatever style you want. And despite having a smaller main window, it still looks perfectly fine on the Steam Deck.

This being a collection you will also be treated to some extras such as a gallery that features tons of artwork and manuals in different languages for the various games, plus soundtracks to listen to for everything included. There's also English and Japanese versions for the 3 main DS titles, plus some other languages where applicable. On top of that you have a handy rewind feature for those times you might make a mistake and the ability to save at any time you want without the need to find save rooms.

Konami shadow dropping this was a pleasant surprise. I'm sure a lot of Castlevania fans were dying for ports of these games, and I am on of them. Here's to hoping Konami follows up with the rest of the 2D titles. I'm looking at you Symphony of the Night and Rondo of Blood.

While not as perfect collection, 2 of the 3 DS titles are among some of the best 2D Castlevania games in existence. Talking about Order of Ecclesia and Portrait of Ruin. Dawn of Souls is still a good play though all things considered. There's also Haunted Castle which was previously released in the Konami Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection, which was an odd one considering the other games in that collection were all shoot 'em ups. Haunted Castle definitely feels more at home here. and what's more they even did a full blow remake of the title with some QOL improvements like better difficulty balancing for starters. Haunted Castle and it's remake are the only 2 classicvania titles in the bunch, with the other 3 games being full blown metroidvania titles which are styled after Symphony of the Night. this means they have a less linear approach to progression with the environments offering many branching paths. As well as offering RPG progression, inventory systems and several types of powerups that are necessary for navigation through the big maps. Each game also offers it's own unique style of gameplay, like the glyph system for Order of Ecclasia, or the dual character control of Portrait of Ruin for example. Dawn of Sorrow also makes more use of the "touch screen" controls than the other 2, which can be done with the right analog stick if playing with a controller. If you own a steam deck or any other type of touch screen device you can also just use the screen to do this. Speaking of screens, these games were originally on the Nintendo DS, and much like ports such as Etrian Odyssey for example, or some of the games from the Mega Man Zero/ZX collection you will play these games with multiple windows. In this case you have a main gameplay window and 2 smaller windows which show the map and also a status screen. You can also orient these windows in one of several ways to fit whatever style you want. And despite having a smaller main window, it still looks perfectly fine on the Steam Deck. This being a collection you will also be treated to some extras such as a gallery that features tons of artwork and manuals in different languages for the various games, plus soundtracks to listen to for everything included. There's also English and Japanese versions for the 3 main DS titles, plus some other languages where applicable. On top of that you have a handy rewind feature for those times you might make a mistake and the ability to save at any time you want without the need to find save rooms. Konami shadow dropping this was a pleasant surprise. I'm sure a lot of Castlevania fans were dying for ports of these games, and I am on of them. Here's to hoping Konami follows up with the rest of the 2D titles. I'm looking at you Symphony of the Night and Rondo of Blood.