Castlevania Dominus Collection: How Konami Recreated DS and Arcade Games for Xbox
Donell Tucker, Brand Manager, Konami
The Castlevania Dominus Collection has launched on Xbox Series X|S. This bumper package brings together three classic Castlevania entries originally created for Nintendo DS – Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, and Castlevania Order of Ecclesia – as well as a redesigned version of the original Castlevania arcade game, Haunted Castle, titled Haunted Castle Revisited. All of this comes alongside modern quality-of-life features, brand new art to check out, and more. It’s a true celebration of the series.
As part of that celebration, we spoke with Tsutomu Taniguchi, the producer behind Castlevania Dominus Collection. From the excitement of working on Castlevania again to adapting almost two decade-old mechanics for modern consoles, learn why the developers were committed to honoring the legacy of Castlevania for the beloved fans, while also getting new players interested in the series.
When you revisit these classic Castlevania games from the Dominus collection, what emotions or memories come to mind?
Since most of the original games in this collection were on a 3-inch LCD screen, it’s surprising to see these games on a TV or monitor now and discover all the attention to detail that you may have missed before. The carefully crafted detail in the background, the attention to detail towards the character’s animations and more.
All the titles have such incredible soundtracks, so the moment we heard the music play, it took us right back to all the fun we had playing them on the DS for the first time.
As you say, several of these games were created for Nintendo DS, which is a very different visual format to traditional on-TV play. How have you adapted them?
The Nintendo DS has two 3-inch LCD screens with an aspect ratio of 4:3, and there’s a big difference in the pixel count (resolution) compared to modern home screens. So, to adapt that to the current 16:9 Full HD display, we’ve prepared five different screen modes to choose from. We hope users can find the screen layout that works best for them.
We recommend the three-screen layout, with the enlarged game window as the main screen, and a smaller status window and map window as sub-screens. With this layout, you can see three different screens at once, something that wasn’t possible in the original game. This allows you to conveniently keep both your map and character status screens open as you play, which we think will help with the overall gameplay experience.
Of course, for anyone who’d like to recreate the same experience as the original version, two-screen layouts will also be available. We also have a screen mode specially designed for optimal magnification (dot by dot), for when the display resolution differs from the original pixel resolution.
As developers, what’s the most exciting and challenging part of bringing a collection like this to life?
Firstly, we’re honored to be working with the series and just the fact that we were able to play a part in creating this collection is so exciting. The chance to bring these titles that weren’t available on current consoles to players again was also a big motivating factor. It’s so rewarding to know that, with the collection, players can experience all the fun that Castlevania has to offer again.
We noticed comments online saying, “I wish I could play the three DS titles on current consoles!” and seeing that always made us happy to be working on it, and really motivated us to bring these titles back as soon as possible! We were truly grateful to see that players were still interested in the games.
For all those players who have fond memories of these titles, we would be delighted if this collection aids to relive the times you’ve enjoyed with Castlevania. And for players new to Castlevania, we hope this will be the perfect opportunity to give these titles a try.
Why do you think now is the perfect time to bring these titles back?
It was around 2019 when we started seeing people online mention, “I love exploration-based action games! But I’ve never played a Castlevania game…” That was what got us first thinking about making Castlevania available on current consoles again, so that people could have the chance to discover them.
At that time, we didn’t have any ported versions of the “exploration-action” style of Castlevania titles available on current consoles, and any of the originals that were floating around the market went for a premium price, so even for people who wanted to play the games, it wasn’t so easy to get into.
We have several of these exploration-action style Castlevania titles, so it was hard for the team to decide which order we wanted to go in to adapt them to current consoles. But in the end, we decided to follow the order in which they were released, so we started with the 3 GBA titles in the Castlevania Advance Collection, released in 2021. We were pleasantly surprised to see it so well received by even more players than we had imagined.
Since that was the thought process from the start, it was easy to follow through and have a team consensus of “if we ever create anything next, it would be the three DS titles!”
What do you hope new players will discover about Castlevania through this collection? Are there any aspects of the games that you think will surprise them?
Firstly, for returning players, we hope this collection helps them rediscover Castlevania and relive those moments they enjoyed in the past. Additionally, this collection includes features such as ‘Gallery Mode’ where you can view concept and design documents, a newly-added Encyclopedia, and a Music Player Mode, all to provide a deeper dive into the world of Castlevania. Please do have some fun and try these additional contents out!
And for players who have never played Castlevania, we hope this will be your chance to get to know the series. Finally, we’ve included a bonus title, Haunted Castle Revisited, an adaptation of the arcade game, Haunted Castle. We hope you enjoy!
For new players, out of the 4 titles in the Castlevania Dominus Collection, what order should they play these games in?
Even within the development team, we can’t all agree on which of the three we’d recommend first, so we think players will likely enjoy them no matter which order they try them in.
But if we had to say, perhaps the order they were released in might be the way to go.
Alongside the DS remasters, you’ve also created an entirely revamped version of the original Castlevania arcade game. Why did you return to that game, and how have you improved it?
The bonus title was decided by going through all the available options, together with M2 Co. Ltd. [the collection’s co-development studio]. A little secret: it was so hard to decide between the titles that we had many, MANY discussions just to narrow down our top options. I had decided early on that the bonus title should be a stage-clearing action game, something that’s different from the three featured NDS titles. We thought that the bonus title should either be a port of a game that was not compatible with the current consoles, or a small remake of a past title.
Having said that, I somehow knew that it would be a ‘port’, just like the Castlevania Advance Collection. In the end, we narrowed down the possible ‘port’ and ‘remake’ titles, but none of them felt ‘right’. That was when the director of M2 suggested, ‘How about redesigning an arcade title that was super difficult so that it could be played on console?’ and that’s when we all had the ‘Aha!’ moment. Thereon, deciding which title to include was smooth sailing.
I think we’ve succeeded in creating beautiful graphics while retaining the original feel of the pixels, and I believe the game design is finished in a way that people can have fun with.
I really hope that this game gets played by many and brings enjoyment to them! Initially, we intended this to be a small-scale remake, but when we realized, it had turned out to be a full-scale remake. This is all thanks to M2’s commitment and workmanship.
In addition to the three action adventure games from the Castlevania series, Haunted Castle Revisited, an redesigned version of the very first Castlevania arcade game, makes its debut! And you can also play it in its original format!
Experience the world of Castlevania like never before, with never-before-seen art and handy new features such as rewind, quick saves and much more!
– Titles
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
The adventures of Soma continue! Discover a completely new way to create countless weapons by combining souls, in stunning 2D graphics.
One year after the events of Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, a boy named Soma Cruz is once again put at the center of a plot to resurrect Dracula led by a mysterious cult.. Will he finally be able to face his own destiny and put an end to all this?
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Not one but two heroes join their forces to fight the evil this time! Switch between Jonathan and Charlotte with a single button press and make the best use of their unique abilities.
Dracula’s Castle has suddenly resurfaced, but something doesn’t add up.
Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin make their way in to investigate, they soon discover that the mind behind all this is not who they thought…
Castlevania Order of Ecclesia
The enigmatic Shanoa is the only human capable of using the glyphs, symbols full of magic.
Gather glyphs by exploring the Castle and its surroundings and absorb the power of the mighty foes you fight!
The three most powerful glyphs, thought to be able to even defeat Dracula himself, have been stolen. Can Shanoa bring them back to the Order, and finally destroy the Dark Lord?
Haunted Castle
Haunted Castle Revisited, an redesigned version of the very first Castlevania arcade game, makes its debut! And you can also play it in its original format!
Square Enix has finally made public its dissatisfaction with Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s commercial performance, admitting neither game met profit expectations.
In a financial results briefing held May 13 but only released today, September 18, Takashi Kiryu, president and representative director of Square Enix said: “In the HD Games sub-segment, we released multiple new titles, including major titles such as Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but profits unfortunately did not meet our expectations.”
Kiryu went on to suggest Square Enix cannibalized sales of its Final Fantasy games released during the financial year ending March 2024.
“We recognize that issues remain in the Digital Entertainment segment,” Kiryu admitted. “The HD Games sub-segment failed to better its profitability, posting operating losses in every year of our previous medium-term plan. In addition to this, we did not manage our title portfolio across the company as well as we could have, which I believe resulted in opportunity losses due to cannibalization between our own titles.”
Square Enix released Final Fantasy 16 in June 2023, then Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth just over half a year later in February 2024. Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth both launched as PlayStation 5 exclusives, and while Square Enix has announced a sales figure for Final Fantasy 16, it has yet to do so for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the second game in the company’s trilogy of Final Fantasy 7 remakes.
“In the case of the HD Game sub-segment, sales of individual games will remain the key variable, but we believe that we will be able to exercise some degree of control over that volatility by carefully curating our pipeline over the next three years,” Kiryu said. “By also working steadily to improve our profitability, we intend to offset the weakness in SD games to achieve overall profitability.”
We did not manage our title portfolio across the company as well as we could have.
Square Enix has now extended the timelines for a portion of its pipeline, “in part because of the massive amount of time required to develop HD games, and in part because we determined that we should rethink how best to deliver some of the titles we had under development to our customers,” Kiryu revealed.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
As per EA’s recent generative AI tugathon, the third game in Respawn’s action adventure Star Wars trilogy has been confirmed again to be in development. According to EA, it’ll be the “final chapter” in the now-trilogy, following 2019’s Jedi Fallen Order and 2023’s Jedi Survivor.
The existence of the game was first confirmed by Cal Kestis actor Cameron Monaghan, during an Ocala Comic Con panel. “We’re working on a third and we’re in the process of doing that right now,” said Monaghan, which is about as straightforward an affirmative as one could want. It was also double-confirmed this February, following news of layoffs at EA, via Eurogamer.
HTC Vive has upgraded its lineup of Extended Reality headsets with the new HTC Vive Focus Vision, promising gamers built-in eye-tracking, improved cameras, and better hand-tracking. If actual reality is just too much and you’ve recently received an unexpected inheritance from a wealthy benefactor, the new headset is available to pre-order today.
HTC Vive Focus Vision price:
USD $999
UK £999
€1229
AUD 1,899 inc GST
Not to be confused with the currently available Vive XR Elite, Focus 3, Focus Plus, Pro 2, or Viveflow VR models, the HTC Vive Focus Vision will also offer a DisplayPort mode that will connect directly with a PC’s graphics card to let VR gamers work their way through their Steam VR back catalog without a drop in visual quality. The only catch with that feature is that it won’t be available until “late 2024.”
HTC Vive Focus Vision features:
Built-in eye-tracking and motorized auto-IPD adjustment
DisplayPort mode for stunning, visually lossless PCVR experiences
Dual 16MP color cameras for stereoscopic full-color passthrough
Up to 120-degree FOV and 90Hz refresh rate. Support for 120Hz refresh rate via
DisplayPort mode coming late 2024
Combined 5k resolution across both eyes
Depth sensor for scene recognition
Infra-red sensor for enhanced tracking in low-light conditions
“VIVE Focus Vision gives you the best of both worlds, with outstanding standalone capabilities, and DisplayPort mode support for visually lossless PCVR experiences,” said Shen Ye, Global Head of Product at HTC VIVE.
“Now, PC gamers can bring the same high-end headsets used in VR arcades into their homes. We’re taking everything to the next level with built-in eye-tracking, stereo color passthrough cameras for depth-correct Mixed Reality, and even an infra-red sensor for enhanced hand tracking in low-light conditions.”
Extended Reality – or XR – is the umbrella term for virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. HTC Vive is one of the biggest players in the space, and its new toy will compete with the Meta Quest 3 and of course the Apple Vision Pro. We’ll let you know how it stacks up against them when its released later this year.
The upcoming skate. game now has an (admittedly vague) early access release date of 2025, according to a post by the developers on Xitter. It’s difficult to write about the new skate. game because if you choose to write skate. with the imposed stylings which skate. publishers Electronic Arts insist, you end up putting a full stop after every instance of skate., which makes your sentences about skate. sound fucking stupid. and. belaboured. with. pauses. Game makers, please stop putting punctuation in your game names.
Publisher 3D Realms and developer Point N’ Sheep have revealed that the pixel art Soulslike Bloodless will be bringing the school of “non-lethal combat” to Switch on 10th October.
Yes, we did just say “non-lethal”. You see, this Soulslike is all about tackling foes in a slightly less stabby manner. You play as Tomoe, a ronin who has given up her blade and sworn to never use it again. You’ll have to utilise dash counters and powerful ki-attacks to overpower foes and bring the fight to Shogun Akechi, the bloodied leader responsible for bringing Tomoe’s homeland to its knees.
Having gone to bed last night with Final Fantasy XVI installed yet unplayed on a Steam Deck, I awoke to find Valve have slapped the moody RPG with Unsupported status for the handheld. Its crime: an inability to “run well” on the Steam Deck’s internals, regardless of settings changes. Dammit, Clive.
What are you LYMBUS? In what vat were you grown? I feel like I’ve sluggishly ambled my way down to the fridge and tried to scoop a gherkin from the jar, only to find a disconcertingly tasty sliver of my own brain. Like a creature from Flatland trying to play 4D chess, and all the pieces are just tiny carvings of my face with “lol get a load of this prick” whittled into the forehead. I quite like it.
“We combined your favorite genres into one grotesque piece of software! You’re welcome, game journalists,” reads the Steam page for the demo. That is a very polite way to kick me in the head and call me a bitch, LYMBUS.
Nintendo has announced four Super NES games from the early ‘90s are now live via the Nintendo Switch Online library.
First up, we have Battletoads Double Dragon, a crossover beat-’em-up developed by legendary studio Rare and released in 1993. Here’s the official blurb, from Nintendo:
The warriors from Double Dragon join forces with the toad-acious Battletoads trio to form the ultimate team in this 1993 beat-’em-up! Tussle with terrific twins Billy and Jimmy Lee as they team up with Zitz, Rash and Pimple to defend the Earth against the combined might of the Dark Queen and the Shadow Boss! Leap from the Battlecopter onto the tail of the Colossus spaceship and fight your way through beastly baddies and lethal objects using the Battletoads’ arsenal of Smash Hits or the Dragons’ array of Dragon Force Techniques – each provides incredible attacking combos, including kicks, punches, throws and more! You’ll also put your driving skills to the test with the Speeder Bike and high-speed Space Pod. How will this struggle for Earth’s future end?
Next, we have Jaleco’s Big Run, a racing game originally released for the Super Famicom in 1991. Check out what the game is about, per Nintendo:
Race across the vast landscape of Africa – from Tripoli to Dakar – over the course of nine stages in this racing game originally released for the Super Famicom system in 1991. This monumental task isn’t only about putting pedal to the metal, though! First, you’ll need to select a sponsor and then use those funds to hire staff. Next, you’ll need some spare parts to replace tires and engines when they get damaged or worn out. The glory of victory awaits if you can combine precise tactics and bold driving to weather the brutal driving conditions that stand between you and your goal.
Cosmo Gang the Puzzle is a 1993 action puzzle game developed by Namco and originally released for the Super Famicom.
The Cosmo Gang take on falling-block-style puzzles across three modes in this 1993 action-puzzle game that was originally for Super Famicom. Focus on clearing blocks to get the high score in 1P Mode, play competitive battles in VS Mode and put yourself to the test in 100 Stage Mode, where you can solve stage after stage of strategic challenges. In each of the modes, progress is made by removing containers and Cosmos that fall from the top of the screen. You can remove the containers by lining six up in a horizontal row — and Cosmos are removed when they touch the blue orbs that occasionally make their way down. Though the two types of blocks are cleared in different ways, try to see if you can perform a combo by clearing both types at once!
And finally, Technōs Japan’s sports game Kunio-kun no Dodgeball da yo Zen’in Shūgō!, which came out on the Super Famicom in 1993, is available. The Kunio-kun series, known as River City outside Japan, is now in the hands of Guilty Gear developer Arc System Works, with recent revivals from WayForward.
This sports game, released for the Super Famicom system in 1993, features Kunio-kun (who you may recognize from the River City series!) and his striking dodgeball moves. Take the field and square off against teams from various countries and employ a variety of jumps, passes and dynamic knockout shots as you aim to become the greatest dodgeball team in the world. Plus, each stage has hidden gimmicks to discover, so your matches may even take some unexpected turns! Build your ideal team, power up with in-game items and train your teammates to be the best they can be. Can you take the dodgeball championship by storm?
Super NES – Nintendo Switch Online library additions for September 2024:
All four games are now part of the Super NES – Nintendo Switch Online library, and are available for all Nintendo Switch Online members to play today.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Last month, Helldivers 2 studio Arrowhead thrust a white flag out from their shelled position in an attempt to placate mutinous fans of the co-op shooter. In response to a community sentiment best summed up by a popular Reddit post titled “Let the super earth burn”, Arrowhead released a statement. “In short, we didn’t hit our target with the latest update…what matters most now is action. Not talk.” Said action (which it must be pointed felt a bit troublingly reactive to the loudest and most histrionic voices in the roo..uh, subreddit) was foreshadowed in a list of issues to be tackled over the coming months.
