Konami has celebrated Castlevania’s 40th anniversary with a video covering the series’ history that some believe is teasing a collection of the 3D entries.
We’re finally getting a brand new mainline Castlevania game for the first time in 12 years with Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, set to release on October 15. But unlike Metal Gear and Silent Hill which were just gone during Konami‘s hiatus from making games, Castlevania was still pretty present. Not only was there the massively popular anime series, but over the years, almost every mainline entry in the series got a re-release as part of its many collections.
The exceptions, however, have been the 3D games in the series. The N64’s Castlevania and Legacy of Darkness, the PS2’s Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness, and the Lords of Shadow trilogy have all remained bound to their original platforms. However, Konami might be teasing a return for some of them, fans speculate.
At the end of a video celebrating the series 40th Anniversary, Simon Belmont walks the halls of Dracula’s castle, with the series first protagonists walking past four portraits before arriving at his surprise party. These portraits show artwork from Belmont’s Curse, Lament of Innocence, Curse of Darkness, and the first Lords of Shadow (the best one, and only Castlevania produced by Hideo Kojima at that). Naturally, this has led to speculation (thanks, Time Extension) that these games will have a collection of their own following the release of Belmont’s Curse.
While not as beloved as say, Symphony of the Night or Aria of Sorrow, the 3D Castlevania games definitely have their fans – especially Curse of Darkness which introduces one of the series most-beloved characters, Hector. However, outside of the excitement, some can’t help but notice that Castlevania 64, Legacy of Darkness, and Lords of Shadow 2 are missing from the lineup. It could just be a case of Konami choosing to highlight the three favorites, but there’s a chance this lineup could be incomplete.
That is, if it is a teaser at all, as it could just be a way to represent these games in the party finale of the video, given that they don’t have 2D sprites.