The Castlevania Dominus Collection is a fantastic rerelease of some of the finest Castlevania games around. The original Nintendo DS functionality is handled incredibly well, and the three games are brilliant exploratory platformers. Fans can rejoice, as another three Castlevania classics are now easier to grab and more fun to play than ever.
Credit: Konami
Castlevania Dominus Collection
Developer: Konami
Price: $25
Platforms: PS5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC
MonsterVine was provided with a PS5 code for review
Both halves of the common colloquialism “MetroidVania” are excellent – that’s why the name caught on. Most Metroid games can be played on some form of modern console. Still, the Nintendo DS Castlevania games have been absent from this generation despite their predecessors having arrived. Now, the DS trilogy is here, and it’s as incredible as it was years ago.
I’m going to go a bit into each included game, but I’ll first discuss the overall features of the collection that apply to all of the titles. Given these games were on the Nintendo DS, you might be wondering how the dual screen and touch screen functionality works. These are handled perfectly, as necessary touchscreen inputs can either be performed with buttons or with the right analog stick and a held shoulder button.
Credit: Konami
There are several different layouts to have the two screens on your single television, each with varying sizes and even a small third screen with handy info about enemies and your stats. I’m amazed at how smooth the transition from DS to modern consoles was in the Castlevania Dominus Collection, and I applaud Konami’s work on it. Of course, the ability to save, load, and rewind anywhere is as handy here as in the other collections, making the game more accessible for those who have trouble with the difficulty.
There are also tons of extras, like a gallery of artwork and game manuals as well as a music player with songs from all of the games. This is the sort of thing that I love to see in rereleases to give them that extra bit of value, and the Castlevania Dominus Collection does this well.
Credit: Konami
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Originally released in 2005, Dawn of Sorrow is the Nintendo DS follow-up to the Game Boy Advance’s Aria of Sorrow. I’m a big fan of Soma Cruz and have fond memories of playing this game in my youth, so I was excited to revisit it. It’s exactly what it was before – a strong exploratory platformer with perhaps a bit of tacked-on touchscreen functionality that has been improved by this new button system.
Exploring the castle as Soma and gaining new abilities from enemy souls is a consistently satisfying experience, as is constantly leveling up and finding better and better equipment to get stronger and stronger. The returning characters like Hammer and Yoko are a joy to see again, and the story keeps you invested. I’m glad Dawn of Sorrow is easy to access now, especially since you can now go straight from the Castlevania Advance Collection’s port of Aria of Sorrow to the sequel.
Credit: Konami
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Released in 2006, you play as dual protagonists in Portrait of Ruin – Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin. The duo are indirect descendants of John Morris and Sypha Belnades, respectively. It has a World War II-era setting and tasks you with solving puzzles and exploring Dracula’s castle through the use of both protagonists. The best part is the painting gimmick, as you traverse themed areas within portraits as mini areas. These bring some wild flavor to the game that isn’t found in other Castlevania titles, making it truly stand out.
I’m quite fond of Portrait of Ruin and I’m glad it translated over to this collection so well. The dual protagonist system doesn’t feel awkward or stressful, and both characters and their backstories are intriguing. It feels as though this game is a bit less remembered, but it’s a blast to play and has a great aesthetic, so I recommend giving it a go.
Credit: Konami
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Finally, we have 2008’s Order of Ecclesia – the last of the major DS Castlevania games. It stars Shanoa – a member of the titular Order of Ecclesia that aims to fight against Dracula and his darkness in the absence of the Belmont clan. Though she loses her memories early on, Shanoa’s a likable character who is easy to get invested in throughout her quest to reacquire the powerful Dominus from her adoptive brother.
Order of Ecclesia’s main gimmick has you absorbing Glyphs, which grant you powers and abilities you can assign to buttons. It stands out from the other two titles here as a result but provides the same delightful gameplay loop of exploration and constant growth. It’s the perfect cap to the trilogy of DS games that I highly recommend, as its non-Belmont-oriented story and protagonist make it even more distinct in the franchise.
Credit: Konami
Haunted Castle/Haunted Castle Revisited
Haunted Castle is an odd one, being a 1987 arcade game version of Castlevania. The opening cutscene is very funny, as it shows Simon getting married, followed by lightning striking the church and Dracula randomly appearing to steal his wife. It’s a great inclusion for that alone, though the game itself is a neat little curiosity, if a bit clunky.
The best part is the fully remade version that’s also included, Haunted Castle Revisited. It looks great and is impressively redone, making it the most pleasant way to play this extra inclusion. It’s not quite like your usual Castlevania game, and I’m glad it was included.
The Final Word
The Castlevania Dominus Collection is a brilliant compilation of some of the most creative Castlevania games there are. The Nintendo DS functionality is translated perfectly to modern single-screened consoles, and the bonus features go a long way in making this an especially worthwhile collection. If you’ve got a hankering for exploratory platformers, you can’t do much better than this.
MonsterVine Rating: 4.5 out of 5 – Great
