Castlevania Dominus Assortment: How Konami Recreated DS and Arcade Games for Xbox

The Castlevania Dominus Collection has launched on Xbox Collection X|S. This bumper bundle brings collectively three basic Castlevania entries initially created for Nintendo DS – Castlevania: Daybreak of Sorrow, Castlevania: Portrait of Damage, and Castlevania Order of Ecclesia – in addition to a redesigned model of the unique Castlevania arcade recreation, Haunted Citadel, titled Haunted Citadel Revisited. All of this comes alongside fashionable quality-of-life options, model new artwork to take a look at, and extra. It’s a real celebration of the collection.

As a part of that celebration, we spoke with Tsutomu Taniguchi, the producer behind Castlevania Dominus Assortment. From the joy of engaged on Castlevania once more to adapting virtually two decade-old mechanics for fashionable consoles, study why the builders had been dedicated to honoring the legacy of Castlevania for the beloved followers, whereas additionally getting new gamers within the collection.

Whenever you revisit these basic Castlevania video games from the Dominus assortment, what feelings or recollections come to thoughts?

Since many of the unique video games on this assortment had been on a 3-inch LCD display, it’s stunning to see these video games on a TV or monitor now and uncover all the eye to element that you’ll have missed earlier than. The rigorously crafted element within the background, the eye to element in direction of the character’s animations and extra.

All of the titles have such unimaginable soundtracks, so the second we heard the music play, it took us proper again to all of the enjoyable we had enjoying them on the DS for the primary time.

As you say, a number of of those video games had been created for Nintendo DS, which is a really completely different visible format to conventional on-TV play. How have you ever tailored them?

The Nintendo DS has two 3-inch LCD screens with a side ratio of 4:3, and there’s an enormous distinction within the pixel rely (decision) in comparison with fashionable dwelling screens. So, to adapt that to the present 16:9 Full HD show, we’ve ready 5 completely different display modes to select from. We hope customers can discover the display format that works greatest for them.

We suggest the three-screen format, with the enlarged recreation window as the principle display, and a smaller standing window and map window as sub-screens. With this format, you’ll be able to see three completely different screens without delay, one thing that wasn’t doable within the unique recreation. This lets you conveniently hold each your map and character standing screens open as you play, which we predict will assist with the general gameplay expertise.

In fact, for anybody who’d prefer to recreate the identical expertise as the unique model, two-screen layouts may also be obtainable. We even have a display mode specifically designed for optimum magnification (dot by dot), for when the show decision differs from the unique pixel decision.

As builders, what’s essentially the most thrilling and difficult a part of bringing a group like this to life?

Firstly, we’re honored to be working with the collection and simply the truth that we had been capable of play a component in creating this assortment is so thrilling. The prospect to deliver these titles that weren’t obtainable on present consoles to gamers once more was additionally an enormous motivating issue. It’s so rewarding to know that, with the gathering, gamers can expertise all of the enjoyable that Castlevania has to supply once more.

We seen feedback on-line saying, “I want I may play the three DS titles on present consoles!” and seeing that all the time made us completely satisfied to be engaged on it, and actually motivated us to deliver these titles again as quickly as doable! We had been actually grateful to see that gamers had been nonetheless within the video games.

For all these gamers who’ve fond recollections of those titles, we’d be delighted if this assortment aids to relive the instances you’ve loved with Castlevania. And for gamers new to Castlevania, we hope this would be the good alternative to present these titles a strive.

Why do you suppose now’s the proper time to deliver these titles again?

It was round 2019 once we began seeing individuals on-line point out, “I like exploration-based motion video games! However I’ve by no means performed a Castlevania recreation…” That was what bought us first fascinated with making Castlevania obtainable on present consoles once more, so that individuals may have the possibility to find them.

At the moment, we didn’t have any ported variations of the “exploration-action” model of Castlevania titles obtainable on present consoles, and any of the originals that had been floating across the market went for a premium worth, so even for individuals who wished to play the video games, it wasn’t really easy to get into.

We now have a number of of those exploration-action model Castlevania titles, so it was onerous for the group to resolve which order we wished to go in to adapt them to present consoles. However in the long run, we determined to comply with the order through which they had been launched, so we began with the three GBA titles within the Castlevania Advance Assortment, launched in 2021. We had been pleasantly stunned to see it so nicely acquired by much more gamers than we had imagined.

Since that was the thought course of from the beginning, it was simple to comply with by and have a group consensus of “if we ever create something subsequent, it might be the three DS titles!”

What do you hope new gamers will uncover about Castlevania by this assortment? Are there any facets of the video games that you simply suppose will shock them?

Firstly, for returning gamers, we hope this assortment helps them rediscover Castlevania and relive these moments they loved previously. Moreover, this assortment contains options comparable to ‘Gallery Mode’ the place you’ll be able to view idea and design paperwork, a newly-added Encyclopedia, and a Music Participant Mode, all to supply a deeper dive into the world of Castlevania.  Please do have some enjoyable and strive these extra contents out!

And for gamers who’ve by no means performed Castlevania, we hope this shall be your likelihood to get to know the collection. Lastly, we’ve included a bonus title, Haunted Citadel Revisited, an adaptation of the arcade recreation, Haunted Citadel. We hope you get pleasure from!

For brand spanking new gamers, out of the 4 titles within the Castlevania Dominus Assortment, what order ought to they play these video games in?

Even inside the growth group, we are able to’t all agree on which of the three we’d suggest first, so we predict gamers will possible get pleasure from them irrespective of which order they fight them in.

But when we needed to say, maybe the order they had been launched in could be the best way to go.

Alongside the DS remasters, you’ve additionally created a wholly revamped model of the unique Castlevania arcade recreation. Why did you come back to that recreation, and how have you ever improved it?

The bonus title was determined by going by all of the obtainable choices, along with M2 Co. Ltd. [the collection’s co-development studio]. A little bit secret: it was so onerous to resolve between the titles that we had many, MANY discussions simply to slim down our prime choices. I had determined early on that the bonus title must be a stage-clearing motion recreation, one thing that’s completely different from the three featured NDS titles. We thought that the bonus title ought to both be a port of a recreation that was not appropriate with the present consoles, or a small remake of a previous title.

Having stated that, I someway knew that it might be a ‘port’, similar to the Castlevania Advance Assortment. Ultimately, we narrowed down the doable ‘port’ and ‘remake’ titles, however none of them felt ‘proper’. That was when the director of M2 prompt, ‘How about redesigning an arcade title that was tremendous tough in order that it might be performed on console?’ and that’s once we all had the ‘Aha!’ second. Thereon, deciding which title to incorporate was clean crusing.

I feel we’ve succeeded in creating stunning graphics whereas retaining the unique really feel of the pixels, and I consider the sport design is completed in a means that individuals can have enjoyable with.

I actually hope that this recreation will get performed by many and brings enjoyment to them! Initially, we meant this to be a small-scale remake, however once we realized, it had turned out to be a full-scale remake. That is all because of M2’s dedication and workmanship.