There’s a good reason why Castlevania fans should be happy. The Castlevania Anniversary Collection is coming in physical editions on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. There won’t be one or two but a total of four such editions, and preorders will start on May 14.
Castlevania is a game about vampire hunters, and its first title was released in 1986. There have been many games added to the series, which became one of the most critically acclaimed and best-selling franchises by Konami.
Here’s what players can get from each edition:
- Standard Edition ($34.99)
- A physical copy of the Castlevania Anniversary Collection
- Manual
- Full-color interior art
- Bloodlines Edition ($59.99)
- Standard Edition
- Original Soundtrack on CD
- Reversible 18- by 24-inch Poster
- Deluxe Clamshell Case
- Classic Edition ($59.99)
- Standard Edition
- Retro-Style Dust Sleeve
- Original Soundtrack on CD
- Reversible 18- by 24-inch Poster
- Retro-Styled Box with Metallic Ink
- Ultimate Edition ($174.99)
- Classic Edition (plus Clamshell Case from Bloodlines Edition)
- The History of Castlevania: Book of the Crescent Moon
- Miniature Replica Box Collection
- Retro Box Art Prints
- Castlevania Logo Enamel Pin
- SteelBook
- Shadow Box with Lights and Sound
The Castlevania: Anniversary Collection includes the emulated versions of some of the early titles in the series, except now they are playable in True HD graphics. Each game has six different display settings, which include these three:
- Original: Keep the original 4:3 aspect ratio but is stretched to fit the screen.
- Pixel Perfect: Keep the pixels as in the original game without stretching to full screen.
- 16:9: Stretched to fit widescreen TV.
The game also supports switching between English and Japanese versions. The latter has seven games while the former contains eight games which are:
- Castlevania (1987)
- Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1987)
- Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1990)
- Super Castlevania IV (1991)
- The Castlevania Adventure (1989)
- Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge (1991)
- Castlevania: Bloodlines (1994)
- Kid Dracula (2019, English release)
The Castlevania: Anniversary Collection comes with a digital book titled “The History of Castlevania” that contains:
- Box Art Gallery
- English and Japanese cover arts of included titles.
- Features Titles
- Story and information on each of the included titles.
- Key Person Interviews
- Interview with Michiru Yamane and Adi Shankar.
- Castlevania Research Reports
- Chronology and charts.
- Design Archives
- Making of design materials, such as storyboards and sketches.
