Release Date: October 26, 2018Platform: PS4Developer: KonamiPublisher: KonamiGenre: Platformer

On the one hand, Castlevania Requiem is an affordably priced collection of one of the greatest Castlevania games ever made and its rarely seen (in the U.S.) predecessor. But it’s also a lazy port of these games timed to release as an obvious cash-in with the second season of the excellent Netflix show.

Fans hoping for an epic celebration of these titles akin to the Mega Man and Metal Gear Solid legacy collections will be sorely disappointed with this bundle, which is nothing more than another way to re-sell these games. There’s no digital artbook or making-of commentary, nothing to show that Konami realizes that Castlevania Requiem is the first Castlevania game product it’s released in four years. Those looking forward to playing these games with trophy support will be pleased, though.

Yet, even if this version doesn’t have much new to offer, it’s impossible to hate the Symphony of the Night half of this collection. More than two decades after its release, Alucard’s journey through Dracula’s massive interconnected castle (and then the second inverted castle) remains as addictive and entertaining as ever.