Castlevania Anniversary Collection to Add Japanese Title Versions as Free Update

TheCastlevaniaAnniversary Collection, which just launched on May 16th, has been confirmed by theofficial PlayStation blogto receive a future update – one that would add Japanese title variants as a free update shortly after the game’s launch. According to the post,Konamireleased the free update in response to fan feedback.

More information about the Japanese version update will be revealed soon. Meanwhile the anniversary collection itself has already released for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Naturally the first four games in the collection to be announced werethe originalCastlevania,Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge,Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, andCastlevaniaIV. Joining these classics areCastlevania Bloodlines, Kid Dracula, Castlevania the Adventure,andCastlevania II: Simon’s Quest.

Castlevania II: Simon’s Questis a bit of a departure from the otherCastlevaniagames of its time, as it uses some light RPG elements. Simon can interact with townspeople and buy new items from merchants. The game also uses a day-night cycle which changes up gameplay quite a bit, depending on what time of day it is.

Kid Draculawas originally only released in Japan for the Famicom. The adorable, kid version visually stands out from the rest of the pack. You play as a pint-sized version of the head vampire in a comedic take on the classic formula. And, as seen in the screenshots from the PlayStation Blog,Kid Draculais being localized to English for this release.

Castlevania the Adventurewas the first portable game in the franchise. It came out in 1989 for the Game Boy, which limits the gameplay slightly. Unlike consoleCastlevaniagames there are no sub-weapons, limiting your options for success. It will be interesting to see how it feels on a console.

Bloodlineswas originally released on the SEGA Genesis. The platformer follows John Morris and Eric Lecarde as they seek to stop Dracula’s niece from reviving the vampire. It also introduced music by composer Michiru Yamane, who would continue to compose for the franchise for years to come.