Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood Reviews
Castlevania Requiem takes two of the series' best but doesn't do all that much to repackage them for the uninitiated
Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood will have some appeal with nostalgic fans wanting to replay the game on the PlayStation 4. The lack of new features may disappoint them though. Those who are new to Castlevania, or with little interest in the series, won’t gain the disappointment I felt in regards to the voices – yet they also may not thoroughly enjoy the old-school mechanics when there are much better modern games out there which look and play much better. It’s still a decent addition to the PS4 library but will leave old fans wishing that more love and attention was put into the remaster.
Castlevania Requiem is an easy and inexpensive way to play two of the best video game ever made; however, these games deserve a far more comprehensive package than what has been built here.
Konami brings us the latest compilation of the two best titles of the Castlevania saga to the current generation of consoles, this time exclusively for PlayStation 4.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Each of the games does have their own flaws, but they mostly arise from being older games seen through the eyes of someone much more used to modern titles. With this in mind, it was easy to overlook them and have a great time playing through them, despite occasionally scaring my cat when I yelled after dying for the 100th time in Rondo of Blood.
Both games are tough as nails with Rondo of the Blood being extremely challenging and Symphony of the Night being a masterpiece of 2D side scrolling adventuring. Konami could have included a range of optional extras to the Requiem package such as concept artwork or some developer diaries or commentary but overall, given the price point and what you’re getting, PS4 gamers should be pleased with the title. Two of the greatest 2D side scrolling adventures have been brought back for the modern era and speed-runners, retro game fans and those that love challenges will find themselves enjoying both these games for hours on end.
If you haven’t played Rondo of Blood or Symphony of the Night, or want to get into the Castlevania series, or even if you just want to replay some classic masterpieces, Requiem is a great way to do so.
So the port itself is fine, but clearly not much more than that. While the games look great for their age, they’re simply not designed for modern televisions and it shows. A visual overhaul could have done wonders and truly made Requiem an essential purchase. Instead, we have fairly basic ports of one very good game and another that is in the pantheon of the greats. Given neither are on current-gen consoles before now, there’s merit to this collection for that alone, but it should have been so much more.
A heresy for me to belittle the historical value of these two excellent games. I think that everyone who has not been able to play them at some point in life has here one of the best opportunities today to make them. However, Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood, as a product, is a terrible job by Konami. I dare say that it is a lazy way for the company to earn more money on such a valuable and important franchise. We have no additional content to add value to the package. The game's exclusivity to PS4 is also questionable. Personally, I don't see any reasons to prevent the release of ‘Requiem’ for other platforms such as PC or even the Switch, which would be a great addition to the console library due to its portability.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Castlevania Requiem combines two of the best games in the Castlevania series. However, it does just that. The bare-bones presentation and weird mistakes keep this from becoming a must own collection.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
While this was disappointing to see it’s hard to be too critical on the collection for this based on how well the games themselves perform (which is really what we’re playing it for at the end of the day) and it’s really reasonable price point. If you’ve played these games before there isn’t anything new here besides being on a new system for the first time with enabled trophy support. But for those that haven’t, do yourselves a favour and spend the $24.95 and pick this collection up.
It may not feature perfect ports but Castlevania Requiem still contains 2 of the best games ever made.
Bundling two of Konami's most beloved games should have been the easiest sale in the world. Instead, what is here is something that doesn't quite hit the mark. The ports are competent, but they could have been so much more. Instead, it seems like effort was spent on including meaningless features that don't really benefit anyone. Introducing force feedback to old games just seems like a bad idea in general. Still, Symphony of the Night and Rondo of Blood are classics. They deserve to be played, even if it is through Castlevania Requiem.
In essence, Castlevania Requiem is a mediocre port of two extremely good games. Fans will enjoy the chance to play them again — if they haven't already purchased copies for other consoles — but it's far from the definitive version of the games. This collection offers two excellent games for $20, which isn't a bad deal as long as players only expect what it says on the package: two Castlevania titles that they've probably played before.
While Rondo of Blood is entertaining enough, the lack of extras and the inferior version of Symphony of the Night being included in this package is sure to disappoint.
It is a shame that there was not much effort spent on bringing back two of these classic Castlevania games to the current generation. Despite the dated look, they are still fascinating to play thanks to the masterfully crafted level design and an engrossing story.
For die-hard fans of the series, there is nothing new to be found here, but for those who never had a chance to get their hands on any of the Castlevania titles, this collection would be a perfect start to enter the Castlevania world.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Requiem is a poor collection, without relevant extras and permeated by technical problems. The drawbacks should displease enthusiasts of the series, however the two games are perfectly playable. In short, the port is bad, but the games are great. If Castlevania is an important series for you, it is worth revisiting in order to secure that special platinum trophy on your gamer resume.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
This is a collection for anybody who has missed two of the best Konami games ever made. Castlevania Requiem Collection comes with the glorious franchise "Symphony of Night" and "Rondo of Blood", this time only on PS4. The overall feeling is the same with a noticeable graphic improvement and amazing gameplay, but the lack of new content hurts this collection a bit. Castlevania Requiem is a collection you should not miss it
Review in Persian | Read full review
I think any fan of these two games can't really ask for anything more considering both games have been perfectly ported, in full high-definition, to PlayStation 4. The added trophies are nice, and the games basically feel just as they did all those years ago – they just look way crisper now. I really can't recommend this package enough, if only it had a physical release too.