[Updated] Castlevania Advance Collection has Released for Switch and PS4

Updated: Castlevania Advance Collection has been released for Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC the same day they were announced at the recent Nintendo Direct. The collection not only includes Castlevania Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance, and Aria of Sorrow but also the SNES game Castlevania: Dracula.

The Development team for Castlevania Advance Collection at Konami Digital Entertainment commented,

“We wanted more people to be able to experience the Castlevania series – in particular, the action/adventure titles as they are all masterpieces that can still be enjoyed today. We recognized that there were few titles that could actually be played on today’s consoles, so we began creating Castlevania Advance Collection. We decided to make this release a multiplatform launch so that as many people as possible could enjoy these titles on their consoles.

The Castlevania series is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, thanks to the support of its many fans and, of course, all of the people involved in its creation. The production team is honored to be able to work on this series and we will continue to strive to make Castlevania well-known and played by as many people as possible. Thank you for your continued support of this series!”

In addition to having access to these four timeless classics, Castlevania Advance Collection offers players new features to enhance their gameplay experience. For the music lovers, players will have immediate access to all the iconic Castlevania soundtracks in each game, including the hidden ones, for a total of 71 songs. Players can even create their own customizable playlists to listen to their absolute favorites on repeat. Fans will also get to see behind-the-scenes content via the in-game gallery which features sketches and work-in-progress drawings. Never-before-seen art, as well as scanned package designs, will be a particular point of interest for long-time fans of the franchise.

For the completionists, Castlevania Advance Collection comes equipped with an encyclopedia of data relating to the four titles, including information on enemies, equipment, items, and more. To ensure that no area or enemy goes unchecked, players will be able to record, replay and rewind their gameplay whenever they see fit. Finally, M2 Co., Ltd., was utilized to deliver top-notch gameplay emulation to these franchise classics, ensuring the best possible recreation for fans. Whether a returning fan or completely new to the franchise, all players can enjoy these new features and discover something new about Castlevania!

Castlevania Advance Collection is available now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam, for $19.99, digital-only. The game is also compatible with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Original Article
A Castlevania Advance Collection has been found on the Taiwanese video game rating board complete with an image of the collection’s icon and logo (it has since been taken down).

This pretty much confirms that the collection is happening and will likely be released soon.

The Castlevania Advance Collection has been hinted at previously with entries on the Australian rating board for multiplatform and Korean rating board for PC. This latest rating board leak specifically says that the game will come to PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC.

The collection will presumably include the three Gameboy Advance Castlevania games: Castlevania: Circle of The Moon, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, and Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. 

These are three highly-rated Metroidvania or Search Action platformers with Aria Sorrow in particular often being held as one of the best games in the series.

With the sudden announcement of a Nintendo Direct later today (or tomorrow depending on where you are), it is possible that we will see an official announcement for the collection and perhaps even a release date. This isn’t a confirmation that it will happen but given the timing, it is very much a possibility.

This collection follows the Castlevania: Anniversary Collection which was released a few years back. It would be lovely if this could be followed by a Castlevania DS collection which contained the three Nintendo DS Castlevania games.

We did recently see the revival and release of Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls for the Apple Arcade so the series is completely dead. Of course, a return to console gaming would be the resurrection most fans desire.