Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood

While this collection of two classic games showcases great action, the technical issues and limited content makes this one for action fans only. Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood presents two classics in their original form for the most part. It revisits the never-ending battle between the Belmont clan and the Prince of Darkness, Dracula, which has been told in numerous games, books, anime series, and more. These two games -- 1993's Rondo of Blood and its 1997 follow-up, Symphony of the Night -- just happen to be two of the most popular of the franchise. But while this is great for purists looking to relive the monster-hunting action in all its retro glory, the collection still feels a bit anemic in terms of features that Castlevania fans might be looking for.

Both games look and play exactly like they did back when they were released in the '90s. The controls are responsive enough and haven't aged a day since either game's original release. But that's about all that hasn't aged. With the attempt to remain fully faithful to the original games, neither game has been enhanced for the current generation of consoles. This makes both games look rough and jagged in hi-def. There's a filter available to smooth things out, but all that seems to do is make the visuals appear blurry and out of focus. There's another filter that's meant to further replicate the original experience, but all it does is add irritating screen flicker. It's hard to understand how something that was a technical limitation in the past is being touted as a feature in the present. All of this is even more mind-boggling when it comes to Rondo of Blood, as that particular game was already remade and polished up once before. Ultimately, while it's fun to dive deep into the halls of Castlevania and take up the fight against Dracula once more, Castlevania Requiem feels more like a missed opportunity that doesn't quite get the blood pumping.