The Castlevania series has a long history with Nintendo, from its roots on the NES/Famicom to the present day, there has constantly been a Castlevania presence on Nintendo systems. Konami has released a number of the entries on the Switch in the form of collections and Nintendo Switch Online, but there are a few notable missing entries. Many have long desired for Symphony of the Night, widely regarded as the best in the series, to come to Switch, but the recent releases use Sony’s proprietary emulator making that unlikely. That said, there are two other games Konami can and should bring to Switch.
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood is widely regarded as the peak of the Classicvania style of the series, having the best use of action, music, sub-weapons and enemies, not to mention level design and secrets to find. It was a true revelation when it was released on the PC Engine CD, and while the recent release has been solely on the PS4, Konami did in fact release a version for the Wii Virtual Console. While the PSP remake would be seemingly out of the question to re-release on Switch due to a number of complications with Sony, the original game would not be an issue itself.
Furthermore, there seems to be no issue with taking the translation from the PSP version and applying it to other releases, and thus an English version of Rondo of Blood could actually be released on the Switch. We may not be able to have Alucard’s adventure just yet on Nintendo’s hybrid but Richter’s adventure would be a treat for those who love the Classicvania style in the series, over Symphony of the Night’s Metroidvania style. And this is not the only Classicvania that could be released on Switch either for that matter.
Konami released a number of games for the Wii that have been unavailable for purchase since the Wii Shop closed years ago, and among these was the Rebirth series of games. These included a new version of Contra, Gradius and a remake of the first Castlevania Game Boy game that wowed fans. Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth is not a 1:1 remake of the original but instead a reinterpretation that took influence from later games including Rondo of Blood and fans have been wanting a new release for a long time.
Castlevania The Adventure Rebirth brought back the Classicvania style that had been missing for years and had a soundtrack that was full of remixes of classic turns from the series along with some new ones. The changes to the original game made for an experience that new and old fans alike could come to and enjoy for its throwback nature. It may not have won over everyone, but those who loved it will never stop singing its praises.
Given the large demand for more Castlevania games on the Nintendo Switch, it would only make sense to re-release Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth and Rondo of Blood on the system so more can enjoy the titles. The two represent the best the Classicvanias have to offer in terms of gameplay, polish, music and more, and the former learned heavily from the latter. The two also represent the Castlevania series as it was on the Wii ( not counting Judgement) and bringing them to the Switch would fill a much-needed spot in the system’s library.