Games inspired by Castlevania: Symphony of the Night are numerous these days, with even former Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi making his own successor with Bloodstained Ritual of the Night. As such, any game that wants to take influence from that legendary game must do something different to stand out these days and Romancelvania definitely has that in spades. Thanks to the time spent with the demo, it is clear that Romancelvania will definitely be something unique, but is that a good thing?
The game starts out with Drac depressed about his love leaving him one hundred years before and his minions have turned on him as a result. To get him out of his funk, he is thrown into a reality dating show in an attempt to find new love. What follows is essentially a hipster take on Castlevania combined with a hipster dating show and yet it somehow works.
Drac starts out overpowered and with a number of abilities, much like Alucard in Symphony of the Night, but is soon stripped of his abilities with the excuse of it fitting the show better. From there a number of options are available to the player. While only a male Drac is available in this demo, there will be an option to play as a female Drac in the finished game. The next step is to meet the contestants on the show and slowly build relationships with them.
Romancelvania has RPG elements much like its inspiration, but it is not just through combat that you will level up. The various dating sim options will see you get a number of upgrades based on your choices in the interactions, and the right move will see Drac get a big boost. You do not need to romance every option though, depending on your preferences, some can be friends and friendly rivals instead of lovers if you are more comfortable with that.
Each contestant has a very distinct personality and a number of quests to do, and the game manages to use this to tie the dating sim and Metroidvania RPG elements together in a satisfying way. Obviously, this is just a taste of what is to come, but it does leave you with a desire for more.
Visually, the game is fine, but there are areas where touch-ups could be done, especially at the start. The music is fine though, and while not at the level of Castlevania’s music, it stands on its own. The sound effects are great though and enhance the game well.
Ultimately, Romancelvania has what it needs to be a good game and the final product is definitely one to watch. This is a game that stands out well, and that is its biggest strength.
Disclaimer: Early access to the demo was provided