Metroid may be enjoying a steady stream of hype and anticipation with the recent release of Metroid Dread and the (hopefully) upcoming arrival of Metroid Prime 4, but its Konami counterpart has been largely dormant. Castlevania is one half of the franchises that coined the 'Metroidvania' genre, which has quickly become a popular format for developers to deploy, from AAA studios to indie companies. It's a property that began on the NES, but revolutionized gaming on the original PlayStation in March 1997 with the release of the utterly sublime Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Its legacy is clear in 2022 as countless titles owe its design and presentation so much.
Castlevania hasn't received a new entry in eight years since the release of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow in 2014. That game is a 3D action/adventure experience, so players will have to go back even further to find the last 2D, side-scrolling game from the IP. It's puzzling that the franchise is still absent from the video game space, and in 2022 there are plenty of wheels in motion to ensure that the landscape is ready for more of the Belmont clan and Dracula. Konami has a genre-defining series that it doesn't seem inclined to use, which has to be rectified in the future.
Castlevania's Return Couldn't Come at a Better Time
It seemed sudden when it was announced that Silent Hill 2 would be remade, but fans rejoiced as it was a project that was fantasized about for years. In the wake of Resident Evil 2's fantastic remake it felt like Silent Hill should be next, and when it was confirmed it had players reminiscing about Konami's golden age of gaming. Add onto this the faithful yet innovative Castlevania Netflix adaptation and its long-standing absence is more and more obvious by the day, as it's clear that the property hasn't been forgotten, nor have other beloved Konami projects.
Castlevania is still on the minds of industry professionals as well as nostalgic fans, as the director of God of War: Ragnarok even expressed an interest to take on the IP. It was immensely popular all those years ago, but still has a wining formula all these years later and doesn't need to be looked at through rose-tinted spectacles to be truly loved. Symphony of the Night is as good today as the day it launched, and should its parent series reenter the gaming space, be it in its typical 2D format or in a 3D space, it couldn't come at a better time given the current outlook of the industry.
Metroidvania Games are More Popular than Ever
The shift to 3D gaming around the turn of the century provoked plenty of developers to leave 2D behind in search of innovation, but a handful of companies have adopted the side-scrolling format and found that there are still new ideas to be had. Metroidvania games are immensely popular today, with titles like Axiom Verge, Guacamelee!, and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night all doing well to prove that the philosophy can wield truly great results. Hollow Knight: Silksong is one of the most anticipated games of the future, surely proving that a new 2D Castlevania in a similar style would be warmly received in 2022 and beyond.
This, naturally, means more competition for the Konami-owned IP, but Castlevania is in a great position to learn from, and build upon, the revisions that the aforementioned games have produced. There will always be something special about the Belmonts, and though later 3D Castlevania games have been of a decent quality, the series is intrinsically tied to the 2D, side-scrolling plane. It inspired so many truly exceptional experiences, and Castlevania in 2022 may not be the innovator it once was, but that doesn't mean it can't be humbled by the games around it and re-enter the gaming space that it used to rule.