A cancelled Castlevania game has been resurrected exclusively for Apple Arcade
Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls was originally canned in 2020
Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls has been resurrected for an iOS release.
As announced earlier today by Konami, Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls will be coming exclusively to iOS devices. We don't know right now when the retro-inspired game will be arriving on both iPad and iPhone devices, but we do know that it's coming "soon" to the Apple Arcade subscription service.
What's interesting about this new Castlevania game is that it was actually canned by Konami back in 2019. Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls was originally announced in 2018 for mobile devices, and soft-launched in Canada the following year for a limited audience. However, Konami would pull the plug on the mobile game just a year later in 2020, before it could ever reach a global audience outside of Canada.
Now, one year on from Grimoire of Souls' untimely demise, it's getting a new lease of life on iOS devices. It's not really clear why Apple and Konami have decided to partner to re-release the game, but it's nothing but good news for Castlevania fans, who finally get to experience the game. For a sample of what you can expect from Grimoire of Souls, check out the trailer below.
In total, Grimoire of Souls will boast over 60 retro-themed levels for players to hack and slash through. It'll also boast an all-star cast from across the series, including Simon Belmont and Alucard, who viewers of the Netflix animated series will no doubt be familiar with, as well as Maria Renard, Charlotte Aulin, and Shanoa from elsewhere in the Castlevania series.
Grimoire of Souls might not be the only resurrection in Konami's sights, as a ratings board leaked the mysterious Castlevania Advance Collection earlier this year in June. Elsewhere, a new Castlevania Netflix series is on the way, spinning off from the main show after it finally reached a dramatic conclusion earlier this year in Season 4.
Check out our Castlevania Season 4 review roundup to see what the critics were saying about the final anime season.
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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.