The Castlevania that should have been
One editor's laundry list of 6 improvements that could have given us the Castlevania we really wanted
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair isnot the game I wantedfrom the Xbox Live Arcade. And I’m thinking there’s a very strong chance it’s probably not what you wanted either. There are some fun multiplayer moments to be had, and beating up monsters certainly feels like a Castlevania title, but it’s just not the same.
I want every single monster I defeat to add to my total badassery quotient. I want a game where I can get lost in the bowels of an ever deepening castle, taking my time to furiously slash at each wall, floor and ceiling in hopes of finding a hidden doorway. I don’t want to play for only 30 minutes and then be forced to break up my party. Maybe I do get to play with five other vampire hunters, but you know what? I don’t want to give up all the things I love about Castlevania to do so.
Here are the six things we should have gotten from a Castlevania title on Xbox Live Arcade, but didn’t.
Sign up to the 12DOVE Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Breath of the Wild's Korok Forest might actually hit 60fps on the Switch 2 re-release, and Zelda fans can't wait for "an actual stable frame-rate" in Hyrule's most infamous region

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are finally getting achievements, but it's paywalled behind the Switch 2 editions