Since The Contra Revival Shows Konami Still Cares, How About A New Castlevania?

Many of Konami’s decisions like the treatment of Silent Hill today and the pachinko craze are all highly questionable and ridiculous, but I think you’ll agree that it was a legend once. Stuff like the earlier Silent Hill games and Metal Gear series were beyond incredible and revolutionary pieces of media.

Among Konami’s greatest achievements also exist Castlevania and Contra, two video game series I have many fond memories of, and now one of them is making a return with a trip down memory lane, while the other is still on an unfortunate hiatus.

Contra Is Back With A Bang

Ah, Contra. I can’t tell you how crazy addicted I was to this game. I started my gaming journey with arcade games, and Contra was one of the very first games I ever played. What is it about? Well, although a shooter, it was a symbol of difficulty in games like Dark Souls is now. Contra was the Dark Souls of 90s kids.

In terms of gameplay, it’s a run-and-gun action shooter played as a 2D side scroller with semi-3D scenarios where you run toward the screen, gunning down your foes. This simple little premise created a brutal but addictive gameplay loop, one that involved dying over and over, but eventually triumphing over very creatively artistic enemies in cinematic backgrounds.

Did You Remember this game? I think CONTRA is the first Action shooter game I played since I started playing video games since 1996 and it is also the first Multiplayer Game. What do you people think about this game? Comment below.
byu/DiablowReaper inIndianGaming

This iconic adventure though spawned many sequels, many of which were not the Contra I knew and grew up with. However, the series is back to its roots now after a very long time with the latest Contra Operation Galuga. It’s a new game that is essentially a re-imagining of the original but a lot more over-the-top and adrenaline-fueled, and I’m having a ton of fun with it.

Castlevania — The Pioneer Of Everything Metroidvania

Contra fans are eating good, so next up, let me take you to another one of Konami’s franchises, one even more important for the gaming industry and its history. That is none other than the creative vampire story I’m sure you heard a lot about, Castlevania.

When it comes to Castlevania, the stuff it has accomplished is known by all. Specifically, it’s Symphony of the Night that holds the crown of bringing mainstream recognition to this series. Castlevania is all about the story of Dracula’s long family history, played out as a side-scrolling action platformer. Above all, SoTN holds the award of being the pioneer of the enormous Metroidvania genre, alongside the Metroid games.

https://twitter.com/_Deez_Games/status/1770374066123198510

An interesting little fact is that Symphony of the Night was initially a flop, the worth of which was realized a lot later, and it skyrocketed beyond belief from rock bottom. Many of the mechanics it brought became a staple of the genre we know as Metroidvania.

And believe me, Symphony of the Night deserves all the praise it gets. I mean, no one even knew about the creative bomb it had hidden within it which is the whole Inverted Castle.

There’s a lot more to Castlevania than just SoTN. Rondo of Blood and Aria of Sorrow are some of my favorite games of all time, let alone in the series. After this 2D success, the series tried stepping into the 3D action-adventure domain with the Lords of the Shadow. Though I don’t have anything against this shift, I still believe the original Castlevania is how the series should be.

Caved and decided that I needed these in my life.
byu/eggery incastlevania

Castlevania Is Much Bigger Than Contra, Why Wasn’t It Considered, Too?

Unfortunately, I never even got to make this 2D vs 3D debate, as the series hasn’t even received a new entry after Lords of the Shadow 2. And that brings us to the purpose of my discussion. Why?

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night turns 26 today in Japan! This influential title inspired many more games in the #Castlevania franchise and beyond.

What are your favorite references to Symphony? #SotN pic.twitter.com/U05UWV99tE

— Konami (@Konami) March 20, 2023

Contra and Castlevania are both games that brightened my childhood, and that of many other people as well. But, I think you’ll agree when I say that Castlevania is a much bigger deal than Contra ever was. Despite the creative nature, Contra is still a rather niche franchise, especially when you put it against Castlevania, which is, like, one of the biggest and most popular game franchises around.

This is all evident by just how much more vast it is. Castlevania is not limited to games only. It has a movie, and even animated adaptations, telling the complicated and intertwined story of the Belmont family. As such, it has penetrated many different fanbases.

Based on all this, wouldn’t you agree that Castlevania would’ve been a better candidate for a revival? Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore Contra, but if I had to pick, I think I would take Castlevania. I don’t even know why Konami went for a new Contra but never even gave Castlevania a thought. 

How would you feel if Castlevania got the Contra: Operation Galuga treatment?
byu/Dan_Le0169 incastlevania

Konami’s Redemption Is Not Coming Easy

I genuinely appreciate this new Contra, but if Konami thinks we’re even after this, it can’t be more mistaken. After the way it has butchered Silent Hill and Castlevania, there’s no way one genuinely dedicated game is going to fix that.

How to “kill” a franchise
byu/The_WereArcticFox incastlevania

The worst thing is that some of Konami’s poor decisions still continue despite all the mess it has already created. However, I wish to forgive Konami, I really do, but not if it has no intentions of making amends. It has already created the brilliant Contra throwback. It’s time to sweeten the deal with a new Castlevania now, but only if it is done with genuine care for the series’ legacy, not a way to make a ton of money.