Konami has not made a new Castlevania title in some time, but the franchise is not dead thanks to a multitude of crossovers such as with V Rising and Dead Cells. The latter added Castlevania, weapons, music, enemies and locations from the franchise to the Roguelike adventure game and this opens up a possibility. Should Konami work to release a full Castlevania Roguelike game?
Return to Castlevania showed there is still a hunger for Castlevania content, and a Roguelike game is not as strange as one might think for a Castlevania title. It is said in the games that the Castle itself is a creature of chaos and takes many forms, and so a world that constantly changes itself each run works well with the series lore. Furthermore, there are a wide variety of games that can be used as a base for such a Roguelike to provide interesting experiences.
It needs to be said that fans have already seen the value in a Castlevania Roguelike and have made their own through romhacks, notably using Aria of Sorrow as a base. This makes sense given Aria of Sorrow’s tactical soul system naturally lending itself to a Roguelike formula with randomized abilities. Konami wouldn’t need to do exactly that, but could look at the concept and see what works and what could be done. Besides that, Konami already has a basis to build on themselves, albeit from a different franchise.
Konami has already ventured into Roguelikes with Castlevania’s sister series GetsuFumaDen, namely GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon, which Konami teamed with GuruGuru to make. That game plays very similar to Dead Cells and would serve as an ideal base to build on for a Castlevania Roguelike. You could start the game with one classic character and unlock more as you go on, like in GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon, or perhaps start with a new character and gain classic ones as you advance.
Alternatively, Konami could go for a distinct character skill tree build system for a dedicated character or two and gradually build on the game more. There are multiple options, and it is always possible to do something very different with familiar material. Iconic music and stages from past Castlevania games could be represented in new ways, and we could see classic enemies represented in new ways. The result would be a game that celebrates Castlevania while providing a deep challenge.
Roguelikes are becoming even more popular than ever lately with games like Hades bringing new interest to the genre. Couple this with series like Prince of Persia getting a Roguelike game, from the makers of Dead Cells no less, and it is clear that this is something gamers are gravitating to. The fan romhacks, the crossover with Dead Cells and GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon all show that Castlevania would work with the genre, while the romhacks and fan games and success of Return to Castlevania show there is an interest from fans.
Perhaps Konami could team with GuruGuru once more and this time turn their attention towards the Haunted Castle? Or maybe another team can be found and give us a new take on the classics, maybe even using a classic game as a base. Whatever the case, the hope remains that we will yet play as Alucard, Simon, Richter and others in an ever-changing adventure.
