A Castlevania Anniversary Collection update will add the Japanese variants of the series’ original games. Konami will release this update sometime after the game launches on May 16.
A recent PlayStation Blog post confirmed that Konami would be adding the Japanese versions of the games to the upcoming collection. Players who’ve never experienced the regional differences between the games will be able to do so following this update.
Konami changed a number of things in its Castlevania games when bringing them over to the West—a common practice at the time. These changes include some minor graphical tweaks, including removal of certain religious symbols, as well as some nudity. Beyond graphical adjustments, however, some of of the western versions of the games included actual game play changes.
In one example of the latter, Konami changed Grant’s dagger in the western release of Castlevania 3. In Japan, Grant would throw his dagger in a manner similar to the dagger sub-weapon used by other characters, but without consuming any hearts. However, in the US and European versions, Grant simply stabs enemies with his dagger. To be able to throw daggers, he needed to actually pick up the separate dagger sub weapon and consume hearts, just like the other three characters.
In addition to changes such as this, Konami also fixed a number of glitches found in the Japanese versions. While this can be seen as a good thing, some fans, especially speed runners, like use the glitches found in Japanese variants in their runs. Either way, the post-launch update will make sure fans can check out the regional differences between all of the included games.
The Castlevania Anniversary Collection launches on May 16, bringing eight classic games from the series together in one package. With this news of an update adding in the Japanese versions of the games, the amount of content effectively increases. Hardcore fans of the franchise will find plenty to to enjoy as they explore the subtle nuances and changes that differentiate the western and Japanese versions of Konami’s classic Castlevania games.
