Citadale - The Legends Trilogy

There are a lot of people in the world that would love nothing more than to see Konami return to their former glory and release another side-scrolling Castlevania game like Symphony of the Night or Harmony of Dissonance. I know, because I'm one of those people. If we dig deeper into the fandom, we'll find a much smaller faction of purists who not only want Castlevania to roar back to life, but go back to the good old days when there were linear levels and none of this backtracking stuff. If you're one of those old school fans that want a return to the 8-bit Belmonts, then let me introduce you to Citadale - The Legends Trilogy, a recently released Steam game that will scratch that Castlevania itch without making you suffer through Simon's Quest.

Originally released on the Wii U earlier this year, Citadale - The Legends Trilogy tells the story of a demon-hunting family that is forced to go head-to-head with the Dark Lord, an evil spirit that plagues the land. The adventure picks up with Sonja Dorleac, who wields the legendary Shadow Blade and is looking for a fight. Her goal is to fight the deadly bosses, collect their souls and then combine them to seal a gate to hell and defeat the Dark Lord once and for all.

It all kicks off with the appropriately named Gate of Souls, the debut installment that was originally released as a standalone game back in 2016. This is followed by two brand new sequels, Curse of Darkness starring Sonja's son Gabriel and Legacy of Fate with Christopher, the grandchild. Each of these games will last around an hour and tell their own stories, ultimately leading to the epic confrontation in the final chapter.

If you've played the original Castlevania, then you'll know exactly what to expect in Citadale - The Legends Trilogy. We can walk left and right, jump on platforms, whip the Shadow Blade around, and throw special items by pressing up and the attack button. Just like Castlevania. You'll even recognize those special items I just mentioned, because it's familiar weapons like a battle axe and holy water. This looks and plays the part, only with a somewhat original story and unique boss fights. Like I said, if you're in the market for a new 8-bit Castlevania game, then this one will certainly scratch the itch.

While the three games are all very similar in look and design, there are a few things that separate them. For one thing, they all star a different member of the Dorleac clan. Unfortunately, these three characters all play exactly the same, but at least we get different sprites. There are also new power-ups introduced in the sequels, including a blue fireball that can hit enemies across the room. What's more, the third game lets you pick the order you want to tackle the levels.

The problem is that the sequels don't add enough new content. Yes, each game gives you six or seven new levels to play, but those aren't as "new" as I would have liked. You'll see the same backgrounds repeated in all three games, to the point where I was sick of the sprites by the end. This is also true of the enemies and some of the bosses. The level layouts are slightly different, but it still feels like you're just repeating the same stages with a different hero.

Click For the Full Picture Archive

I don't want to gloss over the bosses too quickly, because they are also a weak link. Sure, some of them look cool, but at least half of them bounce around the room in a predictable and boring pattern. I also think it's a problem that the only memorable bosses are found in the first game. I don't know if the developer simply spent more time on the first game or ran out of ideas, but the big final confrontation at the very end is a massive letdown. If you're expecting a big epic battle, prepare to be disappointed.

And that's the feeling I couldn't shake the entire time -- disappointment. Citadale looks and acts the part, but it doesn't bring anything new to the formula. The best moments come when it's stealing from Castlevania, and the longer it goes, the more disappointing it is. I would be willing to overlook some of the more unoriginal aspects if it at least gave us a bunch of fun levels to play through, but it just repeats the same five ideas across three short games. These aren't sequels, they're downloadable content.

As a loving homage to Castlevania, Citadale - The Legends Trilogy hits the bullseye. It looks like an old 8-bit game, has authentic controls and tells a story that is almost identical to that of Konami's masterpiece. The problem is that all three games share the same backgrounds, enemies and even some of the bosses. It's also short and buggy, often trapping you in boss rooms with no boss to fight. Sadly, that's a perfectly metaphor for Citadale - The Legends Trilogy.