Skip to main content

‘Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls’ brings the series to iOS in Japan

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Castlevania series, like Dracula, is coming back to life — at least in Japan. Konami has announced the iOS game Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls, a 2D action-platformer that looks to be inspired by Koji Igarashi’s “Metroidvania” games.

Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls takes place in a world where Dracula has “completely disappeared,” but a magic book appears to have revived the world’s most famous vampire, sending our planet into turmoil once again. The story features a grab-bag of Castlevania characters, including Dracula’s son Alucard as well as original series protagonist Simon Belmont. The version of Alucard we see is from the original line of games rather than MercurySteam’s Lords of Shadow series, as is Simon.

Recommended Videos

Grimoire of Souls will support up to four players in a cooperative mode, with numbers-based combat that looks like a match made in heaven for fans of Symphony of the Night. It also includes a four-on-four competitive multiplayer battle mode, as well as a “boss rush” mode and a selection of music from the past — “Vampire Killer” from the original NES Castlevania can be seen in a promotional screenshot.

The translated Japanese page for the game also calls the game “the beginning of a new story of Dracula,” suggesting this could be the start of something new for the series. With the animated Netflix Castlevania show getting a good reception from fans, now is as good a time as any.

Unlike most other 2D Castlevania games, Grimoire of Souls uses 3D character models and environments. It looks quite similar to the style used in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, a spiritual successor to the series that Koji Igarashi has been developing for several years. Unlike Grimoire of SoulsBloodstained is planned for release this year on PC, Linux, Mac, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and even the PlayStation Vita. A Wii U version was previously in the works as well, but has since been canceled.

If you have a Japanese Apple account and are interested in a closed beta test for Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls, you can sign up here. You’ll need an iPhone 6S or later, and must submit your application by the end of April.

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
Are you having iPhone alarm problems? A fix is coming soon
A person holding the Apple iPhone 15 Plus.

If you’ve slept through an important meeting or missed your alarm lately, it may not be entirely your fault if you’re an iPhone user. For weeks now, iPhone users have been reporting on social media that their devices are no longer ringing.

Today, The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern finally confirmed this. According to Stern, Apple has confirmed that it’s aware of the issue causing some alarms not to play a sound and is working on a fix.
iPhone alarm issues explained
The iPhone alarm problem seems to be tied to Apple’s Attention Aware features. For those unfamiliar, it’s a feature that lowers the volume sound of your alerts and alarms if you’re looking at your device and avoids dimming the screen, similar to how Samsung phones keep the screen on if they see you looking at your screen.

Read more
Epic still plans to bring its Games Store to iOS and Android this year
epic games store ios android 2024 egs mobile

Epic Games affirmed its commitment to bringing the Epic Games Store to iOS and Android before the end of 2024 during its State of Unreal presentation at GDC 2024.

Steve Allison, Epic Games Store general manager, explained that the mobile version of the Epic Games Store will feature Fortnite, as well as games from "a selection of third-party partners who have expressed interest in joining us when we launch." Like the PC version of the storefront, developers who release games on the mobile version of the Epic Games Store will have 88/12 base revenue share and Unreal Engine royalties waived.

Read more
Get a free copy of Death Stranding for iOS when you buy this Backbone One controller
Sam Porter Bridges climbs a ladder in Death Stranding for iOS played on a limited edition Death Stranding Backbone One.

Mobile game controller maker Backbone is releasing a limited-edition version of its Backbone One controller themed around Kojima Productions' Death Stranding. If you pick one up, you'll get a free code for the iOS version of Death Stranding: Director's Cut, will launch alongside the controller next week.

Based on the second-gen USB-C Backbone One controller, this limited-edition controller is themed to the game. The grip on the controller features a beige see-through design reminiscent of the BB Pod from Death Stranding. The bridge of the controller features the logos of both Backbone and Kojima Productions. It's a simple design, yet one that's instantly recognizable as related to Death Stranding and appealing to those who like translucent gaming hardware.

Read more