Pam Ferdinand is a news and reviews writer/editor at GameRant. She started out doing QA in game development at Blizzard, moved on to game localization and project management at Technicolor, and later began writing news, walkthroughs, and reviews as an editor at a now-defunct site called Mahalo; a senior editor at Hardcore Droid, which focuses on Android mobile games; and a guides writer at Destructoid. Pam’s favorite series include the Silent Hill, Fallout, Deus Ex, Far Cry, Remnant, God of War (original), and Dark Souls/Elden Ring franchises. She joined the GameRant gaming news team in 2019.
Fans of Konami’s Castlevania have only until October 23 to claim the mobile version of the original title in the long-lived franchise. Konami has numerous well-known IPs, ranging from Pro Evolution Soccer to Yu-Gi-Oh! And Castlevania sits comfortably near the top of the list.
Debuting in 1986 on Famicom in Japan and the following year on NES in North America, the original Castlevania was Famitsu’s highest rated game that year. It soon secured its place as a classic and climbed onto many gamers’ lists of favorites. New titles have since been added to the series at a somewhat steady pace, now numbering in the 30s. Alongside Metroid, the franchise’s unique gameplay mechanics, particularly those of 1987’s Simon’s Quest and 1997’s Symphony of the Night, helped spawn the ever popular Metroidvania genre.
Konami Made the Original Castlevania Free for a Limited Time
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the gothic horror series, Konami made the original Castlevania game free on mobile for exactly one month, from September 24 to October 23, 7:59 AM PST. Specifically, the NES version that is currently available on the App Store and Google Play, and once downloaded, the game will remain playable even after the promotion ends. On mobile, the game does not have controller support, which will make it difficult to play for some. However, those comfortable with onscreen mobile controls should enjoy jumping back into the boots of Simon Belmont as he ventures into the maze-like castle of Count Dracula.
