In my time using this site I never thought I'd be going through the process of getting a game added on IGDB just so I can tell people that it's cool and that they should play it, but here we are.

Castlevania ReVamped is an odd game. Odd in the sense that it dropped out of nowhere, and that nobody has been talking about it. It's a remake and a reimagining of Castlevania 1 - not as a traditional, level-based platformer but as a metroidvania - and it actually works!

Simon Belmont's first encounter with Dracula has been retold and reimagined half a dozen times by this point, and ReVamped opts to take aspects of all of them, and in so doing creates what I believe to be the definitive retelling. There's areas and music from Castlevania 1 and X68000 Akumajou Dracula (better known as Castlevania Chronicles), the diagonal whipping from Castlevania IV, and hell, really obscure stuff like the merchants from Vampire Killer on the MSX. It's a genuine labour of love for this franchise and I feel that's something that really sets it apart from most other Castlevania fangames.

Castlevania ReVamped isn't trying to "fix" something like those numerous Castlevania II fan remakes are. And it's more than just a character insertion like the many GBA and DSvania mods. It's an entirely new game made by a fan, for fans, and I can attest to its quality by saying I beat it in a single sitting; it's that good.