Castlevania: Grimoire Of Souls Customer Service

Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls Positive Reviews

Dracula’s 2BR/2BAA recently resurrected version of a Canadian gatcha game from 2019 but now it’s been to AA and is less evil! Gameplay focuses on short (3-5 minute) stretches of Castlevania levels that actually do look and feel like proper Castlevania. There’s about a week of semi-serious play to be had right now with promises of more on the way. It does feel a little unfinished, but mostly in ways you’ll only notice at endgame. The ability to quickly repeat a level when grinding is bizarrely absent, requiring you to go through multiple screens of details and equipment to repeat something you just did. Also some high-rarity items require you to equip more items of a given element than currently exist in the game to activate their passives. Minor gripes, but a solid quality of life pass and some extra levels could do a lot for the game as it is now..HLBetaVersion: 1.0.0

We need a PC port!This is the only mobile game I have ever taken the time to review. As an avid Castlevania fan, it has been many years since I have had so much excitement for the series. This game is amazingly well put together, and remarkably has a canon story. With controller support already implemented, this game deserves a PC port like Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Links. No Castlevania fan should miss out on this game. It is not your average mobile title, while there are daily login bonuses and a little bit of gotcha game devices, it looks like everything in the game can be obtained through gameplay, and there is no time limit to how much you can play other than daily trials missions. It’s great to see characters throughout the timeline interact with each other and the gameplay is great. The touchscreen controls work about as good as you can make touchscreen controls, but there is complete controller support worked into the game. Overall, this game honestly is a masterpiece. The only shame is that this game is only available on mobile, and more specifically, only the apple arcade. I would pay money ($10-20) for a PC port of this game with update support. I’m talking to you, Konami!!! Between the success Super Smash Brothers, Netflix, and the new Getsu Fuuma game, you know that the people want more Castlevania! A PC/Switch port of this game is the next step!.Prezp00nageVersion: 1.0.0

F2P hellscape , Legion buggedBook 4 boss is bugged or something. I’ve got Alucard at 40,000 strength and I’m only doing 80 damage to the boss… I beat him with Belmont with no big issues, but Al is doing a tiny fraction of the damage. So another reviewer says you get 1000% more rewards for perfecting a level than when this was F2P elsewhere. It is still not enough to be called a premium game. Drop rates of rare and legendary gear are horrible. Now on book 4 i have only won 4 pieces of legendary gear from summons… 48 stages perfected= 4 legendary… for 5 characters. Horrible. However the worst part is leveling up weapons and characters. Your 5 characters each equip 4 weapons and 5 pieces of gear: 5x(4+5)= 45 gear you need to constantly upgrade to stay up with the difficulty requirement. This was fine up through Book 4, where the level req. is suddenly much higher than even my strongest ally. The weapon trial awards at this level are horribly inadequate; I have to play them about 8-9 time to max out (lvl 15-35) ONE gear piece… and I’ve got 9 per character. So, I stop my adventure here where the Grind to level up has become unbearable. It is too bad, too, because the gameplay looks great and plays well. It would have been better if they ripped out all of the F2P loot boxes and just given us balanced gameplay without the grind..Cause007Version: 1.1.0

Actually not badNot bad at all and I LOVE that they actually want you to put a bit of effort in to unlock things rather than pay to play, gives a better sense of connection to the game. Sometimes the rolls dont make sense like doing a 10x summon with not even a purple but for instance like today I got 2x 5 star weapons on a 10x summon. The special mission is kinda weird like I can't progress till I claim 10 logic bonuses, minor but to me just weird considering it took only 6 days to beat whats currently playable and get 3 skulls on every mission. I cant wait to see whats next the story is good and feels just like a better version of the original in terms of combat, weapon/element types, enemies and bosses/mini bosses, overall a good way to get into the castelvania series if you're unfamiliar and a good way to pass time. It will definitely feel weird and confusing at first how things work but after awhile trust me you'll be 1 shotting common enemies and 5 shotting bosses in no time. In 6 days already 38k overall equip level with alucard and rank 27. Would recommend.JubblyJibblyVersion: 1.1.1

Reminiscent of a Castlevania GameA lot of things in this game scream (Iga-style) Castlevania, something they clearly lean into, but Grimoire honestly suffers from the comparison in almost every way. If you are unable to play SotN or any of the gba or DS Castlevania games, this is a fair substitute. Otherwise, you’ll probably have more fun revisiting any of those games no matter how much time your spent with them prior. My understanding is that Grimoire also had a lot of gatcha and play to play/win elements previously. While the latter was removed, there are still a lot of random pulls and daily junk to do. That might be a plus for some, but I think most prefer a more traditional gaming experience. It’s also pretty grindy. That’s not really unusual in the genre (metroidvania), but you’d be a god in most games in the same time it takes you to grind for rolls for one of the 5 playable characters in Grimoire. I did play a lot of it, and finished the main playthrough (there’s also a hard mode). I’m still missing one achievement, but it’s been months and I haven’t found the motivation to pick the game back up. If I do, I’ll likely just do that and then put it away forever..Ascher972Version: 1.4.2

Something Old and Something NewLet me start by saying that I’m writing this review as a counterpoint to the other reviews already posted (writing reviews before actually playing the game, misrepresenting the actual gameplay, making assessments before getting past the tutorial). If you are a fan of 2d side scrollers AND a fan of Castlevania games on the Gameboy Advanced, you will love this game. If you didn’t care for Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, then you probably won’t enjoy much here. The familiar gameplay is here, with the added replay value of playing as different characters from the Castlevania legacy. Add to this the flexibility of trying different weapons and armor, along with the mission system and you get a gaming experience that is perfectly tuned to the controller-less mobile experience (using a controller is totally worth it). If this is your first “Castlevania”, you will definitely want to play all the classics. When you finish this game, spend the money on SOTN..RPG WarriorVersion: 1.0.0

A GemFirst of all. More characters to come. Sounds amazing. Controls are situational. Some characters need semi auto attack on and some don’t. And some stages might switch that order. There’s a bit of input lag. You notice it the most with controllers. Touch screen still has the input lag but much more manageable. Otherwise input feels smooth all around. It’s not classic Castlevania but just as good. Each stage is only meant to occupy 3-5 minutes of your time. When you beat the stage, you’re left in a good place. Wasn’t too short, wasn’t too long. If you lose the stage it can aggro the calmest of gamers too meaning It’s easy but challenging at the same time. Progression is fair. The pulling for equipment was weird at first but if you play like it’s a regular gatcha game you will have a bad time. Save gems for what? Pull your equipment, Fuse the scrolls from the repeat equipment you pulled to make better equipment. Rinse repeat. 5* stuff will come eventually. Between weeklies, dailies, and dispatch, gems shouldn’t be a problem. Just use em! (Side note) Equipment upkeep becomes a hassle when approaching lvl 20 and above. It feels like a hassle to manage all that gear for 5 characters… and again in the game description it says new characters coming. That’s a lot of upgrade stones to farm! Awesome Game.MinMaxGamerVersion: 1.0.0

Book 4 was a shock, but skipping in the Trials fixed it.I would love to get an idea of when the rest of the game is coming out. It does keep a bunch of the f2p mechanics but the Skip button in the Trials (after you pass them with an S rating) lets you autopass them multiple times in one go which makes character and gear improvement vastly improved. I am a bit frustrated by how hard it seems to be to acquire the 5* gear but that should be rare, I suppose… All in all I enjoy it a lot although I wish that I could grind levels more efficiently than having to reload the menu screen, tap through two more screens, then reload the level just to do it over again..Sonicator844Version: 1.0.0

Almost perfectI love the gameplay and with my razer Kishi it makes it even more enjoyable! I love the gacha mechanics as it’s completely free and can do several summons a day. The parchment system and all of the ways you can get items makes it a lot of fun. However, one thing is bothering me quite a lot. That is, record fragments. I can’t think of any possible reason why you would limit upgrading your abilities to a single branch... I just accidentally spent 2 fragments on a skill I don’t use and now I’m prevented from getting a fully upgraded skill that I actually want. Am I missing something here? Barely got my Shanoa to level 40 and that would’ve given the exact amount of fragments total for one complete skill. Please fix this or allow the shop to sell the fragments once a week or something. Other than that, great game..N2S91Version: 1.3.0

Exactly what I want in an Apple Arcade game.I remember a few years ago when Apple sent out a survey asking about Arcade. I said I wanted more in-depth games, and my wife wanted more casual, and I thought at the time they were trying to mix them both too much. My wife has a lot of arcade games she regularly plays, and I’ve found my more complex, grindy f2p-style game I actually want, but don’t have to spend IAP for. Plus it’s Castlevania! The downsides I see from some people are upsides for me. I enjoy f2p models with a cheat mode turned on! Great game, wish the rating was higher so they were encouraged to make more, but I hope even something like this helps. Great job Konami for making it and Apple for buying it outright!.Slothrop86Version: 1.4.1

I really love this game!I have played almost every sidescrolling Castlevania game in the series, and while this takes some getting used to, it is super fun with a lot of replayability and room for skill expression. I still wish somehow for this game to keep going on and I hope that it doesn’t get removed from the app store anytime soon. If it does, I hope a port is released somewhere else where we can hopefully save our hard work and data. I really enjoy everything about this game, especially the story. Would love to somehow see new things added haha though I know the history of this game so it’s unlikely. Anyway, just wanted to put the review as my little way of showing support!.ShadowLink1134Version: 1.4.2

Totally amazing, epic game, loved it! Best I ever playedI have not played it yet, I know it is super good, probably as good as a sunny day in the rain. The graphics are insane, like really close to average or even better! I have the game a 5 star rating cause it earned it. Ya, all I have done is hit the “install” button, but that was an entire moment of fun which deserves the 5 stars! Really, just the graphic change from “install” to “downloading” was better than a root canal! Eventually, when my slow WiFi completes the download, maybe by next week, I’ll be able to actually try the game. So excited cause this really is the best game of the year, I think, I hope, I mean…. Well I’m gonna quit my job to play this 24/7 I think!.Joel the GerbalVersion: 1.0.0

Fun but shallow gameThis game is fun and still captures a bit of that Castlevania spirit. While playing this game for over a month now, at first it was really fun leaving up these characters and replaying levels with different play styles. However, with the fremium mechanic in place, the game really ends up being shallow with no depth. There’s no reason to do anything after the game is complete. Even if new content dropped, the game would still feel stale. There’s just not enough variation to keep the game fresh. Also, coins are just worthless and once you have a 5 star weapon all other equipment is useless! Finally, their seasonal event is just sad. How are you going to just run the same three levels on repeat with them repeating back to back sometimes. That’s just boring and lazy..Jar4937Version: 1.1.1

It's a mixed bagOn the one hand, it's got the fun Castlevania feeling. On the other hand, it was clearly a gacha, and not enough was done to change it over to an entirely free solo experience. The amount of grinding required to fully complete the game is way out of scale with the amount of available content. In a gacha this is to keep you coming back or to annoy you enough that you can buy your way past it. Here, because you Can't "buy" your way past the annoyance, you're just left to deal with it. Current example. There's a Halloween event running at the moment. It's a repetitive trek up a "tower" of levels that recycle the same three levels (And one boss fight every 10 stages) at an increasing difficulty. Not a problem by itself. The "Event Shop" (Limited Time, though there no indication of How limited, nor what content will disappear from the Gold Shop at this unknown time) has about 1.5 Million Points of event currency to buy all the things a player would expect to be able to acquire in a single player experience. Now each level takes 2-3 minutes to complete. After about 20ish stages (Average 3 minutes per stage including loading) that's an hour and change of time. In this time, assuming you do ideally, you'll have earned 55-65K currency. So this is set up for you to need to spend At Least 22.5 Hours of playtime (Running the same three levels mind you) Just to complete this single event. And this needs to be squeezed into a short time span because It's "Limited". Don't forget that all this is the Best Case for the average player and assumes you've already played through most of the rest of the game and you have a full well leveled team. If you're newer, it gets exponentially worse. For a Gacha, this is standard fare. For a game that's supposed to have been converted to a single player experience, this is obscene..Spyder ZVersion: 1.1.0

Could have been 5/5I have to admit that this game is indeed an amazing Castlevania title to play, even though it lacks as much fun storyline from its prior titles; don’t expect a full on map. This is Apple Arcade Style in which you go about clearing stages with 3 missions assigned. They stayed true in terms of difficulty. The one thing that keeps me from giving this game a 5 star is the screen controls. It’s almost impossible to enjoy this game to its fullest without a controller such as Backbone or Kishi. The screen controls will sometimes result in an accidental jump, slide or failure to evade. Also, there are times the skills are just plain hard to use. With the controller I was able to enjoy the fullest potential of this game..BuddyinaboxVersion: 1.0.0

Solid GameI don’t know what people are talking about when it comes to having to wait or saying it’s too grindy. I literally just beat the 5th boss and am waiting for an update that lets me continue on to more levels. Once you get the flow of the game it becomes easy to strategize and figure out how to make your character stronger. One of the most important things to do is utilize all aspects of the game which means training, summons, etc. Overall I think this is a solid game and it has a pretty good difficulty as well. I’m excited for the update so I can keep playing further levels!.Jcov518Version: 1.0.0

A masterful gameGoS is extremely well written. They obviously did their research, and made all of the different games fit together seamlessly. The dialogue is also rich and interesting. There are no weird translation issues or typos, and one of my favorite parts is being able to collect all the music tracks from each of the games. It’s well balanced too. It’s just challenging enough to make you excited to to replay the levels to meet all the challenges, but not so hard you just rage quit. The controls can be a little tricky but that’s just an artifact of playing on a device with no physical buttons. Well done!.Mister SeanVersion: 1.4.1

Other reviewers are spot onFirst off let me say this: the gameplay is so fun, and there’s something about the ambiance of Castlevania games that no other Metroidvania quite gets right for me. Don’t know what it is, but this game has it. Unfortunately as so many other folks have pointed out, it’s also got all the trappings of a free to play, microtransaction-heavy, pay-to-win, timer-and-other-nonsense gacha game. You get to juggle a ton of different currencies and gems and bigger gems and red gems and bigger red gems and coins and other coins and parchments and souls and hoopla on a bunch of different upgrade screens that are a hot mess to navigate. You get to upgrade your weapons and armor in three different ways that aren’t really explained. But don’t upgrade them too far, because you might draw a better weapon or armor piece that you’ll wish you saved some of the myriad upgrade materials for. If you don’t draw a good weapon, good luck trying to beat a level, much less complete the whole grimoire. Long story short: first three grimoires are fun. Gameplay is fun. Music and art is pure Castlevania goodness. But the artificial limitations of the worst freemium pay to win gacha games are still here in all their glory, and even the wonderful vibe can’t save it. I don’t mind the grind if I feel like I’m getting somewhere, but this is just treading water, and I don’t have the Holy Symbol. Edit: woo, I finished(?) it, or at least what there is to finish. It stops after the fourth grimoire, and gives a big ol’ “To Be Continued” message. Is it abandoned? Time will tell, though the fact that it’s been out for two years on Google Play is disheartening. There’s not much replay value unless you just love seeing the same stages as you grind out one or two weapon parchments per run. This could’ve been a really wonderful premium title, but the content is clearly overinflated by vast leaps of enemy difficulty and timers and daily logins and such. I would love the devs to retool the drop rates and continue adding content but I’m not sure it’s in the stars. As it stands, this is a pretty good example of the wasteland that is F2P gacha. Once the revenue stops, you’re left with Gamus Interruptus..Nommy-nomVersion: 1.0.0

Fun gameOverall I seem to be enjoying it. It’s a long grind, and some characters perform best with a controller over the touch screen, but it hasn’t really bothered me that much. (Charlotte needs a controller to be at her best, on touch it is difficult to aim high and shoot or even run and power up then jump and shoot, on the controller it is easy) Also on touch I never use the dash attacks or dodge because it doesn’t trigger all the time. On the controller it is just another button so triggers all the time. Another plus is that I can use it offline with barely any noticeable delay once the game is loaded. So the hour train to and from work can be fun. Towards the last couple chapters the difficulty levels jump so fast it’s hard to keep up. Rare Weapon pulls seem to be better with the last update, and the boost in simple searches will help too, so that’s fine. I’m curious how the restart is after beating the game, but I know it’ll take a bit to get there. Thanks for a fun game!.ThepelucheVersion: 1.4.0

Better to play from Apple TV device/Good game at firstI did buy remote control for the whole arcade since I do subscribe during off school season or vacation. Doing touchscreen as remote is not my forte- lag issue when doing touchscreen mode. The game is more responsive (sadly) when one has an Apple TV device; it handles the game nicely vs tablet or mobile device. I played this for a while and it’s great for few several months then it just gets boring and blah the longer you continue playing, because it just becomes repetitive. Storyline is great but doing same task should you get only 1 or 2 ‘star’ or need to ‘level up’ as the mission gets challenging further-one can easily get burnt out..G.I.joegirlVersion: 1.4.1

Great game but…Just wanted to input my two cents and say that being a long time Castlevania fan that this game is wonderfully done. The only thing I would have liked to have seen is some sort of zoom in feature as of course I got to wear glasses and would like to see it as one of those classic games in scale of what was shown on the screen. Other than that a wonderful game, only one issue I have is that my save data was rolled back I was on the third book and about half way through and lost all my progress. Is there anyway to get this back? Thanks..Cpl.Hicks27Version: 1.1.1

P2W Mechanics not removedIt’s obvious this was originally a Pay to Win game. There’s so many different types of currencies in this game, and for all of them, there’s astronomically-priced items that you could not attain through normal play time. Why weren’t these items reduced in price? I don’t know. It’s also frustrating how hard it is to level-up anything. It requires hours of grinding and replaying the same few levels because the idea was to get people to pay to advance. Apple should have done a better job working with Konami to remove and refine anything that made this game feel like a bait-and-switch is going to happen, because the whole game isn’t available….DracheMitchVersion: 1.1.1

Hidden Gem!!! Way Better Than Reviews Suggests.I regret not giving this more of a chance earlier. There’s so much depth and replay value. You’re going to grind but it’s fun building up each character and taking on level challenges. There’s no P2P element (at least in the Apple Arcade version). If you’re a true Castlevania fan this is a must play. Also, controls are pretty tuned for touch. It does take some adjustment to find the best layout but once you get the moves down it’s really fun! Honestly this is a 10/10 for a mobile game..Garifuna7Version: 1.4.2

Not as bad as it seemsI’ve been playing this game for a while now, and it’s really not that bad. For reference the main type of game that I play is platformer type games. I’m a huge fan of the originals and still play them often. This game does have a lame currency system, but it is pretty generous. And the currency mechanics really aren’t that complicated once you figure it out. The Castlevania lore is here, and it’s actually kind of fun once you find a character you like and learn their weapons and stuff. It has good graphics and music..RyzxinVersion: 1.0.0

Very mobile-game faire, but not bad.Castlevania fans are all too familiar with their bad blood for Konami, but I don’t think they deserve to be bitten this time. Setting aside the mobile gatcha and cookie-cutter systems, this older freemium is a decent adaptation. That being said, if you’re looking for Castlevania on mobile, you’ll want to grab Symphony of the Night, the only mainline Castlevania currently available on IOS, and arguably the best in the series. There’s also Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, a Castlevania-style series by the creator of Castlevania, but the performance on IOS is reportedly lackluster..The Thousandth DeveloperVersion: 1.0.0

Crashes a lotThis game is fun, however, when its loading levels it tends to crash a lot. I’m playing it on an iPhone 12 Pro Max with the latest OS. The controls are also quirky. Sometimes they don’t even respond. The characters are slow and there is a delay to start moving again after completing an action; would like if they didn’t have the delay. The enemy leveling to character level/power isn’t very good either. I find the enemies are much stronger at lower levels than they should be in trials and challenges. XP gain is incredibly low so leveling is taking a while. Could easily get bored of this game quick..OfcrJVersion: 1.3.0

Nice, but alot of flawsIt's a good game.. with a few flaws. When canceling dispatches, why does it consume the run? Why are we unable to earn more or increase the number of simple searches? I have noticed that the trials for enhance gems doesn't correctly issue them. For example: Play the hardest tier and kill 3/4 of the mobs an earn a top tier gem. However clear the level perfectly and earn a lesser purple gem instead of a stronger red one. Things like this an more are whats wrong here. Balancing needs to occur. The little girl is virtually useless to play as and cannot jump high enough in certain situations. So many times the screen control system has me attacking or doing something in the reverse direction than what I intended or activating my upper ability when i don't intend to use it. Other times when I want to use an ability the input it entirely ignored or I am outright killed for failing to do or attack properly. Can I get a dev response?.CorzamaVersion: 1.3.0

Retro LoveMy first Castlevania experience was Simon’s Quest on NES. I love the updated retro look and feel. It does require a bit of a grind, but I’m still enjoying it. It’s a perfect mobile experience made for short or longer periods of play. So good, I bought a controller attachment for my phone just so I could play this. Konami - please keep developing this game. I would love more content. In an age where a goofy game like Homescapes can keep our attention for months on end, this is a breath of fresh air. It’s what Apple Arcade is meant to be!.HipturtVersion: 1.1.1

It's good until it comes to a complete stop at level 40/41,000I have been playing this for a few week's and it's good but it comes to a complete stop once I reached level 40/41. I have all gold weapons maxed out, all armor maxed out with 1 being gold and the rest purple but everything maxed out except the inchant, but very close 9 out of 10 and I'm still 10,000 short to complete the next levels..... Also it does have some bug issue's.... I tried playing this on my Apple Tv but it was unplayable with framew rate's getting into the single digit's so I had to switch to my Mac Mini..Migmike1Version: 1.3.0

Lots to do and lots to killI've been playing for a few days now and rather enjoy it. Learning the characters and which differ, some more than others, is easy and the moves come naturally on screen or controller. The difficultly options are a great addition. The defaults is pretty easy but with a few tweaks you can get extra loot and make things more challenging. If you enjoyed the series thus far I think this game should be no exception and offer hours of entertainment for you..Inane PeepVersion: 1.0.0

Hmmm.This ver of Castlevania feels more Contra-ish and much shorter gameplay. Contra-ish in the form of a run and hack (gun) style gameplay where you can set the atk to either auto or manual, no back tracking and platforming (Metroidvania like) and the levels are short. The last Castlevania game I’ve played was OoE and HoD and I has hoping this would be more of HoD w/ co-op/competitive play, puzzles, spd running (optional), boss hazard affecting whole map, and “open world” like area that is still encased inside the map area (yt gamepla). Still a decent yet hallow game if you take into account the story and gacha style play. Good thing this game was pulled from GPlay store..OmnomnomurfacepiegullVersion: 1.1.1

1.2.0 feedback: hp 75% bug, black screen everywhere, Charlottes attack needs adjustmentFirst thing first: I play this game cross platform among my phone, iPad, MacBook and Apple TV. I think that’s the great advantage why we play games in Apple Arcade. However this game stops responding, sticks on progressive bar going into games, runs in black screen CONSTANTLY in EVERY device I played since Verizon 1.0.0. And it needs to be addressed as top priority in the next release. Secondly: In v1.2.0 some story games have trouble to pass don’t fall below up 75% goal. Even i played the game in full HP no dmg taken. The bug appears to be I switched to the secondary character in game and the secondary one constantly losing HP that causes the system to fail the “not fall below 75% hp” goal. Additionally, I found that in the last available chapter on game 3-3 even I passed the game in full hp without using secondary character, it still didn’t pass the goal for me. Lastly, Character Charlotte. Charlotte’s frequent attacks should NOT be prioritized when jump/dodge/slide/change left or right direction keys are pressed. Because of the way how she attacks, I often press the attack key more than the number it kills each enemy, and the game always outputs all extra attacks i pressed before switching to the other keys I actually wanted this character to do. For example, let’s say Harpy is attacking to you and you shoot attacks at 45 degree angle and you found out let’s say you pressed attack key for 6 times and they all missed to hit harpy. In that split second Charlotte won’t perform to move left/ right or slide or dodge until the last attack (the 6th attack) performed. Which is to my point, a great bug that makes me frustrated every time playing this character. When you oath to play don’t take any dmg in the game, every split second of what your doing is decided whether you pass or fail each game. And I found this bug makes Charlotte really is incapable of taking this challenge. This game needs A LOT of FIX! Please do something to make it better!.WoodmanhuVersion: 1.2.0

Good platforming, weird Gacha meta.The fighting is fun, I enjoy the variety of moves among the hero’s and I look forward to the story progressing and unlocking new hero’s, but it’s so weird to play a single player gacha game with no micro transactions. Also it’s only 5 books with the 6th waiting for future expansion (given this game was almost canceled I somehow doubt the dev’s are still making content for it) so it feels like it’s only half a game. Which is a shame because I’m enjoying it, want the rest of the levels..AriocVersion: 1.0.0

Stupid controlControl is stupid, probably will be better if you got a controller or something, but with iPad/Mac, you are probably doomed. Gacha is there, I suspect the 5* rate is 3% in a multi like all other gachas, however I do not have solid evidence, I mean they could at least display the percentage rate. There is a high barrier, I don’t know how to use double jump to get there, the only working method for me now is double jump, turn back, Maria pigeon skill will boost another jump to get you to the place. I died 5 times beating 1-5? I know I’m not a professional gamer but I do not consider myself a very bad gamer, the control is very idiotic, swipe sometimes don’t work, you probably will get to beaten to death while swiping, god just make the swiping skills be like those buttons. 5$ sounds right, could entertain me for a while. Can’t believe it was a gacha mobile game and do people really pay for this?.LockelseVersion: 1.1.0

Amazing Game (First time user)I’m fairly new to the Castlevania series in general, but I love playing the game so much. I am very impressed with what they managed to do to a game that used to be a Gacha and improved on it in several ways. This especially rings true with the recent update for the Holidays! It gives me hope that there’ll be somewhat consistent content updates in the future which makes it worth it to keep subscribing to Apple Arcade..EnchantixLambVersion: 1.2.0

Great game, but repetitive and a grindVery fun and addicting game. Slash and walkthrough different environments kind of gameplay. The system of obtaining materials and weapons/armor to upgrade is good but very limited because after you reach a certain point, you can’t progress any more without a ridiculous amount of grinding for materials and experience. If the game could be fixed somehow to remove the need to grind the same levels over and over to progress, it would be a five star 100%..CutUpForceVersion: 1.0.0

Love the game, but…I had just finished a level and went back to the main play screen with the characters in the foyer area, where you can choose where to go next. The screen went black but Music was still playing. I exited out and went back in. It loaded my save and it was still black. I reset my phone and closed everything out. Loaded it. Still black with music. I have 40 hours into it. Is it something that is patchable?.SavthepreppyVersion: 1.0.0

Finally, a Real GameIt’s a great time to be a castlevania fan. Thank you for a real game. I’m 29 in the information/collapse era; I don’t have time for mediocre software. This game respects the original IP and builds on it perfectly for a mobile game. So turn on the latest season of the Castlevania animated series, boot up this game (or if you have a PS5 controller, pair it up and play ‘Symphony of the Night’ instead), and enjoy the sexy gender-fluid magic that is Alucard. Devs - Please don’t stop here. Keep going!.Shattered VraelVersion: 1.0.0

Excellent concept but…Although I’m an avid Castlevania fan, I would prefer to play this on any other format than the phone (preferably the Nintendo Switch). This game, which I find brilliantly executed, also overheats my phone and continuously is lagged down in gameplay. Now I do have an IPhone X, so that may be the problem, but I’ve played over hundreds of games on this device and have never had this much of a problem. So again, I think this would be a great game for the Switch; to which I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase.SomalyxxVersion: 1.0.0

Freemium crapWe all pay Apple a monthly fee to enjoy various games to get away from the freemium garbage that has been plaguing the App Store like an unwanted cancer for a long time. Sure, no real money is involved but the gameplay mechanics still exist here. Most of us just want to enjoy a game without unnecessary complex menus and convoluted upgrade options. There is absolutely no way that you can consider this game fun. Sure, it looks okay but it is not fun. So far the only fun Metroidvania-style game that I’ve played on Apple Arcade is Shantae and the Seven Sirens..LuckyWolfie777Version: 1.0.0

A cash grab, de-cashified!!! YES PLEASE!Mobile games are getting a lot of hate, understandly so, because they are riddled with anti-consumer practices, intentionally and carefully placed hurdles to make the user more likely to spend. Which could be reasonable if there was a ceiling, say at the price of a console game but as we know, there isn't. Instead, "whales" as they are called can spend 5-6 digits into one title creating a huge gap between the f2p and moderately paying customers. Why this long intro? Well, despite these practices, some games are legitimately fun, high quality and overall quite worth playing. This game is exactly that. Sure, it follows the mobile "bite-sized" format but that doesn't make the game is any less fun and engaging. But at least now, the reward is based off of time spent, not your wallet! Worth a download and in my opinion, worth giving it some hours to really get into the game and see if you'd like to stay longer. To me, this is a perfect way for a company such as Konami to see if it's worth making that format without the whole abusive anti-consumer practice. Support this game, let the studios know that we want to play mobile games, just not when it's attached to absurd costs..WhyKlefVersion: 1.0.0

A cash grab that has grown to be moreThis version isn’t quite as finished as the version that was shut down a year ago, but it’s had all its microtransactions removed, leaving a lot of things to do that would normally be stretched out by limits like a pay-to-recharge stamina bar. Definitely worth downloading, it’s a ton of fun as it is and I look forward to seeing this game updated with more content!.DetectiveSkyVersion: 1.1.1

Not the Castlevania you wantedHere comes another Apple Arcade game that was built with micro transactions grinding in mind complete with the usual suspects like loot boxes, daily tasks incentives and multiple currencies to gather. The game also lacks anything you would consider as the classic “Metroidvania” style as you don’t have a large map to explore, only little levels. Outside of those levels you have countless menus to navigate to constantly upgrade your stuff and some “challenges” that are just other kinds of levels. It also lacks any precise controls, the touch controls are floaty and using a controller does help but the game is built for floaty controls so it still feel floaty. The only cool thing particular to this game is the fact that you have multiple characters from the series to play as..NienorGTVersion: 1.0.0

A game with Castlevania skinThe game uses a lot of previous Castlevania characters and enemies. If using controller, it feels a little lagging and uses too many unnecessary buttons. Biggest problem is it does not have the concept of map, which is an essential part of a Castlevania game. So basically, it is just an action game with Castlevania skin..豆腐上的灰Version: 1.0.0

Need more gemsActually quite a nice game now you no longer have to pay for gems, decent castlevania grinder, strong replay ability, however, there needs to be more ways to obtain gems as the drop rate for the gold items are very low (there also isn’t a pity system, you could be pulling for 20/30 times in a row without a rare drop) That being said this game is the single reason why I’m keeping apple arcade subscription. Please release more gems and characters(soma cruz).JindakillaVersion: 1.0.0

Great but battery killerThe game has good mechanics and is visually stunning but, be warned, it’s a battery killer..JerrykeeVersion: 1.0.0

Weirdly relaxing Castlevania NoveltyIf you’re a fan of the Castlevania series lore, this game is for you. The gameplay is engaging, but the level up system takes a lot of getting used to. It’s not a game you can just rush into, and it takes a bit of time investment, but is simplistic enough you can put it down for many months and pick it up later if you get bored..ReneritchieVersion: 1.4.2

Would be the best if....The game is awesume! The movement of the character is crap , jumping forward not getting stuck moving jumping in the right direction walking crouching is garbage! Graphics attk upgrade other aspects are great! Repeating timeless events for 5* garbage! Got a million games like that! Not in arcade i downloaded arcade for no adds and a better gaming exp. The control of your characters is the worst! I have ever exp in a game!.Chippa79Version: 1.2.0

Fun and addictiveI love the game and have played significantly more on my phone than I ever have because of it. Being able to play the different characters and evolve them is amazing. The short narratives is a bit week and silly but the game play makes up for it. Please make another chapter!.POLICOMVersion: 1.1.1

Good gameEnjoyed it. Though Im writing this review to ask when the next grimoires will be released. Pls respond developers. Also could you guys pls add an option to replay a level after it ends. That would make grinding more tolerable..PickyChosenGamerVersion: 1.1.1

Fun game but needs to bring back bounty huntBounty hunt was such a fun multiplayer feature.ManHasQuestionAboutSplitterVersion: 1.0.0

Enjoyed it immensely!Loved the original title and this was even better! Almost finished the game now, with my favorite weapons maxxed out after the recent bug fix returning the shop's items. Lookig forward to the next title in this franchise..The_Destroyer_Version: 1.4.2

Great Castlevania, hampered by its original designThe game is built from the ground up with micro transactions and grind in mind. Sadly that degrades an otherwise excellent Castlevania experience. Thankfully with Apple Arcade you can ignore the purchases and enjoy the game. Once you get past that and start to understand its systems, the game is actually excellent. There is lots to do, the graphics are gorgeous and the story is simple fun. Worth a play for fans of Castlevania..WinneyLVersion: 1.4.0

A TOP APPLE ARCADE GAMEEasy top 10 on Apple Arcade, the developers keep adding more content. It’s a castlevania classic with a twist. Excellent Game! And excellent controller support on iOS, iPadOS & Mac..AlfaSeekrVersion: 1.3.0

Waiting for UpdateWe need to get Update for Albus, Soma, Trevor and the others Characters!!!.RickEdgyVersion: 1.0.0

Still fun.Gameplay is very much the same as the old version, though a lot has been updated. Still fun to play, but kind of annoying that the game has not been finished yet. Can only play to the end of chapter 4, and it says to wait until the next installment, whenever that is. I also remember the old version getting to the end of chapter 5, so it's not like there's nothing prepared. No news on any updates to the story line. Another thing: they got rid of a lot of the skins and other accessories. Not a problem, but I did really like them. Kind of hoping they'll still be added sometime in the future..RedWingedBlueBirdVersion: 1.0.0

Free International Money Transfer 💸Enjoy high maximum transfers into more than 20 currencies while saving up to 90% over local banks! The cheap, fast way to send money abroad. Free transfer up to 500 USD!AdvertorialVersion: 1.4.2

Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls Negative Reviews

Ugh pay/timer wall?Game started great and you plays well on Apple TV. There is occasional missed jump input on a controller but it is good most of the time. There is a huge amount of currencies and upgrades which is overwhelming. But you in theory can look past it. After you get to book four you get a huge increase in the equipment requirement. Like double the power you have to beat the previous boss. This is pretty much a pay wall that they brought into Apple Arcade. Apple Arcade mission is to get rid of thing like that. Why do you do it? Let people finish the game and enjoy the story. You gotta learn a different way to hook people in instead of just asking them to play levels over and over again. Game even has the skip mechanics but then you have to wait till next day. A good game ruined by free to play mechanics. Dear Apple please pay attention to the games you are bringing in. Game looks good on the surface and then uncovers it’s true face later. I was praising Apple Arcade to my friends, saying this is a place for good games not that are not ruined by free to play mechanics. Place where game developers can create games and not addictions. And look where are we now :(.NinsideVersion: 1.0.0

WOWWhere to start. First off it holds true to the Castlevania spirit only in its art work, beyond that what a shame this game is. Everything about this game is to satisfy the “mobile” spirit of gaming. Castlevania in its core has always been 2D side scrolling action at its best and while some have failed to live up to that spirit some have failed miserably, but if you’re going to use Alucard from symphony of the night as your star role, your game better live up to that standard. This game does not. The progressive stage select system interrupts the core essence of Castlevania making it feel more like a mobile game than an actual video game. The fact that is even has “in game purchases” completely ruins the spirit of the game and makes it feel more like a cash grab for a company that has already consumed billions of dollars off of this franchise. Graphics are fantastic and the music really takes me back to those old glory days of side scrolling action at its very best! But this game in its core betrays everything I feel about Castlevania and I for one will not give this “game” anymore of my time or effort. As a wise VH once said “Die monster! You don’t belong in this world!”.Ashiem666Version: 1.0.0

A grindy gatchaThe intro cutscenes and the music were pretty good. Aside from that I’m struggling to find positives. I went into the game with an fresh mind, as I don’t have much experience with this genre. However I expected some aspects of exploration and a strong plot driven narrative to immerse me into the world. Unfortunately expectation and reality are two different things. What really astonished me is that it’s a gatcha game. They use in game crystals for micro transactions instead of money for summoning 1-5 star weapons. No comments about the rng but this style does not fit a game like this that’s being marketed as an arcade game!! It’s a shame the game turns out to be a button mash with just some levels to clear. Grind, collect resources, power up weapons rinse and repeat. That’s the generic formula here. Which brings us to the topic of level design and enemy design———simply underwhelming. All in all the game is a grind and a gatcha. I believe the essence and the experience of Castlevania is lost. I can generously hash out a 2 stars . This game belongs in the main App Store with “in app purchase” games not on the arcade..Rj yjVersion: 1.0.0

Total troll gameThis game is a total troll game. Enemies are overly hard. Endless stunlocking. Controls are laggy and unresponsive. Insanely inaccurate movements. Straight from the rip. Game expects you to know how to move , run, dodge and everything, when you try to attack but enemies attack same time but you can’t end attack motion to dodge because game is laggy and unresponsive for touch controls and just take an insanely 30% hp damage from a regular mobs. Bosses are HP sponges with endless attacks so you can’t even do much damage. Game throws endless tasks without you even slowly learning the game. Game just throws you in expecting you to be a master player without easing you into it and slowly learning. This game is only for end game players or dark souls elitists. A sadistic Beat them up where all the edge is given to the AI and very punishing game. This is not an “arcade” game and has an insane difficult spike in the first few levels….. if you like that style game where it’s more of torture than a “game” then this is for you. If not, game needs refining.EliteKingzVersion: 1.1.1

Needs a lot of workThe game is obviously centered around the gacha aspect of summoning for higher tier equipment, but with being on Apple Arcade, there’s no option to pay for gems which I’m fine with. However, the game is centered around stats and higher rarity equipment, which is excessively rare and no rates are posted for summons, despite apple App Store policies that all other games must display the “pull” rates for. I know anecdotal evidence isn’t great, but in my 20 “10 summon” summons, for a total of 200 pieces of gear, I’ve only pulled a single five star. I would leave a 1 star for this system, but it’s not the entirety of the game. Gameplay is “fine”. The prologue and tutorial are great, but as soon as you get into the game proper, you get nerfed with clunky controls and reduced move speed, making the game feel very slow and stiff. Playing with a controller is much better and consistent, but doesn’t save the clunky slow feeling, just lets you control the molasses better..PinklkkklkVersion: 1.0.0

Missing the SoulI’m sad, but not surprised, that Grimoire of Souls lacks the souls of a true Castlevania experience. I got excited when I saw that it was on Apple Arcade, cautiously watched the trailer, and thought, “the art doesn’t hold a candle to Symphony of the Night, but I love Alucard and things change.” But here I am, only a few stages in and completely done. It’s yet another mobile gacha game. The exploration and discovery has been stripped down to linear stages, or so it seems. If that changes down the line, great, but I don’t have faith it will. Get ready to collect materials, spend currencies on summons, and dump spare items into upgrading. I’m sure it’s fine if you’re into the mobile scene, but I’m sad to see this as the first official continuation of Castlevania from Konami in quite sometime, especially after the excellent Netflix series. I’ll hold out hope for a true continuation on consoles and PC, hope to see the Belmonts and Alucard in all their glory again someday..BladeLevichVersion: 1.0.0

Don’t play unless you want to grind for thousands of hoursThe gameplay is pretty good but the drop rate for items is so bad that it takes about 10 hours of gameplay to collect enough parchments to materialize/limit break an item. Each item can (once materialized) be limit broken 4 times meaning that it requires about 50 hours of grinding through the same level to max one item. There are 5 characters each with about 9 5-star weapons plus about 2 sub weapons and then 10 armors which makes 65 items and means about 3250 hours of grinding. And that doesn’t even count enhancing them all. If they increased the drop rate of 5-stars by about 10x then it would be a massively better and more enjoyable game. Summons are not much better. You average about one 4-star summon per 100 summons and one 5-star per 500 summons. Also, the game is quite buggy..Matt "The Man"Version: 1.2.0

The game was awesome until the app brokeI’m fairly far along in the game, well into book 4, I have every item from every book before 4, including astral weapons and argos weapons, my levels and stats are fairly high, 330K gold with a ton of fragments and materials. I was cruising through the game having a good time. I beat stage 1-5 in book four, game gave me my rewards and then saved. Loaded the next area and boom, black screen and music. I’ve deleted the app, deleted my data, created a new save, loaded the save, continued and nothing. Stuck on a black screen with music. This is 12.5 hrs wasted, NO MATTER WHAT I’VE TRIED, stuck on this black screen. Please fix this..TerfugrublerdVersion: 1.4.2

Not with it for castlevania fansThe game was clearly made entirely with the expectation it would have micro transactions. The cool thing (I thought) about Apple Arcade was it didn’t have micro transactions. While this game does remove the ability to pay for what would normally be micro transactions - it does it in the laziest way possible by keeping all of those mechanics in the game and just only allowing you to mindlessly grind for the things you want It is a level by level side scrolling game as opposed to the sort of open map type levels you normally get from castlevania games The combat for what I did play was okay (if not a bit slow) but the lazily stripped free to play mechanics make it unplayable..SbrickleberryVersion: 1.4.1

May as well out up the in game purchasesIt was fun for a while. While it’s easy to complete the grimoires, it is impossible to get most of the 5 star weapons and armor. I’ve played some levels for hours with all difficulty factors ticked off and I still didn’t come close to getting the level 5 weapon for that level. Yes it’s easy to gems, but again they don’t get you very far. 500k gems should get you more than 0-1 high level weapons. Until they fix this, the game will continue having a freemium feel, which is the reason I’d rate this so lowly..Fbfbar25Version: 1.3.0

Weird experienceIt’s like a pay to win game but on Apple Arcade lol….Pathetic! There’s way too many things going on for a simple Castlevania game. This ain’t symphony of the night or aria of sorrow. Controls aren’t good..Sebastien190Version: 1.0.0

UnderwhelmedAdapted from a free to play game that was cancelled. It’s good to see Castlevania but too bad it wasn’t a premium game from ground up. Needs world map and exploration. That is a pillar of Castlevania. I would keep going with apple subscription if there were more games that were build for premium using classic IPs like this..Salty111Version: 1.0.0

Terrible gameplayAuto attack? Is this a movie or a game? Not fun at all, you only have to move the joystick and jump, makes no sense. Also, feels very freemium, not a premium experience neither..GamingOnMarsVersion: 1.2.0

Still brokenDrop rates still are poor for both pages, and summons. Still crashes intermittently on loading screens Some challenges are not granting completion namely book 6 final boss not using continue, and the first level of book 6 requiring no ailments..MoucalgeonVersion: 1.2.0

Not the same Konami of yoreThis is not Castlevania… this is a micro-transaction game repurposed for Arcade. Shantae on Apple Arcade is a much better Metroidvania..FoofoorabbitVersion: 1.1.1

Issues loadingI’m on the newest 12.5 iPad Pro and the game constantly stalls when trying to load. I really want to enjoy the game. From what I’ve managed to play, it’s great. Very nostalgic. However these issues are leading me to uninstall the game..Andi DuongVersion: 1.1.1

Made in ChinastlevaniaStory - characters walk into story book Gameplay - the game play it for you Artwork - definitely not from Konami music - disgrace User interface - freemium game What’s the “game”? You make number big, big number mean you good player. Come on Apple Arcade, you can do better than this..NewKidBasilVersion: 1.0.0

HorribleMore tutorial pop-ups and useless dialogue than there is gameplay. Too many buttons. Just annoying, and not the Castlevania I know. Maybe they’ll fix it by adding more pup-ups and dialogue..NoisebugVersion: 1.4.2

Lazy Developers UnfortunatelyI had emailed the devs about an issue regarding the in game shops not allowing you to use event credits or gold anymore as of 2024 - this was about a month ago. The devs responded and acknowledged the issue but said there is no specific timeline to correct this issue. The game was fun but due to laziness from Devs, I won’t be supporting any Konami Apps going further..Poo-néVersion: 1.4.1

Constant crashing on mac mini m1I was playing it for the first few days with a few crashes. On my 4th day the crashes just kept happening. I think it's because of 2-4 stage loading problem. It just freezes on a black page. I stopped playing this game. I had played Fantasian before this which had only crashed maybe 2-4 times in the 90 hours i played it but this game is unplayable..ErenJaeger13Version: 1.1.1

Jerky scrollingThe game appears to play at 30 fps? But the main issue is the background scrolling is incredibly jerky on my Mac Book Pro M1 Pro. It literally hurts my eyes. Also too many "rewards" for doing nothing, doesn't feel like they did a good job removing the gatcha element..SearingTouchVersion: 1.1.1

Good, but one simple request ☝️This is solid, with so much potential. That said, the jumping mechanic bothers me. In other mobile platformers, you can flick up to jump. Would be so much better if flick up could be jump and a button could activate a power. Sigh. Other than that the gameplay is decent. Controllers can be finicky though especially with jumping. Fix this and it’s an easy 4-5 star. 😟.BusterscrugsVersion: 1.0.0

Payoneer 💰Payoneer is an online payment platform that lets you transfer money from any corner of the world! A best and must have payment service for every blogger, traveler, freelancer, affiliate marketer, consultant, virtual assistant, business person, online sellers, and receivers. Earn $25 for free by joining Payoneer. Sign Up Now!AdvertorialVersion: 1.4.2