Despite being a household brand in the game industry, the "Castlevania" series hasn't always been a hit. This venerable franchise, which has had over 30 instalments released over the course of as many years, has had both its fair share of duds and well remembered blockbusters. The majority of the poorest "Castlevania" games were the consequence of design flaws and errors, like the clunky controls in "Order of Shadows," while others were just the outcome of unlucky bids placed on failing platforms. As an illustration, the Dreamcast game "Caslevania Resurrection" was in development for Sega before being shelved the day Sony unveiled the PlayStation 2.
However, "Resurrection" is not the only forgotten "Castlevania" prototype that has been discovered recently. A prototype cartridge for the fan-favorite game "Symphony of Night," which was created for Tiger Electronics' obscure handheld platform, the Game.com, was sent to retro game developer Brandon Cobbs in 2019. (per Time Extension). He has formally offered it on eBay for a timed auction purchase as of November 13, 2022. What "Castlevania" enthusiasts need to know about this vanished port and how to obtain it is provided here.
Even the forgotten "Castlevania" port can go unnoticed by the typical, non-retro aficionado. It boasted touch screen functionality, online connectivity, as well as numerous utility features, including a built-in calculator and a free copy of "Solitaire," as noted by Diskman Presents' "The End of the Game.com," a website dedicated to archiving information on the forgotten system, created by Cobbs himself. Unfortunately, the hardware failed to live up to playable standards, resulting in many of its planned titles never seeing the light of day. In the end, as Game.com faded into obscurity, it took its unreleased port of "Caslevania: Symphony of Night" with it.
That is, until Cobbs was able to obtain a duplicate of the prototype. According to Time Extension, Cobbs hired Osman Celimli, the inventor of retro emulation, to fix the cartridge's malfunction so that it could be used again. He had a functional simulation of the port as of September 2022, demonstrating that it had advanced in development before being abandoned. Evidently, it's also fairly difficult. Since that time, footage of the port has been posted to the Diskman Presents YouTube channel. Good luck to any would-be vampire hunters who try to decipher what is being shown on the screen.
Even still, the price of the Game.com "Symphony of the Night" cartridge on eBay has already surpassed $500 and is certain to increase further before the auction ends. Cobb touts the title as "the most stunning game.com title of them all" in the listing. You have until Nov. 16 at 10:30 p.m. EST to place your bid if you're eager to own a piece of gaming history.
