Castlevania is getting uglier.

I’m not sure if there was a falling out with artist Ayami Kojima or Konami just wanted a new look, but the character art for Castlevania has been on a steep decline. I beat Aria of Sorrow on the GBA this past weekend (I know, three+ years late), so Dawn of Sorrow’s (the follow-up to Aria) poor art has come to sharper focus for me.

This is not an original observation as many in forums and news sites has voiced the same opinion. I’ll just present the sad tale through pictures.


Aria was just fine and the art was used in-game as well.


The last 3D installment featured nice art and was better than Lament of Innocence.


Truly this a the Dawn of Sorrow. Much sorrow.


I am nearly at a loss for words.

Is this an attempt to bring in more young gamers to the series? That’s the only thing that makes sense to me. I mean, hardcore fans will bitch about how ugly it looks, but will be content as long as the game is great. That audience is locked in no matter what. This younger crowd, not so much. Still, it seems they could achieve this in a more visually appealing manner than this.