15 Video Game Franchises That Tried Something Wildly Different (And Failed)

Along with Metroid, Castlevania's unique blend of combat, platforming and exploration spawned a whole sub-genre known as the Metroidvania. Players would typically spend their time exploring 2D maps, fighting enemies and navigating tricky platforming segments. It's a formula that has produced some exceptional games like Hollow Knight in subsequent years, with countless Metroidvanias released year on year.

In 2008, Konami surprised fans by releasing Castlevania: Judgement, a fighting game that was a complete departure from any other Castlevania game ever released. The game had a couple of key things going against it right from the off, which meant it would have a tough time winning fans over. 

Firstly, it was a Nintendo Wii exclusive. A strange decision for a fighting game, given the gimmicky nature of the Wii's remote, and this led to controls that were just as complex and unruly as many had feared. Secondly, Castlevania fans had no desire to see their beloved characters repurposed to try and compete with Tekken or Street Fighter. The new art style that the game introduced was also strongly condemned by fans and critics for being 'too Anime'.

The Castlevania: Judgement experiment can be considered a failure in pretty much every sense of the word. Konami did not attempt to follow it up with any subsequent fighting spin-offs, and this one was consigned to the history books never to be mentioned again by the series' devoted fans.