Castlevania turns 40 this year, which makes me feel utterly ancient, as it's perhaps my favourite video game series of all time.

Of the many amazing games in this franchise, the one that stands out to me (and no doubt many others) is 1997's Symphony Of The Night, an epic fusion of 2D platforming action and RPG.

Konami is currently showing off some early design documents relating to the series at the Tokyo Game Show, and Digital Eclipse Editorial Director (and all-round good egg) Chris Kohler spotted something cool – a very early screen mock-up relating to my beloved SotN.

Even in this very early doodle, some of the core mechanics of the game are intact; enemy damage is shown via RPG-style numbers, there's a fairy companion floating behind Alucard, and the strangely Steampunk UI isn't a million miles away from what we'd get in the final game. The image even subtly hints at Alucard's famously silky walking animation.

While I adore SotN with all my heart, seeing this light-hearted drawing makes me wish for a Kid Dracula sequel; this simple mock-up gives me the same vibes as that NES / Game Boy release (which also stars Alucard, lest we forget).

Push Square editor Sammy Barker is at TGS 2026 as we speak and has kindly sent me a bunch of photos from Konami's booth, which you can view below.