Games
Most ''Castlevania'' titles have been released in Japan, North America, Europe and Australia on various video game consoles, personal computers (PC) and mobile phones, with additional Video game remake, remakes and re-releases. The first console title, ''Castlevania (1986 video game), Castlevania'', was released on the Famicom Disk System in 1986 and in North America in 1987 on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). A 2D computer graphics, 2D sidescrolling action game where the player progresses through six Level (video games), stages, many principal features of the ''Castlevania'' series originated with it. It has been ported to many platforms, such as the NES Classic Edition. Also released in 1986 was ''Vampire Killer'' for the MSX home computer, which played significantly differently from the original ''Castlevania'', where players had to search for the exit before they could proceed to the next stage. Following that year, in 1987, ''Castlevania II: Simon's Quest'' further departed from the standard platforming genre of the first ''Castlevania'' for a game more similar to the nonlinear gameplay of ''Metroid'', with several role-playing elements such as a world map which the player is free to explore and revisit.Jeremy ParishSpin-offs
''Castlevania'' has spawned numerous spin-offs, the first being the 1990 platformer, ''Kid Dracula (1990 video game), Kid Dracula'' for the Famicom, a parody which stars the eponymous character. It was released for the first time in English for the ''Castlevania Anniversary Collection'' (2019). The game received a sequel for the Game Boy, also titled ''Kid Dracula (1993 video game), Kid Dracula''. ''Castlevania''s first fighting game, ''Castlevania Judgment'' debuted for the Wii in 2008 and was developed by Eighting. ''Castlevania: Harmony of Despair'', released in 2010, was an online, multiplayer title in-which players could play as past ''Castlevania'' characters and explore stages. A mobile game called ''Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls'' was released on September 19, 2019 for iOS through Apple Arcade. Arcade and slot machines based on the series have been produced. ''Castlevania: The Arcade'' (2009), a light gun shooter utilizing an LED remote, has been released in Japan and Europe. The Japanese-exclusive ''Pachislot Akumajō Dracula'' series is a line of pachislot titles released between 2009 and 2017. The first three are based on the video game ''Dracula's Curse'', while a fourth game based on the ''Lords of Shadow'' reboot, ''Pachislot Akumajō Dracula: Lords of Shadow'', was made available in 2017. ''Castlevania'' characters and elements have appeared in crossovers and other titles such as the ''Konami Wai Wai World'' series, ''Contra: Hard Corps'', ''DreamMix TV World Fighters'', ''Bomberman R,'' ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', ''Dead Cells'', and ''Vampire Survivors''.Common elements
Gameplay
''Castlevania'', released for the NES in 1986, is a platform game in which the player takes the role of the character Simon Belmont, navigating through six levels of Dracula's castle. Each level is divided into six blocks of three stages each. He can navigate the castle's terrain by jumping across platforms and walking up staircases, enabling him to progress to new stages. Simon has a health meter, which decreases upon contact with enemies or hazards. Loss of all health, falling off-screen, or running out of time results in losing a life, with the game ending when all lives are depleted, though players can continue from the last checkpoint. Collecting points throughout the levels can increase the player's score and earn them additional lives. Each level culminates in a boss battle against one of Dracula's monsters, each with their own life meter that needs to be depleted using Simon's attacks. Simon wields the Vampire Killer whip, which can be improved by collecting upgrades hidden in candles. These upgrades extend the whip's length and power, allowing Simon to attack enemies from a greater distance with increased damage. Alongside the whip, Simon can use secondary weapons like throwing knives, holy water, and the boomerang-like cross, which consume hearts collected throughout the levels. While ''Castlevanias gameplay set the standard for most titles, ''Castlevania II: Simon's Quest'' in 1987 briefly introduced role-playing elements, a departure from the strict platforming format of its predecessor. Unlike the linear progression of the first game, ''Simon's Quest'' allows players to explore a freely accessible world map, revisit areas, and engage with a dynamic environment that includes day and night cycles affecting enemy strength and the availability of non-playable characters. Players can interact with villagers who provide hints and visit merchants to buy items using hearts collected from defeated enemies. This installment also introduces experience points where Simon can increase his level and health capacity by gathering hearts. 1997's ''Castlevania: Symphony of the Night'' significantly expanded upon the gameplay introduced in ''Simon's Quest'', setting a new formula for the series and influencing subsequent Metroidvania titles. ''Symphony of the Night'' also features non-linear exploration, requiring players to gather specific items and abilities to access different areas of Dracula’s castle. This installment expanded the role-playing elements by including a more complex attribute and leveling system where the protagonist, Alucard, increases his in-game statistics by gaining experience points from defeated enemies. Alucard's ability to transform into a bat, wolf, or mist also allows him to explore previously inaccessible areas, and he can also use a wider range of equipment. The first 3D installment in the franchise, ''Castlevania (1999 video game), Castlevania'' (1999) on the Nintendo 64 adopted gameplay elements distinctly different from its 2D predecessors. Unlike earlier titles, this version implemented a basic targeting and lock-on system for combat for the two playable characters, Reinhardt and Carrie. The new environment itself played a crucial role in the gameplay, with challenges based on precision in jumping across 3D platforms and navigating through hazardous areas, some of which included rotating and crumbling platforms. ''Castlevania'' for the Nintendo 64 also incorporated elements of survival horror, such as a sequence where the player must run from a pursuing enemy in a hedge maze. Unlike the earlier 3D installment which involved navigating through various levels with a degree of platforming challenge, 2003's ''Lament of Innocence'' focused on a central hub system. This hub allowed access to five main areas from the start, with progress tied to defeating bosses to unlock the final area. The combat system also allows the player to execute a series of fluid and dynamic combos using the primary weapon, the Whip of Alchemy. This system enables players to chain attacks into continuous strikes, enhancing combat engagement and effectiveness against enemies. The 2010 reboot, ''Lords of Shadow'' introduced a more diverse range of up to forty unlockable combos with the game's whip, the Combat Cross, integrating both direct and area attacks. Additionally, it functions as a tool for exploration, aiding in scaling walls, rappelling, and swinging across gaps, which deepens the platforming elements central to the franchise. Moreover, ''Lords of Shadow'' features massive boss battles against titans, where players must use the Combat Cross to navigate and disable them.Plot and setting
Development
''Castlevania (1986 video game), Castlevania'' was directed and programmed by Hitoshi Akamatsu for the Family Computer Disk System in 1986. The game's staff roll features names taken from horror film icons, with Akamatsu being credited as 'Trans Fishers', a reference to film director Terence Fisher. This is possibly because Konami did not allow the use of real names at the time in order to prevent other companies from hiring people who worked for them. An admirer of cinema, Akamatsu approached projects with a "film director's eye", and said the visuals and music for ''Castlevania'' were "made by people who consciously wanted to do something cinematic." The protagonist Simon Belmont uses a whip because Akamatsu liked the mechanics of a weapon able to repel enemies, and also because Akamatsu was a fan of ''Raiders of the Lost Ark''. After the success of ''Castlevania'', it was released in cartridge format for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) as one of its first major platform games. The international title ''Castlevania'' was the result of Konami of America senior vice president Emil Heidkamp's discomfort with ''Akumajō Dracula'', which he believed translated as "Dracula Satanic Castle". Because of Nintendo of America's censorship policies at the time, most instances of blood, nudity and religious imagery were removed or edited in early ''Castlevania'' games. Akamatsu directed ''Castlevania II: Simon's Quest'' in 1987, which adopted gameplay similar to Nintendo's ''Metroid''. When asked if ''Metroid'' had any inspiration, Akamatsu instead cited ''Maze of Galious'', another Konami title which featured exploration and puzzle solving. His last game in the series, ''Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse'' (1989), returned to the standard platforming genre of ''Castlevania''. Since Konami's ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' games sold many copies, their development was prioritized above other titles, leading the developers for ''Dracula's Curse'' to make a game that would outdo them. ''Simon's Quest'' and ''Dracula's Curse'' were not a commercial success, and Akamatsu was demoted to working in one of Konami's game centers before he chose to resign. In 1993, three ''Castlevania'' games were in parallel development, which included ''Castlevania Chronicles, Akumajō Dracula'', ''Rondo of Blood'', and ''Castlevania: Bloodlines, Bloodlines''. Directed and produced by Toru Hagihara, ''Rondo of Blood'' was the first installment made for a CD-ROM and the first to be fully voiced. Hagihara would go on to direct a sequel, ''Symphony of the Night'' (1997) for the PlayStation, with Koji Igarashi joining him as the assistant director and story writer. Joining the staff was artist Ayami Kojima, who was hired to introduce a new look for ''Castlevania''. She would be the character designer for several future ''Castlevania'' titles. Igarashi said it began development as "something of a side story series". From the outset, the game was supposed to take the franchise in a new direction. The gameplay took a departure from the original platforming entries, instead adopting nonlinear exploration and role-playing game elements, which were last seen in ''Simon's Quest''. The critical reaction to ''Simon's Quest'' and its gameplay allowed them to pitch ''Symphony of the Night'' to Konami. Igarashi was eventually asked to finish the game as the assistant director after Hagihara was promoted to head of the division. On release, ''Symphony of the Night'' was well-received and became a sleeper hit, but its commercial performance was mediocre, particularly in the United States where it was meagerly publicized. The first ''Castlevania'' game to feature 3D computer graphics began development in 1997 on the Nintendo 64 by Konami Computer Entertainment Kobe (KCEK) as ''Dracula 3D''. Like most of its predecessors, it was an action-adventure and platforming game. It was eventually released as ''Castlevania (1999 video game), Castlevania'' in 1999 and received an expanded version titled ''Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness'' during the same year. KCEK's last ''Castlevania'' game was the acclaimed ''Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, Circle of the Moon'', released as a launch title for the Game Boy Advance in 2001. ''Circle of the Moon'' was the first entry to feature Metroidvania gameplay since ''Symphony of the Night''. Igarashi, who was not involved with the game, was critical of ''Circle of the Moon''. In 2002, he retconned ''Castlevania Legends'' (1997) and the games developed by KCEK from the series' chronology due to story conflicts, which was met with some resistance from fans. After KCEK was dissolved during 2002, the Game Boy Advance received a second installment, ''Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance'', now produced by Igarashi and developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (KCET). Starting with ''Harmony of Dissonance'', the Japanese games adopted ''Castlevania'' as the title for a brief period. According to Igarashi, the developers did this since Count Dracula is not always the main antagonist. This continued with ''Castlevania: Lament of Innocence'' (2003), a 3D title developed as a new starting point for the series. Konami eventually returned to the title ''Akumajō Dracula'' with the Japanese release of 2005's ''Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow'' for the Nintendo DS. ''Dawn of Sorrow'' and ''Portrait of Ruin'' (2006) introduced a new art style in hopes of broadening the player demographic and preventing younger Nintendo DS owners from being put off by Ayami Kojima's art. This discontinued with ''Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia'' in 2008. Due to concern over the poor sales of the recent ''Castlevania'' games, a number of prototypes in development competed to become the next ''Castlevania'' installment, which included a game by Igarashi announced at Tokyo Game Show 2008 and ''Castlevania: Lords of Shadow'' by Spanish studio MercurySteam. Konami told MercurySteam the game would be an original intellectual property (IP) when it was first greenlit as a ''Castlevania'' title. Konami eventually asked them to cease work on ''Lords of Shadow'' while it was still in its early stages, until producer David Cox showed the Japanese senior management the game and was offered help by video game designer Hideo Kojima. According to Igarashi, development on his project had not been going smoothly, and Konami had canceled it and chose ''Lords of Shadow'' as the pitch for the next ''Castlevania'' entry. Produced by Dave Cox and Hideo Kojima, ''Lords of Shadow'' was a multi-platform 3D action-adventure reboot of the series. Kojima offered his input on the project and also oversaw the game's localization in Japan. It was the first ''Castlevania'' to feature celebrity voice talent, starring Robert Carlyle in the lead role and Patrick Stewart. The art style departed from the previous games in favor of one inspired by Guillermo del Toro's work. ''Lords of Shadow'' was met with positive reception in 2010 and a commercial success, becoming the best selling ''Castlevania'' game to date. It was followed by two sequels, ''Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate, Mirror of Fate'' (2013) and ''Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2'' (2014). ''Lords of Shadow 2'' was not as well received as its predecessor. Following its release, an anonymous source claiming to be employees from MercurySteam alleged that development on the game had been troubled. After having been moved to Konami's social division in 2011, Igarashi felt he was unable to release any new games when Konami shifted its focus towards mobile game development. He left in March 2014 to independently create ''Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night'', a spiritual successor to ''Castlevania''. Dave Cox followed Igarashi's resignation a few months later. Recent ''Castlevania'' titles released under Konami's recent business model include pachinko and slot machines based on the IP.Audio
''Castlevanias music features a wide range of compositions, with themes reused throughout the series. It has been critically acclaimed and released on many albums, initially under the King Records (Japan), King Records label. In addition to original soundtracks, it has also inspired remix albums, which include orchestra, rap and heavy metal arrangements. In 2010, ''Castlevania – The Concert'' was performed in Stockholm, Sweden by longtime ''Castlevania'' composer, Michiru Yamane, and the Stockholm Youth Symphonic Orchestra. The music for the first installment, ''Castlevania (1986 video game), Castlevania'', was composed by Kinuyo Yamashita and Satoe Terashima. The game's staff roll featured pseudonyms, with Yamashita credited as James Banana. Yamashita said she did not know anything about video games at the time and composed for ''Castlevania'' shortly after graduating from college. Under strict hardware constraints, she would first write the scores before entering it as data into a computer.Personal site of Kinuyo Yamashita: About CastlevaniReception and legacy
In other media
Simon Belmont was one of the stars in the animated series ''Captain N: The Game Master''. Simon is portrayed as egotistical on the show and his physical appearance differs from his design in the video game series. He was a member of the N-Team, a group of mostly video game characters who defended Videoland against the antagonist Mother Brain from ''Metroid''. Dracula, referred to only as "the Count", appeared as a villain in ''Captain N''. Alucard also appeared in one episode, though he was portrayed as a rebellious skateboarding teenager. Several novels and comic book adaptations have been made. ''Worlds of Power'', a 1990s series of books with stories based on Nintendo games, featured a novel about ''Simon's Quest'' written by Christopher Howell, and the series was produced by Seth Godin. It departs from the original plot and introduces characters not seen in the game, including junior high school student Timothy Bradley, a video gamer who crosses over into the world of ''Simon's Quest'' and assists Simon Belmont. In 2005, IDW Publishing released the graphic novel ''Castlevania: The Belmont Legacy'', based on ''Castlevania: The Adventure'', written by Marc Andreyko with art by E. J. Su. Illustrated by Kou Sasakura, a two-volume manga adaptation titled ''Castlevania: Curse of Darkness'', based on the PlayStation 2 installment, was published in Japan from 2005 to 2006. It was released in English in 2008. 2003's ''Lament of Innocence'' was adapted into a Mobile comic, cellphone comic book, released exclusively in Japan from 2007–2008 for 40 episodes. The franchise has its own toy line manufactured by National Entertainment Collectibles Association, NECA which consists of six figures of Simon Belmont, Alucard, Dracula, Succubus and a Pixel Simon mini figure which was exclusively available as a promotional item at San Diego Comic-Con International, Comic-Con 2007.TV series
The streaming service Netflix released an American animated series titled ''Castlevania (TV series), Castlevania'' as part of its original programming between 2017 and 2021, consisting of four seasons and 32 episodes. The first two seasons adapt elements from ''Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse'' and follow Trevor Belmont, Alucard (Castlevania), Alucard and Sypha Belnades as they defend the nation of Wallachia from Dracula (Castlevania), Dracula while later seasons include elements from other games such as ''Castlevania: Curse of Darkness'' and ''Castlevania: Symphony of the Night''. The series was created by Warren Ellis; in developing the series, Ellis relied heavily on a script he had written for an animated Castlevania film from 2007 that never entered production. The art style of the series is Anime-influenced animation, influenced by anime and the artwork of Ayami Kojima, with animation provided by Frederator Studios and Powerhouse Animation Studios. A sequel to the original show, ''Castlevania: Nocturne'', was released on Netflix on September 28, 2023. It focuses on Richter Belmont, a descendent of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades, and Maria Renard in France during the French Revolution, 300 years after the original series. The series adapts elements from ''Castlevania: Rondo of Blood''. The second season premiered on January 16, 2025. Original series creator Warren Ellis was not involved in the new series after sexual misconduct allegations surfaced in 2020.Cancelled projects
A ''Castlevania'' television series was considered in the late 1980s as part of the ''Super Mario Bros. Power Hour'', a one-hour animation block of Nintendo-focused video game adaptations. Concept art was produced for the project by DIC Animation City. Only the Mario and The Legend of Zelda (TV series), ''The Legend of Zelda'' segments for the block were ultimately produced, airing in 1989 as part of ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!''. A ''Castlevania'' film was planned in the late 2000s. However, in December 2007, Rogue Pictures development hell, halted active development of ''Castlevania'' due to the writers' strike and, later, the sale of the studio to Relativity Media and possibility of a screen actors' guild strike. On May 27, 2009, the ''Castlevania'' film was reported as officially canceled.Notes
References
External links
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