Castlevania ( / ˌ k æ s əl ˈ v eɪ n i ə / ), known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula , is a gothic horror action-adventure video game series and media franchise created by Konami . The series is largely set in the castle of Count Dracula , the main antagonist of the Belmont clan of vampire hunters.
97-642: Debuting with the 1986 video game on Nintendo 's Famicom Disk System , the first entry and the majority of its sequels are side-scrolling action platformers . The 1997 game, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night , originally released for the PlayStation , returned to the nonlinear gameplay first seen in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest , which also introduced role-playing elements and exploration. Several installments later adopted Symphony of
194-504: A DLC with Castlevania characters and weapons available to play. 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
291-539: A "unique and wonderful" game and a game that made an impact on later Castlevania titles. Retro Gamer called it one of the most enduring video games ever made. It attributed its quality less so to its unique gameplay and more so to the adult atmosphere and challenge for players. In his review of the Virtual Console version, IGN ' s Mark Birnbaum personally enjoyed its difficulty and design but noted that people who were quick to become frustrated would enjoy
388-441: 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
485-516: A 2005 sequel, Dawn of Sorrow for the Nintendo DS , which was followed by Portrait of Ruin (2006) and Order of Ecclesia (2008). Under the development of Konami's Kobe branch , the first game in the series to employ 3D graphics was Castlevania for Nintendo 64 in 1999, and it received an expansion called Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness later that year. In 2003, the next 3D Castlevania title, Lament of Innocence debuted for
582-808: A Game Boy sequel, Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge , in 1992 and a remake, Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth , developed by M2 for the WiiWare service in 2009. The franchise's first 16-bit home console game, Super Castlevania IV , was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1991. A Castlevania title for the Sharp X68000 home computer was released in Japan in 1993 and would not be available in English until Castlevania Chronicles (2001) for
679-527: 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) 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
776-512: A classic horror movie monster such as Frankenstein's monster or the Grim Reaper , at the end of each block, and must win the battle and pick up a red orb that restores all health before time runs out in order to advance. The ultimate goal is to defeat Count Dracula himself and the Curse of Man at the end of Stage 18, triggering the collapse of Dracula's castle and allowing the player to restart
873-712: A critically-acclaimed animated television series . Spanning almost four decades, Castlevania is one of Konami's most successful and prominent franchises ; several of its entries are ranked among the best video games ever made . Retrospectives attributed to the series' success to its unique blend of action, adventure, and horror elements; and it has been praised for its challenging gameplay mechanics, atmospheric settings, and iconic music. 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 remakes and re-releases. The first console title, Castlevania ,
970-447: 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
1067-587: 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
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#17327656100311164-666: A game for the SNES in 1995. Castlevania: Bloodlines (1994) was the first Castlevania entry produced for a Sega console, the Genesis . It would not be re-released until 2019 as part of the Castlevania Anniversary Collection . In 1997, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Castlevania Legends were launched for the PlayStation and Game Boy, respectively. Symphony of the Night introduced
1261-533: 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
1358-642: A major change to the gameplay, incorporating role-playing elements and a nonlinear map that the player could freely explore, which was previously seen in Simon's Quest and Nintendo's Metroid series. Elements of Symphony of the Night would influence the gameplay of future titles, beginning with the Game Boy Advance entries Circle of the Moon , Harmony of Dissonance , and Aria of Sorrow , which were released from 2001 to 2003. Aria of Sorrow received
1455-475: 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
1552-507: 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
1649-439: 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
1746-523: A retractable chain whip called the Combat Cross, Gabriel fights a malevolent force known as the Lords of Shadow in order to obtain the God Mask, which he believes can bring back his deceased wife. In Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate , Gabriel stars as Dracula, the main antagonist of Simon and Trevor Belmont. The sequel, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is set during modern times, where Dracula
1843-589: A variety of different video game consoles , handheld game consoles , home computer systems , and mobile phones . A ROM cartridge version of the game was released for the Japanese Family Computer in 1993. The release omitted the name registration screen from the original Famicom Disk version (as well as saving) and included an "Easy" mode. In 2002, Konami released the first three NES Castlevania games for Windows as Konami Collector's Series: Castlevania & Contra . In 2004, Castlevania
1940-566: A werewolf, but they were not included in the game. A game also titled Akumajō Dracula was developed for the MSX2 simultaneously. It was released a month after the Disk System game. It was released in Europe under the title Vampire Killer where it was the first game in the series to be released. The MSX2 version featured different areas and new gameplay. Castlevania has been ported to
2037-706: 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
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#17327656100312134-499: A world map which the player is free to explore and revisit. Haunted Castle (1988), the franchise's first arcade title, returned to the linear platforming gameplay of the original. This continued with the first handheld Game Boy entry, Castlevania: The Adventure and the NES sequel, Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse , both released in 1989. Dracula's Curse added features to the original gameplay, including alternate stages and multiple playable characters . The Adventure saw
2231-522: Is 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
2328-465: Is a Japanese video game developer and publisher , best known for handling emulation of re-released games, such as some Sega Ages titles, Virtual Console titles for Nintendo systems, the 3D Classics series for the Nintendo 3DS and their ShotTriggers range of classic STG games. M2 has also created entirely new titles such as WiiWare games for Konami under the ReBirth moniker and more recently
2425-472: Is a reference to the character of the same name from the 1943 film, Son of Dracula . The games include folklore and mythological monsters such as Medusa , as well as direct references to literary horror . Castlevania: Bloodlines explicitly incorporates the events of Bram Stoker 's Dracula into the series, and the recurring character Carmilla is based on the 1872 novel Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu . Castlevania mainly takes place in
2522-401: Is divided into six blocks of three stages each, for a total of 18 stages. Simon can move, jump, crouch, climb stairs and use a magic whip (known in the series as the "Vampire Killer") as his primary combat weapon. When the player presses the button to crack the whip, there is a short delay before Simon actually does so. The player begins the game with four lives and five hearts, and must complete
2619-417: Is looking for a way to put an end to his immortality. In 2002, the games Legends , Circle of the Moon , Castlevania (1999), and Legacy of Darkness were retconned from the official chronology by Koji Igarashi , a move which had been met with some criticism by fans. Igarashi noted that Legends conflicted with the plotline of the series, and that the reason for Circle of the Moon ' s removal
2716-781: The Castlevania film was reported as officially canceled. Castlevania (1986 video game) Castlevania , known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula , is a 1986 action - platform game developed and published by Konami . It was originally released in Japan for the Famicom Disk System in September 1986, before being ported to cartridge format and released in North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in March 1987 and in Europe in 1988. It
2813-481: The Castlevania series, Michiru Yamane first composed music for the Sega Genesis game, Castlevania: Bloodlines . Yamane was under pressure at the time because the series was already popular and known for its music. She felt there was a link with the game's vampiric themes and the classical music she had grown up with, having studied Johann Sebastian Bach in university, and worked to integrate her style with
2910-604: The Family Computer Disk System in 1986. Due to its success in Japan, it was released in cartridge format for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) under the title of Castlevania in 1987 in North America and 1988 in Europe, and re-released in cartridge format for the Japanese Famicom under its original title in 1993. The international name of Castlevania was the result of Konami of America senior vice president Emil Heidkamp's discomfort with
3007-797: The 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 , 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
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3104-483: 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
3201-420: 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
3298-628: The PlayStation . During the same year, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood was released for the PC Engine and was not localized in English until it was included with Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (2007) for the PlayStation Portable . The first Castlevania produced for a CD-ROM , Rondo of Blood featured Red Book audio and fully voiced dialogue. The game's content would be reused in Castlevania: Dracula X ,
3395-402: The PlayStation 2 with combat-oriented hack and slash gameplay that drew comparisons to Devil May Cry and retroactively, God of War . It was followed two years later by Castlevania: Curse of Darkness . A reboot of the franchise launched with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow in 2010, a multi-platform 3D action title developed by MercurySteam and co-produced by Hideo Kojima . It
3492-429: The Sharp X68000 home computer was released in 1993, and was later re-released for the PlayStation as Castlevania Chronicles in 2001. Castlevania was a commercial success and received widespread acclaim. It is considered an NES classic by PC World , while Nintendo Power and Game Informer both ranked it in their lists of the best video games ever made. Castlevania utilizes platform gameplay and
3589-498: The "huge playing area and lots of neat touches" that would "keep you engrossed for weeks." They criticized the "gaudy graphics" but said "it's the gameplay that counts, and it's great!" It sold impressively and was considered a classic by Retro Gamer and IGN . It was rated the 22nd best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Power ' s Top 200 Games list in 2006. In August 2008, Nintendo Power listed it as
3686-426: The 14th-best Nintendo Entertainment System video game. In 2001, Game Informer ranked it the 48th-best game ever made; the staff noted that its gameplay set a standard for the industry. IGN ranked it 19th on their list of the best NES games; the second and third Castlevania games were ranked 25th and fifth, respectively. It was praised for its difficulty, gameplay, soundtrack and visuals. GameZone ranked it as
3783-550: The 1993 Famicom port instead of the original version. This contrasts the Virtual Console which used the Famicom Disk System version in all of its Japanese rereleases. Since its original release, Castlevania has received a generally positive reception. Japanese gaming publication Famitsu gave it a score of 34 out of 40. Computer and Video Games also gave it a positive review in 1989, praising
3880-437: The 1997 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night , which it considered the best title in the series. It cited this game's absence from IGN's top 100 games of all time as well as the absence of the second and third Castlevanias from Game Informer ' s 'top 100 games of all time' list. It suggested that the reason this is the case is because of the NES games' high learning curve and difficulty level. It also felt that Symphony of
3977-665: The Belnades clan, such as Carrie Fernandez and Yoko Belnades , would make appearances as playable characters in later titles. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a reboot of the franchise, with its first game set in Southern Europe during the Middle Ages. The main character, Gabriel Belmont, is a member of the Brotherhood of Light, an elite group of holy knights who defend people from supernatural creatures. With
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4074-529: The Combat Cross to navigate and disable them. Sources: The Castlevania franchise heavily references the horror films produced by Universal Pictures and Hammer Film Productions . Creator of the series, Hitoshi Akamatsu, wanted players to feel like they were in a classic horror film. Zombies , werewolves , Frankenstein's monster , and Count Dracula make recurring appearances. Alucard , introduced in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse ,
4171-487: 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
4268-430: 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
4365-551: The Mario and 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 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,
4462-619: The Night ' s gameplay, which along with Super Metroid , have popularized the Metroidvania genre. 2010 saw the release of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow , a 3D action-adventure game developed by MercurySteam and Kojima Productions that served as a reboot of the series. The Castlevania series has been released on various platforms; from early systems to modern consoles, as well as handheld devices such as mobile phones. The franchise has since expanded into several spin-off video games and other media ; including comic books and
4559-497: The Night ' s influence on the series after its release caused people to forget about the NES games. It praised the Virtual Console for allowing players unfamiliar with these games to experience them more easily. IGN's Lucas M. Thomas included its 25th anniversary in a list of forgotten anniversaries which took place in 2011. He felt it odd that Castlevania had so many titles before its 25th anniversary, yet only released one title during 2011. The Classic NES Series re-release of
4656-411: 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
4753-470: 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. Castlevania' s 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
4850-403: The Night as it was produced for a CD-ROM , which made it capable of much higher quality music and sound. She continued to compose for the series, including the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS games, which had note limitations like older home consoles, and also collaborated with other composers such as Yuzo Koshiro . Before becoming a freelance composer, the last Castlevania game she scored
4947-600: 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 ,
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#17327656100315044-482: The Super NES sequel Super Castlevania IV better. 1UP.com 's Kurt Kalata praised its level of difficulty and its realistic visual design. Game Informer ' s Tim Turi claimed that the original Castlevania made the series a "legend" and called it the "essential Castlevania experience." IGN wrote a piece that discussed the idea that this game as well as other early Castlevania titles were overshadowed by
5141-490: 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 Castlevania' s gameplay set
5238-430: 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
5335-455: The castle of Count Dracula , who resurrects every hundred years to take over the world. With the exception of some games, the players assume the role of the Belmonts , a clan of vampire hunters who have defeated Dracula for centuries with the Vampire Killer. The Vampire Killer is a legendary whip that is passed down to their successors and can only be used by them. In Castlevania: Bloodlines ,
5432-436: The current block of stages before a timer runs out. Simon has a health meter, which decreases whenever he is hit by an enemy or projectile. One life is lost if either the meter or the timer reaches zero, or if Simon falls off the bottom of the screen or is hit by a moving spiked ceiling. Hidden food items restore health, and bonus lives are earned at certain score thresholds. The player fights a boss character, usually themed after
5529-538: The eighth-best Castlevania game. Robert Workman (an editor for GameZone) felt that the game had aged well and was a great value on the Wii Virtual Console . IGN ' s Lucas M. Thomas noted the relative realism of Castlevania ' s weapons versus "glowing flowers that let you throw bouncing fireballs." He also praised it for feeling scary while also not taking itself too seriously. The combination of these elements and others caused him to credit it as
5626-419: 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
5723-523: The game at an increased difficulty. Throughout the game, the player can find and use various backup weapons, including throwing knives, axes, vials of holy water , a magical watch that can briefly freeze enemies, and sacred crosses that function as boomerangs. However, only one such weapon can be carried at a time; if the player picks up a new one or loses a life, the weapon is automatically lost. Backup weapons require hearts for their use, which can be found by extinguishing candles or defeating enemies with
5820-558: The game was met with mixed to positive reception. It holds an average score of 74/100 and 71% at Metacritic and GameRankings , respectively. Castlevania was cited as an influence on Ninja Gaiden (1988) for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Ninja Gaiden borrowed various gameplay elements from Castlevania , including power-up items that give special abilities. M2 (game developer) M2 Co., Ltd. ( Japanese : 有限会社 Ｍ２ ( エムツー ) )
5917-503: The games have appeared on lists of video games considered to be the best. Symphony of the Night appeared at #16 on IGN "Top 100 games" and was one of the first to be introduced on the GameSpot "The Greatest Games of All Time". Both acclaimed the game to successfully making a game in 2D while the industry was moving to 3D. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse was named the 9th best 8-bit game by GameTrailers . Super Castlevania IV
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#17327656100316014-398: The graphic novel, Castlevania: The Belmont Legacy , written by Marc Andreyko with art by E. J. Su . It was based on Castlevania: The Adventure . 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
6111-399: The nation of Wallachia from 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
6208-449: 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
6305-503: The original series. A second season is in production. Original series creator Warren Ellis was not involved in the new series after sexual misconduct allegation surfaced in 2019. 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
6402-439: 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
6499-501: The religious connotations of the title Akumajō Dracula , which he believed translated as "Dracula Satanic Castle". Castlevania was one of the first major platform games on the NES and a part of an unofficial second wave of video games for the NES. Its release coincided with the 90th anniversary of Bram Stoker 's Dracula . An arcade version based on the NES version was released in April 1987 by Nintendo . The player-character Simon
6596-490: The rock themes of the previous games. Since Castlevania: Symphony of the Night , Yamane became involved with the development of the series with its former producer, Koji Igarashi . Symphony of the Night' s art director, Osamu Kasai, requested Yamane to join the team, and she would draw inspiration from Ayami Kojima 's concept artwork. Unlike the FM synthesis that Bloodlines used, Yamane felt she had more freedom with Symphony of
6693-507: The sequels, Mirror of Fate and Lords of Shadow 2 . The Castlevania franchise had sold over 20 million copies worldwide as of 2006; it had previously sold over 3.7 million units by 1993. The franchise has received mostly positive reviews, with the most acclaimed game being Symphony of the Night for the PlayStation and the most panned being Judgment , with aggregate scores of 93 and 49, respectively, on Metacritic and 93.38% and 52.71%, respectively, on GameRankings . Many of
6790-468: The series was in development. In 2024, a remake of Haunted Castle was included in the compilation Castlevania Dominus Collection . Titled Haunted Castle Revisited , it was developed by M2, who previously worked on The Adventure ReBirth . Castlevania has spawned numerous spin-offs, the first being the 1990 platformer, Kid Dracula for the Famicom , a parody which stars the eponymous character. It
6887-406: 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
6984-417: 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
7081-603: The system, according to the same website. Castlevania , Super Castlevania IV , and Aria of Sorrow appeared on Nintendo Power's "Top 200 Games" list. Trivia about the series has been mentioned in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008 . 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
7178-400: 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. The hardware for the first 16-bit title, Super Castlevania IV , allowed for a more atmospheric environment in the game, and was composed by Masanori Adachi and Taro Kudo . Known primarily for her work on
7275-407: 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
7372-405: The title screen. Castlevania's development was directed by Hitoshi Akamatsu. 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." With Castlevania , he wanted players to feel like they were in a classic horror film. It was originally released for
7469-438: The titles a "subseries". Being aware of the horror movies from long ago (long before the slasher flicks), I wanted the players to feel like they were in a classic horror movie. —Hitoshi Akamatsu, 1993 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',
7566-640: 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 . As of October 31st, 2024 Vampire Survivors released Ode to Castlevania ,
7663-593: 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 ,
7760-522: The whip has been inherited by John Morris, the son of Quincey Morris , who is a distant descendant of the Belmonts. Other recurring characters throughout the series include the dhampir Alucard, who sides with Trevor Belmont against his father Dracula in Dracula's Curse . Trevor is joined by Sypha Belnades , a vampire hunter who fights using magic and marries Trevor by the end of the game. Descendants of
7857-405: The whip. Other hidden items include point bonuses (money bags, crowns, chests), temporary invincibility (golden jar), upgrades to the whip's length and power (metal chain), instant destruction of all on-screen enemies (blue rosary ), and double or triple use of any backup weapon except the watch. When all lives are lost, the player has the option to continue from the start of the block or return to
7954-558: Was Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia in 2008, which she worked on with Yasuhiro Ichihashi. For the 2010 reboot, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow , the game was scored by Óscar Araujo using a 120-piece orchestra. His work on Lords of Shadow earned him a nomination for breakout composer of the year by the International Film Music Critics Association , and he won "Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media." Araujo went on to compose
8051-693: Was adapted into a cellphone comic book, released exclusively in Japan from 2007-2008 for 40 episodes. The franchise has its own toy line manufactured by 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 Comic-Con 2007. The streaming service Netflix released an American animated series titled 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 and Sypha Belnades as they defend
8148-548: Was also re-issued for the Family Computer in cartridge format in 1993. It is the first installment in the Castlevania series. Players control Simon Belmont , descendant of a legendary vampire hunter, who enters the castle of Count Dracula to destroy him when he suddenly reappears 100 years after Simon's ancestor vanquished him. Castlevania was developed in tandem with the MSX 2 game Vampire Killer , which
8245-428: Was an action-adventure and platforming game. It was eventually released as 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 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
8342-413: 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 Akumajō Dracula , Rondo of Blood , and 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
8439-416: Was followed by two sequels, Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate for Nintendo 3DS in 2013, and Lords of Shadow 2 in 2014. Lords of Shadow 2 was the last mainline game in the franchise to date, due to Konami shifting focus to mobile games and gambling in the 2010s. Rumors began circulating in 2021 that, following internal restructuring at Konami to refocus on PC and console games, a "reimagining" of
8536-559: Was followed by two sequels, 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
8633-415: Was named the 11th best game of the SNES by ScrewAttack on their " Top 20 SNES Games ". The series as a whole was named the 4th best franchise in games ever by IGN, behind only Final Fantasy , The Legend of Zelda and Mario , and citing Super Castlevania IV and Symphony of the Night as highlights. Aria of Sorrow was named the 2nd best game on the Game Boy Advance and one of the must buys for
8730-443: Was not due to his non-involvement with the game, but instead the intention of the game's development team for Circle of the Moon to be a stand-alone title. The American 20th Anniversary Pre-order Bundle for Portrait of Ruin in 2006 featured a poster with a timeline that re-included the games other than Legends . In 2007, Konami still excluded them from the canon on the official Japanese website. Igarashi has said that he considered
8827-478: Was originally named Peter Dante (a reference to Peter Cushing and Joe Dante ), a vampire killer who was a grandson of Christopher Dante (a reference to Christopher Lee ). At the time, whip attacks were planned to be in multiple directions, an idea later seen in Super Castlevania IV . Other sub-weapons were planned, such as garlic, wooden stakes and an item that transforms the player-character into
8924-556: 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
9021-459: Was released a month later and uses the same characters and setting, but features different gameplay mechanics. It was followed by a sequel, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest , and a prequel, Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse , both of which were also released for the NES. Super Castlevania IV was released in 1991 for the Super NES and follows the same story. A remake, Akumajō Dracula, for
9118-632: Was released for the Game Boy Advance as part of the Classic NES Series by Nintendo. The original end credits of the game, which consisted of puns on the names of horror movie stars, were removed in this version. The original game was included as one of 30 games featured on the 2016 NES Classic Edition . The game is included in Castlevania Anniversary Collection , a compilation released as part of Konami's 50th anniversary. In Japan, this compilation includes
9215-632: 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 . 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
9312-410: 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
9409-471: Was released on the Famicom Disk System in 1986 and in North America in 1987 on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). A 2D sidescrolling action game where the player progresses through six 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
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