The non-linear but often cryptic and tedious Castlevania II: Simon's Quest was followed by Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, which took a more linear approach without being as straightforward as the first game.
It featured multiple playable characters, some of whom you'll recognize from the animated series, both these objections didn't mean the game was easier. Instead, it's arguably the hardest of the original trilogy, to the point that it's reasonable to rage-quit and never actually finish it. The game that started it all on the NES and began--at least in terms of release order--the ongoing struggle between the Belmont family and the legendary vampire Dracula, the first Castlevania did a whole lot right.
Its art direction and music, limited as they had to be on the system's basic hardware, are still classic today, and the enemies are just as iconic. Fighting literal Death and mythological creatures before you ever take on Dracula showed just how powerful the vampire was going to be, even if you had full health and a nearly bottomless supply of holy water to throw his way.
However, the original Castlevania was also a deeply frustrating game because of its stiff controls, which didn't let you course-correct jumps as you could in games like Super Mario Bros. Combine this with a knockback effect when taking damage, and you had a couple of broken controllers. A Nintendo-exclusive franchise for years we won't talk about that terrible arcade game , Castlevania made the jump to the competition with Castlevania: Bloodlines.
A Sega Genesis exclusive, it wasn't drastically different from its predecessors in terms of design, with action-oriented gameplay and the same blend of platforming and tricky combat the series was famous for. Where it really stood out, however, was the weird lore implications it made, including connections to the Bram Stoker Dracula novel that haven't been that thoroughly explored in most of the series' other games.
Like the other bit era Castlevania games, Castlevania: Bloodlines' visuals have held up very well, and it's still just as playable today as it was back in The successor to Aria of Sorrow--more on that one in a bit--Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow continued its more modern story and setting, ditching the centuries-old tales of past games and putting players back in the shoes of Soma Cruz. A supernatural hero with ever-increasing power that fits the Metroidvania template first seen in Symphony of the Night, Soma's abilities are quite a bit more varied than what the Belmont clan offers.
But it's also what the DS itself offered that made Dawn of Sorrow stand out, with the game's map being displayed on the top screen permanently, thus freeing up space for the action on the bottom screen and helping to avoid unnecessary pausing. It certainly wasn't the only DS game to do this, but in an exploration-heavy series like Castlevania, it's extremely helpful.
The last Nintendo DS game in the series--and the last retail Castlevania game before the franchise was reimagined--Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is also the final original game in the series with legendary producer Koji Igarashi's involvement.
His extensive history with Castlevania may have been why Order of Ecclesia made such big changes, breaking from the backtracking-heavy castles in favor of a streamlined approach that melds some elements from later games with the level-based earlier titles.
Once again, it also stars someone other than a Belmont, putting you in control of Shanoah, who can steal enemies magic Kirby-style in order to use different weapons. Another PS2, fixed camera, generic third person action game with the Castlevania name attached to it. The game is an improvement over Lament Of Innocence in a few ways, including the soundtrack and the combat not being as much a snooze fest. However, the environments are still repetitive and poorly designed, the colors are muddy and mute, and the game just feels generally lacking.
It was a small step forward, but it was still way too many steps behind the other classic games in the series. An unfortunate decline into mediocrity for a once legendary series.
The graphical enhancements are also something to be noted, as the game only came out a few years after The Adventure. The game featured four levels that had different themes and could be completed in any order, much like the Mega Man series stage selection. Still, a solid Game Boy experience for anyone who still may be lugging around a grey brick. Players can choose one of two characters, both distant relatives of the Belmont family line, which can alter the way that the game is played and progressed through.
A descent soundtrack and excellent graphics for the time make Bloodlines a welcome addition to the Castlevania family. Combat is responsive, enemies are quick and challenging, and the level design and detail made it a graphical showcase for the Sega Genesis. However, some of the boss encounters feel uninspired and the level progression can be confusing when playing with the different characters. For some reason, the classic formula just feels like a miss when designed for Sega's 90s offering. Although the game had better graphics, some superb level design, and some more flavor to its foes, the game is widely considered to be the worst of the three Game Boy Advance entries in the series.
Even though some of the areas were well designed, the entirety of the map was inferior to Circle Of The Moon , despite coming after it in the series. The soundtrack also pales in comparison to some of the other titles in the series, making it a so-so entry, though it's one that is still worth picking up. Definitely not the worst you can do when picking a Castlevania game, but not the best by a long shot.
Improving on its predecessor, the game features more varied, expertly designed environments, fun and interesting weapons, and excellent enemy and boss design. Yet, with all its cool features and lovely visuals, it just feels lacking as compared to Dawn Of Sorrow in some ways. You can't really go wrong with the series' return back to the 2D platforming, especially with all the sexy bells and whistles.
But still, it pales in comparison to the superior handheld entries. Think about that. A Dracula with acne and probably a big authority problem. The game being set in the future also allowed for a cool mix of both vintage and futuristic looking weapons. This was the worthy spiritual successor to Symphony of the Night that fans had been waiting for.
What was it about the Super Nintendo that created so many epic games? Grappling and crouch walking provided additional ways to progress through the levels. Either way, Super Castlevania IV raised the bar for what fans have come to expect from the series. Symphony of the Night took all of the best parts from the most loved previous games in the series and put them all together for an absolute masterpiece. The game features great controls and epic boss fights mixed with open-world exploration and RPG mechanics as well as the best platforming since C astlevania III.
You would think that such a mash up would be hard to keep up with, but the result was groundbreaking. A great soundtrack, solid level design, and a great plot twist are just icing on the cake. Symphony of the Night is now considered to be one of the the great cult classics in video game history, if not one of the best video games of all-time.
Jason Gallagher is a freelance contributor. Read more of his work here. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. Arcade pachinko. Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls. Mobile phones iOS , Android. Castlevania: Moonlight Rhapsody.
Konami Wai Wai World. Family Computer , mobile phone. Released only in Japan, unofficial English translation by Demiforce. Parsley Castle. Family Computer. Released only in Japan, unofficial English translation by Kitsune Sniper. Released worldwide in and translated into English as part of the Castlevania Anniversary Collection. Super Famicom , GBA. Sexy Parodius. Released as Wai Wai Racing in Japan.
In this game, Dracula is a playable character. Also the newcomers like Simon Belmont and Kid Dracula.
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