Castlevania theme by Christopher Morningstar
Download: Castlevania.p3t
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| Castlevania | |
|---|---|
 Logo of the Castlevania series, introduced with 2003's Lament of Innocence | |
| Genre(s) | |
| Developer(s) |
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| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Creator(s) | Hitoshi Akamatsu[1] |
| Platform(s) | List
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| First release | Castlevania September 26, 1986 |
| Latest release | Castlevania Advance Collection September 23, 2021 |
Castlevania (/ˌkæsəlˈveɪniə/), known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula,[a][2] is a gothic horror action-adventure video game series and media franchise created by Konami. The series is largely set in the eponymous castle of Count Dracula, the main antagonist of the Belmont clan of vampire hunters.[3]
Debuting with the 1986 video game for the Nintendo Family Computer Disk System,[4] 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.[5] Several installments later adopted Symphony of the Night's gameplay, and along with Super Metroid, they have popularized the Metroidvania genre.[6] 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.[7][8]
The Castlevania series has been released on various platforms; from early systems to modern consoles, as well as handheld devices such as mobile phones.[9][10] The franchise has since expanded into several spin-off video games and other media; including comic books[11] and a critically-acclaimed animated television series.[12][13]
Spanning over three decades, Castlevania is one of Konami's most successful and prominent franchises;[14] several of its entries are ranked among the best video games ever made.[15] Retrospectives attributed to the series' success to its unique blend of action, adventure, and horror elements;[16] and it has been praised for its challenging gameplay mechanics, atmospheric settings, and iconic music.[15]
Games[edit]
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.[17]
The first console title, Castlevania, was released on the Famicom Disk System in 1986 and in North America in 1987 on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).[4] A 2D sidescrolling action game where the player progresses through six stages, many principal features of the Castlevania series originated with it.[18] It has been ported to many platforms, such as the NES Classic Edition.[19] 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.[20] 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.[21][22]
The franchise's first arcade game, Haunted Castle (1988), returned to the linear platforming gameplay of the original.[23] This continued with the first handheld Game Boy entry, Castlevania: The Adventure[24] 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.[25] The Adventure saw 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.[17]
The franchise's first 16-bit home console game, Super Castlevania IV, was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1991.[12] 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 the PlayStation.[16] 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.[17] The first Castlevania produced for a CD-ROM, Rondo of Blood featured Red Book audio and fully voiced dialogue.[26] The game's content would be reused in Castlevania: Dracula X, a game for the SNES in 1995.[16] 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.[27][28]
In 1997, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Castlevania Legends were launched for the PlayStation and Game Boy, respectively.[17] Symphony of the Night introduced 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.[21][29] 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.[17] Aria of Sorrow received a 2005 sequel, Dawn of Sorrow for the Nintendo DS, which was followed by Portrait of Ruin (2006) and Order of Ecclesia (2008).[17]
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.[26] In 2003, the next 3D Castlevania title, Lament of Innocence debuted for the PlayStation 2 with combat-oriented hack and slash gameplay that drew comparisons to Devil May Cry and retroactively, God of War.[30][31] It was followed two years later by Castlevania: Curse of Darkness.[17]
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.[7] It was followed by two sequels, Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate for Nintendo 3DS in 2013, and Lords of Shadow 2 in 2014.[17] 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.[32]
In 2021, rumours began circulating that, following internal restructuring at Konami to refocus on PC and console games, a new main entry in the series was in development.[33][34]
Spin-offs[edit]
Castlevania has spawned numerous spin-offs, the first being the 1990 platformer, Kid Dracula for the Famicom, a parody which stars the eponymous character.[35] It was released for the first time in English for the Castlevania Anniversary Collection (2019).[28] The game received a sequel for the Game Boy, also titled Kid Dracula.[12]
Castlevania's first fighting game, Castlevania Judgment debuted for the Wii in 2008 and was developed by Eighting.[17] Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, released in 2010, was an online, multiplayer title in-which players could play as past Castlevania characters and explore stages.[36] A mobile game called Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls was released on September 16, 2019 for iOS.[37]
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.[38] The Japanese-exclusive Pachislot Akumajō Dracula series is a line of pachislot titles released between 2009 and 2017.[39] 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.[40]
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 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.[41]
Common elements[edit]
Gameplay[edit]
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.[42][43] He can navigate the castle's terrain by jumping across platforms and walking up staircases, enabling him to progress to new stages.[44] 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.[44][43] 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.[44] 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.[43] 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.[42][44]
While Castlevania's 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.[42][45] 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.[45] Players can interact with villagers who provide hints and visit merchants to buy items using hearts collected from defeated enemies.[43] This installment also introduces experience points where Simon can increase his level and health capacity by gathering hearts.[42][43] 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.[46] 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.[46][42] 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.[42] 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.[46]
The first 3D installment in the franchise, Castlevania (1999) on the Nintendo 64 adopted gameplay elements distinctly different from its 2D predecessors.[26][42] Unlike earlier titles, this version implemented a basic targeting and lock-on system for combat for the two playable characters, Reinhardt and Carrie.[26] 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.[42] 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.[47] 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.[48] The combat system also allows the player to execute a series of fluid and dynamic combos using the primary weapon, the Whip of Alchemy.[48][42] This system enables players to chain attacks into continuous strikes, enhancing combat engagement and effectiveness against enemies.[48] 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.[49] 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.[49] Moreover, Lords of Shadow features massive boss battles against titans, where players must use the Combat Cross to navigate and disable them.[49]
Plot and setting[edit]
| Original series |
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1094: Lament of Innocence |
| Lords of Shadow series |