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''Castlevania'' (), known in Japan as is a
gothic horror Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...
action-adventure The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a storyli ...
video game series This is a list of video game franchises, organized alphabetically. All entries include multiple video games, not counting ports or altered re-releases. 0–9 *''1080° Snowboarding'' *''1942'' *''3D Ultra Minigolf'' *'' 3-D Ultra Pinball'' *''7 ...
and media franchise about Dracula, created and developed by
Konami , is a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machines, slot machines, and arcade cabinets. Konami has casino ...
. It has been released on various platforms, from early systems to modern consoles, as well as handheld devices such as mobile phones. The franchise has expanded into several spin-off video games and other media, including comic books and an animated television series. ''Castlevania'' is largely set in the eponymous castle of
Count Dracula Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. He is considered to be both the prototypical and the archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by some ...
, the main antagonist of the Belmont clan of vampire hunters. It debuted with 1986's '' Castlevania'' for the Nintendo
Family Computer Disk System The commonly shortened to the Famicom Disk System or just Disk System, is a peripheral for Nintendo's Family Computer home video game console, released only in Japan on February 21, 1986. It uses proprietary floppy disks called "Disk Cards" f ...
. The first entry and the majority of its sequels are side-scrolling action platformers, and were succeeded by the 1997 game, '' Castlevania: Symphony of the Night''. Originally released for the PlayStation, it returned to the
nonlinear gameplay A video game with nonlinear gameplay presents players with challenges that can be completed in a number of different sequences. Each player may take on (or even encounter) only some of the challenges possible, and the same challenges may be played ...
seen in '' Castlevania II: Simon's Quest'', which introduced RPG elements and exploration. Several installments later adopted ''Symphony of the Nights gameplay, and along with ''
Super Metroid is an action-adventure game developed by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. It is the third installment in the ''Metroid'' series, following the events of the Game Boy ...
'', it has popularized the
Metroidvania Metroidvania is a sub-genre of platform video games focused on guided non-linearity and utility-gated exploration and progression. The term is a portmanteau of the names of the video game series ''Metroid'' and ''Castlevania'', with games in the ...
genre. 2010 saw the release of '' Castlevania: Lords of Shadow'', a 3D
action-adventure The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a storyli ...
reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
of the series developed by
MercurySteam Mercury Steam Entertainment S.L., Trade name, doing business as MercurySteam, is a Spanish video game developer based in San Sebastián de los Reyes, Community of Madrid, Madrid. The company was founded by former members of Rebel Act Studios, w ...
and
Kojima Productions Kojima Productions Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game development studio founded in 2015 by video game designer Hideo Kojima, creator of the ''Metal Gear'' series. It is the spiritual successor to a production team inside Konami also known as Ko ...
. ''Castlevania'' is one of Konami's most successful and prominent franchises; several of its entries are ranked among the best video games ever made.


Games

Many ''Castlevania'' titles have been released for markets in Japan, North America, Europe and Australia on various video game consoles,
personal computers A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...
(PC) and mobile phones, with additional remakes and re-releases. The first console title, '' Castlevania'', was released on the
Famicom Disk System The commonly shortened to the Famicom Disk System or just Disk System, is a peripheral for Nintendo's Family Computer home video game console, released only in Japan on February 21, 1986. It uses proprietary floppy disks called "Disk Cards" for ...
in 1986 and then 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 since been ported to many platforms, such as the
NES Classic Edition NES Classic Edition is a dedicated home video game console by Nintendo, which emulates the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It launched on November 10, 2016 in Australia and Japan, and November 11, 2016 in North America and Europe. Aesthet ...
. Also released in 1986 was '' Vampire Killer'' for the MSX home computer, which played significantly different from the original ''Castlevania'', where players now 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 RPG elements such as a world map which the player is free to explore and revisit.Jeremy Parish
Metroidvania Chronicles II: Simon's Quest
1UP.com ''1Up.com'' was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, ''1Up.com'' provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused conten ...
, June 28, 2006
''Castlevanias first arcade game, '' Haunted Castle'' (1988), returned to the linear platforming gameplay of the original. This continued with the first handheld
Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same t ...
entry, '' Castlevania: The Adventure'' and the NES sequel, '' Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse'', both released in 1989. ''Dracula's Curse'' added new features to the original gameplay, including alternate stages and multiple
playable character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not contr ...
s. ''The Adventure'' saw a Game Boy sequel, '' Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge'', in 1992 and also a remake developed by M2 for the
WiiWare WiiWare was a service that allowed Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications could only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii ...
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 The is a home computer created by Sharp Corporation. It was first released in 1987 and sold only in Japan. The initial model has a 10 MHz Motorola 68000 CPU, 1 MB of RAM, and lacks a hard drive. The final model was released in 1993 wit ...
home computer was exclusively released in Japan in 1993 and would not be available in English until '' Castlevania Chronicles'' (2001) for the PlayStation. During the same year, '' Castlevania: Rondo of Blood'' was released for the
PC Engine The TurboGrafx-16, known as the outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation, commonly known as the 16-bit era, thoug ...
and was also 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'', a new game for the SNES in 1995. '' Castlevania: Bloodlines'' (1994) was the first ''Castlevania'' entry produced for a Sega console, the Genesis, and was not re-released until 2019 on the multi-platform ''Castlevania Anniversary Collection''. In 1997, '' Castlevania: Symphony of the Night'' and ''
Castlevania Legends ''Castlevania Legends'' is the third ''Castlevania'' title released for the original Game Boy. It was released in Japan on November 27, 1997 and in Europe and North America on March 11, 1998. The game was conceived as a prequel to all other game ...
'' were launched for the PlayStation and Game Boy, respectively. ''Symphony of the Night'' introduced a major change to the gameplay, incorporating RPG elements and a nonlinear map that the player could freely explore, which was previously seen in ''Simon's Quest'' and Nintendo's '' Metroid'' series. This would be the gameplay for several future titles, beginning with the
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, ...
entries '' Circle of the Moon'', '' Harmony of Dissonance'', and ''
Aria of Sorrow ''Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow'' is a 2003 action role-playing game developed and published by Konami. It is the third ''Castlevania'' game for the Game Boy Advance. Producer Koji Igarashi, who had led the production teams for previous ''Castleva ...
'', which were released from 2001 to 2003. ''Aria of Sorrow'' received a 2005 sequel, Dawn of Sorrow for the Nintendo DS, which was followed by ''
Portrait of Ruin ''Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin'' is a platform-adventure game developed and published by Konami. The game was released on November 16, 2006 in Japan, and in North America on December 5, 2006 for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. ''Portrai ...
'' (2006) and '' Order of Ecclesia'' (2008). Under the development of Konami's Kobe branch, the first game in the series to employ
3D graphics 3D computer graphics, or “3D graphics,” sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for th ...
was '' Castlevania'' for
Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and ...
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 ''Castlevania: Lament of Innocence'' is an action-adventure video game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 console. Part of Konami's ''Castlevania'' video game series, it is the first ins ...
'' debuted for the PlayStation 2 with combat-oriented hack and slash gameplay that drew comparisons to ''
Devil May Cry is a series of action-adventure games created by Hideki Kamiya. It is primarily developed and published by Capcom. The series centers on the demon hunter Dante and his efforts to thwart various demon invasions of Earth. Its gameplay consists o ...
'' and ''
God of War A war god in mythology associated with war, combat, or bloodshed. They occur commonly in both monotheistic and polytheistic religions. Unlike most gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions, monotheistic deities have traditionally been p ...
''. 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 Mercury Steam Entertainment S.L., Trade name, doing business as MercurySteam, is a Spanish video game developer based in San Sebastián de los Reyes, Community of Madrid, Madrid. The company was founded by former members of Rebel Act Studios, w ...
and co-produced by ''
Metal Gear is a series of techno-thriller stealth games created by Hideo Kojima. Developed and published by Konami, the first game, ''Metal Gear'', was released in 1987 for MSX home computers. The player often takes control of a special forces operativ ...
s Hideo Kojima. Two sequels, '' Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate'' (2013) and ''
Lords of Shadow 2 ''Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2'' is an action-adventure game, the sequel to the 2010 game '' Castlevania: Lords of Shadow'', and part of the ''Castlevania'' franchise. The game was developed by MercurySteam and published by Konami. It was releas ...
'' (2014) have also both received multi-platform releases.


Spin-offs

''Castlevania'' has spawned numerous spin-offs, the first being the 1990 platformer, '' Kid Dracula'' for the
Famicom The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redes ...
, 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''. ''Castlevanias first multiplayer online fighting game, '' Castlevania Judgment'' debuted for the Wii in 2008 and was developed by
Eighting , stylized as 8ing, is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. It was formerly known as . It is known for its shoot 'em ups and its licensed fighting games. History Raizing and Eighting were formed in part by former staff of Compile, ...
. Another multiplayer online title, '' Castlevania: Harmony of Despair'', was available cross-platform in 2010, where players could play as past ''Castlevania'' characters and explore stages. A game for
iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...
called '' Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls'', a multiplayer title starring ''Castlevania'' cast members, was released by Konami on September 16, 2019. Arcade and
slot machines A slot machine (American English), fruit machine (British English) or poker machine ( Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. Slot machines are also known pejoratively ...
have been produced for the series. '' Castlevania: The Arcade'' (2009), a light gun shooter utilizing an LED remote, has only been released in Japan and Europe. The Japanese spin-off series, '' Pachislot Akumajō Dracula'', is a
pachislot A slot machine (American English), fruit machine (British English) or poker machine (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. Slot machines are also known pejoratively a ...
line of ''Castlevania'' 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 also 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 ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeed ...
''.


Common elements


Gameplay

''Castlevania'', released for the NES in 1986 is a typical platform game in which the player takes the role of
Simon Belmont is a fictional character who serves as the first protagonist to appear in the ''Castlevania'' series. He appears in ''Castlevania'', '' Vampire Killer'', '' Haunted Castle'', '' Castlevania II: Simon's Quest'', ''Super Castlevania IV'', and ''Cas ...
, a descendant of the Belmont clan, a family of vampire hunters. He travels to Dracula's castle, Castlevania, and fights his way through the castle annihilating Dracula himself and the castle. Belmont's main weapon is a whip called the Vampire Killer, while the secondary weapons include throwing daggers, bottles of holy water that act as small fire bombs, throwing axes that arc overhead, a watch that stops time, and a cross that acts like a boomerang. These are powered by hearts which are collected by destroying candles and killing monsters. Hidden items such as power-ups and food (health replenishment) items are also found by attacking walls within the levels, a feature inspired by Nintendo's ''
Super Mario Bros. is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The successor to the 1983 arcade game '' Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series, it was first released in 1985 for ...
'' with countless hidden items across the game's levels. ''Vampire Killer'', released in 1986 for the
MSX 2 MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by Microsoft and ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, then vice-pr ...
computer and developed alongside the original ''Castlevania'' (the two share the same title in Japanese), departs from the more straightforward platforming gameplay of ''Castlevania'', instead introducing an open-ended, exploration-heavy form of gameplay. ''Castlevania II: Simon's Quest'' featured nonlinear gameplay even more open-ended than that of ''Vampire Killer'', with several exclusive elements such as a world map the player was free to explore and revisit. The player could also purchase supplies, equipment and weapon upgrades in several different towns, making it more like an action role-playing game. It also introduced a persistent world with its own day-night cycle which altered gameplay, and offered three possible endings depending on the time it took to complete the game. ''Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse'' for the NES has more in common with the original NES Castlevania but also added new features, including nonlinear elements such as alternate branching paths with different stages and alternate endings depending on the player's choices, as well as multiple player characters. A turning point in the gameplay mechanics of the series was '' Castlevania: Symphony of the Night''. Expanding on the open-ended style of gameplay previously used in ''Castlevania II: Simon's Quest'', ''Symphony of the Night''s style of gameplay has been termed "Metroidvania" due to its similarities with the nonlinear and exploration-focused side-scrolling games of the ''Metroid'' series. It also used role-playing video game elements, such as collectible weapons, armor and hidden orbs. Many subsequent Castlevania games have since followed this template.


Plot and setting

The ''Castlevania'' franchise heavily references the iconic horror movies produced by
Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
and
Hammer Film Productions Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve class ...
. Creator of the series, Hitoshi Akamatsu, wanted players to feel like they were in a classic horror movie. Werewolves,
zombies A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in wh ...
,
Frankenstein's monster Frankenstein's monster or Frankenstein's creature, often referred to as simply "Frankenstein", is a fictional character who first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. Shelley's title thus compares ...
, and
Count Dracula Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. He is considered to be both the prototypical and the archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by some ...
himself make recurring appearances. Alucard, first introduced in '' Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse'', is also a reference to the character of the same name from the 1943 film, '' Son of Dracula''. The games also include
folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
and mythological monsters such as
Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress"), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those ...
, 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 by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. ''Castlevania'' mainly takes place in the castle of
Count Dracula Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. He is considered to be both the prototypical and the archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by some ...
, 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'', the whip has been inherited by John Morris, the son of
Quincey Morris Quincey P. Morris is a fictional character in Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic novel ''Dracula''. In the novel He is a rich young American from Texas, and one of the three men who propose to Lucy Westenra. Quincey is friends with her other two suit ...
, who is a distant descendant of the Belmonts. Other recurring characters throughout the series include the
dhampir In Balkans folklore, dhampirs (sometimes spelled ''dhampyres'', ''dhamphirs'', or ''dhampyrs'') are creatures that are the result of a union between a vampire and a mortal human. This union was usually between male vampires and female mortal huma ...
Alucard, who sides with Trevor Belmont against his father Dracula in ''Dracula's Curse''. Trevor is also joined by Sypha Belnades, a vampire hunter who fights using magic and marries Trevor by the end of the game. Descendants of the Belnades clan, such as Carrie Fernandez and
Yoko Belnades ''Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow'' is a 2003 action role-playing game developed and published by Konami. It is the third ''Castlevania'' game for the Game Boy Advance. Producer Koji Igarashi, who had led the production teams for previous ''Castleva ...
, would also make appearances as playable characters in later titles. '' Castlevania: Lords of Shadow'' is a
reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
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 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 is now looking for a way to put an end to his immortality. In 2002, the games ''
Legends A legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief. Legend(s) or The Legend(s) may also refer to: Narrative * Urban legend, a widely repeated story of dubious truth * A fictitious identity used in espionage Books, co ...
'', '' 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 Moons removal 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 ''Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin'' is a platform-adventure game developed and published by Konami. The game was released on November 16, 2006 in Japan, and in North America on December 5, 2006 for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. ''Portrai ...
'' 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 the titles a "subseries".Nintendo Power, July 2008


Development

'' Castlevania'' was directed and programmed by Hitoshi Akamatsu for the
Family Computer Disk System The commonly shortened to the Famicom Disk System or just Disk System, is a peripheral for Nintendo's Family Computer home video game console, released only in Japan on February 21, 1986. It uses proprietary floppy disks called "Disk Cards" f ...
in 1986. The game's staff roll features names taken from famous horror movie icons, with Akamatsu being credited as 'Trans Fishers', a reference to film director
Terence Fisher Terence Fisher (23 February 1904 – 18 June 1980) was a British film director best known for his work for Hammer Films. He was the first to bring gothic horror alive in full colour, and the sexual overtones and explicit horror in his films, ...
. 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, and also as part of an unofficial second wave of video games for the system. 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 also 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 ''The Maze of Galious'' is a 1987 platform-adventure video game developed and published by Konami for the MSX home computer. A reworked conversion was released for the Family Computer. Both versions were re-released digitally for Microsoft Windows ...
'', 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 ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after It ...
'' 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 '' Akumajō Dracula'', ''
Rondo of Blood ''Castlevania: Rondo of Blood'', originally released in Japan as is a platform-adventure video game developed by Konami for the PC Engine's Super CD-ROM² System directed by Toru Hagihara. Part of the ''Castlevania'' series, protagonist Richter B ...
'', and '' Bloodlines''. Directed and produced by Toru Hagihara, ''Rondo of the Blood'' was the first installment made for a CD-ROM and also the first to be fully voiced. Hagihara would go on to direct a sequel, ''Symphony of the Night'' (1997) for the Sony PlayStation, with Koji 'IGA' Igarashi joining him as the assistant director and story writer. Also 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 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and ...
by
Konami Computer Entertainment Kobe , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...
(KCEK) as ''Dracula 3D''. Like most of its predecessors, it 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 The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, ...
in 2001. ''Circle of the Moon'' was the first entry to feature
Metroidvania Metroidvania is a sub-genre of platform video games focused on guided non-linearity and utility-gated exploration and progression. The term is a portmanteau of the names of the video game series ''Metroid'' and ''Castlevania'', with games in the ...
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 , is a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machines, slot machines, and arcade cabinets. Konami has casinos ...
(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 ''Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin'' is a platform-adventure game developed and published by Konami. The game was released on November 16, 2006 in Japan, and in North America on December 5, 2006 for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. ''Portrai ...
'' (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 , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in September in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) and Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. ...
2008 and '' Castlevania: Lords of Shadow'' by
MercurySteam Mercury Steam Entertainment S.L., Trade name, doing business as MercurySteam, is a Spanish video game developer based in San Sebastián de los Reyes, Community of Madrid, Madrid. The company was founded by former members of Rebel Act Studios, w ...
in
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. Konami told MercurySteam the game would be an original
intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
(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 Robert Carlyle (born 14 April 1961) is a Scottish actor. His film work includes '' Trainspotting'' (1996), ''The Full Monty'' (1997), ''The World Is Not Enough'' (1999), ''Angela's Ashes'' (1999), '' The Beach'' (2000), ''28 Weeks Later'' (20 ...
in the lead role and also
Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actors ...
. The art style also 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, '' 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

''Castlevania''s music has been critically acclaimed and released on many albums. The music for the first ''Castlevania'' game was composed by Satoe Terashima and Kinuyo Yamashita, of
Konami , is a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machines, slot machines, and arcade cabinets. Konami has casino ...
's Kukeiha Club of composers, shortly after graduating from college. Yamashita was credited under the pseudonym James Banana for her work on the Disk System version of the game. Kenichi Matsubara composed for the sequel, ''Simon's Quest'', and also the arcade installment ''Haunted Castle''. In 1993,
Michiru Yamane is a Japanese video game composer and pianist. Yamane's musical style draws on baroque, classical and rock traditions, with both Johann Sebastian Bach and Yellow Magic Orchestra as prominent influences. She is best known for her two decades ...
created the soundtrack to ''Castlevania Bloodlines'', and would also compose the music for several installments, including ''Symphony of the Night''. Most of the music in the series changes from game to game, but some themes recur often. These include "Vampire Killer", composed by Satoe Terashima, , first composed by Kenichi Matsubara, and "Beginning" by Jun Funahashi. These three tracks first appeared in '' Castlevania'', '' Castlevania II: Simon's Quest'' and '' Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse'' respectively. Several songs, including "Vampire Killer" and "Bloody Tears", were also featured in the soundtracks of other Konami games, including '' Konami Wai Wai World'', '' Contra: Hard Corps'', and ''
Konami Krazy Racers ''Konami Krazy Racers'', known in Japan as , is a kart racing video game published and developed by Konami for the Game Boy Advance handheld video game console. It was first released in Japan, and was later released in North America and some PAL ...
'', and inter-company crossovers such as '' DreamMix TV World Fighters'', and ''
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeed ...
''.


Reception and legacy

The ''Castlevania'' franchise had sold over 20 million copies worldwide ; it had previously sold over 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 Judgement (or US spelling judgment) is also known as ''adjudication'', which means the evaluation of evidence to make a decision. Judgement is also the ability to make considered decisions. The term has at least five distinct uses. Aristotle s ...
'', with aggregate scores of 93 and 49, respectively, on
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
and 93.38% and 52.71%, respectively, on GameRankings. Many of 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 ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' "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'' was named the 11th best game of the SNES by ''
ScrewAttack Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC is an American digital media company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2003 by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, Jason Saldaña, Gus Sorola, and Joel Heyman, Rooster Teeth is a subsidiary of Warner ...
'' on their " Top 20 SNES Games". The series as a whole was also named the 4th best franchises in game ever by IGN, behind only ''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese video game, Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and ...
'', ''
The Legend of Zelda ''The Legend of Zelda'' is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-rele ...
'' and ''
Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...
'', and citing ''Super Castlevania IV'' and ''Symphony of the Night'' as highlights. ''Aria of Sorrow'' was also named the 2nd best game on the
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, ...
and one of the must buys for the system, according to the same website. '' Castlevania'', '' Super Castlevania IV'', and ''
Aria of Sorrow ''Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow'' is a 2003 action role-playing game developed and published by Konami. It is the third ''Castlevania'' game for the Game Boy Advance. Producer Koji Igarashi, who had led the production teams for previous ''Castleva ...
'' appeared on Nintendo Power's "Top 200 Games" list. Trivia about the series has also been mentioned in the '' Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008''.


In other media

Simon Belmont was one of the stars in the animated series '' Captain N: The Game Master''. 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", also appeared as a villain in ''Captain N''. Alucard appeared in one episode, though he was portrayed as a rebellious skateboarding teenager. Several other ''Castlevania'' monsters had minor roles, including Frankenstein's Monster, the Mummy, the Wolf Man, and the Skull Knight. Simon is portrayed as egotistical on the show and his physical appearance differs from his design in the video game series. In 2005, IDW Publishing released a comic book adaptation, ''Castlevania: The Belmont Legacy'', written by
Marc Andreyko Marc Andreyko (born 20 June 1970) is a comic book writer and screenwriter, best known for the true crime series ''Torso'' he co-wrote with Brian Michael Bendis and for co-creating the character Kate Spencer for DC Comics. Career Marc Andreyko ...
with art by E. J. Su. It was based on '' Castlevania: The Adventure''. In 2008, a graphic novel adaption of ''Curse of Darkness'' was released by Tokyopop in English. The streaming service
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
released an American animated series titled simply '' Castlevania'' as part of its original programming. The show is being showrun by
Adi Shankar Aditya Shankar (born January 8, 1985) is an Indian-American film producer, screenwriter, film director, television program creator, television showrunner, and occasional actor. He is best known for ''Dredd'', '' Castlevania'', and his " Boot ...
, who had previously teased plans for an animated mini-series based on '' Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse'' in 2015, and is written by
Warren Ellis Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is a British comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including ''Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), ''Global Frequency'' ( ...
.
Fred Seibert Frederick (Fred) Seibert (born September 15, 1951) is an American television producer, co-founder of MTV and the CEO of FredFilms, an animation production company based in Burbank, California. His official biography states he has led five (working ...
and Kevin Kolde also co-produce. The series is animated by Seibert's
Frederator Studios Frederator Studios is an American animation television production studio which is a division of Frederator Networks, Inc. It was founded by Fred Seibert in 1997 with its first series launching in 1998. (Seibert resigned from Frederator in Augu ...
and Powerhouse Animation Studios, under Michael Hirsh's Wow Unlimited Media company. The show's first season released on July 7, 2017, and ran for four episodes, while the second season premiered on October 26, 2018, and ran for eight episodes. By the time the second season became available in 2018, ''Castlevania'' had reportedly garnered nearly viewers worldwide according to Netflix analytics, becoming one of the most successful original animated shows on Netflix. A third season released on March 5, 2020, and ran for 10 episodes. The fourth and final season was released on May 13, 2021, and a new series set in the ''Castlevania'' universe is in the works. It will focus on a descendant of Trevor, Richter Belmont, and Maria Renard in France during the French Revolution. The franchise also has its own toy line manufactured by NECA which consists of six figures of Simon Belmont, Alucard, Dracula (available in two variants with one variant with its mouth closed and another one with its mouth open showing Dracula's vampire fangs), Succubus and a Pixel Simon mini figure which was exclusively available as a promotional item at
Comic-Con A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at co ...
2007 where the figures were first shown in full form. The franchise also consists of a calendar of ''Lament of Innocence'' available with the limited edition of the game and containing seven illustrations and another released as a promotion for '' Castlevania Judgment'' from April 2009 to March 2010 containing images of various Castlevania characters from the game. Artbooks of many games have also been released. The franchise also includes comics, prize collection artworks of ''Symphony of the Night'' and ''Judgment'' as part of its print media. Adapted and illustrated by Kou Sasakura, a two-volume manga adaptation titled was published in Japan from 2005 to 2006.


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 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 Relativity Media is an American media company founded in 2004 by Lynwood Spinks and Ryan Kavanaugh. The company brokered film finance deals and later branched into film production and other entertainment ventures. The company was commerciall ...
and possibility of a screen actors' guild strike. On May 27, 2009, the ''Castlevania'' film was reported as officially canceled.


Notes


References


External links

*
''Akumajō Dracula'' series
at Konami Tokyo * * {{Authority control Konami franchises Video games about shapeshifting Dark fantasy video games Video games about witchcraft Video game franchises Video games about demons Video games about vampires Video games about zombies Video games set in Europe Video game franchises introduced in 1986 Horror video games Metroidvania games Video games related to anime and manga Video games adapted into comics Video games adapted into television shows category:action-adventure games by series