Vampires have been a part of video games since they were small bat sprites flapping across the screen. After all, they make for the perfect enemy – scary, powerful, and intelligent – especially if you’re a monster hunter from Witcher 3 or a hero in Skyrim. When it comes to true vampire hunters, however, nothing can top the classicKonamiseries: Castlevania.
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Since the 1980s, this gothichorrorfranchise has taken players across countless adventures as the Belmont clan battles Count Dracula’s forces using a whip and holy items. From the retroNESto modern systems, Castlevania has been a source of monster-hunting fun and an inspiration for countless video games. But enough talk, it’s time to have at these Castlevania games and see which belongs in this world.
10Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Vampire May Cry
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
3D Castlevania games have been hit or miss,mostly miss. Compared to other franchises that have thrived after making the leap to 3D, Castlevania just can’t seem to hit the mark. Unlike its predecessors, however, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence stands out as one of the better 3D games.
Released for thePlayStation 2, the game tells the origin story of the first Belmont to encounter Dracula and how the dark creature came to be. The gameplay resembles the firstDevil May Crygame – roaming a castle and battling monsters with a fixed camera angle. Lament of Innocence can be considered a mixed bag. Some fans found the level design too flat, with multiple areas looking copied and pasted. Still, Lament of Innocence is praised for its story, gothic appearance and music, making it one of the more underrated Castlevania games.
9Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse
The Punishing Gem
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse
You can’t beat the classics, but they can beat you. Dracula’s Curse was the first successful sequel in the series, introducing new mechanics and a new protagonist: Trevor Belmont. Players are given branching paths that take them across different levels throughout the story. Not only that, but you also have companions to assist on your journey, each with their own set of abilities.
There’s Grant, Sypha and Dracula’s son, Alucard, thecoolest and toughest vampire in video games, who would become a returning character in the series. With so many changes, the game was a true follow-up to the first, but with one setback – the difficulty. The Castlevania series has always been about challenge, yet Dracula’s Curse is about as hard as trying to kill an actual immortal vampire with a stick of garlic bread.
8Castlevania
The Classic That Launched a Franchise
Castlevania
The original Castlevania blew players away and showed consumers the potential of the Nintendo Entertainment System. As Simon Belmont, your only goal is to reach Count Dracula and destroy him. Though not the first horror video game, it was among the first to earn enough acclaim to spark a franchise.
These days, most horror games are about blood and jump scares, but back in the day, a true horror game was just you battling monsters in a 2D side-scrolling adventure. And platforming too – there’s a lot of that. At the end of every level, you must defeat a boss before moving on through the castle. Simple as the game may look, it’s still a challenge even to this day. Playing the original Castlevania is like playing aDark Soulsgame for the first time. It’s fun, it’s iconic, but you’re going to die a lot.
7Castlevania: Bloodlines
Sega Does What Nintendon’t
Castlevania: Bloodlines
For the longest time, the Castlevania games were only featured on Nintendo systems. Then, in 1994, Castlevania: Bloodlines was released for theSega Genesis. Taking place during the First World War, the game follows a band of vampire hunters named Eric Lecarde and John Morris, the son of Quincey Morris from the original Dracula novel.
Confusing continuity aside, this was a great entry to the Castlevania series and a remarkable addition toSega’slibrary of games. Besides having the option to play as two different characters, both of whom have their own weapons for combat, Bloodlines also featured a range of diverse locations. Where the other Castlevanias usually took place within Dracula’s castle, a graveyard or maybe a small village, Bloodlines makes use of the period as you battle the dark forces across Europe. How many games are there where you can say you battled a flying skeleton while climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa?
6Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
The End of the DS Era
Castlevania: Order Of Ecclesia
The Belmont clan has vanished, and with the forces of darkness plotting to resurrect Dracula, it falls on Shanoa to put a stop to it. Order of Ecclesia was the last Castlevania game to be released on the Nintendo DS, but at least it went out on a high note, because this game rocks.
While not the first female Castlevania protagonist, Shanoa takes the crown as the best. Unlike the Belmont clan, she relies not on a whip, but her powerful glyphs to conjure weapons in battle, or magic to blast away horrors. In trueMetroidvaniastyle, the more you explore and the stronger foes you defeat, the better glyphs you’ll unlock, turning your small spells into massive attacks that cover a wide area of effect. Despite tanky enemies, Order of Ecclesia stands on its own as a phenomenal Castlevania experience.
5Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
The Best 3D Castlevania
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow can be considered a reboot of the franchise. It’s the end of days. Three evil factions known as the Lords of Shadow have arisen and cut off Earth from the Heavens. The Brotherhood of Light has dispatched Gabriel Belmont to hunt down the dark lords and put an end to their plans.
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Of all the 3D Castlevania games, this ranks out as the best. For a hack-and-slash adventure, the whip combat feels great, the voice acting is fantastic, the soundtrack is phenomenal, and as far as the plot goes, this is one of the biggest yet saddest stories in the franchise. It helps that the game hadHideo Kojima, the original creator of theMetal Gear Solidseries, working as a producer. Its major flaws stem from the overuse of quick time events, and the puzzles range from fair to tear-your-hair-out infuriating.
Fun Fact: The game features Patrick Stewart as both the narrator and one of the main characters.
4Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
Retro CD Adventure
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
It’s gone through multiple names and ports, but most fans know it as Rondo of Blood. Count Dracula has arisen and begun abducting young women to feed on, including Richter Belmont’s lover. Though the story is a basic boyfriend fighting evil to save girlfriend, the overall game is a fantastic old-school Castlevania, with incredible graphics, amazing backgrounds and an epic soundtrack.
Rondo of Blood was the first game in the series to be released not on cartridge, but on CD. This allowed for better audio quality and music than the traditional 8-bit/16-bit sounds only a cartridge could produce. It was also among the first to have levels without a timer hanging over your head, meaning players could take their time. That doesn’t mean the game’s not challenging, because the enemies and obstacles in your way are typical Castlevania difficulty, but there’s a fair balance to it.
3Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
RPG Soul Stealing
Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow
Set in the distant future of 2035, a castle has emerged in Japan, and it falls on Soma Cruz to fight the horrors within to prevent the return of Count Dracula. Originally released for theGame Boy Advance, Aria of Sorrow stands out as not only one of the best Castlevania titles, but one of the mostimpressive-looking games on the handheldsystem.
Where some games from the GBA have aged poorly, Aria of Sorrow has aged like fine wine. From the first room, all the way to the end, the game keeps throwing new enemy designs at the player. What sets Aria of Sorrow apart from its predecessors would have to be the Tactical Soul system. Soma has the ability to absorb souls from defeated enemies, allowing him to gain new skills and attacks, which only adds to the satisfying progression as you get stronger the further you get.
2Super Castlevania IV
The Best Whip-Action Around
Super Castlevania IV
If the first Castlevania was the port the series set sail from, then Super Castlevania IV was the rocket that launched it into stardom with one of the most incredible sequels ever seen on theSuper Nintendo. Though the overall game is a remake of Castlevania 1, with players taking on the role of Simon Belmont, everything that made the first game great has been improved.
In true 16-bit action, Super Castlevania IV is an incredible and detailed adventure. Every level looks and feels different, enemies from the old games have returned with better animation and graphics, and then there’s the whip action. Though the previous entries only allowed you to whip left or right, Super Castlevania IV was the first to allow players to whip in eight different directions. The whip can even be used to block attacks and help Simon swing across platforms and gaps.
1Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
The Birth of Metroidvania
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
It feels cheating puttingSymphony of the Nightat number one – like you’re copying the answers off the professor’s desk. It can’t be understated what a flawless masterpiece this game truly is, however, which set a new milestone for inventing the subgenre known as Metroidvania.
From beginning to end, this game does everything perfectly. It starts with one of the most iconic intros in video game history, right before players take on the role of the returning Alucard. With Dracula’s castle having reappeared, and Richter Belmont missing, Alucard takes it upon himself to stop his father. The game is famous for incorporatingRPGelements in leveling up your stats, locating treasure for better weapons and gear, and then there are the relics, which unlock new powers for Alucard. No matter how old Symphony of the Night gets, it’ll remain one of the best games in the Castlevania series.
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