Castlevania began on the system that started a lot of popular franchises, the NES. The first game was released in 1987 in North America which was a year after Japan. It had a huge presence in the 80s and 90s and it slowly started to go away in the 2000s.

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It’s still known primarily as a Nintendo franchise via their partnership with Konami, but a few games have crossed onto Sony platforms. One of the greatest debuted on the PS1 in 1997 which was a banger year overall for the console. What Castlevania game was that and what other games have come to PlayStation consoles? Let’s find out.

5 PS1 (Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night)

Metacritic Score: 93

was the first entry in the series on the PS1 and it was a banger of a title to start with. This is the reason why the Metroidvania genre exists alongside Super Metroid. It took the Castlevania series to a new level by adding RPG mechanics to the action platforming gameplay. Players starred as Dracula’s son, Alucard, who returned from his supporting role in Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse.

Players could gain powers to reach new heights and collect weapons to arm Alucard with. He could also gain magical powers to zap enemies with. The PS Vita supported PS1 games, so this version is also the best game on that platform. One could argue it’s even better on the PS Vita because Metroidvanias or RPGs as a whole work well as portable companions.

4 PS2 (Castlevania: Lament Of Innocence)

Metacritic Score: 79

was, for a time, the earliest entry chronologically for the series. It starred Leon Belmont who helped forge the family’s classic whip, The Vampire Killer. This followed the Metroidvania formula that Castlevania: Symphony of the Night spawned but it was in a 3D environment. It wasn’t the first 3D entry though as two N64 games came out before this but got critically panned.

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While not perfect, the conversion to 3D in this game was a lot better despite some camera issues. It would receive a PS3 port digitally on the PSN store along with the other Castlevania PS2 entry, Castlevania: Curse of Darkness. That game followed Hector who could summon demons as allies kind of like Pokemon. Fans of the Castlevania anime on Netflix should be familiar with his powers. Lament of Innocence is better, but both are fun 3D action games.

3 PSP (Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles)

Metacritic Score: 80

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles was a remake of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. The game was originally released in the West as Castlevania X on the SNES which was a downgraded port of Rondo of Blood from the PC Engine version. The Dracula X Chronicles was kind of like a make-good on that botched port which cut out a lot of content. This was the first title that starred Richter Belmont who had a critical role in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

The two games are tied significantly together even though Rondo of Blood wasn’t a Metroidvania. It, and this PSP remake, fell in line with the level-based action platformers of the past. This version made the platforming easier and it secretly hid a copy of Symphony of the Night within the game’s data. Anime fans can check out Richter and Alucard’s relationship in the sequel anime on Netflix, Castlevania: Nocturne.

2 PS3 (Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow)

Metacritic Score: 85

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow replaced Castlevania: Lament of Innocence as the earliest game chronologically. It also somewhat perfected 3D gameplay at long last by admittedly borrowing from other action titles like God of War and Shadow of the Colossus. From the quick time events that led to brutal kills to the towering boss fights, the inspiration was obvious. Players got into the role of Gabriel Belmont who was led down the path to eventually become Dracula.

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That’s a spoiler for the end, but it’s kind of obvious early on. Dracula’s rise to power was a big part of the sequel which also hit the PS3 although it did not review as well. Technically, these games are not canon within Konami’s fiction but they are fun what-if scenarios for the Belmont family tied even more directly into their war with Dracula. There was also a 3DS entry that tied into this separate universe, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate, which was a more traditional 2D Metroidvania with 3D models.

1 PS4 (Castlevania Advance Collection)

Metacritic Score: 84

Castlevania Advance Collection is worth the price of admission a hundred times over because all three Metroidvanias are a blast. The only downside is that Konami didn’t package the trilogy of DS Metroidvanias into this as well. Regardless of those omissions, this collection does include Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, and Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. They were originally Game Boy Advance games, hence the title of this collection.

Of those three, Aria of Sorrow is the best as it feels like the true sequel to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. From poaching enemy abilities to taking place in the future, it was like an evolution. Again though, all three games are absolute bangers. For old-school fans of the franchise, there is also the Castlevania Anniversary Collection which contains Castlevania, Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest, Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse, Super Castlevania 4, Castlevania: The Adventure, Castlevania 2: Belmont's Revenge, Castlevania: Bloodlines, and Kid Dracula. Kid Dracula’s NES inclusion is significant because only the Game Boy version of it was released initially in the West.

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