The Castlevania franchise has been dormant for a while now, at least as far as the video game side of things is concerned. While Netflix’s adaptation kept audiences interested in the series, Konami’s made no attempts at developing a new Castlevania. The most meat fans of the games have had to chew on recently comes from Castlevania: Resurrection.
Originally planned to launch for the Dreamcast, Castlevania: Resurrection was a 3D action-adventure game that was ultimately cancelled. The fact Castlevania has never had true success with 3D perhaps makes this for the best, but it’s hard not to imagine what Resurrection would have become with more dev time.
10 Intended Dreamcast Launch
The Sega Dreamcast’s launch was the progenitor for modern video game launches, turning a console release into a genuine event with dozens of games to choose from on Day 1. Konami’s plan was to develop Castlevania: Resurrection as a Dreamcast launch title – getting in on the action alongside now classic games like Soul Calibur and Sonic Adventure. Unfortunately, September, 1999 came and went with Resurrection nowhere close to ready for release.
9 No Belmonts In 1666
The central premise of the Castlevania franchise follows the Belmont family locked in their eternal war against Count Dracula, always ready to combat him whenever the Dark Lord resurrects. Bizarrely, Resurrection would have been set in 1666, with the lack of Belmonts serving as a distinct plot point. This doesn’t make sense when taking the timeline into consideration, however. Soleil would likely be dead at this point, but Simon’s father should both be alive and in his prime – especially since Simon is born around 1669.
8 Time Travel
Even though it logically doesn’t make sense, the absence of Belmonts in 1666 necessitates time travel (something Castlevania Judgement would actually play around with years later). Castlevania: Resurrection would have starred two playable characters: Sonia Belmont from Castlevania Legends for the Game Boy and Victor Belmont, a brand new character who was developed specifically for Resurrection.
Due to Resurrection’s eventual cancellation, neither Sonia or Victor were welcomed into the series’ canon and the official timeline jumps from the events of Belmont’s Revenge in 1591 to the original Castlevania in 1691.
7 The Return Of Sonia
Sonia Belmont was originally introduced in Castlevania Legends, considered one of the worst games in the series due to its poor level design and contradictory story. Legends ends with Sonia having a child with Alucard who grows up to be Trevor Belmont from Dracula’s Curse. This has since been expunged from the series’ canon, but Resurrection presumably would have made this piece of lore official. Sonia would have been brought back in time from the 1450s, serving as the main character while Victor neglects his duties as a Belmont.
6 Victor Belmont
Victor Belmont was actually referenced in Lords of Shadows 2, acting as the last living member of the Belmont clan into the 21st century. Victor’s role in Resurrection would have seen him abandoning his vampire hunting duties entirely only to be whisked back in time. There, he would presumably regain his sense of responsibility by fighting alongside Sonia and learning from the matriarch of the Belmont clan. While Victor is billed as the co-lead alongside Sonia, all of Resurrection’s footage indicates the game would have been mainly from Sonia’s perspective.
5 Dracula, Death, And The Countess
In franchise fashion, the main antagonists of Castlevania: Resurrection would have been Count Dracula himself, Death, and the unnamed Countess. Female suitors of Dracula aren’t new to the series, but the fan servicey nature of Resurrection (set in close proximity to Simon’s birth and starring a previous main character) could suggest that the Countess might have been Carmilla. The fact that time travel plays a role in the plot could have led to an early introduction for Saint Germain, as well.
4 The First Castlevania Set In England
The average Castlevania game is set in Eastern Europe with only a few exceptions across the entire franchise. Castlevania: Resurrection would have been a stark departure from the series’ established setting by having Dracula’s Castle appear in London, England. While it’s entirely possible Resurrection could have been envisioned as a cross continental adventure like Bloodlines, everything seems to indicate that London was the main setting – a place no Belmont has ever had a connection to.
3 Canonizing Legends
Probably the biggest “What If?” surrounding Castlevania: Resurrection is the impact the game would have had on Legends’ role in the franchise. A big budget 3D release like Resurrection merits canonicity, but Legends contradicts so much of Castlevania’s established lore and themes that it ultimately does more harm than good.
Resurrection releasing would have forced Legends into canon, if only to justify Sonia’s entire presence in the game. The idea of a Belmont matriarch isn’t inherently a bad one, but making every descendant after Belmont part-vampire is a bit of dramatic irony that lends the storytelling no favors and only sours future games. Interestly, this is an angle heavily played with in the Lords of Shadow sub-series.
2 The Demo
Against all odds, an E3 demo of Castlevania: Resurrection surfaced in April of 2021. The demo featured Sonia as the sole playable character along with a boss fight against Medusa and a level select screen with a few playable areas. While a truly excellent find, the demo’s gameplay is in bad shape and it’s not hard to see why Konami eventually gave up on the project. Resurrection is just a bog-standard action game lacking in inspiration and creativity, seemingly destined to make the same mistakes as Castlevania 64.
1 Cancellation And PS2 Connections
Castlevania: Resurrection was canceled in March, 2000 – the exact same month the PlayStation 2 launched in Japan and beat the Dreamcast at its own game. It’s really no coincidence that Resurrection died in light of the PS2. Konami likely saw the game was nowhere close to matching its 3D contemporaries and chose to cut the title before it could even have the chance to underperform. Considering how much success Castlevania had as a 2D series after the fact, it was for the best.