Konami's Castlevania series offers some of the most challenging stages in 2D gaming history. When the series branched off into its 3D roots, however, some of the stages became frustrating or repetitive. In the PS2 entries — Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness — stage design became monotonous and lacking in platforming variety.
Rather than dealing with the woes of repetitive level design, the best and worst Castlevania stages featured will cover the most exciting and frustrating locales. While the "worst" ones certainly don't mean they're awful stages, this will cover what makes them dreadfully frustrating otherwise. As for the best ones, players may fondly remember their musical scores, gorgeous backgrounds, and other quality design choices.
10 Best: Underground Caverns
This stage from Symphony of the Night features a cool, smooth jazz track. When players first enter it, they'll be coming down from the marble gallery. After a few rooms, players will see the waterfall stage before it develops into the ice caverns.
This beautiful stage offers perhaps the most relaxing song and visuals in the entire game. For frog and toad lovers, it also offers some really creative and varied enemy types. But keep in mind it's also home to the dreaded Succubus as well.
9 Worst: The Castle Proserpina
The final stage from Bloodlines does not take place in the usual final stage setting. Rather, this castle becomes the new home of Dracula after the player storms his original keep in the first stage. As such, the final stage is, of course, the most difficult in the game.
While the mirror puzzles and enemy count put up a fight, they're not the most notorious part of the stage. The worst part comes from the end when the players must take on a boss gauntlet. The fight with Death involves a series of bosses while Elizabeth takes forever to kill. All this, without a proper checkpoint between fights, comes right before the fight with Dracula himself.
8 Best: Castle Corridor
Aria of Sorrow's first stage takes place in the common Entrance which is found throughout the series. What makes Aria's special, however, is its circumstance. Players will quickly realize that they're within a solar eclipse which, in itself, changes the background dramatically from usual.
The giant moon becomes visible in the background throughout several sections. Plus it offers some gorgeous background changes throughout which set the tone for Aria of Sorrow's gorgeous aesthetic. Furthermore, the area with the first save room features Mermen swimming in the bottom which is a callback to Symphony of the Night.
7 Worst: Graveyard
The first stage in Castlevania: The Adventure, for Game Boy, takes place in a cemetery-like setting. The series' debut on handheld meant to echo the NES experience on a handheld. Unfortunately, it featured a number of design issues.
For starters, Christopher Belmont's slow walking pace made this stage, among others, a complete chore to walk through. There's also one section that involves precise platform hopping. Missing one meant repeating the section over and over again. The game's slow movement and mediocre level design only started with this one which, for what it's worth, may have been an average player's last wanted involvement with the game. Meanwhile, Konami's other handheld release, Operation C (Contra), ended up being quite a solid transition from consoles.
6 Best: Piers
This secret stage from Rondo of Blood and Dracula X Chronicles is interesting for several reasons. One, it's only unlockable after beating Dracula. Secondly, it's also the hardest stage in each game.
While the former version features the incredibly catchy theme, "Opus 13," the latter features a more adventurous take with "Red Dawn." These difficult stages feature plenty of armored knights seeking to group up and block the player's path. Plus the latter version features a boss, Hydra, which is one of the most challenging fights in the game. Richter players beware.
5 Worst: Ghost Ship
One of the hardest stages in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse came around the early half of the game. Players entering the Ghost Ship would encounter respawning ghosts and skeletons lobbing bones at them. Without Axe or Holy Water, this made defense quite difficult.
Ghost Ship also introduced stage gimmicks such as platforms that dropped depending on which side the player's weight was on. Even compared to other stages in the game, Ghost Ship required a serious amount of patience to clear. It's also worth mentioning that the American version of the game didn't make it any easier for players.
4 Best: Wizardry Lab
Among others, one of the best stages in the series came from Dawn of Sorrow. While Symphony of the Night's Alchemy Lab offered a classical theme, Dawn of Sorrow's offers something new to the table. Not unlike Rondo of Blood's own deviation from the usual smooth jazz and progressive rock themes, Dawn of Sorrow's Wizardry Lab features catchy dance music.
Players can talk all day about the return of classic enemies like The Creature or Aria of Sorrow's boss, Balore. However, when you put an incredible beat to the song, it completely changes the atmosphere. It's a wonderful, memorable place with one of the catchiest tracks in the series.
3 Worst: Castle Keep
The final stage of Rondo of Blood is ridiculously difficult for Richter. While Maria can trivialize most of the game, Richter never gets so lucky throughout each stage. But the final stage takes it up a notch thanks to annoyingly placed armored knights.
These knights won't be affected by anything except Axes which can fall through the floor or Holy Water through the ladders. Unless the player is also carrying the Clock, expect the knights to damage Richter repeatedly and surround him. This little segment was an unbelievable pain that made it harder than other final stages to include those found in the original Castlevania.
2 Best:Â Buried Chamber
One of the series' best-kept secrets comes from Portrait of Ruin. The sequel to Bloodlines featured stages inspired by real-world geographical locations. However, the Buried Chamber actually comes from within the castle.
While the stage itself is a fairly common prison dungeon type stage, the music that plays is among the most enjoyable. Players will engage the Invisible Man, Golem, and many other creatures. But for what it's worth, "Silent Prison" is one of those rarities with such good music that players can't help but appreciate even among a stage that excels in music and stage design.
1 Worst:Â Castle Center
Probably one of the most frustrating stages in the series, and one that surely ended many playthroughs, came from Legacy of Darkness for N64. While the Watchtower and the garden offered some creative and challenging ideas, the Laboratory was frustrating just for its puzzle.
In one segment, players must carry Nitro from one part of the stage to the other. All the while, they must dodge traps and enemies or risk getting blown to smithereens. Even dropping down a single step could result in instant death. For a series known for its fast-paced action and combat, this was not only out of place but one of the most poorly done stages in the series.