Castlevania is one of Konami's longest-running franchises, with the first game in the series releasing back in 1986. Since then, the series has gone on to be a massive influence in the platformer genre, inspiring one half of the term "Metroidvania."
Over its long life-span, Castlevania has undergone a massive number of changes, evolving from a basic sidescroller to a non-linear platform-adventure to even 3D action-adventure titles. Some of the most famous Castlevania games have been massive influences on other platformers, as well as their own series. Here are some of the most influential Castlevania games in the series.
8 Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
- Released
- October 5, 2010
- Developer(s)
- MercurySteam , Kojima Productions
- Genre(s)
- Action , Adventure
Like many long-running game franchises, Castlevania saw a reboot after over twenty years in the game industry. The reboot was subtitled Lords of Shadow, and followed original character Gabriel Belmont in his quest to defeat the titular Lords of Shadow and resurrect his dead wife.
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Lords of Shadow was a big success for the franchise, despite departing heavily from its usual gameplay in favor of a more conventional third-person action-adventure style. The game saw two follow-ups, Mirror of Fate and Lords of Shadow 2, which struggled to replicate the success of their predecessor.
7 Castlevania 64
While Castlevania is mostly known for their 2D offerings, they have made plenty of forays into the world of 3D. The franchise's first attempt at a 3D action-adventure game was Castlevania 64 for the Nintendo 64. The game follows Carrie Fernandez and Reinhardt Schneider as they venture into Dracula's Castle to stop his resurrection.
Though Castlevania 64 was criticized for its clunky gameplay, it was overall well-received, encouraging Konami to make more 3D Castlevania games in the future. While the franchise would still make plenty of 2D games, console entries like Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness would usually be 3D.
6 Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse
The third Castlevania game is one of the first to feature a protagonist other than Simon Belmont: Trevor Belmont, Simon's ancestor. Though Trevor is now more well-known for starring in the Netflix adaptation of Castlevania, he made his first appearance in Dracula's Curse as the first man to ever defeat Dracula.
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Dracula's Curse was the first Castlevania to feature multiple playable characters, with the mage Sypha Belnades, the thief Grant Danasty, and the half-vampire Alucard being his potential companions. While not every subsequent Castlevania game would feature multiple playable characters, Dracula's Curse showed that such a thing was possible.
5 Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest
The second Castlevania game features Simon Belmont several years after his first slaying of Dracula, when he learns that he has been cursed to die. His only chance of survival is to recover all of Dracula's body parts and resurrect him to dispel the curse.
Simon's Quest was not well received at the time of its release, due to it being vastly different from its predecessor. It featured non-linear and role-playing elements, which would be used to greater success in games like Symphony of the Night.
4 Super Castlevania 4
The fourth Castlevania is essentially a remake of the first game. It even follows the same story of Simon Belmont's first attempt to defeat Dracula. Despite this, the game makes a lot of changes and improvements to gameplay, such as allowing Simon to use his whip to swing across gaps or block projectiles.
Super Castlevania 4 is hailed as one of the best Castlevania games of all time, and is considered a quintessential entry in classic Castlevania. While its popularity pales in comparison to games like Symphony of the Night, there's no doubt that Super Castlevania 4 has had a large impact on the franchise as a whole.
3 Castlevania: Rondo Of Blood
Rondo of Blood is the last level-based Castlevania game, featuring protagonist Richter Belmont as he journeys to Dracula's Castle to save his beloved Annette. It is a little less linear than previous entries, though it lacks the adventure aspect of future games.
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Rondo of Blood makes a lot of innovations to how future Castlevania games would play. For example, it introduces the item crash mechanic, which allows Richter to use a much stronger version of a particular sub-weapon. Rondo of Blood would also become the basis for the anime adaptation Castlevania: Nocturne.
2 Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow
Of the three Castlevania games released on the Game Boy Advance, Aria of Sorrow was easily the best. The game follows protagonist Soma Cruz, who is transported to Dracula's Castle by way of a solar eclipse.
Aria of Sorrow introduces more role-playing elements into the series than ever before. Soma can find and equip weapons and armor of all kinds. He also has the ability to steal enemy abilities by absorbing their souls, a now-iconic mechanic that has been mirrored in spiritual successors like Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
1 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night
Castlevania: Symphony of the Nightis the most renowned title in the Castlevania franchise. The game follows the fan-favorite Alucard as he storms Dracula's castle after its sudden reappearance not long after Dracula's defeat by Richter.
Symphony of the Night transforms Castlevania from a level-based platformer to a non-linear sidescrolling action-adventure with role-playing elements. It essentially redefined Castlevania games and pioneered the Metroidvania genre. While it's arguable if Symphony of the Night is the greatest Castlevania game ever made, it is certainly the franchise's most influential.