Castlevania

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This article is about the video game series. For the first video game in the
series, see Castlevania (1986 video game). For other uses, see Castlevania
(disambiguation).
Castlevania
Castlevania logo.png
The current logo of the Castlevania series, introduced with 2003's Lament of
Innocence.
Genre(s) Action-adventure
Developer(s)

Konami
Eighting
MercurySteam
Kojima Productions
M2

Publisher(s) Konami
Platform(s)
List
[show]
First release Castlevania
September 26, 1986
Latest release Castlevania Anniversary Collection
May 16, 2019

Castlevania[a] (/'k�s?l?ve?ni?/) is an action-adventure gothic horror video game

series created and developed by Konami. It has been released on various platforms,
from early systems to modern consoles, as well as handheld devices such as mobile
phones.[2][3] The franchise has also expanded into other media, including comic
books,[4] an animated TV series and several spin-off video games.[5]

Castlevania is largely set in the eponymous castle of Count Dracula, the main
antagonist of the Belmont clan of vampire hunters.[6] It debuted with 1986's
Castlevania for the Nintendo Family Computer Disk System.[7][8] The first entry and
the majority of its sequels are side-scrolling action platformers, and were later
succeeded by the 1997 game, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Originally released
for the PlayStation, it returned to the nonlinear gameplay seen in Castlevania II:
Simon's Quest, which introduced RPG elements and exploration.[9] Several
installments later adopted Symphony of the Night's gameplay, and along with Super
Metroid, it has popularized the Metroidvania genre.[10] 2010 saw the release of
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, a 3D action-adventure reboot of the series developed
by MercurySteam[11] and Kojima Productions.[12]

It is one of Konami's most critically acclaimed franchises[13] and also one of the
best-selling of all time.[14]
Contents

1 Games
1.1 Spin-offs
2 Common elements
2.1 Gameplay
2.2 Plot and setting
3 Development
3.1 Music
4 Reception and legacy
 5 In other media
6 Notes
7 References
8 External links

Games
See also: List of Castlevania media � Video games
Timeline of release yearsOriginal series in green
Lords of Shadow series in yellow
1986 Castlevania
Vampire Killer
1987 Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
1988 Haunted Castle
1989 Castlevania: The Adventure
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
1990
1991 Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
Super Castlevania IV
1992
1993 Castlevania (Sharp X68000)
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
1994 Castlevania: Bloodlines
1995 Castlevania: Dracula X
1996
1997 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Castlevania Legends
1998
1999 Castlevania (Nintendo 64)
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
2000
2001 Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Castlevania Chronicles
2002 Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
2003 Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
2004
2005 Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
2006 Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
2007 Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
2008 Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
2009 Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth
2010 Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
2011
2012
2013 Castlevania: Lords of Shadow � Mirror of Fate
2014 Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2

Many Castlevania titles have been released for markets in Japan, North America,
Europe and Australia on various video game consoles, personal computers (PC) and
mobile phones, with additional remakes and re-releases.[15] The first console
title, Castlevania, was released on the Famicom Disk System in 1986 and then in
North America in 1987 on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).[8] A 2D
sidescrolling action game where the player progresses through six stages, many
principal features of the Castlevania series originated with it.[16] It has since
been ported to many platforms, such as the NES Classic Edition.[17] Also released
in 1986 was Vampire Killer for the MSX home computer, which played significantly
different from the original Castlevania, where players now had to search for the
exit before they could proceed to the next stage.[18] Following that year, in 1987,
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest further departed from the standard platforming genre
of the first Castlevania for a game more similar to the nonlinear gameplay of
Metroid, with several RPG elements such as a world map which the player is free to
explore and revisit.[19][20] Castlevania's first arcade game, Haunted Castle
(1988), returned to the linear platforming gameplay of the original.[21] This
continued with the first handheld Game Boy entry, Castlevania: The Adventure[22]
and the NES sequel, Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, both released in 1989.
Dracula's Curse added new features to the original gameplay, including alternate
stages and multiple playable characters.[23] The Adventure later saw a Game Boy
sequel, Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge, in 1992 and also a remake developed by
M2 for the WiiWare service in 2009.[15]

The franchise's first 16-bit home console game, Super Castlevania IV, was released
for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1992.[5] A Castlevania title
for the Sharp X68000 home computer was exclusively released in Japan in 1993 and
would not be available in English until Castlevania Chronicles (2001) for the
PlayStation.[24] During the same year, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood was released for
the PC Engine and was also not localized in English until it was included with
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (2007) for the PlayStation Portable.[15] The
first Castlevania produced for a CD-ROM, Rondo of Blood featured Red Book Audio and
fully voiced dialogue.[25] The game's content would be reused in Castlevania:
Dracula X, a new game for the SNES in 1995.[24] Castlevania: Bloodlines (1994) was
the first Castlevania entry produced for a Sega console, the Genesis, and was not
re-released until 2019 on the multi-platform Castlevania Anniversary Collection.
[26][27]

In 1997, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Castlevania Legends were launched
for the PlayStation and Game Boy, respectively.[15] Symphony of the Night
introduced a major change to the gameplay, incorporating RPG elements and a non-
linear map that the player could freely explore, which was previously seen in
Simon's Quest and Nintendo's Metroid series.[19][28] This would be the gameplay for
several future titles, beginning with the Game Boy Advance entries Circle of the
Moon, Harmony of Dissonance and Aria of Sorrow, which were released from 2001 to
2003.[15] Aria of Sorrow received a 2005 sequel for the Nintendo DS, which was
later followed by Portrait of Ruin (2006) and Order of Ecclesia (2008).[15]

Under the development of Konami's Kobe branch, the first game in the series to
employ 3D graphics was Castlevania for Nintendo 64 in 1999, and it soon received an
expansion called Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness later that year.[25] In 2003, the
next 3D Castlevania title, Lament of Innocence debuted for the PlayStation 2 with
combat-oriented hack and slash gameplay that drew comparisons to Devil May Cry and
God of War.[29][30] It was followed two years later by another PlayStation 2 title,
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness.[15] A reboot of the Castlevania series premiered
with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (2010), a multi-platform 3D action title
developed by MercurySteam and co-produced by Metal Gear's Hideo Kojima.[11] Two
sequels, Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate (2013) and Lords of Shadow 2 (2014) have
also both received multi-platform releases.[15]
Spin-offs

Castlevania has spawned numerous spin-offs, the first being the 1990 platformer,
Kid Dracula for the Famicom, a parody which stars the titular character.[31] It was
also re-released for the Castlevania Anniversary Collection (2019) for the first
time in English.[27] The game later received a sequel in for the Game Boy, also
titled Kid Dracula.[5] Castlevania's first multiplayer online fighting game,
Castlevania Judgment debuted for the Wii in 2008 and was developed by Eighting.[15]
Another multiplayer online title, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, was available
cross-platform in 2010, where players could play as past Castlevania characters and
explore stages.[32] A new game for iOS called Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls was
announced by Konami on 17 April 2018, a multiplayer title starring previous
Castlevania cast members.[33]

Arcade and slot machines have been produced for the series. Castlevania: The Arcade
(2009), a light gun shooter utilizing an LED remote, has only been released in
Japan and Europe.[34] The Japanese spin-off series, Pachislot Akumajo Dracula, is a
pachislot line of Castlevania titles released between 2009 and 2017.[35] The first
three are based on the video game Dracula's Curse, while a fourth game based on the
Lords of Shadow reboot, Pachislot Akumajo Dracula: Lords of Shadow, was made
available in 2017.[36]

Castlevania characters and elements have also appeared in crossovers and other
titles such as Konami Wai Wai World, Contra: Hard Corps, Konami Krazy Racers,
DreamMix TV World Fighters, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.[37]
Common elements
Gameplay
Screenshot of Castlevania on the NES.

Castlevania, released for the NES in 1986 is a typical platform game in which the
player takes the role of Simon Belmont, a descendant of the Belmont clan, a family
of vampire hunters. He travels to Dracula's castle, Castlevania, and fights his way
through the castle annihilating Dracula himself and the castle. Belmont's main
weapon is a whip called "Vampire Killer", while the secondary weapons are powered
by Hearts, collected by destroying candles and killing monsters. Secondary weapons
available are Daggers, Holy Water (Fire Bomb), Flying Axe, Stop Watch and the Cross
(Boomerang). Hidden items such as power-ups and food (health replenishment) items
are also found by attacking walls within the levels, a feature inspired by
Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. with countless hidden items across the game's levels.
Screenshot of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, which features Metroidvania gameplay.
In the top screen is the map, which records the player's progress as they explore
the castle.

Vampire Killer, released in 1986 for the MSX computer, took a departure from the
traditional platforming gameplay of Castlevania, instead introducing an open-ended
form of gameplay. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest featured non-linear gameplay more
open-ended than that of Vampire Killer and Metroid, with several exclusive elements
such as a world map the player was free to explore and revisit. The player could
also purchase supplies, equipment and weapon upgrades in several different towns,
making it more like an action role-playing game. It also introduced a persistent
world with its own day-night cycle that affects when certain NPCs appear in certain
locations and offered three possible endings depending on the time it took to
complete the game. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse for the NES has more in common
with the original NES Castlevania, added new features, including non-linear
elements such as alternate branching paths with different stages and alternate
endings depending on the player's choices, as well as multiple player characters.

A turning point in the gameplay mechanics of the series was Castlevania: Symphony
of the Night. Expanding on the open-ended style of gameplay previously used in
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Symphony of the Night's style of gameplay has been
termed "Metroidvania" due to its similarities with the non-linear and exploration-
focused side-scrolling games of the Metroid series. It also used role-playing video
game elements, such as collectible weapons, armor and hidden orbs. Many subsequent
Castlevania games have since followed this template.
Plot and setting
See also: List of Castlevania characters
Castlevania series fictional chronology Original series

1094 � Lament of Innocence

1476 � Dracula's Curse
1479 � Curse of Darkness
1576 � The Adventure / The Adventure ReBirth
1591 � Belmont's Revenge
1691 � Castlevania / Vampire Killer / Haunted Castle / Super Castlevania IV /
Chronicles
1698 � Simon's Quest
1748 � Harmony of Dissonance
1792 � Rondo of Blood / Dracula X / The Dracula X Chronicles
1797 � Symphony of the Night
1830 � Circle of the Moon
1862 � Order of Ecclesia
1917 � Bloodlines
1944 � Portrait of Ruin
2035 � Aria of Sorrow
2036 � Dawn of Sorrow
Lords of Shadow series

1047 � Lords of Shadow

1073-1101 � Lords of Shadow � Mirror of Fate
1102�2057 � Lords of Shadow 2
Sources:[38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45]

The Castlevania franchise heavily references the iconic horror movies produced by
Universal Pictures and Hammer Film Productions.[6] Creator of the series, Hitoshi
Akamatsu, wanted players to feel like they were in a classic horror movie.[46] When
doing research for his script for the animated 2017 TV adaptation, author Warren
Ellis called the series "a Japanese transposition of the Hammer Horror films I grew
up with and loved".[47] Werewolves, mummies, Frankenstein's monster, and Count
Dracula himself make recurring appearances.[6] Alucard, first introduced in
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, is also a reference to the character of the same
name from the 1943 film, Son of Dracula.[48] The games also include folklore and
mythological monsters such as Medusa,[49] as well as direct references to literary
horror.[50] Castlevania: Bloodlines explicitly incorporates the events of Bram
Stoker's Dracula into the series,[51] and the recurring character Carmilla is based
on the 1872 novel by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu.[52]

Castlevania mainly takes place in the castle of Count Dracula,[6] who resurrects
every hundred years to take over the world.[53] With the exception of some games,
the players assume the role of the Belmonts, a clan of vampire hunters who have
defeated Dracula for centuries with the Vampire Killer.[24] The Vampire Killer is a
legendary whip that is passed down to their successors and can only be used by
them.[24] In Castlevania: Bloodlines, the whip has been inherited by John Morris,
the son of Quincey Morris, who is a distant descendant of the Belmonts.[51] Other
recurring characters throughout the series include the dhampir Alucard, who sides
with Trevor Belmont against his father Dracula in Dracula's Curse.[54] Trevor is
also joined by Sypha Belnades, a vampire hunter who fights using magic and marries
Trevor by the end of the game.[55] Descendants of the Belnades clan, such as Carrie
Fernandez[56] and Yoko Belnades, would also make appearances as playable characters
in later titles.[57]

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a reboot of the franchise, with its first game set
in Southern Europe during the Middle Ages.[58] The main character, Gabriel Belmont,
is a member of the Brotherhood of Light, an elite group of holy knights who defend
people from supernatural creatures.[59] With a retractable chain whip called the
Combat Cross, Gabriel fights a malevolent force known as the Lords of Shadow in
order to obtain the God Mask, which he believes can bring back his deceased wife.
[11] In Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate, Gabriel stars as Dracula,
the main antagonist of Simon and Trevor Belmont.[60] The sequel, Castlevania: Lords
of Shadow 2 is set during modern times, where Dracula is now looking for a way to
put an end to his immortality.[61]
In 2002, the games Legends, Circle of the Moon, Castlevania (1999) and Legacy of
Darkness were retconned from the official chronology by Koji Igarashi, a move which
had been met with some criticism by fans.[62] Igarashi noted that Legends
conflicted with the plotline of the series, and that the reason for Circle of the
Moon's removal was not due to his non-involvement with the game, but instead the
intention of the game's development team for Circle of the Moon to be a stand-alone
title.[63] The "20th Anniversary Pre-order Bundle" for Portrait of Ruin in 2006
featured a poster with a timeline that re-included the games other than Legends.
[64] In 2007, Konami still excluded them from the canon on their official website.
[38] Igarashi has said that he considered the titles a "subseries".[65]
Development

Castlevania was directed and programmed by Hitoshi Akamatsu for the Family Computer
Disk System in 1986.[66][67] The game's staff roll features names taken from famous
horror movie icons, with Akamatsu being credited as 'Trans Fishers', a reference to
film director Terence Fisher.[68] This is possibly because Konami did not allow the
use of real names at the time in order to prevent other companies from hiring
people who worked for them.[68][69] An admirer of cinema, Akamatsu approached
projects with a "film director's eye", and said the visuals and music for
Castlevania were "made by people who consciously wanted to do something cinematic".
[67] With Castlevania, he wanted players to feel like they were in a classic horror
film.[46] The protagonist Simon Belmont, who was once named 'Peter Dante' during
development,[70] uses a whip since Akamatsu liked Raiders of the Lost Ark and
because it matched the world he wanted to create.[67] After the success of
Castlevania, it was released in cartridge format for the Nintendo Entertainment
System (NES) as one of its first major platform games, and also as part of an
unofficial second wave of video games for the system.[5] The international name of
Castlevania was the result of Konami of America senior vice president Emil
Heidkamp's discomfort with the religious connotations of the Japanese title,
Akumajo Dracula, which he believed translated as "Dracula Satanic Castle."[71]
Because of Nintendo of America's censorship policies at the time, most instances of
blood, nudity and religious imagery were removed or edited in early Castlevania
games.[72][73] Akamatsu also directed Castlevania II: Simon's Quest in 1987, which
adopted gameplay similar to Nintendo's Metroid. When asked if Metroid had any
inspiration, Akamatsu instead cited Maze of Galious, another Konami title which
featured exploration and puzzle solving.[67] His last game in the series,
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1989), returned to the standard platforming genre
of Castlevania.[5] Since Konami's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games sold many
copies, their development was prioritized above other titles, leading the
developers for Dracula's Curse to make a game that would outdo them.[67] Simon's
Quest and Dracula's Curse were not a commercial success, and Akamatsu was demoted
to working in one of Konami's game centers before he chose to resign.[67]

The next console installment in 1991 was Super Castlevania IV for the Super
Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).[74] The first 16-bit game in the series, it
was programmed and directed by Masahiro Ueno under the pseudonym 'Jun Furano'.[69]
Ueno liked Castlevania for the NES the most and wanted to make a pure action game
similar to it, but he only considers Super Castlevania IV a remake of it to some
extent.[69] The gameplay allowed the player to attack enemies with the whip in
multiple directions, an idea which was not thought possible on the NES,[69] but
once considered for the original Castlevania game.[70] Critically acclaimed, it
sold a little over 500,000 copies.[75] In 1993, three Castlevania games were in
parallel development, which included Akumajo Dracula, Rondo of Blood and
Bloodlines.[76] Directed and produced by Toru Hagihara,[76] Rondo of the Blood was
the first installment made for a CD-ROM and also the first to be fully voiced.[24]
Hagihara would go on to direct a sequel, Symphony of the Night (1997) for the Sony
PlayStation, with Koji 'IGA' Igarashi joining him as the assistant director and
story writer.[77] Also joining the staff was artist Ayami Kojima, who was hired to
introduce a new look for Castlevania. She would be the character designer for
several future Castlevania titles.[78] Igarashi said it began development as
"something of a side story series". From the outset, the game was supposed to take
the franchise in a new direction.[79] The gameplay took a departure from the
original platforming entries, instead adopting non-linear exploration and role-
playing game elements, which were last seen in Simon's Quest. The critical reaction
to Simon's Quest and its gameplay allowed them to pitch Symphony of the Night to
Konami.[80] Igarashi was eventually asked to finish the game as the assistant
director after Hagihara was promoted to head of the division.[81] On release,
Symphony of the Night was well-received and became a sleeper hit, but its
commercial performance was mediocre, particularly in the United States where it was
meagerly publicized.[25]

In 1997, the first Castlevania game to feature 3D computer graphics began

development on the Nintendo 64 by Konami Computer Entertainment Kobe (KCEK) as
Dracula 3D.[82] Like most of its predecessors, it was an action-adventure and
platforming game. It was eventually released as Castlevania in 1999 and later
received an expanded version titled Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness during the same
year.[25] KCEK's last Castlevania game was the acclaimed Circle of the Moon,[83]
released as a launch title for the Game Boy Advance in 2001.[84] Circle of the Moon
was the first entry to feature Metroidvania gameplay since Symphony of the Night.
[25] Igarashi, who was not involved with the game, was critical of Circle of the
Moon.[85] In 2002, he retconned Castlevania Legends (1997) and the games developed
by KCEK from the series' chronology, a move which met with some resistance from
fans.[86] After KCEK was dissolved during 2002, the Game Boy Advance received a
second installment, Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, now produced by Igarashi
and developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (KCET).[87] Starting with
Harmony of Dissonance, the Japanese games adopted the title of Castlevania
(????????? Kyassuruvania) for a brief period. According to Igarashi, the developers
did this since Count Dracula is not always the main antagonist.[88] This continued
with Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (2003) for the PlayStation 2, which was
Igarashi's first Castlevania game in 3D and developed as a new starting point for
the series.[89] After some demand, Konami returned to the Akumajo Dracula title
with the Japanese release of 2005's Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow for the Nintendo
DS. Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin (2006) introduced a new art style in hopes
of broadening the player demographic and discouraging slightly younger Nintendo DS
owners from being put off by Ayami Kojima's art. This discontinued with
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia later in 2008.[90] Released the same year, Igarashi
also directed Castlevania Judgment for the Nintendo Wii, a fighting game spinoff
developed by Konami and Eighting. The character redesigns by Takeshi Obata were
heavily criticized and perceived as too derivative of his work on Death Note.[91]
Poorly received, the game was a financial bomb, having only sold 3,700 units.[92]

Due to concern over the poor sales of the recent Castlevania games,[93] a number of
prototypes in development competed to become the next Castlevania installment,
which included a game by Igarashi and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow by MercurySteam
in Spain.[94] Konami told MercurySteam the game would be an original intellectual
property (IP) when it was first greenlit as a Castlevania title.[95] Konami
eventually asked them to cease work on Lords of Shadow while it was still in its
early stages, until producer David Cox showed the Japanese senior management the
game and was offered help by video game designer Hideo Kojima.[96] According to
Igarashi, development on his project had not been going smoothly, and Konami had
canceled it and chose Lords of Shadow as the pitch for the next Castlevania entry.
[94] Produced by Dave Cox and Hideo Kojima, Lords of Shadow was a multi-platform 3D
action-adventure reboot of the series.[97] Kojima offered his input on the project
and also oversaw the game's localization in Japan.[98] It was the first Castlevania
to feature celebrity voice talent, starring Robert Carlyle in the lead role and
also Patrick Stewart.[99] The art style also departed from the previous games in
favor of one inspired by Guillermo del Toro's work.[100][101] Lords of Shadow was
met with positive reception in 2010 and a commercial success, becoming the best
selling Castlevania game to date.[102] It was followed by two sequels, Mirror of
Fate (2013) and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (2014). Lords of Shadow 2 was not as
well received as its predecessor.[103] Following its release, an anonymous source
claiming to be developers from MercurySteam alleged that development on the game
had been troubled.[104] After having been moved to Konami's social division in
2011, Igarashi felt he was unable to release any new games when Konami's business
model shifted towards mobile game development.[105] He left in March 2014 to
independently create Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, a spritual successor to
Castlevania.[106] Dave Cox followed Igarashi's resignation a few months later.[107]
Recent Castlevania titles released under the new model include pachinko and slot
machines based on the IP.[108][35]
Music
Main article: Music in the Castlevania series

The music for the first Castlevania game was composed by Satoe Terashima and Kinuyo
Yamashita,[109][110] of Konami's Kukeiha Club of composers, shortly after
graduating from college. Yamashita was credited under the pseudonym James Banana
for her work on the Disk System version of the game.[111]

Most of Castlevania's music changes from game to game, but some themes recur often.
These include "Vampire Killer", composed by Terashima, "Bloody Tears" (??? Chi no
Namida), first composed by Kenichi Matsubara, and "Beginning" by Jun Funahashi.
These three tracks first appeared in Castlevania, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest and
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse respectively. Several songs, including "Vampire
Killer" and "Bloody Tears", were also featured in the soundtracks of other Konami
games, including Konami Wai Wai World, Contra: Hard Corps and Konami Krazy Racers,
and inter-company crossovers such as DreamMix TV World Fighters and Super Smash
Bros. Ultimate. Rap group Army of the Pharaohs also used a sample of the song as a
background for their song, also called "Bloody Tears".[112]
Reception and legacy
Aggregate review scores Game GameRankings Metacritic
Castlevania
70.92% (GBA)[113]

�
The Adventure
55.07%[114]

�
Belmont's Revenge
83.50%[115]

�
Super Castlevania IV
82.06%[116]

�
Bloodlines
83.50%[117]

�
Dracula X
71%[118]

�
Symphony of the Night
93.03%[119]
93 [120]
Legends
52.88%[121]

�
Castlevania (1999)
72.71%[122]

78 [123]
Legacy of Darkness
63.80%[124]

�
Circle of the Moon
88.32%[125]

91 [83]
Chronicles
73.53%[126]

69 [127]
Harmony of Dissonance
85.12%[128]

87 [129]
Aria of Sorrow
87.86%[130]

91 [131]
Lament of Innocence
78.72%[132]

79 [133]
Dawn of Sorrow
90.35%[134]

89 [135]
Curse of Darkness
70.37% (PS2)[136]

70 (PS2)[137]
Portrait of Ruin
84.98%[138]

85 [139]
Order of Ecclesia
85.67%[140]

85 [141]
The Adventure ReBirth
81.10%[142]

82 [143]
Lords of Shadow
82.70% (Xbox 360)[144]
83.33% (PS3)[145]
77.40% (PC)[146]

85 (PS3)[147]
83 (Xbox 360)[148]
81 (PC)[149]
Lords of Shadow � Mirror of Fate
71.81% (3DS)[150]
74.00% (Xbox 360)[151]
63.75% (PS3)[152]

72 (3DS) [153]
73 (Xbox 360)[154]
70 (PS3)[155]
Lords of Shadow 2
71.00% (Xbox 360)[156]
63.12% (PS3) [157]
58.10% (PC)[158]

70 (Xbox 360)[159]
63 (PS3)[160]
60 (PC)[161]

The Castlevania franchise had sold over 20 million copies woldwide as of 2006.[162]
The franchise has received mostly positive reviews, with the most acclaimed game
being Symphony of the Night for the PlayStation and the most panned being Judgment,
with aggregate scores of 93 and 49, respectively, on Metacritic and 93.38% and
52.71%, respectively, on GameRankings.

Many of the games have appeared on lists of "best games ever". Symphony of the
Night appeared at #16 on IGN "Top 100 games" and was one of the first to be
introduced on the GameSpot "The Greatest Games of All Time". Both acclaimed the
game to successfully making a game in 2D while the industry was moving to 3D.[86]
[163] Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse was named the 9th best 8-bit game by
GameTrailers.[164] Super Castlevania IV was named the 11th best game of the SNES by
ScrewAttack on their "Top 20 SNES Games".[165] The series as a whole was also named
the 4th best franchises in game ever by IGN, behind only Final Fantasy, The Legend
of Zelda and Mario, and citing Super Castlevania IV and Symphony of the Night as
highlights.[166] Aria of Sorrow was also named the 2nd best game on the Game Boy
Advance and one of the must buys for the system, according to the same website.
[167][168] Castlevania and Circle of the Moon appeared on Nintendo Power's "Top 200
Games" list.[citation needed] Trivia about the series has also been mentioned in
the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008.[169][170]
In other media
Further information: List of Castlevania media

Simon Belmont was one of the stars in the animated series Captain N: The Game
Master.[171] He was a member of the N-Team, a group of mostly video game characters
who defended Videoland against the antagonist Mother Brain from Metroid. Dracula,
referred to only as "the Count", also appeared as a villain in Captain N. Alucard
appeared in one episode, though he was portrayed as a rebellious skateboarding
teenager. Several other Castlevania monsters had minor roles, including
Frankenstein's Monster, the Mummy, the Wolf Man, and the Skull Knight. Simon is
portrayed as egotistical on the show and his physical appearance differs from his
design in the video game series.

Plans to make a film based on Castlevania had been in production for several years.
However, in December 2007, Rogue Pictures halted active development of Castlevania
due to the writers' strike and, later, the sale of the studio to Relativity Media
and possibility of a screen actors' guild strike.[172] On May 27, 2009, the
Castlevania film was reported as officially canceled.[173]

In 2005 IDW Publishing released a comic book adaptation, Castlevania: The Belmont
Legacy, written by Marc Andreyko with art by E. J. Su. It was based on Castlevania:
The Adventure.[4] In 2008, a graphic novel adaption of Curse of Darkness was
released by Tokyopop in English.[174]

The streaming service Netflix released an American animated series titled simply
Castlevania as part of its original programming.[175] The show is being showrun by
Adi Shankar,[176] who had previously teased plans for an animated mini-series based
on Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse in 2015,[177][178] and is written by Warren
Ellis.[179] Fred Seibert and Kevin Kolde also co-produce.[176] The series is
animated by Seibert's Frederator Studios and Powerhouse Animation Studios,[176]
under Michael Hirsh's Wow Unlimited Media company. The show's first season released
on July 7, 2017 and ran for four episodes, while the second season premiered on
October 26, 2018 and ran for eight episodes.[180][181][182] A ten-episode third
season is currently in development.[183]

The franchise also has its own toy line manufactured by NECA which consists of six
figures of Simon Belmont, Alucard, Dracula (available in two variants with one
variant with its mouth closed and another one with its mouth open showing Dracula's
vampire fangs), Succubus and a Pixel Simon mini figure which was exclusively
available as a promotional item at Comic-Con 2007 where the figures were first
shown in full form.[184][185]

The number 1 ranked toy of 2017, Funko, has now produced a line of Castlevania POPs
at a great price for all fans of Castlevania.

The franchise also consists of a calendar of Lament of Innocence available with the
limited edition of the game and containing seven illustrations[186] and another
released as a promotion for Castlevania Judgment from April 2009 � March 2010
containing images of various Castlevania characters from the game.[187] Artbooks of
many games[186] have also been released. The franchise also contains comics, prize
collection artworks of Symphony of the Night and Judgment as part of its print
media.