Castlevania, known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula, is a gothic horror action-adventure video game series and media franchise created by Konami. The series is mainly set in the castle of Count Dracula, the main enemy of the Belmont clan, a group of vampire hunters.
The first game in the series was released in 1986 for Nintendo's Famicom Disk System. Most of the early games in the series are side-scrolling action games where players jump and move. In 1997, the game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was released for the PlayStation. This game returned to the nonlinear gameplay first seen in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, which also added role-playing elements and exploration. Later games adopted Symphony of the Night's gameplay style, which, along with Super Metroid, helped create the Metroidvania genre. In 2010, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, a 3D action-adventure game developed by MercurySteam and Kojima Productions, was released. This game served as a reboot of the series.
The Castlevania series has been released on many platforms, including early systems, modern consoles, and handheld devices like mobile phones. The franchise has expanded into other media, such as comic books and a critically acclaimed animated television series.
Over almost four decades, Castlevania has become one of Konami's most successful and well-known franchises. Many of its games are ranked among the best video games ever made. Retrospectives have noted the series' success due to its mix of action, adventure, and horror elements. It is also praised for its challenging gameplay, atmospheric settings, and memorable music.
Games
Most Castlevania games have been released in Japan, North America, Europe, and Australia on different video game consoles, personal computers (PC), and mobile phones. These games have also been remade and re-released on various platforms.
The first console version of Castlevania was released in 1986 on the Famicom Disk System in Japan and in 1987 on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in North America. It is a 2D side-scrolling action game where players complete six stages. Many key features of the Castlevania series began with this game. It has been released on many platforms, including the NES Classic Edition. In 1986, a different version called Vampire Killer was released for the MSX home computer. This game had gameplay that was very different from the original Castlevania, as players had to find exits to move to the next stage. In 1987, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest changed the gameplay style from the first game, making it more similar to the nonlinear gameplay of Metroid. This version included a world map that players could explore freely and revisit.
Haunted Castle (1988), the first arcade version, returned to the linear platforming style of the original Castlevania. This style continued with the first handheld Game Boy version, Castlevania: The Adventure, and the NES sequel, Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, both released in 1989. Dracula's Curse added new stages and allowed players to choose from multiple characters. The Adventure had a Game Boy sequel, Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge, in 1992, and a remake, Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth, released in 2009 for the WiiWare service.
The first 16-bit home console game, Super Castlevania IV, was released in 1991 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). A version for the X68000 home computer was released in Japan in 1993 and later released in English in 2001 as Castlevania Chronicles for the PlayStation. In the same year, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood was released for the PC Engine. It was not translated into English until 2007, when it was included in Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles for the PlayStation Portable. Rondo of Blood was the first Castlevania game to use CD-ROM technology, featuring Red Book audio and fully voiced dialogue. Its content was reused in Castlevania: Dracula X, a game for the SNES in 1995. Castlevania: Bloodlines (1994) was the first Castlevania game for the Sega Genesis. It was not re-released until 2019 as part of the Castlevania Anniversary Collection.
In 1997, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was released for the PlayStation, and Castlevania Legends was released for the Game Boy. Symphony of the Night changed gameplay by adding role-playing elements and a nonlinear map that players could explore freely, a feature seen in Simon's Quest and Metroid. These elements influenced later games, including Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance, and Aria of Sorrow (2001–2003). Aria of Sorrow had a sequel, Dawn of Sorrow (2005), for the Nintendo DS, followed by Portrait of Ruin (2006) and Order of Ecclesia (2008).
The first 3D Castlevania game was Castlevania for the Nintendo 64 in 1999, developed by Konami's Kobe branch. It received an expansion called Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness later that year. In 2003, Lament of Innocence was released for the PlayStation 2. It had combat-focused gameplay similar to Devil May Cry and God of War. It was followed by Castlevania: Curse of Darkness in 2005.
A new version of the franchise began with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow in 2010, a 3D action game developed by MercurySteam and co-produced by Hideo Kojima. It was followed by Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate (2013) for the Nintendo 3DS and Lords of Shadow 2 (2014). Lords of Shadow 2 was the last mainline Castlevania game until Konami shifted focus to mobile games and gambling in the 2010s.
In 2021, rumors began that Konami was planning a new version of the series after refocusing on PC and console games. In 2024, a remake of Haunted Castle, titled Haunted Castle Revisited, was included in the Castlevania Dominus Collection. It was developed by M2, who previously worked on The Adventure ReBirth. A new game, Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, is being developed by Evil Empire and Motion Twin and is expected to release in 2026.
Castlevania has inspired many spin-off games. The first was Kid Dracula (1990), a parody game for the Famicom. It was released in English for the Castlevania Anniversary Collection in 20
Common elements
Castlevania, released for the NES in 1986, is a platform game where players control Simon Belmont. He moves through six levels of Dracula’s castle, which are divided into six blocks of three stages each. Simon can jump across platforms and climb stairs to progress. He has a health bar that decreases when he touches enemies or hazards. If he loses all his health, falls off the screen, or runs out of time, he loses a life. The game ends when all lives are lost, but players can restart from the last checkpoint. Collecting points increases the score and can earn extra lives. Each level ends with a boss battle against one of Dracula’s monsters, each with their own health bar that must be defeated using Simon’s attacks. Simon uses the Vampire Killer whip, which can be upgraded by collecting items hidden in candles. These upgrades make the whip longer and stronger, allowing Simon to attack enemies from farther away. He can also use other weapons, such as throwing knives, holy water, and a cross that acts like a boomerang.
Castlevania’s gameplay influenced many games, but Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest (1987) added role-playing elements, which was different from the first game. Instead of moving through levels in a fixed order, Simon’s Quest lets players explore a world map, revisit areas, and interact with a changing environment that includes day and night cycles. Villagers can give hints, and merchants sell items using hearts collected from enemies. Players also earn experience points to increase Simon’s level and health. In 1997, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night expanded on these ideas, introducing non-linear exploration where players must collect specific items to access new areas. The game added a more complex system for improving character stats, and the protagonist, Alucard, can transform into a bat, wolf, or mist to explore hidden places. He can also use a variety of equipment.
The first 3D game in the series, Castlevania (1999) for the Nintendo 64, used different gameplay. Two characters, Reinhardt and Carrie, could fight enemies using a targeting system. The environment included 3D platforms and dangerous areas, such as rotating or crumbling ground. The game also had survival horror elements, like running through a maze to escape an enemy. In 2003, Lament of Innocence focused on a central hub where players could access five main areas from the start. Progress required defeating bosses to unlock the final area. The combat system let players chain attacks into continuous strikes. In 2010, Lords of Shadow introduced up to 40 unlockable whip attacks and a tool called the Combat Cross, which helped with exploration. The game also featured large boss battles against titans.
The Castlevania series includes monsters and characters from horror films by Universal Pictures and Hammer Film Productions. The games’ creator, Hitoshi Akamatsu, wanted players to feel like they were in a classic horror movie. Zombies, werewolves, Frankenstein’s monster, and Count Dracula appear often. Alucard, introduced in Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, is based on a character from the 1943 film Son of Dracula. The games also include folklore creatures like Medusa and references to literary horror. Castlevania: Bloodlines includes events from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and the character Carmilla is based on a novel by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu.
Most Castlevania games take place in Dracula’s castle, which he resurrects every 100 years to take over the world. Players usually control the Belmonts, a family of vampire hunters who use the Vampire Killer whip to defeat Dracula. In Castlevania: Bloodlines, the whip is used by John Morris, a descendant of the Belmonts. Other recurring characters include Alucard, a dhampir who helps Trevor Belmont fight Dracula, and Sypha Belnades, a magic-wielding vampire hunter who marries Trevor. Later games feature descendants of the Belnades clan, like Carrie Fernandez and Yoko Belnades.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a reboot of the series, set in medieval Europe. The main character, Gabriel Belmont, is a knight who fights the Lords of Shadow to find a way to bring back his wife. In Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate, Gabriel becomes Dracula, the main antagonist of earlier games. The sequel, Lords of Shadow 2, is set in modern times, where Dracula seeks to end his immortality.
In 2002, some games—Legends, Circle of the Moon, Castlevania (1999), and Legacy of Darkness—were removed from the official timeline by Koji Igarashi, which caused some fan criticism. Igarashi explained that Legends conflicted with the series’ story, and Circle of the Moon was intended as a standalone game. A 2006 bundle included a timeline that re-added these games, but Konami’s Japanese website still excluded them. Igarashi called these games a “subseries.”
Development
Hitoshi Akamatsu created the first Castlevania game in 1986 for the Family Computer Disk System. He wanted the game to feel like a classic horror movie, so he used names from famous horror films in the credits. For example, he was listed as "Trans Fishers," a nod to director Terence Fisher. At the time, Konami did not allow real names to be used, so Akamatsu used different names instead. He was inspired by movies and designed the game with a cinematic style. The main character, Simon Belmont, uses a whip because Akamatsu liked how it could push enemies away and because he admired the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark. After the game’s success, it was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) as one of its first major platform games. The title "Castlevania" was chosen instead of "Akumajō Dracula" because Konami of America’s leader, Emil Heidkamp, did not like how the original title translated. Due to Nintendo of America’s rules about what could be shown in games, blood, nudity, and religious images were removed or changed in early versions.
In 1987, Akamatsu made Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, which had gameplay similar to Metroid. He said the game was inspired by Maze of Galious, another Konami game. His last game in the series, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse (1989), returned to the platforming style of the first game. Because Konami’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games sold well, developers focused on making a game that could compete with them. However, Simon’s Quest and Dracula’s Curse were not successful, and Akamatsu was moved to a different job at Konami before leaving.
In 1993, three Castlevania games were being made at the same time: Akumajō Dracula, Rondo of Blood, and Bloodlines. Rondo of Blood was the first to use CD-ROM technology and had full voice acting. It was directed by Toru Hagihara, who later made Symphony of the Night (1997) for the PlayStation. Koji Igarashi worked as assistant director and story writer on Symphony of the Night, and artist Ayami Kojima joined the team to design new characters. The game changed the series by adding exploration and role-playing elements, similar to Simon’s Quest. Symphony of the Night was well-received but did not sell many copies, especially in the United States.
The first 3D Castlevania game, Dracula 3D, was made for the Nintendo 64 in 1997. It was released as Castlevania in 1999 and had an expanded version called Legacy of Darkness. Konami’s Circle of the Moon (2001) was the first game to use "Metroidvania" gameplay, which combined exploration and role-playing. Igarashi, who was not involved, criticized the game. In 2002, Igarashi changed the timeline of the series to fix story problems, which some fans did not like. After Konami’s team in Kobe, Japan, was closed, Harmony of Dissonance (2002) was made by another team. The Japanese games briefly used the title "Castlevania" instead of "Akumajō Dracula" because Dracula was not always the main villain. Konami returned to "Akumajō Dracula" with Dawn of Sorrow (2005) for the Nintendo DS. New art styles were used in later games to attract more players.
Because recent Castlevania games sold poorly, several prototypes competed to become the next game. One was made by Igarashi, and another was Lords of Shadow by MercurySteam. Konami initially said Lords of Shadow was an original idea but later allowed it to be a Castlevania game. Producer David Cox and designer Hideo Kojima helped develop it. The game had celebrity voices and a new art style inspired by Guillermo del Toro’s work. Lords of Shadow (2010) was successful and sold more copies than any previous Castlevania game. It was followed by two sequels, but the second one was less well-received. Some employees from MercurySteam claimed the game had development issues.
In 2011, Igarashi moved to Konami’s social games division and left in 2014 to make Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, a game inspired by Castlevania. Dave Cox left Konami soon after. Recent Castlevania games have been mobile apps, pachinko machines, and slot machines. In 2021, Konami planned to refocus on PC and console games, including a new version of Haunted Castle. A remake of Haunted Castle called Haunted Castle Revisited was included in the 2024 collection Castlevania Dominus Collection.
Reception and legacy
The Castlevania franchise had sold over 20 million copies worldwide by 2006. It had previously sold over 3.7 million units by 1993. The franchise has received mostly positive reviews. The most praised game is Symphony of the Night for the PlayStation, which has an average score of 93 on Metacritic and 93.38% on GameRankings. The most criticized game is Judgment, with an average score of 49 on Metacritic and 52.71% on GameRankings.
Many of the games have been listed among the best video games. Symphony of the Night appeared at #16 on IGN’s "Top 100 Games" list and was one of the first games introduced on GameSpot’s "The Greatest Games of All Time" list. Both lists praised the game for successfully creating a 2D game when the industry was shifting to 3D. Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse was named the 9th best 8-bit game by GameTrailers. Super Castlevania IV was named the 11th best game of the SNES by ScrewAttack on their "Top 20 SNES Games" list. The series as a whole was named the 4th best video game franchise ever by IGN, behind only Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, and Mario. Super Castlevania IV and Symphony of the Night were highlighted as standout titles. Aria of Sorrow was named the 2nd best game for the Game Boy Advance and listed as a must-buy for the system by the same website. Castlevania, Super Castlevania IV, and Aria of Sorrow appeared on Nintendo Power’s "Top 200 Games" list. Information about the series was included in the Guinness World Records: Gamer’s Edition 2008.
In other media
Simon Belmont was a main character in the animated series Captain N: The Game Master. On the show, Simon is shown as self-centered, and his look is different from his design in the video game series. He was part of the N-Team, a group of mostly video game characters who protected Videoland from Mother Brain, a villain from the Metroid series. Dracula, called only "the Count" in the show, was a villain in Captain N. Alucard also appeared in one episode, but he was shown as a rebellious skateboarding teenager.
Several books and comic adaptations were made based on the franchise. Worlds of Power, a book series from the 1990s inspired by Nintendo games, included a novel about Simon's Quest written by Christopher Howell. The series was produced by Seth Godin. This story changes the original plot and adds characters not in the game, such as Timothy Bradley, a junior high school student who becomes a video gamer and helps Simon Belmont in the game world. In 2005, IDW Publishing released a graphic novel titled Castlevania: The Belmont Legacy, based on Castlevania: The Adventure. It was written by Marc Andreyko and drawn by E. J. Su. A two-volume manga adaptation titled Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, illustrated by Kou Sasakura, was published in Japan from 2005 to 2006. It was released in English in 2008. A cellphone comic adaptation of Lament of Innocence was released in Japan from 2007 to 2008 for 40 episodes.
A toy line made by NECA includes six figures of Simon Belmont, Alucard, Dracula, Succubus, and a small Pixel Simon figure. This mini figure was only available at Comic-Con 2007 as a special item.
Netflix released an American animated series titled Castlevania as part of its original programming from 2017 to 2021. The series has four seasons and 32 episodes. The first two seasons are based on Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse and follow Trevor Belmont, Alucard, and Sypha Belnades as they protect the nation of Wallachia from Dracula. Later seasons include elements from other games, such as Castlevania: Curse of Darkness and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The series was created by Warren Ellis, who used a script he had written for an animated Castlevania movie in 2007. The art style is influenced by anime and the artwork of Ayami Kojima. Animation was provided by Frederator Studios and Powerhouse Animation Studios.
A sequel called Castlevania: Nocturne was released on Netflix on September 28, 2023. It follows Richter Belmont, a descendant of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades, and Maria Renard in France during the French Revolution, 300 years after the original series. The series is based on Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. The second season premiered on January 16, 2025. Warren Ellis, the original series creator, was not involved in the new series after sexual misconduct allegations were made in 2020.
A Castlevania television series was planned in the late 1980s as part of Super Mario Bros. Power Hour, a one-hour animation block of Nintendo-themed shows. Concept art was made by DIC Animation City for the project. Only segments about Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda were produced and aired in 1989 as part of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!.
A Castlevania movie was planned in the late 2000s. However, in December 2007, Rogue Pictures stopped working on the film because of a writers' strike. Later, the studio was sold to Relativity Media, and there was a possibility of a screen actors' guild strike. On May 27, 2009, the Castlevania movie was officially canceled.