Castlevania

This article is about the franchise. For the first video game, see Castlevania (1986 video game). For other uses, see Castlevania (disambiguation).
Castlevania
Logo of the Castlevania series, introduced with 2003's Lament of Innocence
Genre(s)
Developer(s)
  • Konami
  • Eighting (2008)
  • M2 (2009–2024)
  • MercurySteam (2010–2014)
  • Kojima Productions (2010)
Publisher(s)Konami
Creator(s)Hitoshi Akamatsu[1]
Platform(s)
List
First releaseCastlevania
September 26, 1986 (1986-09-26)
Latest releaseCastlevania Dominus Collection
August 27, 2024 (2024-08-27)

Castlevania (/ˌkæsəlˈveɪniə/), known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula,[a][2] is a gothic horror action-adventure video game series and media franchise created by Konami. The series is largely set in the castle of Count Dracula, the arch-enemy of the Belmont clan of vampire hunters.[3]

Debuting with the 1986 video game on Nintendo's Famicom Disk System,[4] the first entry and the majority of its sequels are side-scrolling action platformers. The 1997 game, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, originally released for the PlayStation, returned to the nonlinear gameplay first seen in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, which also introduced role-playing elements and exploration.[5] Several installments later adopted Symphony of the Night's gameplay, which along with Super Metroid, have popularized the Metroidvania genre.[6] 2010 saw the release of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, a 3D action-adventure game developed by MercurySteam and Kojima Productions that served as a reboot of the series.[7][8]

The Castlevania series has been released on various platforms; from early systems to modern consoles, as well as handheld devices such as mobile phones.[9][10] The franchise has since expanded into several spin-off video games and other media; including comic books[11] and a critically-acclaimed animated television series.[12][13]

Spanning almost four decades, Castlevania is one of Konami's most successful and prominent franchises;[14] several of its entries are ranked among the best video games ever made.[15] Retrospectives have attributed the series's success to its unique blend of action, adventure, and horror elements;[16] and it has been praised for its challenging gameplay mechanics, atmospheric settings, and iconic music.[15]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference AkamatsuDevCommentary was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Konami (August 4, 2010). Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. Konami. Japanese: 歴代の「悪魔城ドラキュラ」シリーズから選ばれた登場キャラクターを操作して、仲間たちと悪魔城に乗り込み、宿敵ドラキュラ伯爵に立ち向かおう。 English translation: Take control of past protagonists from the Castlevania series to brave the Demon Castle alongside friends and defeat the ancient enemy Count Dracula.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference DenOfGeek was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Castlevania (1986) NES release dates". MobyGames. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  5. ^ Oxford, Nadia (September 7, 2018). "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Wouldn't Have Happened Without Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest". USGamer. Archived from the original on October 1, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  6. ^ "'Castlevania' Creator Koji Igarashi: 'I Don't Feel That I'm a Big Deal'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference GamePro was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ McWhertor, Michael (June 1, 2009). "Kojima Taking On Castlevania With Lords Of Shadow". Kotaku.
  9. ^ "Windows Mobile – PocketGear.com: Mobile Apps, Software & Games for Windows Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry, Android, Palm and Java devices!". Classic.pocketgear.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2008. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
  10. ^ "Konami Mobile". Konami Mobile. Archived from the original on June 3, 2008. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
  11. ^ "Castlevania: The Belmont Legacy". The Castlevania Dungeon. Archived from the original on June 11, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
  12. ^ Bozon, Mark (January 18, 2007). "Castlevania: The Retrospective". IGN. p. 5. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
  13. ^ "2018 Fall TV Premiere Calendar". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  14. ^ Marlowe, Chris (August 4, 2006). "Project 51 to Explore Castlevania Storyline". GameDaily. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
  15. ^ a b "The Top 25 Videogame Franchises". IGN. July 7, 2010. Archived from the original on June 17, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference IGNHistory was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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