The Castlevania series focused on the adventures of the Belmont family and their allies over the centuries in their eternal battle against the evil King of Vampires: Dracula. They also have to battle the many supernatural forces and monsters at his command. Their weapon of choice: A family heirloom, a magical whip known as the Vampire Killer. The Belmonts have battled Dracula across many a platform since 1986. There's also a really good Netflix animated series based on the games. Its one of Konami's most beloved franchises, and it's turned 33 this year. In fact, Simon Belmont (the protagonist of the first game in the series) has appeared in the Captain N cartoon, and is a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
As a celebration of the company's 50th anniversary, Konami is releasing some of the classic Castlevania games for the Nintendo Switch in a special collection. Let's take a look at the launch trailer!
Wow! Going in hard with the lightning and the awesome rendition of "Vampire Killer". I think that's the Super Smash Bros. rendition. Nice.
Castlevania - The game that started it all. Released in 1986 in Japan, 1987 in North America, and 1988 in Europe. It would get remade for the Sharp X68000 (A computer only released in Japan), which came to the US as the PlayStation in 2001 as Castlevania Chronicles. This game would establish the classic formula with the games: an action-platformer where you have to use various weapons to fight monsters.
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest - Released in Japan in 1987, North America in 1988, and Europe in 1990. It was the first sequel to the original Castlevania. You reprise the role of Simon Belmont, as he learns that after defeating Dracula in the first game, he was cursed by the Vampire Lord. The only way to undo it? Bring the five pieces of Dracula's body to his old castle and finish the monster off.
This game incorporated a bit of RPG elements, with buyable items, and Simon's health increasing the more experience he gets. He also can interact with villagers, but their words are not always reliable. The game also cycled between night and day, which had an effect on the monsters Simon fought. It also had multiple endings depending on how many in-game days it took the player to beat it.
Despite this, reception to this game was mixed. The American version was heavily criticized for poor translation, and puzzles in the game were found too cryptic. Despite this, the gameplay mechanics would influence future games in the series.
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse - The third and final game in the NES trilogy. Released in Japan in 1989, North America in 1990, and Europe in 1992. This game is a prequel to the first game. You play as Trevor C. Belmont, an ancestor of Simon. Trevor must stop Dracula from enveloping Europe in darkness.
But he's not alone. Trevor has some friends helping him out, each with special abilities of their own: Sypha Belnades, a powerful sorceress who uses element-based magic. Grant Danasty, a pirate that can climb walls and has great leaping ability. Alucard, the son of Dracula. He can shoot fireballs and become a bat. The ending of the game also changes depending on which combination of these characters are used to beat it.
This game was highly rated, and is considered one of the best of the original NES trilogy. The Castlevania animated miniseries on Netflix was based on this game.
Super Castlevania IV - Despite what the number says, this is not a sequel. It's basically a retelling of the first Castlevania game, taking advantage of the superior power and graphical abilities of the Super Nintendo. It was released in Japan and North America in 1991, and Europe got it in 1992. This game would get critical acclaim and rereleases over the years.
I actually have played this one in the past. I got it on my Wii. It's a hard game. Real hard. Very easy to get frustrated in it.
The Castlevania Adventure - Released in Japan and North America in 1989, and Europe in 1991, this was the first game in the series to be released on Game Boy. It was the first portable Castlevania game. In this game, you play as another ancestor of Simon Belmont: Christopher Belmont. You must help Chris do what Belmonts do best: Make Dracula's unlife miserable. Unlike other games in the series, you can get extra lives by getting enough points, and subweapons were removed. The whip was upgradable, but getting a hit downgraded it.
This game would get mixed reviews in its original Game Boy incarnation. The music was praised, but it would get criticism or its level length and difficulty. In 2009, the game would get remade for the Wii as Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth. It's no longer available as the Wii shop was shut down in 2018. It was still criticized for its difficulty, but it was considered a massive improvement over the original Game Boy version. I thought it was odd that the remake was not included. Why not include that? Maybe in a Volume 2?
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge - A sequel to Adventure, it was released for the Game Boy in Japan and North America in 1991, and Europe in 1992. Set fifteen years after Adventure, Christopher Belmont must take up the Vampire Killer whip to fight Dracula again. The Vampire King had kidnapped Chris's son Soleiyu (I think it was meant to be Soleil, as in the French word for "sun"), and turned him into a demon. Drac is a bit of a jerk like that.
This game restored sub-weapons (albeit the North American version replaced the cross with an axe), and was praised for its graphics. It was criticized for its short length.
Castlevania: Bloodlines - The only game in the series released for the Sega Genesis, released everywhere in 1994. In Europe and Australia, the game was called Castlevania: The New Generation. Set in 1917, you play as John Morris, a descendant of Simon Belmont. Alongside Eric LeCarde, you pursue the vampire Elizabeth Bartley (A likely nod to Elizabeth Bathory) across World War I-torn Europe in an attempt to prevent her from resurrecting her uncle Dracula.
This game heavily used special effects in its gameplay. It's considered one of the better entries in the series.
Kid Dracula - Released in 1990 for the Game Boy in Japan. This collection is the game's debut in the West. Well, the original version. A remake/sequel to this game was released internationally for the Game Boy in 1993. It was also called Kid Dracula. The game is a bit of a parody of the Castlevania series. You play as a kid version of Dracula, who must get his throne back from a demon named Galamoth. I'm surprised this is the version they're bringing over. You'd think they'd put the international version in this collection.
I will admit, I'm not quite as hyped for this collection as I was for the Arcade Collection. I never really was a fan of the Castlevania series. Nothing against it or anything, it just never clicked with me. I have played Super IV and I have one of the Nintendo DS games. I enjoyed them, though. It's just a series that I never really got into. Still, I hope people enjoy it and it does very well.
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