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Whether you started with the series on the original NES with the ClassicVania games, or jumped in during the Playstation era with Symphony of the Night for a expansive MetroidVania experience, this thread is all about sharing your connection with the franchise. From the gameplay, to the artwork, to the music, there is so much to highlight across 30+ games over the course of 35 years. Feel free to discuss new rumors, talk about your first play throughs or showing off your Castlevania collection, feel free to post it all!
I will continue to update this thread to include information on past, present and future Castlevania games, projects, and merchandise that is available. I'll also highlight specific games in the series that are outside of the 'Collection' releases that Konami has been putting out on all major platforms. While the series is dormant in terms of new entries, there is still plenty out there to consume, revisit and look forward to in the Castlevania universe.
In this thread, you belong in this world!
Visit the Spooky Switch Games and Castlevania 64 Appreciation Thread for even more spooky season Famiboards discussion.
Platform: Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, Nintendo Switch
Developer: M2
Release Date: September 23, 2021
Collection of Games: Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (GBA) // Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (GBA) // Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (GBA) // Castlevania: Dracula X (SNES)
Timeless Action-Inspired Masterpieces!
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (GBA) - This was the first Castlevania title released on Game Boy Advance! The story follows Nathan Graves, a vampire hunter apprentice who enters Dracula's Castle along with his Master in order to prevent the dreaded return of the Count. Combine action and attribute cards to create over 80 unique spell effects, ranging from fire whips to ice blizzards, with the 'Dual Set-up System'.
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (GBA) - This was the second Castlevania title released on Game Boy Advance! Play as Juste Belmont, the grandson of legendary Vampire Hunter Simon Belmont! This title introduced a lot of new features to the franchise, such as 'Boss Rush' mode and the 'Spell Fusion' system that lets players combine Sub-Weapons with Spell Books to cast devastating spells.
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (GBA) - The third and final Castlevania game on Game Boy Advance! Soma Cruz, a young high school exchange student in Japan, is somehow involved in the eternal cycle of reincarnation of the Dark Lord himself. What role does Soma play in all of this? Will he be able to return to his own world? Aria of Sorrow also introduced a brand new attack system called 'Tactical Souls', that lets Soma Cruz capture the souls of slain monsters to acquire their abilities. (100+ abilities in total!) Aria of Sorrow also has a ton of New Game+ content.
Castlevania: Dracula X (SNES) - Castlevania: Dracula X is a reimagination of the cult action game Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. Released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Dracula X has been acclaimed as one of the most challenging Castlevania titles ever created. The Dark Lord Count Dracula rises again from the dead to revive the forces of darkness and to annihilate this corrupted world and create a new one. You are Richter Belmont, heir of the Belmont family, and you set out for Dracula's Castle to defeat its evil master. Fight your way through Dracula's Castle and defeat the toughest enemies with the new special attack 'Item Crash'!
New Features
The collection provides several modern features and additional content for all games, including:
- Display Settings
- Original
- Pixel perfect
- 16:9
- Borders - Option of picking from different border frames to use during gameplay.
- Gallery - Browse through scans of the original package designs and discover incredible artwork never shown to the public before.
- ROM Region Selection - You can choose between the Japanese, American, and European versions for each game.
- Encyclopedia - Learn more about all three GBA games thanks to their dedicated encyclopedia. Detailed information on enemies, the 'DSS' system, the 'Tactical Soul' system and the 'Spell Fusion' system will help you truly master each game's unique combat system!
- Music Player - Listen to any of four complete soundtracks any time you want. You can even create your own playlists!
- Save/Load - You can now quickly save and reload at any point in the game. Even right before that deadly attack from Dracula himself.
- Rewind - You can now rewind the state of the game for a few seconds for a second chance. It is almost like being resurrected...
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon OST
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance OST
The music of Circle of the Moon was composed by Sotaro Tojima and Hiroshi Mitsuoka, while the music for Harmony of Dissonance was composed by Soshiro Hokkai and Michiru Yamane. Both soundtracks were released together on June 26, 2002 with the number of tracks totaling 45, and a run time of 59:04.
Castlevania Advance Collection Retrospective
Konami’s Castlevania is Back and this time it’s bringing the entire collection of Game Boy Advance titles + Dracula X with it. In this video, we take a deeper dive into why these titles are so well-loved and why you should play them.
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow Sprites
86 sprite sheets ripped from the Game Boy Advance version of the game
Platform: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Steam, Nintendo Switch
Developer: M2
Release Date: May 16, 2019
Collection of Games: Castlevania (NES) // Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES) // Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (NES) // Super Castlevania IV (SNES) // Castlevania: The Adventure (Gameboy) // Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge (Gameboy) // Castlevania: Bloodlines (Sega Genesis) // Kid Dracula (Famicom)
A Classic Collection
Konami's Castlevania Anniversary Collection traces the origins of the historic vampire franchise in a complication package that features eight selected classic titles, including Kid Dracula, which has never been released in English before. This collection also includes a unique e-book with details provided by developers, artists and others inspired by the Castlevania legacy which sheds a fresh light into the world of Castlevania.
Released as part of the Konami 50th Anniversary celebration, relive these timeless classics that helped define the platformer genre. From the Belmont clan to their extended bloodlines and allies, the Castlevania Anniversary Collection is the best first step for anyone to take into the world of Castlevania and the fight against Dracula!
New Features
The collection provides several modern features and additional content for all games, including:
- Display Settings
- Original
- Pixel perfect
- 16:9
- 4:3 scanlines
- Pixel perfect scanlines
- 16:9 scanlines
- Borders - Option of picking from different border frames to use during gameplay.
- Achievements - Achievements/Trophies available for all systems except for the Nintendo Switch.
- e-Book - Bonus e-Book titled The History of Castlevania: Book of the Crescent Moon
- Japanese Versions - Bonus Japanese versions of the games (except for Simon's Quest).
- Save/Load - You can now quickly save and reload at any point in the game. Even right before that deadly attack from Dracula himself.
Castlevania Bloodlines OST
Bloodlines was the first Castlevania title for which Michiru Yamane composed music. She used her Bach influences to compose a renowned soundtrack, leading to her becoming a recurring series composer.
DF Retro: Castlevania Anniversary Collection - Series Retrospective
In this episode, John explores the recently released Castlevania Anniversary Collection checking out each and every game included. What did each installment bring to the table and how do they hold up today? And how about the emulation quality? Watch to find out!
The History of Castlevania: Book of the Crescent Moon
The History of Castlevania: Book of the Crescent Moon is an e-book published by Konami Digital Entertainment that contains an extensive summary of the history of the company's legendary Castlevania franchise. Packed with new information about the titles, including interviews with the development staff, behind-the-scenes insights, and sketches and design documents never before revealed to the public.
Platform: Super NES
Director: Masahiro Ueno Producer: Kazumi Kitaue Composer: Masanori Adachi, Taro Kudo
Release Date: October 31, 1991 - JP // December 4, 1991 - NA // November 23, 1992 - EU
A Super Release
Super Castlevania IV features expanded play control, 16-bit graphics featuring Super NES's Mode 7, and a soundtrack featuring new pieces and arrangements based on previous Castlevania music. Following the same setting as Castlevania on the NES, the game takes place in 1691 Transylvania, where the vampire hunter Simon Belmont must defeat the vampire Dracula. The game received critical acclaim with some calling it one of the greatest video games of all time.
The game was released in Japan on October 31, 1991 for the Super Famicom. It was released in North America in December 1991. The game sold a little over 500,000 copies worldwide. Factor 5 created a short demo of the game running on the Mega Drive and presented it to Konami. Konami was impressed but ultimately chose to keep all Mega Drive development in-house, and did not pursue porting the game to the system.
The game has been re-released on several platforms over the years. It was re-released on the Virtual Console in 2006 for the Wii, in 2013 for the Wii U, and in 2016 for the New Nintendo 3DS. In September 2017, it was included on Nintendo's Super NES Classic Edition, a miniature replica of the Super NES featuring many built-in games. The game is included in Castlevania Anniversary Collection, a compilation of past Castlevania installments released on May 16, 2019 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Steam and Nintendo Switch.
Regional Differences
There are quite a few differences in terms of imagery in the Japanese release of Super Castlevania 4 and the International releases. Logos, blood and Christianity imagery are changed or completely removed. No gameplay changes have been made to the game.
For more information, check out the super informative article at The Cutting Room Floor: Super Castlevania IV.
30 Years of Super Castlevania IV
For me, Super Castlevania IV has always been that game I go back to during spooky season. While the initial release in Japan was on October 31, 1991, I didn't play the game until December of 1991 for the US release. It was a Christmas gift that year and one of my very first SNES games. Coming into this entry of the series as a fan of the NES games, I knew what to expect out of Castlevania, but I didn't quite expect to the level the quality to make such a huge jump. The art style, the atmosphere and the music are crafted so incredibly well and come together in such a polished package, it's hard to deny that a lot of love was put into this product. While SCIV is essentially a remake of the first game, at the time that didn't even enter my mind. I was a young kid just enthralled by this epic, gothic adventure.
I still consider Super Castlevania IV one of the greatest games ever made, with an amazing original soundtrack that has aged incredibly well. The feelings that come rushing back to me of my childhood and nostalgia for this game anytime I play it or listen to the music are intense, and I'm glad I was able to experience this game on release.
I just finished an annual October play through of the game, something I've been doing regularly since 2008. Before then, I would play it at least once year but never during spooky season. Seems only fitting and it still keeps that connection with my childhood alive. I can't believe this year is the 30th Anniversary, seems like only yesterday I was tearing off the plastic wrap on that cardboard box and inserting that big grey cartridge into my fairly new next generation system.
Multimedia
Super Castlevania IV OST
The music for Super Castlevania IV was composed by Masanori Adachi and Taro Kudo (credited as Masanori Oodachi and Taro respectively). Ueno wanted to make the environment of Super Castlevania IV more interactive and was proud of how the game's sound effects and music contributed to the atmosphere. It was released on Akumajō Dracula Best 2 in a compilation with Castlevania: The Adventure and Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge's music. On June 21, 2017, the game's music was released on vinyl by Mondo.
The Making of Super Castlevania IV & Bloodlines
After the success of the original Castlevania it would not take long before Konami started plans for the first 16-bit entry in this series. In this episode we dive into the development of Super Castlevania IV for the Super NES and Castlevania Bloodlines for the Mega-Drive/Genesis.
Super Castlevania IV Sprites
31 sprite sheets ripped from the SNES version of the game
悪魔城ドラキュラＸ ～血の輪廻～ Akumajō Dracula X: Chi no Rondo
Platform: PC Engine Super CD-ROM² System
Director: Toru Hagihara Producer: Yoshiaki Yamada Composer: Akira Sōji, Keizo Nakamura, Tomoko Sano, Mikio Saito
Release Date: October 29, 1993 - JP
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