Castlevania

[El Bagu]

I searched in this forum but could not find a thread about this franchise. So I thought, why not post one! I am myself not a huge fan (yet) but I really enjoyed the first Castlevania during a brief period of my childhood (the game was a huge success back then). This Monday I got my hands on a copy of the double pack for the GBA. I´ve just started to play "Harmony of Dissonance" today and this far it seems ok.

Does anybody else here play Castlevania? (I know at least some do). Which is your favorite game? The least favorite? Feel free to post anything you have to say about the "Castlevania franchise". Curious I am :wave:

[chrisbg99]

They are fun games. Whether you go with the classic style or the more recent Metroid-vania style that has become the main thing for the franchise.

I really liked Super Castlevania IV and Aria of Sorrow on the GBA. Very different but very good.

[Amelie]

I liked the first three Castlevanias and 4. I also liked Symphony of the night and Circle of the moon. Castlevania 64 was a good game in my opinion ^^ The only problem I have is they seemed to be just the same thing over and over and over after a while >< I have not played some of the newest ones yet though ^^

[Skull_Kid]

I liked the first three Castlevanias and 4. I also liked Symphony of the night and Circle of the moon. Castlevania 64 was a good game in my opinion ^^ The only problem I have is they seemed to be just the same thing over and over and over after a while >< I have not played some of the newest ones yet though ^^


Hey Bagu, that was an awesome Idea:P

Well... I own the following:

Castlevania Adventure(thanks smitie)
Aria of Sorrow(my all-time second favorite Castlevania)
Dawn of Sorrow
Harmony of Dissonance(tied up with Aria for the second place)
Order of Ecclesia(third place, but i love shanoa)
Portrait of Ruin(it was my first CV)
Dracula X Chronicles/Rondo of Blood(Old school hard as crap CV, awesome)
Symphony of the Night(My favorite, so far)

My favorite Characters are Soma Cruz(I'm not gonna spoil things for Bagu, so, not talk about this one)

Adrien Fahrenheight Tepes aka Alucard- Dracula's Dhampir Son, main character of SotN, kickass:P

And Richter Belmont, for being so baddass:P
here is some CV art:

http://photos2.hi5.com/0081/983/765/BwGxIW983765-02.jpg

Soma Cruz

http://photos3.hi5.com/0079/126/498/t23p5A126498-02.jpg

Alucard

http://photos3.hi5.com/0080/093/746/rTcyEB093746-02.jpg

dracula's Castle

http://photos2.hi5.com/0081/992/301/58piw0992301-02.jpg

Death

[General Lee]

I <3 Casltevainia. the original is probably my favorite and it was the first game I got on my NES. I found it to be unique and have a very simple yet awsome/entertaining plot. Its easily one of my top 5 NES games. I have never really played Super Castlevainia in-depth but I'm considering trying to find it.

[Ver-go-a-go-go]

The only Castlevania game I've played is Judgement. From what I've been told it's one of the worst in the series, being a fighting game and all, but I've actually really enjoyed it.

[Skull_Kid]

Yeah, Judgement is crappy, full of cheesy quotes like Maria's: "Even the Vampire Lady's are bigger than mine" lolz...

Yesterday I got the original one and Harmony of Dissonance(already had it, but hey, it was in the double pack)

[rinku12]

im love the original because my dad said he used to play it and i thought itr was fun and my brothers friend said hes one of the fastest players of castlevania and he can beat the hole game in like 10 min or summthing

[El Bagu]

im love the original because my dad said he used to play it and i thought itr was fun and my brothers friend said hes one of the fastest players of castlevania and he can beat the hole game in like 10 min or summthing

The best time looking at "Speed Demos Archives" (what happened to Twin Galaxies?!) was 13:13. So not much more then 10 minutes is necessary to complete the first Castlevania it seems! But never trust somebody until you see proof of it, it´s my advice!

[Skull_Kid]

Yes, the guys over at speed demos archives always manage to surpreend me... also, It is a great classic, along with LoZ, AoL, Metroid and Castlevania II-Simon's Quest and Castlevania III, are the best games on the NES imo...

Here is a full list of the Castlevania games:

*Console Titles*

-Castlevania(NES/GBA(Part of the NES CLASSICS SERIES)(1986/2005)

-Vampire Killer(MSX2 home computer)(1986)

-Castlevania II: Simon's Quest(NES)(1987)

-Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse(NES)(1990)

-Super Castlevania IV(SNES)(1991)

-Akumajou Dracula: Chi No Rondo(Castlevania: Rondo of Blood)(PC Engine Super CD)(1993)

-Castlevania: Bloodlines(SEGA GENESIS)(1994)

-Castlevania: Dracula X(USA)/VAMPIRE'S KISS(EUROPE)(SNES)(1995)

-Castlevania: Symphony of the Night(Playstation one)(1997)

-Castlevania 64(N64)(1999)

-Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness(N64)(1999)

-Castlevania: Chronicles(Playstation one)(2001)

-Castlevania: Lament of Innocence(Playstation 2)(2003)

-Castlevania: Curse of Darkness(Playstation 2)(2006)

-Castlevania: Judgement(Wii)(2008)

*Handhelds*

-Castlevania: The Adventure(Gameboy)(1989)

-Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge(Gameboy)(1991)

-Castlevania Legends(Gameboy Color)(1997)

-Castlevania: Circle of the Moon(Gameboy Advance)(2001)

-Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance(Gameboy Advance)(2002)

-Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow(Gameboy Advance)(2003)

-Castlevania Double Pack(Gameboy Advance)(2005)(includes HoD and AoS in one cart)

-Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow(Nintendo DS)(2005)

-Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin(Nintendo DS)(2006)

-Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles(PSP)(2007)

-Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia(Nintendo DS)(2008)

*Other Titles*

-Castlevania: Haunted Castle(Arcade(duh))(1988)

-Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun(NES)(1991)(JAPAN ONLY)

-Kid Dracula(Gameboy)(1993)(JAPAN ONLY)

-Castlevania: Order of Shadows(Mobile Phone(Alltel Wireless, AT&T, Nextel, Sprint PCS, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless) )(2007)

-Castlevania: The Arcade(Arcade)(2009)

*Canceled titles*

-Castlevania: The Bloodletting(Sega Genesis)(it was to be released in 1996 or 1997)

-Castlevania: Ressurrection(Sega Dreamcast)(Canceled in March 2002)

*Films*

Castlevania(Developpers:Rogue Pictures, Directed by Sylvain White)(2009(scheduled to...)

*Books*

Bram Stoker's Dracula(1897)

Well... the only thing I can add to this post is a Timeline that I got from Castlevania Wiki:

11th century

1094: (The events of Castlevania: Lament of Innocence) The 11th century was a time of knighthood, when the medieval monarchs were waning due to feuding lords and knights. The Catholic Church was undergoing many reforms upon which it was investing upon the land, and of course, as a result, the Crusades became a political scapegoat for their actions.
Two of the courageous knights fighting during this period were Leon Belmont and Mathias Cronqvist, who together with Leon's exceptional combat experience and Mathais' skills as a tactician led one of the strongest companies in the realm. Their fighting led them to never suffer a single defeat, even when they were called off to fight in the Crusades by the Church. Yet, Mathias suffered one major loss upon their return from the Crusades when he was informed about the sudden death of his wife, Elizabetha. She had become very ill and had died. He himself became overcome with grief, and was ill to the point of being bedridden a year later. Leon led the company into battle and they continued to do well. Yet, a band of monsters attacked their realm, pouring from an area known as the Forest of Eternal Night. The Church, not sanctioning combat without political cause, would not permit Leon to order the troops to fight back, so he had to personally deal with the matter. Mathias informed him that the lord of the forest, Walter Bernhard, a very powerful vampire, had kidnapped his betrothed, Sara Trantoul. Leon rushes to the woods, committing treason by doing so, and meets up with Rinaldo Gandolfi, a man who informs him that Walter does this as a game, since he gets bored as an immortal and wants entertainment. He gives Leon a powerful weapon called the Whip of Alchemy (Rinaldo is an alchemist), and Leon enters the castle, having been informed that he must defeat five guardians before reaching Walter (which he does). Leon defeats a Golem, Medusa, Succubus, and even an Undead Parasite on the path to Walter, who laughs at him but returns his beloved after he defeats the vampire Joachim Armster and Leon learns that Walter possesses the Ebony Stone, one of two supernatural stones that can grant extraordinary powers. Rinaldo informs Leon, however, that Sara has been vampirized and that there is really no hope for her, but perhaps if she sacrifices herself to the whip, it will become strong enough to destroy Walter. In the end, not wanting to live as an undead, she does so, and the whip is henceforth known as the Vampire Killer, harnessing the power of her sacrifice and her vampiric aura. Leon uses it to destroy Walter, only to discover that Death would enter the room and stop Walter from bragging, sucking his life-force from him and taking the stone away. He said he served the one who possessed the Crimson Stone, who walks into the room and identifies himself as none other than Mathias. He says that he became immortal through the stone's power in order to defy God, who he cursed every day since his wife's death. He thought that he could use Leon to gain the other stone and increase his power and that perhaps Leon would join him in immortality now that he had lost everything as well. Leon, not agreeing with his friend's logic, tells him that though he is sorry for his loss, he cannot curse God and that he knows God has nothing to do with it. Mathias knows that the two cannot get along, and he says: "Death, he's all yours!" Death stands in the way and teleports Leon and himself to a chaotic world where the two fight, but Leon gets the upper-hand and wins. Mathias assumes bat form and leaves through the window. He then travels to an obscure country, continuing to curse God, and eventually becomes the Lord of Vampires, Prince of Darkness. It has been confirmed that he is Dracula. He would not be seen for almost four hundred years. As for Leon, he barely escapes the castle when it collapses, yet the forest returns to day once again and then he picks up the pieces of his life, vowing that his family will hunt the night.


12th-14th centuries

It is unknown exactly what happens in the official timeline during the years between 1100-1400 AD. Though Dracula is currently hiding in foreign lands. He did not show himself until after Lisa was killed, the dating of which is uncertain (see below).

15th century

Early to mid 15th century: Lisa, Dracula's second wife, was condemned to death by Inquisition. Dracula's grief and hatred was profound. He blamed this on all of humanity, and hated humans. In 1476, his war with the humans and the Belmonts began. (Konami places Lisa's death in 1470. However, the manual for Symphony of the Night states Alucard's age to be around 400 years, placing his birth around 1397. Assuming that Lisa had a normal mortal lifespan, she would have been in at least her late teens when Alucard was born, placing her own birth round about 1380; since her natural life would probably end around 1450, it seems likely that her execution took place some time between 1400 and 1450. This is consistent with the dating of Legends, even though Legends is no longer part of the timeline. However, the SOTN manual also stated Dracula's age to be approximately 800, placing his birth around 997, while Mathias Cronqvist (being 32 in 1094) was born in 1062. Assuming an error of at most 65 years either way in both cases, Alucard's birth could have taken place any time between 1332 and 1462. Considering that Alucard was old enough to remember his mother's last words, he would probably have been no younger than 5 at the time of Lisa's execution (although dhampirs may learn at an accelerated rate), placing Lisa's death any time between 1337 and 1467.)
Note: the following (in italics) was retconned from the official timeline. It is "Another Story". 1

1450: Seventeen year old Sonia Belmont, takes up the Vampire Killer whip and swears to avenge her grandfather after he is killed by Dracula's minions. During her search, she meets and forms a strong bond with her enemy's son, Alucard. After vanquishing the Count, Sonia vows that if Dracula returns after her lifetime, others will take her place and defeat him. (The game's creators intended Sonia to be the first Belmont to battle and defeat Dracula.)

1476: (The events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse) Dracula's war with humanity began. The people cry out for a champion. However, the Belmont clan had been feared for their supernatural powers and exiled from Transylvania, but with the new threat of the evil count, and the impending danger on his hometown of Wallachia, Trevor Belmont is not too far away to answer the call to duty. Picking up the Vampire Killer whip bestowed to him by the Poltergeist King (according to the game manual), Trevor goes to battle against the forces of darkness, meeting up with three companions along the way- Grant DaNasty, Sypha Belnades, and Alucard, the dhampir son of Dracula. Because Trevor was the first person to ever destroy Dracula, the Belmonts were welcome again in Wallachia. Sypha and Trevor fall in love, and have children. The magic power of the Belnades is inherited by future Belmonts (Juste Belmont, for example).

1479: (The events of Castlevania: Curse of Darkness) Though defeated at the hands of Trevor Belmont, Dracula's curse still ravages the countryside of Europe, bringing with it disease, mob violence, and heresy. Amidst this chaos is Hector, a Devil Forgemaster who had formerly worked in the service of Dracula. Yet Hector grew weary and disgusted of the count's brutal methods and left Castlevania to live with humans, but when his human wife was killed and his fellow forgemaster, Isaac, is implicated in the deed, Hector sets off for Dracula's stronghold to settle the score with him. At the end, it revealed that Isaac made Hector regain his devil forging powers so that Castlevania would return to the human world. But, what Isaac didn't know was that he himself was being used by Death, Dracula's right-hand-man. Death believed that Hector would kill Isaac, and that Dracula's Curse would take control of him, with his body becoming a vessel for Dracula's safe return to Earth. However, Hector realized that his drive for vengeance was caused by Dracula's Curse. Hector did not kill Isaac, but Death killed Isaac anyway and summoned Dracula through Isaac's body. Hector killed his former master, and performed the "Final Forging" where he summoned the essence of the curse and destroyed it. But a mysterious man named Saint Germain, who Hector had met earlier, believes that the war will never end and even when all evil is destroyed, there will still be ones who will claim evil's mantle again.

16th century

1576: (The events of The Castlevania Adventure) After a century of a deep slumber, the evil Count Dracula rises to wreak havoc once again on the landscape of Europe, but this time, Christopher Belmont, great-grandfather of Simon Belmont, rises to the occasion with the legendary Vampire Killer and vanquishes the evil Prince of Darkness, destroying his evil minions and restoring peace to the land once again.

1591: (The events of Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge) Though Christopher Belmont had defeated the evil count Dracula fifteen years ago, he did not manage to destroy him, as the count turned himself into mist and managed to escape, building up his energy and biding his time over the years. As Christopher's son came of age, a ceremony was being held in Warakiya to confer the title of Vampire Hunter upon him, so that a father-son team would be formed, but after the ceremony had been completed, Dracula used his powers to turn Solieyu Belmont into a demon, and then made four castles appear. Christopher vowed to destroy Dracula and return his son to normal, and in the end, he defeated the evil count, restored his son, and the land was returned to its normal balance once again.
edit 17th century

16XX: (The events of Castlevania: Order of Shadows, possibly non-canon) The Belmonts find the hideout of The Order, which has been responsible for the last several reincarnations of Dracula, and attempt to stop them before they can revive the count. Desmond Belmont defeats the leader of this group, Rohan Krause, which only serves as a catalyst for Dracula's return. He then defeats Dracula, but a mysterious force or powerful being keeps Dracula's Castle from crumbling.

1691: (The events of Vampire Killer, Haunted Castle, Castlevania, Akumajō Dracula X68000, Castlevania Chronicles, Super Castlevania IV) After a Black Mass, the evil Count Dracula rose once again to plunge the European landscape into a state of total darkness. The count's legions grew like a plague, infesting the land like a disease everywhere they went. Simon Belmont, great-grandson of Christopher Belmont, rose to the cries of the citizenry, and took up the legendary Vampire Killer, setting off for Castlevania, the ancestral home of the evil Prince of Darkness. In the end, Simon had a one-on-one battle with the count, but proved victorious, sending him once again to his dark grave, saving the world from his torment.
1698: (The events of Castlevania II: Simon's Quest) After Simon Belmont's defeat of Dracula, he began to notice the effects of the count's curse were still taking hold of the land. Seven years later, the land was still rotting from the effects of the Dark Lord's black magic. Then, Simon had a vision from a maiden, who told him that unless he were to find the five body parts of the count and burn them in his ancestral home, the curse would remain permanent, plaguing the land, and Simon would die from his wounds. Thus, Simon set out, exploring Transylvania, defeating fiends who possessed these parts, interacting with townspeople who helped him, and in the end, resurrected the count, defeating him one last time, putting him down again and stopping the curse before it consumed him and the land once and for all.

18th century

1748: (The events of Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance) In 1746, Maxim Kischine left on a self-training expedition in order to cope with his own self-doubt after Juste Belmont was chosen to receive the legendary whip, Vampire Killer. Two years later, upon his return from training (wounded and scarred), Maxim tells Juste some terrible news- a childhood friend of both theirs, named Lydie Erlanger, had been kidnapped, and also, Maxim had lost memory of the events of the past two years (or most of the events). Even so, he was able to lead Juste to the site of the disappearance, where they encountered a castle that hadn't been there previously. Juste hurried into the castle as Maxim recuperated in the entry way, promising to join Juste later. Juste discovers that Maxim, in a horrifying attempt to emulate the actions of Simon Belmont (of 50 years earlier), has collected the body parts of Dracula in an attempt to resurrect the Dark Lord to prove himself by defeating the wicked count. Yet, the count's spirit ends up possessing Maxim, and knowing this, Juste sets out to collect the remains himself and put an end to this foolishness once and for all. Juste recovers the remains and Lydie, and after defeating Maxim, Dracula escapes and materializes into a physical form. However, Juste managed to defeat the count, and without his presence, the castle crumbles, so the three escape and watch the ruins collapse from a hillside in the distance.

1792: (The events of Demon Castle Dracula X: Rondo of Blood and Castlevania: Dracula X) Once again, the dark prince is revived prematurely, this time by a fanatical cult. Lead by the dark priest Shaft, the cult sacrifices a woman, and her blood is just the evil touch needed to bring him back to the world of the flesh. Dracula had learned many things over the centuries, and this time, he decided to put them to use. The current vampire hunter in the land was Richter Belmont, so the count spent some time observing Richter, his girlfriend Annette Renard, her sister Maria Renard, and several other villagers. Then, as he had done in the past, he kidnapped those individuals and swept them away to Castlevania, his ancestral home, after having his minions attack and burn the town. So, Richter was called into action, picking up the Vampire Killer whip to bring justice to the count. Once he had rescued Maria, she used her unique skills to fight the count's forces as well. In the end, the two rescued the villagers and defeated Dracula, though he turned into an ethereal mist when defeated and escaped through a window, vowing to return again. Still, the count's words resounded in Richter's head: "I am not the one who is evil. I am summoned by the evil nature of mankind to wreak havoc and do their bidding."

1797: (The events of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night) Four years after Richter Belmont's encounter with the dark lord, the dark priest Shaft brought the count out of hiding and augmented his powers, restoring him to his normal, true self once again. His motives? Shaft wanted true and unmatched power and felt that Dracula was the one force he could receive it from. Yet, one man would stand in his way - Richter. Thus, he placed a powerful curse on Richter, managing to side him with evil, and this shift in the forces of darkness caused Alucard to awaken from his slumber (that he had placed on himself to rid the world of his cursed bloodline). Alucard went to Castlevania to seek those that delved in the dark arts. He encountered the grown Maria Renard several times, defeated Shaft (bringing Richter to his senses), and in the end, defeated the prince of darkness, restoring order to late-18th century Europe...

1798: (The events of Castlevania: Nocturne of Recollection radio drama) One year after Alucard's defeat of his father, an incubus named Magnus causes trouble for Alucard, Maria, and Richter.

19th century

1800's: (The events of Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia)

1820: Dracula is sealed by Morris Baldwin and the parents of Nathan Graves (according to the story of Castlevania: Circle of the Moon).

1830: (The events of Castlevania: Circle of the Moon) In an old Austrian castle, the worshippers of Chaos attempt to resurrect the dark lord. Vampire Hunter Morris Baldwin and his apprentices, Nathan Graves and Hugh Baldwin, rush to the castle in an attempt to stop the resurrection, only to arrive a moment too late. Camilla, one of Dracula's minions, has just revived the Count and kidnaps Morris; the two apprentices then plummet down into the depths of the castle. Hugh urges Nathan to leave while he finds his father, but Nathan sets out to defeat the minions and then finds that Hugh was taken hostage. In the end, Nathan defeats Camilla, rescues Hugh and Morris, and defeats the dark lord, Dracula. Dracula promises that he will return as long as people hold dark desires in their hearts. Nathan retaliates by saying that as long as people such as he are around, Dracula will always be defeated.

1844: (The events of Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness) Once again, the evil desires of mortals bring the dark lord Dracula into the plane of the living...This time, Dracula's minions seek to burn down villages in the search for sacrifices to augment his powers- the Count is not yet up to full strength. One of the girls taken is Ada, the sister of Cornell, a man-beast who is off on ascetic training. Cornell returns to find the town under attack; he rushes off to Castlevania to fight Dracula and his minions, saving the people from the Dark Lord's curse, but the Count would return a mere eight years later.

1852: (The events of Castlevania 64) Eight years after Cornell defeated Dracula, a man of Belmont lineage named Reinhardt Schneider and a woman named Carrie Fernandez (descendent of Sypha Belnades) are called to search for the missing children of the local village(s). All of the signs point towards Castlevania, and additionally, Henry, who was but a young boy in 1844, is now on a mission from the Church to go to the count's dark abode in search of the children. In the end, they save the children and have a showdown with the dark master, defeating him once again.

1897: According to Bram Stoker's Dracula, it was in 1897 when the count rose again by unknown means and Jonathan Harker was invited over to his castle as his guest. In a final showdown, Harker, Van Helsing, and Quincy Morris stake the count with a knife, killing him, but Morris dies from a gash inflicted on him by gypsies under the count's spell. Not mentioned in the book, however (according to Konami), is the fact that Quincy Morris actually was the one who killed Dracula with a wooden stake, while John Morris (Quincy's son who is born in 1895) witnessed the showdown with the count and his father's death (Note: The truth of this last statement is in question as official information states that John would have only been two years old at the time of his father's death).

20th century

1917: (The events of Castlevania: Bloodlines) Twenty-years (according to the manual of the game) after the death of Quincy Morris, a witch practicing dark magic delves into the dark arts and revives Elizabeth Bartley, the niece of Dracula. The vampiress, once raised from the underworld, uses her powerful magic to plunge the already war-torn landscape into darkness, and, in turn, revives her uncle Dracula. Not about to allow his father's death to be in vain, John Morris, along with his childhood friend Eric Lecarde, sets out to put an end to the madness. Oddly, the game references the real-life death of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, suggesting that his death was ordered by the countess Bartley.
1944: (The events of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin) The world is in chaos. The Second World War has claimed millions of lives, leveled cities, destroyed nations. The souls of the war's dead blanket the planet, lost, hurt, and angry. Their anguish summons an accursed castle of legend. It had appeared many times throughout history, bringing with it evil and darkness. The castle of Dracula, the Lord of Evil. It arrives in man's darkest hour, to push us over the brink, into ruin. Jonathan Morris, weapons expert, and Charlotte Aulin, magic expert, must enter the castle and face a new foe, Count Brauner. They discover that Brauner trapped Dracula in the Throne Room to prevent him from taking back his castle. When he is defeated, the Count is free and our heroes must face him and Death in a two-against-two battle.
1999: It was foretold that this would be the year when the war between Dracula and the Belmonts would come to an end. Dracula was resurrected, but Julius Belmont, possibly Adrian Tepes and most likely a relative of Yoko Belnades managed to defeat him. Apparently, a family member of Mina Hakuba was also involved. The ending of Castlevania Judgment implies that Aeon or someone in his service was also involved, but this is speculation. Castlevania along with the soul of it's master was sealed in an eclipse that occurred at the time of his death. After the battle, Julius lost his memory. There has yet to be a game that chronicles this, but the ending of Castlevania: Curse of Darkness makes it seem as though this will be the next chapter of Castlevania history to be told.
Those who were born on the same time as Dracula's death would be born with special powers and become "Dark Lord Candidates".

21st century

2035: (The events of Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow) Thirty-six years after Dracula was sealed in an eclipse, high-school exchange student Soma Cruz and his friend Mina Hakuba visit the Hakuba Shrine and are sucked into a warp leading to the infamous Castlevania. There he encounters Graham Jones, a cult leader who wishes to assume the powers of the soul of Dracula for his own. He also meets up with Genya Arikado (Alucard), who defeats a group of demons and explains to him his ability to absorb monster souls. Soma must stop Graham, but realizes that he, in fact, is the reincarnation of the now completely destroyed Dracula, and this is why he has assumed all these powers. He manages to stop Graham's plans, but he does confront Julius Belmont, though the two in the end do not kill each other. Ultimately, Soma destroys the Chaos present within the castle and gets the soul of Dracula under control without letting Dracula become dominant within him, and he and everyone else escape the castle.

2036: (The events of Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow) A year after Soma Cruz was awakened to his powers and realized that he was the reincarnation of Dracula, a cult that sought the power of the count returned, this time building their own castle strikingly similar to the count's former ancestral home of Castlevania. The cult members were Celia Fortner, the leader, Dario Bossi, who held power over fire, and Dmitrii Blinov, who held the power to copy any ability and counter-use it. Celia's belief was that for the ultimate good to exist in the world, the ultimate evil must also exist. Dario and Dmitrii were known as the two "Dark Lord" candidates, who both had the possibility of becoming the Dark Lord himself. Through the cult's evil actions, they managed to once again draw Soma to them for yet another battle. In the end, Soma defeated both candidates and destroyed a monster called Menace before it could be released into the world. The castle crumbling, everyone safely escaped to live another day.

[El Bagu]

Wow! That was a nice surprise. Good to have a timeline on a thread like this, gives a much better perspective on things!

[Skull_Kid]

Also, where are you at Harmony?Or have you started Aria?So I can know what to spoil and what not...

I have been playing Symphony, and I'm restarting Harmony

[El Bagu]

I am sad to tell that my progress have been a bit slow up to this point. I´ve been stuck with so much other stuff lately, do not wanna stress through it, so please, no Spoilers, vale? :lol:

[Skull_Kid]

I don't like spoiling things cause I don't like when people do that to me... Anyways, finally ended Symphony of the Night... Dracula was not that much of a challenge, spamming is arse with 10 monster vial 3 made him almost die, a little slash here and there and I finished the game:D

[Ver-go-a-go-go]

Yeah, Judgement is crappy, full of cheesy quotes like Maria's: "Even the Vampire Lady's are bigger than mine" lolz...

Hmm, I enjoyed it, but I guess if all the other games considered to be better, I should look into buying one.

What's the most recent one?

[El Bagu]

I believe Judgement for the Wii and Order of Ecclesia for the DS. That is what Skull_Kid´s list says and also wikipedia. :)

Wait a minute! What about the arcade? Where can you play this?

[Skull_Kid]

I believe Judgement for the Wii and Order of Ecclesia for the DS. That is what Skull_Kid´s list says and also wikipedia. :)

Wait a minute! What about the arcade? Where can you play this?

The arcade is only in the Japan for now, and from what i've heard, it won't be released out of it:(

It would be awesome to have one of those on my bed room:D

But yeah, my list is correct:) I did a lot of research for it:)

I am becoming a Castlevania Guru:)

[El Bagu]

I am becoming a Castlevania Guru:)

I actually believe Skull_Kid is the Castlevania Guru here, mayhaps also the Master! Just look at this:


... Anyways, finally ended Symphony of the Night... Dracula was not that much of a challenge, spamming is arse with 10 monster vial 3 made him almost die, a little slash here and there and I finished the game:D

Slashing (whiping) is one of the most enjoyable aspects of Castlevania, I guess someone must agree?

And has anyone experienced playing as Juste? Anyone who hasn´t surely has missed something.

[Skull_Kid]

I actually believe Skull_Kid is the Castlevania Guru here, mayhaps also the Master! Just look at this:



Slashing (whiping) is one of the most enjoyable aspects of Castlevania, I guess someone must agree?

And has anyone experienced playing as Juste? Anyone who hasn´t surely has missed something.

Thanks:P Anyways, unfortunately in SotN there is no whip weapon to Alucard(Dracula's son)
I am now playing Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, and, even though it has some awesome graphics, the game is completely retarded!
The whole "MetroidVania" formula is wrongly done, and the game is full of useless, and stupid backtracking...

Death is a piece of cake in this game, there is no back dashing, the character is very slow, and you have to tap the directional button twice to make it run(only after aquiring a certain relic).

Even though, It has one of my favorite relics ever, wich is basicly a "Wall Jump" boots(the ones familiar with Super Metroid and post SM 2-D metroids probably know what I mean)

[El Bagu]

...
I am now playing Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, and, even though it has some awesome graphics, the game is completely retarded!...

.....Death is a piece of cake in this game,.....

That must be a huge dissapointment! I´ve only completed the very first Castlevania and there he was my favorite boss (Death)! Now that I´m playing through "Harmony of Dissonance" I finally had a glimpse of him again, I believe it was about half an hour ago, awesome! He ran away but I suspect I will have opportunities to see him again and do a bit of whiping on him, that I am looking forward too a lot :P.

[Skull_Kid]

That must be a huge dissapointment! I´ve only completed the very first Castlevania and there he was my favorite boss (Death)! Now that I´m playing through "Harmony of Dissonance" I finally had a glimpse of him again, I believe it was about half an hour ago, awesome! He ran away but I suspect I will have opportunities to see him again and do a bit of whiping on him, that I am looking forward too a lot :P.

It's not that disappointing cause they really pushed the difficulty level...

For example, after beating a lvl 25 boss, the next new area you go is full of lvl 30 creatures...

Wich is awesome to toughen up:)

I hate the Sewers area... goddamned retarded Ice Armors and Frozen Shades-.-

[Skull_Kid]

Sorry for the double post, but, what has to be, has to be

here is a cool article:

There are series which crystallize into a traditional formula quite early. Gradius is a perfect example - it was such an instant classic, that for decades Konami went on making sequels all carved from Gradius II blueprints.

Thankfully, Castlevania wasn't nearly as accomplished in its primes. The series didn't establish a canon until late, and the many directions it took only reinforced its legacy. It's not just a thing that stopped in the NES days, of course - Castlevania experimentation continues to an extent even now.

If you see things in this perspective, even design errors and flawed ideas end adding something to the series. I'm sure I'm not writing anything new, but I've compiled a list of things that were/are so "eek! that's totally unlike Castlevania!" and that I'm so glad they were implemented - in the end making the difference between this series and, say, Megaman...

Every series has some defining moments - here we're talking of the much rarer "reverse defining moments" - everything so out-of-key that nonetheless helped establishing what makes Castlevania.


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1- Sota Fujimori's Chronicles soundtrack

There you are. I'm sure you were expecting something about Simon's Quest, huh? What's amazing about this arrangement is that the classic Castlevania tunes are given a pop-dance-techno take. Which is something you usually hear a lot of complain about - "ooh, a game about vampires shouldn't sound like this" blah blah. If Konami listened their fans, the series' music would've rapidly grown into a stale matter of classical/epic/gothic stuff. Instead we got this modern, and undoubtedly excellent soundtrack. Sure, it too has predecessors: like the Perfect Selection album, or the very Rondo's soundtrack. Rondo of Blood eschewed the traditional Castlevania music for something more in the lines of "Mad Forest" - 2001's Chronicles adapts the same principles to nowadays sounds. It was one of the coolest post-Symphony of the Night moments.


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2- Four Castles in Belmont's Revenge

Come on, this had to be mentioned... I mean, a stage select in Castlevania? Totally un-castlevaniaish! An idea so out-of-tune with the series that it was never reused, well... except maybe a glimpse of it in Lament of Innocence's hub. Four castles sound like a bad idea even today. In a series that has built so much on the overall atmosphere, to have four themes like "plant" "crystal" and the awesomely steampowered "cloud"... is disheartening. Then again... You look at it and that's exactly what makes Christopher's adventure stand out today. It's like he really traveled four castles, even going up in the skies... Which is something a lot cooler than ever Sonia did, with her boring, traditional and poorly executed locations. So thank you, four castles. I shiver at the idea to see you again, but thank you for being there!


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3- Bloodlines

Yeah, this game. The WHOLE game actually. It's funny. From the acid color palette to the Texan hero, to the dual player system, to the 1900 setting - this game was intended to be a shocking twist and a major departure from the series (it was so "gaiden" that they even called it VK). It's pretty obvious why. SNES Akumajo Dracula at the time might have been received as the ultimate Dracula game - basically, you could have never toppled it by playing under the same rule. Everything again involving Simon Belmont, Medusa, Frankie and the traditional Akumajo Dracula feel would have been a pale mimicry of the SNES title (not to mention the Megadrive couldn't sport the same raw power).

So they went the Symphony route... before Symphony. They changed everything, from setting to gameplay - included the first bishonen, and put Yamane in charge of the music. Since the actual development team has its roots in this game, it's easy to say that Bloodlines' influence has endured in several ways, Yamane's role being by far the most striking success.
So, what's funny? Well, one of the least castlevania-ish games ever had its revenge on SNES Akumajo Dracula. Vampire Killer's long shadow is still among us (whenever we get a 2035 setting or a vampiric hero - we know where these twists come from!) - whereas the "perfect" take on Simon's adventures now strikes as a wonderful "solo".


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4- The "Second NES Episode Rule".

Simon's Quest is the oddity everyone immediately thinks of when talking Castlevania. As everyone loves to argue, it pretty much "influenced" SotN so it had a winner's DNA. I'm not sure how much truth rests here. Once you go the non-linear route, you clearly get something which resembles SQ, but SotN's non-linearity is evidently much more influenced by Super Metroid. For a start, it's a non-linearity that actually works, instead of being an incredible mess. Another thing to say about SQ is that its weirdness is a lot less striking when you inscribe it into the "Second NES Episode Rule". However, no matter how successful these first non-linear attempts on a gameplay ground were, SQ has a great legacy of atmosphere to pass on, which cannot be said for the MSX2 take. SQ oozed the right gothic atmosphere - it has been said before, it was Castlevania's only attempt to be scary. on a plot basis, it says a lot that all the most interesting titles just had to mess with Dracula's relics again. Another very cool idea was that of the curse spell on Simon.

This game however doesn't rank very high in this list of un-castlevaniaish moments, and for a very precise reason: virtually everything in this game immediately felt completely Castlevania. It almost changed genre, but it was Castlevania in every way. And of the Holy Trinity of Castlevania tunes ("Vampire Killer", "Bloody Tears", "Beginning") it's no secret that "Bloody Tears" encapsulates the very essence of Castlevania. To the point that there's no better way to sum the series than playing this tune. Simon's Quest was so clearly in-touch, so it shouldn't really belong to this list.


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5- Fighting Death on the top of a Ghost Ship

Rondo of Blood is often mentioned as the embodiment of Traditional Castlevania gameplay, yet it was pretty wacky, with the gags, Maria, and so on. But much more than a little girl defeating the Count, the most un-Castlevania moment of this game is fighting Death on the top of a ghost ship. This is a very interesting case: the whole pirate theme comes from DaNasty, of course. But the fact is, it was merely hinted at in Dracula's Curse.

You had this acrobat which could have been anything other than a Pirate, and there was a sunken ship stage. That's the kind of setting you'd expect to see once. But it somehow must have fascinated the developers, since the Ghost ship was "weird", it became the "alternate route" in Rondo, then the "secret area" in Aria... It's clearly one of those Rondo weirdnesses: of course, when Dracula XX tried a more serious attempt at the same story arc, the ghost ship setting was discarded. More than the ship itself however, what's weird is to fight Death on top of it. Weird and definitely refreshing, after seeing him either on the clock's tower or inside a deep cave, alternately.


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6- Platformers and Quarters

Castlevania is clearly a game to be played at home. It requires patience, it has a slow pace, it offered unlimited continues and/or passwords from day one. But, when Castlevania wasn't a series, but a couple of games, someone thought making a coin-op out of it would've been a neat idea. There's little to say here about the game - the visuals are pretty standard Castlevania stuff, and the music is very Castlevania-ish too, with memorable tunes that suddenly are rediscovered and arranged at every new game. Cool. So why I mention it here? Well, because the idea of playing Castlevania in the arcades is the most bizarre and un-castlevania moment ever. It's also a very bad idea, of course. No one never again thought to give it another try, and nowadays the whole notion of "arcades" is akin to "species at risk of extinction".

There was already a frantic, frustrating, gothic platformer in the arcades, and it had just the right pace for its purpose. Simon's slow trudging couldn't hope to defeat Arthur at his own game. This stands out as the classic un-castlevania moment that you cherish as a mere curiosity and look back thinking "whew, thankfully the effect of whatever they were smoking didn't last enough to do another one".


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7- Fighting Evil as a Heathen

Circle of the Moon was a complete mess - the developers had a perfectly clear notion of how to make a challenging, fun, traditional Castlevania game. What ruined them is that they had to blend their own ideas with SotN's formula - of which they really didn't grasp the slightest atom of essence. They managed to avoid every single thing that made SotN memorable - ironically producing a fine game that now stands on its own merits.

However, it's as Kobe team somehow understood that they weren't in line with the shaping Belmont mythos. Either that, or they were really unaware of it. In any case, they created a setting that spells "gaiden story" from the first minute, even before Iga's retcon (and re-retcon).

I mean, Austria. Okay, so Austria - in 19th century, that sounds a plausible choice. Then, Baldwin and Graves. They consistently avoided the surname Belmont during all their run, it would be interesting to know why. Graves however isn't even Belmont related. The whip isn't the same... But whatever, you don't notice while playing, so it's still a pretty traditional Castlevania mood... Until you get to mix pagan gods with mythological beasts of course.
I mean, that's a dream come true for every non-orthodox, non-christian vampire hunter. Graves fights Dracula and his minions - with the help of the Greek Pantheon!! That was totally un-castlevania. And very cool.


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8- New Heroes Attitude

I don't want to talk about Soma Cruz - despite the twist, I think his story fits a lot with Castlevania. In fact, the revelation of his true identity kind of spoiled the character for me; he was supposed to be a young student, but soon the whole thing got a serious tone and in short he wasn't any more revolutionary to play than Alucard was. It's like, the potential to have a change of mood was there, but wasn't really exploited.

Okay, so what I really want to talk about are the awesome duo of Jonathan and Charlotte. Igarashi had this cool new Nintendo gadget, and this new anime-style character design. It was time for another change of pace.
It's very easy to tell Castlevania fans from their reaction on Portrait of Ruin. Anyone who has taken a pause from the series, for example not buying the recent handheld releases, will probably not like it - he comes back to a vampire slashing series, and he wants the moody atmosphere of a SotN, or even a Super Castlevania IV. But PoR isn't for him - it's for the people who found Dawn of Sorrow stale and who couldn't stand yet another stroll into the very same castle.

So yeah... Do you remember all the talk about Simon's Quest atmosphere, Castlevania atmosphere and such we had above? Essentially, PoR throws all that in the garbage bin. There's little "castle", a series of unrelated, un-traditional scenarios (shades of Belmont's Revenge!), a duo of characters which not only are drew in an anime style - they act as anime heroes. It's childish and lighthearted and... it strangely works to refresh the series once again.

Harmony of Dissonance had perfected the gothic mood, establishing an unparalleled precedent, blending Shimamura's baroque visuals with Hokkai's compositions... But, despite the initial twist, Aria and Dawn only watered down that mood. Like in Bloodlines days, there was no other choice that going for something else.
Jonathan and Charlotte manage to be so likable because you feel how much the staff loved them in first stance. Just looking at the official webpage gallery is revealing.

Portrait goes the Bloodlines route - Its mood is too much un-castlevaniaish to set a canon. Yet it's exactly the breath of fresh air we need to build the next upon, unless we want things to get stale quickly.


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9- And the rest...

I guess a top ten would've been nice but I've run out of un-castlevania moments at the moment. Well, at least moments I wish to explain in detail, but I could add a quicklist of others:

Cornell (he should've been mentioned here, right?)
-Christopher's habit of climbing ropes instead of stairs (and spewing fire from his whip)
The Doll house in Chronicles (one of the most amazing weird settings - puts the ghost ship to shame!)
Innocent Devils (something I really hope not to see again)

[Onilink89]

i recently bought judgement. and this is the first castlevania game that i ever owned.
first i tought it was some kinda rpg, but no its a fighter.
at first, i had this impression that its quite simple for a 3d fighter and not to mention the camera angle. After a while, i was starting enjoy it. It may not be a fighter like mortal kombat, but hey this kinda remind me of street fighter.

i didn't liked the english voices, so i changed it to japanese.
Somehow the style was a little anime-like. especialy the sound effects.

[Link428]

I love castlevania!!!!!!! Its one of my faverite series. I own them all. But I wasnt a big fan of judgment. But my faverite is curse of darkness. I cant wait till castlevania lords of shadows!!!!

[Skull_Kid]

Judgement is crappy, and CoD is not that good, even though it has one of my favorite characters in the series: Isaac*.*

Try playing Symphony of the Night(emulator if necessary), Order of Ecclesia, Harmony of Dissonance, Aria and Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin

[Seethe]

SOTN and Aria of Sorrow are definitely my two favorite games from this series. I had SOTN on the Xbox Live Arcade and played the hell out of it. I defeated Dracula in the Bloodlines stage without getting hit and explored the castle 200.6%. I loved the game. I started a game playing as Richter but it's hard as hell. Aria of Sorrow I think is my most favorite. It's the only game I actually got the main character, Soma, to level 99.

Right now I'm playing through Oder of Ecclesia. So far so good!

[fredthehylian]

I only own the original on the VC, but I plan to get the upcoming WiiWare installment and possibly Super Castlevania IV. I particularly like it because it's in the shooter genre, but there are no instances of shooting. I often tend to question the original Castlevania than Mario. You're a guy, suited up in armor, ready to face Dracula. You're weapon of choice...a whip? That alone makes it weird. Forget the candles and the cookie monster thing Dracula turns into. Don't even touch the Grim Reaper taking orders from Dracula. I especially find it weird how Dracula is killed by a whip. I know that he isn't the Count Dracula from Transylvanian mythology, but he's still a vampire, right? I rest my case.

[Skull_Kid]

I only own the original on the VC, but I plan to get the upcoming WiiWare installment and possibly Super Castlevania IV. I particularly like it because it's in the shooter genre, but there are no instances of shooting. I often tend to question the original Castlevania than Mario. You're a guy, suited up in armor, ready to face Dracula. You're weapon of choice...a whip? That alone makes it weird. Forget the candles and the cookie monster thing Dracula turns into. Don't even touch the Grim Reaper taking orders from Dracula. I especially find it weird how Dracula is killed by a whip. I know that he isn't the Count Dracula from Transylvanian mythology, but he's still a vampire, right? I rest my case.

It's a magically enchanted whip, that's why.
And you are not always suited up in armor.
Soma in AoS and DoS is pretty much in regular clothes, Just is all pimped up, Shanoa is half nacked

[Onilink89]

I love castlevania!!!!!!! Its one of my faverite series. I own them all. But I wasnt a big fan of judgment. But my faverite is curse of darkness. I cant wait till castlevania lords of shadows!!!!


Judgement is crappy, and CoD is not that good, even though it has one of my favorite characters in the series: Isaac*.*

Try playing Symphony of the Night(emulator if necessary), Order of Ecclesia, Harmony of Dissonance, Aria and Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin

I know its crappy, but still even if its a simple game i still like it. Its not that i would waste much money on it, i bought it when it was in the discount :D.

But hey, i'm not big fanatic of castlevania, in fact this is the first castlevania game i own, even if its a whole different gameplay then the other castlevania games. Kinda like a spin-off game i assume.

But i would get why most castlevania fans would complain. Because if you are a fan of a series, you expect more. in my case for instance, Zelda games, Metroid games, Fire Emblem games ect...

Edit:
Well Skull_Kid, i took your advice and bought Order of Ecclesia for my DS.
So far so good and its a cool game indeed, kinda reminds me of the 2D metroid games only then more medival and more close combat.
I also may download Castlevania Rebirth when its released.

[Cucco Lady Anju]

I looove the Castlevania series. My favorite one, even though it's widely disliked, is Curse of Darkness. I can't help that Isaac is super pretty *__* <3
I admit that it's not that wonderful of a game though. I also like AoS a lot as well but Soma made me rage until he was in the mid-40's since his stupid self kept dying D<

[Skull_Kid]

I looove the Castlevania series. My favorite one, even though it's widely disliked, is Curse of Darkness. I can't help that Isaac is super pretty *__* <3
I admit that it's not that wonderful of a game though. I also like AoS a lot as well but Soma made me rage until he was in the mid-40's since his stupid self kept dying D<

ISAAAAC!If I was a chick, I would marry him, he's so cool*.*

I never died in AoS, not even against the game's hardest boss: Balore

[Onilink89]

Can somebody give me a couple of good tips for Order of Ecclesia?
I'm now at the part where Albus just absorbed the glyph Dominus.

1. Like, how to make easy money, righ now i'm using the R button glyph that ups money.
2. What is the use of rotten meat, it nearly kills me and i can't sell it for a decent price.
3. Is it worth buying the Ruby/Shappire/Emerald rings?
4. Any good hidden glyph that i should know of?

[Cucco Lady Anju]

ISAAAAC!If I was a chick, I would marry him, he's so cool*.*

He is omg. I wish Hector was as pretty as he was.

[StrangeWig]

I haven't played the old school Castlevania games at all, so I can't really judge what's the best style.

But putting that aside, my favorite Castlevania game is Aria of Sorrow. I played Shympony of the Night, and to be honest, I thought it was pretty boring after the first impression. The game just gets too easy at a certain point, and re-exploring the castle upsidedown isn't that interesting. The story is pretty good but it's pace is VERY SLOW (sometimes, hours of gameplay pass through without a single story development). Now, the bosses are really awesome (although easy), the music is marvelous, and the scenarios/graphics are top notch.

AoS has all the good points of SotN, without it's weaknesses. Sad that it's just a GBA title.

[Atsuma]

I had a castlevania for the PS2 that I sold, then I bought another one called Curse of Darkness? It's where you get to train little devils that help you during your questing. I also had one for the N64, but don't remember the name. My favorite would be Curse of Darkness, if that's the game's title.

[CZG]

I have only played that SNES game and I thought it was pretty decent. I didn't like it as much as AoL, but it was still pretty good. I quite liked the chain / hookshot effect and the game made you feel pretty good in combat. You should get Turtles 1 for the NES too, if you liked the sidescrolling terror.

PS1) If you can get your hands on Wonderboy in Monsterland... Play that too. But it's no Nintendo game. It was on the Commodore 64. You can problably just download it, but I haven't checked yet. I though it was great.

PS2) What happened to Castlevania 2? You didn't like it?
Is it a top-down view game? I know it's not, but we are on a Zelda site right?

[Dragmire]

:rolleyes:I love Castlevania. At least the old school games. I bought Castlevania 1, 3, and 4 from Virtual Console and really like them. I personally prefer the linear sidescrolling style of the older games to the "Metroidvania" games as some call them.

completely agree with you, if i wanna play metroid ill play metroid.

my favourite is super castlevania 4, its just amazing
then castlevania 1 then 3 then 2 (terribly flawed and horrible bosses but just had a nice feeling when playing it) and the rest im not too interested in them, i tried almost all the new ones out and theyre ok but nowhere near as good as the first 4