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Game Groups > Castlevania / Akumajō Dracula series

Castlevania, or Akumajō Dracula (Japanese: 悪魔城ドラキュラ, "Devil Castle Dracula"), is a series of action games by Konami. The series' setting and plot elements are loosely based on Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, focusing on the titular fictional character. Most of the protagonists in the series (with a few notable exceptions) belong to the Belmont family and are vampire hunters who venture into Dracula's castle with the goal of defeating the powerful vampire following one of his resurrections. The games usually take place in a dark castle and its surroundings, which are populated by horror-themed enemies.

Classic Castlevania games are 2D platformers in which the protagonist advances through linear stages, defeating regular enemies and bosses. Members of the Belmont family are armed with a whip, which they can also use to destroy parts of the scenery (candle, walls, etc.) to obtain hearts, food and items. Health can be replenished by eating; hearts are used to execute special attacks with equipped items, e.g. throwing axes, daggers, holy crosses, etc.

The first game in the series came in two variants, one of which, Vampire Killer (1986), introduced non-linear exploration elements to the standard action platforming formula. Simon's Quest (1987) expanded upon that idea and added light role-playing elements such as a world map, monetary system, and a day-and-night cycle.

Of the subsequent installments, Symphony of the Night (1997) took the farthest step on the RPG road, adding experience points and leveling-up to the core gameplay. It also greatly expanded the playing environment, introducing large interconnected stages, some of which could be explored in a non-linear fashion. Some of the series' further incarnations emulated this gameplay concept.

Together with Metroid, later Castlevania installments lead to the concept of a sub-genre dubbed Metroidvania, in which traditional platform elements are combined with heavier character customization and a large game world that the player can explore in a non-linear fashion.

Related Site(s)

The Castlevania Dungeon - A fansite devoted to the games of the Castlevania series. Content includes game info/descriptions, plot summaries, various kinds of media (images, MP3s, etc.) and links to other Castlevania-related sites.

Trivia

Cancelled Dreamcast game

There was a Dreamcast game that was in the works but was canceled sometime around March of 2000. A playable demo that was made for E3 exists.

Cancelled Sega 32X game

There was a Sega 32X game that was in the works but was canceled sometime between December 1994 and October 1995. It is usually referred to as Castlevania: The Bloodletting, although the subtitle was most likely never meant for this particular Castlevania game.

Captain N: The Game Master

Simon Belmont, the protagonist from the first installments of the series, appeared as regular character in the Saturday morning TV cartoon Captain N: The Game Master.

Information also contributed by Guy Chapman

Related Groups

67 Games

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Title Platforms Released
Akumajō Dracula: The Arcade Arcade 2009
box cover thumbnail Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun NES, DoJa 1990
box cover thumbnail Castlevania DOS, Game Boy Advance, Amiga, NES, Commodore 64, J2ME, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Arcade, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 1986
box cover thumbnail Castlevania Nintendo 64 1999
box cover thumbnail Castlevania Chronicles PlayStation, PSP, PlayStation 3, Sharp X68000, PS Vita 1993
box cover thumbnail Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge Game Boy 1991
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest Dedicated handheld 1989
box cover thumbnail Castlevania II: Simon's Quest NES, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U 1987
box cover thumbnail Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse NES, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U 1989
box cover thumbnail Castlevania Judgment Wii 2008
box cover thumbnail Castlevania Legends Game Boy 1997
box cover thumbnail Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night iPhone, Windows Phone 2010
box cover thumbnail Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the... PlayStation 4 2018
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Advance Collection Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series, Xbox One 2021
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Anniversary Collection Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Luna 2019
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow Game Boy Advance, J2ME, Wii U 2003
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Bloodlines Genesis, Nintendo Switch 1994
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Game Boy Advance, Wii U 2001
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Curse of Darkness PlayStation 2, Xbox 2005
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow Nintendo DS, J2ME 2005
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Double Pack Game Boy Advance 2006
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Dracula X SNES, New Nintendo 3DS, Wii U 1995
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls iPad, Android, Macintosh, tvOS, iPhone 2019
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Harmony of Despair Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One 2010
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Harmony of Despair - Extra... PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2011
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Harmony of Despair - Extra... PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2011
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Harmony of Despair - Extra... PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2011
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Harmony of Despair - Extra... PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2011
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Harmony of Despair - Getsu... PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2011
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Harmony of Despair - Maria... PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2010
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Harmony of Despair - Music Pack 1 PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2010
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Harmony of Despair - Music Pack 2 PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2010
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Harmony of Despair - Richter... PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2010
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Harmony of Despair - Simon... PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2011
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance Game Boy Advance, Wii U 2002
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Lament of Innocence PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 2003
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness Nintendo 64 1999
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 2010
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (Limited Edition) Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 2010
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo 3DS 2013
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Resurrection Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 2011
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Reverie Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 2011
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Ultimate Edition Windows 2013
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 2014
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 - Armored... PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows 2014
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 - Dark... PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows 2014
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 - Digital Bundle PlayStation 3 2014
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 - Relic Rune Pack Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows 2014
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 - Revelations Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 2014
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Collection Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 2013

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