Castlevania
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This article is for the entire Castlevania series. For the first game in the series, see Castlevania (video game).
Image:Castlevania.gif Castlevania (キャッスルヴァニア) is a video game series, created and developed by Konami. The series debuted in Japan with the release of Demon Castle Dracula (悪魔城ドラキュラ Akumajō Dracula) for the Famicom Disk System (FDS) and MSX 2 platforms in 1986. Even though the MSX 2 port (which was localized in Europe and Brazil under the title of Vampire Killer) was released first outside of Japan, the series did not receive wide attention outside of Japan until the FDS version was ported to cartridge format for the Nintendo Entertainment System and localized for North American and European release under the title of Castlevania in 1987. The series was landmark as it was among the earliest video games to feature a gothic horror storyline while at the same time abandoning the campy elements of similar games of the time, such as Ghosts 'n Goblins.
The Castlevania series is one of Konami's most famous franchises, and has seen titles released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Sega Mega Drive, the PC Engine, the Sony PlayStation, the Sega Saturn, the Nintendo 64, the PlayStation 2 and the Microsoft Xbox video game consoles. Several franchise titles have been released for handheld game consoles, including the Game Boy, the Game Boy Advance, and the Nintendo DS, and for various personal computer platforms, including the MSX 2, the Commodore 64, the Sharp X68000, the Commodore Amiga, MS-DOS, and Microsoft Windows.
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Overview
The Castlevania series is about a war between the enchanted family bloodline of the Belmonts and Dracula. Almost every hundred years, Dracula is resurrected and it is up to the Belmonts to defeat him before he invokes his wrath on the entire world.
Image:Castlevania original logo.gifThe most notable Belmont is perhaps Simon Belmont, star of the first several Castlevania games. However, the games feature many other characters, including Belmonts, relatives and other people that the player can control. Included among the usable characters is Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes, also known as Alucard, the son of Dracula himself. Also, several female characters star in some of the later games. See Castlevania characters for more information about the characters of Castlevania.
The series is loosely based on the mythology of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. In fact, the novel is included in the official timeline of the series, with Castlevania: Bloodlines taking place shortly afterwards. The connection even goes as far as to claim that Quincy Morris, a character from the novel who lands the final blow against Dracula at the cost of his own life, is in fact a Belmont descendant. The series also incorporates a variety of other monsters from classic horror fiction, films, fantasy, and mythology. These monsters serve to obstruct the path to Dracula but are rarely tied to the game's plot.
For a complete timeline of the events of the Castlevania series, take a look at the Castlevania Timeline.
The name Castlevania is something of a misnomer. It presumably is a play on the word Transylvania (the home of Dracula in popular culture); however "Transylvania" comes from the Latin phrase "ultra silvam" meaning "beyond the forest". Therefore the inclusion of the English word "castle" coupled with the omission of "sil" or "syl" effectively makes "Castlevania" a nonsense word.
Regional variations and localization
Image:Japanese Castlevania Famicom Logo.gifIn Japan, the series is most commonly known as Demon Castle Dracula (Akumajō Dorakyura). However, not every installment of the franchise has borne that title. For example, the first two installments for the Nintendo Game Boy were released under the title The Legend of Dracula (ドラキュラ伝説 Dorakyura Densetsu) and the game known in North America as Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse was originally released in Japan as The Legend of the Demon Castle (悪魔城伝説 Akumajō Densetsu). Starting with the release of Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance for the Game Boy Advance, the Japanese games adopted the "Castlevania" name for a brief period. According to series producer Koji Igarashi (or IGA, as he is commonly known), the developers chose to adopt the Castlevania moniker as a way to involve scenarios that do not solely revolve around Dracula himself. Later bowing to overwhelming fan demand, Konami returned to the "Demon Castle Dracula" branding for the Japanese release of Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (悪魔城ドラキュラ 蒼月の十字架 Akumajō Dorakyura Sōgetsu no Jūjika, lit. Demon Castle Dracula: Latin Cross of the Blue Moon).
The series is also known for the differences between the Japanese and English language versions. Particularly in earlier installments, the localization process usually removes a heavy share of violent and religious imagery and references.
In addition, the English localizations have frequently been plagued by a number of omissions, errors and deliberate alterations from their original Japanese counterparts. Notable examples include the mistranslated character names (Solieyu Belmont from Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge is a mistranslation of "Soleil," French for "sun," and the name of the protagonist of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse was changed from "Ralph C. Belmondo" to "Trevor Belmont" for the English version).
Rarity
Several games in the series have been produced in very limited quantities, in North America and Europe at least, and have thus greatly fallen short of demand. Most recently, Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance and Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow have been sold on eBay for two to three times their original selling price, prompting the release of an officially-released "double pack" of both games in early 2006. Demon Castle Dracula X: Rondo of Blood, considered by many Castlevania fans to be the "Holy Grail" of the series due to having been released solely on the Japanese PC Engine CD console, still easily sells for over a hundred dollars, as does the original Japanese version of the MSX installment, Vampire Killer. Other rare editions include the original Sharp X68000 (a Japanese home computer) port of the first title in the series.
Evolution of the games
The gameplay mechanics are fairly consistent among most of the earlier titles. These are typical platform games in which the player takes the role of a whip-wielding warrior from the Belmont family as he ventures inside Castlevania (Count Dracula's castle) and fights a variety of supernatural beasts on his way to defeat Dracula. The whip used by the Belmont clan is a relic named the Vampire Killer, which was blessed with the power to destroy vampires and other creatures of the night (no stake through the heart required). The games also feature secondary weapons that are powered by hearts, all of which can be found by destroying candles. Common secondary weapons are the straight-flying dagger, the overhead-thrown axe, the ground-burning vial of holy water, a holy book that flies in a circular motion around the screen, and the cross, which is wielded like a boomerang.
The general appearance of the characters in the games has also changed since the first installments. In the earlier games, the main characters were usually warriors sporting leather armour or similar garb. As new Castlevania games were released, the heroes' outfits evolved into more elegant, fancy vests. The modern look adopted for the characters in the newer games could be said to have been introduced by Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the first game to feature the Japanese artist Ayami Kojima as the character designer. Another notable detail is the distinctive anime-style design of those characters, which is present in almost the entire series but is more prominent in Rondo of Blood and later titles.
A major turning point in the series was the ground-breaking Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. In addition to shaking off the stiff play controls that had plagued nearly every previous game in the series, Symphony adopted what is sometimes called a Castleroid style of gameplay due to its many similarities to the Metroid series (primarily Super Metroid), and combines this with the console RPG concepts of experience levels, hit points, and equipment. Subsequent Castlevania games have followed this new style, with the replacement of the secondary weapons by complex magic systems in which spell components are collected from enemies or found in the castle. These systems use hearts to replenish MP and often include most of the classic secondary weapons among the much larger variety of spells and attacks.
The first games in the series to employ 3D graphics were released for the Nintendo 64 in the late nineties and received a mixed reception from the fan base. The gameplay of subsequent 3D Castlevania games for the PlayStation 2 are often compared to Capcom's Devil May Cry.
Game list
| North American/European title | Japanese title | System | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castlevania | Demon Castle Dracula (悪魔城ドラキュラ Akumajō Dorakyura) | Famicom Disk System, Commodore 64 NES | 1986 |
| Vampire Killer (Europe and Brazil only) | Demon Castle Dracula | MSX | 1986 |
| Castlevania II: Simon's Quest | Dracula II: The Accursed Seal (ドラキュラII 呪いの封印 Dorakyura II: Noroi no Fūin) | Famicom Disk System, NES | 1987 |
| Haunted Castle | Demon Castle Dracula | Video arcades | 1988 |
| Castlevania: The Adventure | The Legend of Dracula (ドラキュラ伝説 Dorakyura Densetsu) | Game Boy | 1989 |
| Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse | The Legend of the Demon Castle (悪魔城伝説 Akumajō Densetsu) | NES | 1990 |
| Super Castlevania IV | Demon Castle Dracula | Super NES | 1991 |
| Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge | The Legend of Dracula II (ドラキュラ伝説II Dorakyura Densetsu II) | Game Boy | 1991 |
| Dracula X: Rondo of Blood (Not released in North America/Europe) | Demon Castle Dracula X: Rondo of Blood (悪魔城ドラキュラＸ血の輪ロンドAkumajō Dorakyura X Chi no Rondo) | PC Engine | 1993 |
| Castlevania X68000 (Not released in North America/Europe) | Demon Castle Dracula (悪魔城ドラキュラ Akumajō Dorakyura) | Sharp X68000 | 1993 |
| Castlevania: Bloodlines Castlevania: The New Generation (Europe) | Vampire Killer (バンパイアキラー) | Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis | 1994 |
| Castlevania: Dracula X Castlevania: Vampire's Kiss (Europe) | Demon Castle Dracula XX (悪魔城ドラキュラＸＸ Akumajō Dorakyura XX) | Super NES | 1995 |
| Castlevania: Symphony of the Night | Demon Castle Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight (悪魔城ドラキュラＸ月下の夜想曲 Akumajō Dracula X: Gekka no Yasōkyoku) | PlayStation, Sega Saturn | 1997 |
| Castlevania Legends | Demon Castle Dracula: Dark Night Prelude (悪魔城ドラキュラ漆黒たる前奏曲 Akumajō Dracula: Shikkoku Taru Zensōkyoku) | Game Boy | 1998 |
| Castlevania (a.k.a. Castlevania 64) | Demon Castle Dracula Apocalypse (悪魔城ドラキュラ黙示録 Akumajō Dracula Mokushiroku) | Nintendo 64 | 1999 |
| Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness | Demon Castle Dracula Apocalypse Side-Story: Legend of Cornell (悪魔城ドラキュラ黙示録外伝 Akumajō Dracula Mokushiroku Gaiden) | Nintendo 64 | 1999 |
| Castlevania Chronicles | Castlevania Chronicle: Demon Castle Dracula (悪魔城年代記 悪魔城ドラキュラ Akumajō Nendaiki: Akumajō Dracula) | PlayStation | 2001 |
| Castlevania: Circle of the Moon | Demon Castle Dracula: Circle of the Moon | Game Boy Advance | 2001 |
| Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance | Castlevania: Concerto of the Midnight Sun (キャッスルヴァニア白夜の協奏曲 Castlevania: Byakuya no Kōsōkyoku) | Game Boy Advance | 2002 |
| Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow | Castlevania: Minuet of Dawn (キャッスルヴァニア暁月の円舞曲 Castlevania: Akatsuki no Enbukyoku) | Game Boy Advance | 2003 |
| Castlevania: Lament of Innocence | Castlevania (キャッスルヴァニア) | PlayStation 2 | 2003 |
| Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow | Demon Castle Dracula: Cross of the Blue Moon (悪魔城ドラキュラ 蒼月の十字架 Akumajō Dracula: Sōgetsu no Jūjika) | Nintendo DS | 2005 |
| Castlevania: Curse of Darkness | Demon Castle Dracula: Curse of Darkness (悪魔城ドラキュラ 闇の呪印 Akumajō Dracula: Yami no Juin) | PlayStation 2, Xbox | 2005 |
| Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin | Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin) | Nintendo DS | 2006 |
Related games
There are also six parody games created by Konami that have Castlevania-related elements or characters. These, according to Castlevania Dungeon, are:
| Game Title | Console/Platform | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Konami Wai Wai World | Family Computer | 1988 | Released only in Japan, unofficial English translation by Demiforce |
| Wai Wai World 2: SOS From Parsley Castle!! | Family Computer | 1991 | Released only in Japan, unofficial English translation by Kitsune Sniper |
| Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun | Family Computer | 1991 | Released only in Japan, unofficial English translation by Kitsune Sniper |
| Kid Dracula | Game Boy | 1993 | Released as Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun in Japan |
| Sexy Parodius | Arcade, PlayStation, Sega Saturn | 1996 | Released only in Japan |
| Konami Krazy Racers | Game Boy Advance | 2001 | Released as Wai Wai Racing in Japan. In this game, Dracula is a playable character. |
Chronology
- See main article: Castlevania timeline
Prior to the release of Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, every game in the series was accepted as canon, with the original versions of certain games (such as the original Castlevania and Dracula X) usually accepted as the canonical interpretation of certain events. This was assumed even though there was no official unified direction to the series's storyline (other than conflicts against Dracula). However, when Koji Igarashi took over as producer for the series (starting with Harmony of Dissonance), he revised the timeline and removed the following games from it: Castlevania Legends, Castlevania 64, Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness and Castlevania: Circle of the Moon.
Other media
In November 2005, news of a Castlevania movie surfaced. Crystal Sky Pictures acquired the movie rights for Castlevania from Konami. British filmmaker Paul W. S. Anderson has been announced as director. No cast has been announced and production is expected to start in mid-2006. [1]
External links
Template:Wikiquote Official websites:
- Akumajō Dracula series at Konami Tokyo (Japanese language)
- Castlevania series at Konami USA
- Fan websites
- Castlevania: The Blood Way Fan-made flash game
- The Castlevania Dungeon
- Castlevania: Disharmony A text-based Castlevania RPG
- The Castlevania Saga
- CastlevaniaRL A roguelike game based on the Castlevania mythos
- Mr. P's Castlevania Realm
- Other websites
- Castlevania Series at MobyGames
- Castlevania series at the Open Directory Project
- The History of Castlevania at GameSpot.com
See Also
Template:Castlevania seriesde:Castlevania es:Castlevania fr:Castlevania gl:Castlevania ko:악마성 드라큘라 jbo:pacruxydinj ja:悪魔城ドラキュラ pt:Castlevania fi:Castlevania sv:Castlevania