Best Castlevania Games: TOP 15

• March 10, 2024

15. Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

Even the most seasoned developer may find it difficult to update a mostly 2D series into a 3D adventure, but Konami succeeded in this regard with Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. Castlevania, which was released in 1999 for the N64, was a janky experience, but Lament of Innocence had fantastic action and gothic atmosphere-focused visual direction. Though its simplistic plot and limited material prevent it from being a perfect 3D Castlevania, its polished action gameplay and arcade-inspired action gameplay make it an excellent action game that moves forward like a vampire at a blood drive.

14. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon

Circle of the Moon, on the Game Boy Advance, carried on the metroidvania renaissance of the series, albeit with Symphony of the Night’s shadow lingering longer than Dracula’s custom of reappearance. The primary insight into Circle of the Moon is that it is unquestionably a Castlevania game, with Nathan Graves, the protagonist, amassing a formidable collection of weapons capable of eliminating vampires while exploring a castle beset by supernatural dangers. The dual-select options cleverly changed the action, the pocket-sized adventure was enjoyable to play in short bursts on the Nintendo handheld, and all the fundamentals of Castlevania translated effectively to the tiny GBA screen.

13. Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge

Castlevania was a well-known series with a unique tone and aesthetic by the time Belmont’s Revenge debuted on the Game Boy in 1991. Fans of the Castlevania series who were hoping for a whip-cracking adventure in Dracula’s physics-defying castle in 1989 were not let down, especially considering that Castlevania: The Adventure had a mixed reception upon its Game Boy launch. In contrast, Belmont’s Revenge offered a refined handheld Castlevania experience that could quickly deplete a limited supply of AA batteries as you tracked down Dracula’s goons. It was also faster, smoother, and more visually appealing.

12. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

The Castlevania model was given some intriguing new ideas by Portrait of Ruin, which gave players control over two vampire hunters—Jonathan and Charlotte—each of whom concentrated on a primary strength. Everything you needed for a solid Castlevania that added some intriguing creative flourishes to the formula was there, thanks to Konami’s masterful blending of striking 2D visuals with powerful 3D graphics on the DS, powerful combination attacks, and the clever use of portraits that function as unique environments in which to put monsters to permanent rest.

11. Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

Harmony of Dissonance, Konami’s second Castlevania game on the Game Boy Advance, is among the series’ most important installments on that portable console. Harmony of Dissonance was a portable powerhouse at the time, with sharper graphics than the drab ones in Circle of the Moon and an eclectic variety of powers to sample against the horrific residents of Dracula’s castle. With its revised difficulty levels, it was one of the most gratifying Castlevanias to play, and with two depressing games upcoming, things would only get better on the GBA in the near future.

10. Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse (NES)

Several NES franchises saw significant transformations with their second game before finally returning to their original formulas in a third sequel. It was accomplished by Super Mario, Zelda, and Castlevania as well. Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest was a non-linear game that was often confusing and tiresome. It was succeeded by Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, which adopted a more linear strategy but was still not as simple as the first. Despite having several playable characters—some of whom you may recognize from the animated series—neither of these criticisms implied that the game was any simpler. Rather, it’s maybe the most difficult of the original trilogy, to the extent that giving up and never finishing it makes sense.

9. Castlevania (NES)

The initial Castlevania game got a lot of things right. It was the NES game that started it all and initiated the continuous battle between the Belmont family and the fabled vampire Dracula, at least in terms of release order. Even though they had to be constrained by the system’s modest technology, the enemies and art direction are nonetheless timeless. Even with perfect health and an almost limitless supply of holy water at your disposal, the might of the vampire was demonstrated by having to battle both real Death and legendary monsters before facing Dracula. Nevertheless, the inflexible controls of the first Castlevania made it a very frustrating game as well because you couldn’t course-correct jumps as you could in games like Super Mario Bros. Combine this with a knockback effect when taking damage, and you had a couple of broken controllers.

8. Castlevania: Bloodlines (Genesis)

A Nintendo-exclusive franchise for years (we won’t talk about that terrible arcade game), Castlevania made the jump to the competition with Castlevania: Bloodlines. A Sega Genesis exclusive, it wasn’t drastically different from its predecessors in terms of design, with action-oriented gameplay and the same blend of platforming and tricky combat the series was famous for. Where it really stood out, however, was the weird lore implications it made, including connections to the Bram Stoker Dracula novel that haven’t been that thoroughly explored in most of the series’ other games. Like the other 16-bit era Castlevania games, Castlevania: Bloodlines’ visuals have held up very well, and it’s still just as playable today as it was back in 1994.

7. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

With the departure of the centuries-old stories from earlier games and the return of the player to the role of Soma Cruz, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow carried on the more contemporary storyline and setting of its predecessor, Aria of Sorrow (more on that one later). Though Soma’s powers are far more diversified than those of the Belmont clan, she is a supernatural hero with ever-increasing power that matches the Metroidvania template originally seen in Symphony of the Night. But what really set Dawn of Sorrow apart was what the DS itself had to offer: the game’s map was always visible on the top screen, which freed up area for the action on the bottom screen and reduced the need for pointless pauses. Although it wasn’t the only DS game to accomplish this, but in an exploration-heavy series like Castlevania, it’s extremely helpful.

6. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is the final original game in the series to feature renowned producer Koji Igarashi. It is also the last Castlevania game released for the Nintendo DS and the last Castlevania game sold in stores before the franchise was redesigned. Order of Ecclesia broke from the backtracking-heavy castles in favor of a streamlined approach that melds some components from later games with the level-based early titles, which may have been motivated by his vast involvement with Castlevania. Once more, it stars a character other than a Belmont and puts you in control of Shanoah, who can utilize multiple weapons by stealing foes’ magic in a Kirby-style manner. Order of Ecclesia is made more interesting by this variation, even though we still adore the traditional Vampire Killer whip.

5. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

With the exception of the “Belmont” surname for the main character Gabriel, anyone who plays through the majority of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow may wonder what it had to do with the series at all when it was first announced without the Castlevania moniker attached. But a well-known twist clarifies the Castlevania moniker and ends one of the best-kept action-adventure games of the PS3 and Xbox 360 generations. It became a sleeper smash because to a clever hack-and-slash combat system, orchestral music, a somber tone, and Hollywood actors in the main parts. Unfortunately, given how amazing the original is still today, its sequels—Lords of Shadow 2 and Mirror of Fate—were not as popular.

4. Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

This is where things become a little unclear. Castlevania is available in two separate versions: Rondo of Blood, which we think is the fourth best game in the series, and Castlevania: Dracula X, a Super Nintendo title. Back in the mid-1990s, if you wanted the better game, you had to have a PC Engine—the Japanese name for the TurboGrafx-16. Later on, it was made a little bit easier to play with the inclusion of a remake in Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles, a PS4 port of Castlevania Requiem, and a place on the fantastic TurboGrafx-16 Mini system. The game feels much newer than it actually is because to its eye-catching graphics, fluid animations, and outstanding sound design.Rondo of Blood is an often overlooked entry that can’t be missed, especially because another game on our list is actually a sequel to it.

3. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

The best of the series was also the last game to be released on the Game Boy Advance, and it achieved this by straying as little as possible from the traditional Castelvania setting and plot. Although it took bizarre turns unrelated to the Belmonts and their seemingly never-ending conflict with the vampire ruler, Dracula was nonetheless present in the game. In this game, Soma Cruz makes his first appearance—he reappears in the sequel Dawn of Sorrow—and you can utilize a variety of weapons to defeat your opponents while also utilizing their talents to increase your own power. This is the Castlevania game that was always supposed to be played by Hot Topic customers wearing Hawthorne Heights tees and perfectly styled hair.

2. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the game that started it all, was a very drastic departure for the franchise, switching from primarily level-based action-platforming to an open-ended action-RPG that was obviously influenced by the Metroid series. It even gave rise to a new term for an entire category of video games called “metroidvania,” and Castlevania would largely follow this formula for almost ten years. Symphony of the Night was released on the original PlayStation late into its lifecycle, but Konami opted for a dazzling and classic 2D visual style rather than forcing 3D graphics, something it was forced to do in the lackluster Nintendo 64 games. Along with some inadvertent comedy, the English version of the game had the now-famous “miserable little pile of secrets” remark. Still, enough talking, it’s number 2!

1. Super Castlevania IV

Is it contentious to place anything other than Aria of Sorrow or Symphony of the Night at the top? Most likely, although it’s not always simple to be correct. Super Castlevania IV is a 2D action-platforming game that perfectly embodies the essence of the classic Castlevania series. Fine-tuned jumps that you can alter in midair replace the harsh mobility of the prior games, and Konami was able to give more ambient effects, finer scenery, and a much more complex Simon Belmont sprite thanks to the Super Nintendo’s greater capability. In addition, each attack is given greater weight without requiring the controller to rumble thanks to a very subtle but deliberate freeze-frame effect when hitting foes. This is especially useful when taking on the game’s tough bosses.

But is any of that relevant, in your opinion?You’re quite foolish!Just by listening to its soundtrack, Super Castlevania IV might become a legend. Gothic-style organs blare as you battle through the eerie portions of Dracula’s castle thanks to the amazing sound chip on the SNES, and the tunes will stick in your brain for weeks after you stop playing.