Due to the nature of Dracula’s curse, his iconic Castlevania fortress resurfaces in the centuries that span theCastlevaniafranchise. Though it always boasts an imposing Gothic appearance, Dracula’s Castlevania changes each of its iterations, reflecting both the nature of the games and the progression of time. Alongside Dracula’s resurrection every century, his castle resurfaces with a new appearance.
While the enemies and bosses constantly roam the halls of Dracula’s Castles, the castles' framework makes eachCastlevaniaentry more challenging than the last. Across Konami’s roster ofCastlevaniaentries, specific versions of Dracula’s Castle dominate the rest regarding visual and game design.
TheCastlevaniafranchise officially begins with the game of the same name, with “Castlevania” referring to Dracula’s castle. As Simon Belmont, players mustuse his Vampire Whipto traverse eighteen Stages across six Levels, fighting bosses such as the Giant Bat, Medusa, and Death.
TheoriginalCastlevaniamap features eventual franchise stapleslaid out straightforwardly. Staples include the tutorial session by the gate, open-air rooftops, a drop to underground caverns, and the iconic climb on the clock tower to fight Dracula. Although possessing a linear progression, each stage helps players get used to the game’s mechanics.
A remake of Simon’s victoryagainst Dracula,Super Castlevania 4improves upon the originalCastlevaniawith a tighter level design.Super Castlevania 4lives up to its name by adding more challenge to platforming despite having a linear map.
Super Castlevania 4possesses a longer map with more stage elements. The beginning of the game challenges players with moving stream water, hinting at the background mechanics that lie ahead. Players eventually encounter traps, a room that moves in a circle, and a boss that shrinks the more players destroy the immediate environment.
WithSymphony of the Night’s co-director Koji Igarashi as the producer ofHarmony of Dissonance, this“ spiritual successor” becomes an immediate point of comparison to Alucard’s protagonist debut.Harmonytries to elevateSymphony’s explorationwith another attempt at a two-castle system.
In a bid to return to concepts fromSymphony, gameplay inHarmony of Dissonancetakes place in a more spread-out castle. Unlocking the Room of Illusion gives players access to one of multiple teleporting areas, which aids in the back-and-forth between each castle. Defeating the game requires full exploration of the two maps.
Richter Belmont inRondo of Bloodarms himself with the Vampire Killer Whip to rescue his beloved Annette in Dracula’s castle. Being the first Castlevania game to dabble into branching paths,Rondo of Bloodgives players freedom of choice early in the game. Players can pursue alternating routes to tackle all of thegame’s stages and bosses, save for a section exclusive to a second playthrough.
In the game’s rescue side mission, Richter does some back-and-forth between the game’s “upper” and “lower” stages, exposing him to unique backdrops such as a river raft level and a ghost ship. Paths merge again before the fight against Shaft and Dracula.
The absence of the Belmonts in the 1800s put the world’s fate in the hands of Shanoa, an amnesiac member of the titular Order of Ecclesia. Shanoa can only finish the first half of the game upon rescuing all villagers of the hub town of Wygol, which brings players on a tour of forests and mountains, as well as unique settings like a prison island and a manor.
Saving all villagers unlocks Castlevania, smaller than other games' iterations of the castle. However, most of the court becomes accessible once Shanoa phases the walls, leaving most other bosses optional. Defeating Death also gives access to optional training hall and large cavern stages, while the iconic ascent to the clock tower puts Shanoa face-to-face with the Count.
Portrait of Ruintasks the duo Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin todefeat Draculain his castle. Castlevania in this game is relatively compact. The game prioritizes exploring “extra” areas, courtesy of the eponymous Portraits scattered across levels.
The decision to create separate areas inside Castlevania removes the need to make backgrounds and environments consistent with the structure of Dracula’s castle. This option paved the way for unique locales such as deserts, forests, and even an antigravity dimension.
Despite not carrying the blood of the Belmonts, Nathan Graves ofCircle of the Moonproves himself worthy as he defeats Dracula inone of the most challenging titles in the series.Circle of the Moon’s Castlevania condenses its surface area into nine major Levels. Unlocking movement remains a central aspect of exploration, as each level from the starting catacombs will open mobility options.
The second half of the game opens afterward, unlocking puzzle components such as a high-level Carmilla guarding a poisonous waterway. Defeating Carmilla unlocks the high jump. The late game consists of a rerun of bosses via the battle arena, and a climactic finish with Dracula.
Alucard’s adventures inSymphony of the NightcementCastlevaniaas a Metroidvania game. The game’s starting segment pits Alucard againstRondo’s final bosses. Eventually, it opens up an iteration of Castlevania. Unlocking Alucard’s Double Jump and his Mist and Bat Forms eventually unlocks three more sets of “hidden” areas, leading to the surprise twist of the game: a second castle.
This “second castle” inSymphonystarts the trend of extra areas in the latter half of most of itsCastlevaniasequels. WhileSymphony’s second castle remains revolutionary, it’s held back by the clunkiness of traversal mechanics. While this mechanic is rehashed and improved upon by other games, the exploration inSymphonyremains unmatched.
Dawn of Sorrowtrades in extra dimensions and a second castle with its singular compact fortress. Players control Soma, whose dark powers have returned. Being a Nintendo DS game,Dawn of SorrowincorporatesAria’s condensed castle with gimmicks such as stylus-enabled ice-breaking, a stage with shuffling rooms, and a multi-layered boss fight involving mirror dimensions.
Unlocking all endings is a part of the game’s main progression. One bad ending has Dario hinting at two other boss fights. Another bad ending unlocks bothDracula Somaand the post-game Julius Mode. The good ending involves entering the Abyss to kill Abbadon and the Colossal Menace.
Canonically the last entry in the franchise’s story,Aria of Sorrowpresents Castlevania without its owner, as the game explores the inheritor of Dracula’s powers. Soma’s Tactical Souls encourage the full exploration of the map, which consists of asingle castle that packs the tightness ofSymphonywithout the backtracking ofDawn.
Aria of Sorrowworks its way around the Game Boy Advance’s limited hardware by focusing on a larger map instead of having an extra castle. Soma can also take full advantage of the Tactical Soul System with the game’s Warp Rooms, giving easy access to areas with specific monsters. Warp Rooms also give players convenient access to a shop outside the castle, for the most consistent exploration in the series.
