Best castlevania games of all time

Is it controversial to have anything but Symphony of the Night or Aria of Sorrow in the top spot? Probably, but being right isn't always easy. Super Castlevania IV is the original Castlevania formula perfected, completed with some of the best action-platforming ever delivered in a 2D game. The stiff movement of the earlier games is replaced by fine-tuned jumps that you can adjust in the air, and the Super Nintendo's increased power allowed Konami to offer more ambient effects, better environments, and a much more detailed Simon Belmont sprite.

A very slight and intentional freeze-frame effect when hitting enemies also gives each attack more weight without needing rumble in the controller, which is especially important when facing off against the game's difficult bosses. But do you think any of that matters? You're so stupid! Super Castlevania IV could be legendary based on its music alone. Using the SNES' excellent sound chip, gothic-style organs blare as you fight through the spooky sections of Dracula's castle, and the tunes will be stuck in your head for weeks after you finish playing.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news gamespot. Castlevania NES Castlevania The game that started it all on the NES and began--at least in terms of release order--the ongoing struggle between the Belmont family and the legendary vampire Dracula, the first Castlevania did a whole lot right.

Castlevania: Bloodlines Genesis Castlevania: Bloodlines 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.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow The successor to Aria of Sorrow--more on that one in a bit--Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow continued its more modern story and setting, ditching the centuries-old tales of past games and putting players back in the shoes of Soma Cruz. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia The last Nintendo DS game in the series--and the last retail Castlevania game before the franchise was reimagined--Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is also the final original game in the series with legendary producer Koji Igarashi's involvement.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Originally revealed without the Castlevania name attached to it, anyone playing through most of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow may wonder what it had to do with the series, at all, with the exception of the "Belmont" surname for protagonist Gabriel.

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow The last game in the series to release for Game Boy Advance was also the best, and it did so by moving further away from the standard Castelvania setting and premise as much as possible. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Castlevania: Symphony of the Night The game that changed everything, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was a pretty radical departure for the series, moving from mostly level-based action-platforming to an open-ended action-RPG that took clear inspiration from the Metroid series.

Super Castlevania IV. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. Castlevania: Bloodlines. PlayStation 5.

Only the Game Boy version came to the U. With whimsical, upbeat action that straddles the line between miniaturizing and satirizing classic Castlevania moments along with riffs on King Kong and other media works , Kid Dracula is as fun as its dopey remixes of beloved Castlevania tunes would suggest. Rather than attempt to continue the Castlevania saga in 3D like Lament of Innocence , Lords of Shadow developer MercurySteam more or less took a clean-break approach that allowed for new story ideas and new approaches to play.

Less successful: The clumsy-yet-pretentious script. This, the purported inspiration for Lords of Shadow, was a reboot of its own in many respects. As an attempt to rework the 8-bit Castlevania concept for bit hardware, Super Castlevania IV plays like no other chapter of the series. Simon appears as a huge, hulking protagonist whose whip spans nearly the entire screen once powered up; to compensate, the action here moves far more slowly than in previous games and tends to be decidedly lower on difficulty.

A killer soundtrack, a corny haunted house atmosphere and lots of interesting Super NES-specific effects make for a memorable journey, but the underlying gameplay suffers from the awkwardness of being, somehow, a dramatic reinvention of the Castlevania concept tied slavishly to existing mechanics.

Ostensibly a sequel to Lament of Innocence , Curse of Darkness abandoned the look and style of that outing in favor of a darker adventure that took tremendous liberties with the Castlevania concept.

While it suffers from some pacing flaws and the clumsiness common to action games of the era, Curse of Darkness feels more like its own creature than any other 3D Castlevania outing.

It drops the whip-based combat in favor of shorter-range melee skills and places the burden of mechanical variety on the demons its protagonist a former servant of Dracula by the name of Isaac can synthesize and summon. Similarly, Castlevania: The Adventure was intended to be a successor to the NES Castlevania games but went horribly awry, so the series had to look to those older console-based adventure to get back on track.

But have no doubt: This is Castlevania through and through. Sometimes, practical constraints can suffocate the life from a game; but every once in a while, they work to its benefit. Harmony of Despair is a case of the latter. Clearly designed as an attempt to create an online, cooperative Castlevania game with as small a budget as possible, it consists almost entirely of recycled material drawn from across the entire franchise, smashed together with little regard for consistency or cohesion.

Every level turns sprawling metroidvania maps into a self-contained challenge to be beaten with the help of friends within a time limit. While the metroidvania approach was beginning to feel a bit long in the tooth by the time Portrait of Ruin arrived, it managed to keep things feeling fresh by mixing things up a bit. Players controlled two heroes at once — whip-wielding Jonathan and spell-casting Charlotte — swapping instantly between them with the touch of a button. Narratively, it works as a sequel to Bloodlines , and its portal-based structure allowed the action to range far beyond Transylvania.

Unfortunately, the grindy weapon system and repetitive back half drag things down despite all the obvious attention and care that went into the game. At heart, though, this is pure, classic whip-and-jump Castlevania action at its best Add to that some stunning music and creative level designs that incorporate hardware-pushing tech tricks in a meaningful way and you have a forgotten Castlevania that merits rediscovery. Its creative whip-based combat and tight, exacting control scheme paired beautifully with the artful level design and challenging but never unfair monsters to make a tough but manageable game.

In some ways a refinement of the great ideas contained in Aria of Sorrow — not to mention a vast audio-visual overhaul made possible by the move from GBA to DS — Dawn of Sorrow falls somewhat short of its predecessor thanks to a few poor design choices that appear to have trickled down from the corporate offices.

Worse, the boss battles are punctuated by an ill-conceived touchscreen gimmick in an attempt to show off the DS hardware Despite these shortcomings, Dawn of Sorrow has one of the best gameplay loops in the series thanks to its soul-capturing system.

Oh, and the unlockable bonus mode is a heart-warming love letter to Castlevania III. Yet another attempt to remake the original Castlevania , this is the best of them. Originally released on the Japan-only Sharp X home computer, it was remade for PlayStation with some new features years later.

The final true metroidvania game, Order of Ecclesia does a pretty good job of synthesizing the appeal of that format while adding its own ideas to the mix. Foremost among those: A ragingly brutal difficulty level, intended to encourage players to make use of the granular, RPG-style attributes and weaknesses system.

Then again, that route is totally optional So is it really all that bad? Protagonist Trevor Belmont can travel one of several different paths to the end of the game, and he can team up with one of three different vampire hunters for help tackling Dracula The most widely beloved entry of the Castlevania franchise by far, Symphony of the Night not only changed the direction of the series but also defined an entire genre of gaming.

Drawing equal inspiration from its own predecessors and from landmark action RPGs like Zelda II and Metroid , Symphony worked as a love letter to a decade of Castlevania adventures, a rousing defense of 2D graphics and gameplay in the face of an industry-wide shift to 3D, and a rich new evolution of platform gaming in its own right. Seemingly simple jump-and-slash action enjoyed surprising depth thanks to the integration of role-playing and inventory systems.

The soundtrack used the CD format to elevate the audio standards of a series already renowned for its killer music. Symphony of the Night did a lot well, and some of its best moments were never matched. Aria brings the series forward into the future, positing a final decisive defeat of Count Dracula in — an event whose fallout drives the story here. The plot in turn feeds into the core game mechanic, which allows hero Soma Cruz to capture the souls of defeated monsters and harness their powers as his own.

Disagree with this list? Let me know what you would change! I understand there are a lot of titles I am probably missing like Rondo of Blood , however keep in mind that this only a Top 5 list. If you enjoyed this article, please consider checking out my youtube channel : I post content there frequently and I often make video versions of my articles!

You must be joking. This is far from a top 5 Castlevania games of all time. Zack Rezac. I think a lot of people are going to disagree with the Adventure ReBirth pick, and I can see why. I just thought it was an awesome title when it came down to the real meat-and-potatoes of the Castlevania experience.

Just curious, what would your list have been? Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Playstation 3. Castlevania: Bloodlines Genesis 4. Super Castlevania lV is the best Castlevania game ever made and James Rolfe best explains why in his Epic 4 part special on Castlevania. I think this is a great list, and I saw his series on Castlevania! I am a huge James Rolfe fan and loved that series in particular. I honestly thought about putting Super Castlevania lV at the number one spot, but ultimately this is the list I went with.

My personal list would be. Tons of equipment variety, Innocent Devils that could assist in different ways and help you access new areas, smooth and satisfying combat, and some pretty decent visuals as well. You completely loss me when Symphony of the Night was not number 1. What we should really be talking about is when will it be remade with PS5 graphics and brought back. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Connect with us. Share Tweet. Image: Konami.

You may like. JohnCReally September 26, at am. Zack Rezac September 26, at pm.