Tag Archives: Metroidvania

Celebration, Konami, Lists

Castlevania Special

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Konami‘s classic Castlevania series is a well-known and much-loved collection of horror-themed games that spans from 1986 to the present day, although some may feel that the series has been neglected in recent times.

Castlevania began its existence in the form of the Famicom Disk System game, Akumajō Dracula, and has undergone many iterations, across almost all video game systems, including in the arcades, on handhelds, and on home computers and consoles.

Here’s a list of all the official Castlevania games ever made. Plus a selection of some of the best fan-made games and hacks.

In celebration of a landmark video game series!

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Homebrew, Konami, PlayStation

Castlevania: Rondo of the Night, PlayStation

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Castlevania: Rondo of the Night is a ROM hack of the PlayStation classic, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and it was first released in June 2024. The aim of the hack is to change the gameplay, so that the player can do quicker and more athletic moves, and to surprise the player with a seemingly never-ending string of good ideas.

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Konami, MSX

Akumajō Dracula, MSX

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The MSX and Famicom Disk System versions of Konami‘s original Akumajō Dracula (aka “Vampire Killer“), were being worked-on simultaneously by developers inside Konami, in 1985 and ‘86.

The Famicom Disk System version was released one month before the MSX version. Although they are essentially the same game, there are some significant differences between them.

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Homebrew, Linux, Lv.4 Games, Modern Retro, PC, Windows

Castlevania ReVamped, PC

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Castlevania ReVamped is a homebrew remake of the original Castlevania, for Windows and Linux, by Lv.4 Games. It was initially released in March of 2024 and was inspired by the developer’s love of the Castlevania series (“it’s something I have wanted to do for many years,” he says, and “it took about four/five months to create“).

The game was made in Game Maker Studio 2 and is based on the first NES Castlevania, and Akumajō Dracula on the X68000 (and the remake in Castlevania Chronicles), and in it you play as the iconic Simon Belmont, with his trusty “Vampire Killer” whip.

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Konami, MercurySteam, PC, Steam, Windows

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate, PC

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Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate was originally released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013. It was released in High Definition for PlayStation 3 and XBox 360 later that same year, then for Windows PCs in 2014.

Mirror of Fate is a sequel/prequel to 2010’s Lords of Shadow, and its story begins prior to the events of its predecessor.

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Hudson Soft, NES/Famicom

Faxanadu, NES/Famicom

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Faxanadu is an action/platform game, developed by Hudson Soft and first published for the Nintendo Famicom in 1987. It is a spin-off from the Falcom Dragon Slayer series and its name is a combination of the words “Famicom” and “Xanadu“, so could even be considered a remake of the second Dragon Slayer game.

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Konami, Nintendo DS

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, Nintendo DS

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Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia was the third Castlevania game released for the Nintendo DS and was released by Konami in 2008. In this one you play as a member of The Order of Ecclesia – a clan dedicated to defeating Dracula.

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Konami, Nintendo DS

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, Nintendo DS

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Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin was the second Castlevania game released for the Nintendo DS and was released by Konami in 2006. Portrait of Ruin is set in 1944, before the end of the Second World War, and Dracula‘s castle has appeared in man’s darkest hour, to push humanity over the brink into ruin.

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Konami, Nintendo DS

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Nintendo DS

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Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow was the first Castlevania game released for the Nintendo DS and was released by Konami in 2005. It is a direct sequel to Aria of Sorrow on the Game Boy Advance and continues the story of that game.

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Konami, Nintendo 64

Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, Nintendo 64

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Set eight years before the events of Castlevania 64, Legacy of Darkness is a prequel to the first N64 Castlevania, featuring a ‘man-beast’ called Cornell who is trying to save his sister, Ada, from being used as a sacrifice to resurrect Dracula.

The game is set in 1844 and begins with Cornell arriving at his home village, only to discover that it’s been burnt to the ground by Dracula’s skeleton army. He finds Ada’s pendant on the ground and follows her scent to Dracula’s castle.

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