When players think of Dracula in a video game, theCastlevaniafranchise immediately comes to mind. In theCastlevaniaseries, players take control of vampire hunters such as those from the Belmont family, as they stop Dracula’s resurrection in his fortress named Castlevania. Such was the popularity of the horror platformer in both difficulty and mechanics that it spawned more than 30 games across different platforms.
However, withCastlevaniabecoming a household name for platformers, the franchise’s popularity also created trends and tropes commonly associated with the series. When players launch aCastlevaniagame and play a blind playthrough, what tropes should they expect from the title?
10The Dracula Encounter
Appears In: All ExceptLament Of Innocence, Aria of Sorrow, Dawn of Sorrow, Harmony of Dissonance
It wouldn’t be a part of theCastlevaniafranchise ifit didn’t have some form of Draculain it. With the game’s premise centered around Dracula’s resurrection within the titular Castlevania fortress, mostCastlevaniagames end up with players fighting Dracula across two or three phases before finally vanquishing him. And with Dracula being the “embodiment” of evil, he’s always destined to return in anotherCastlevaniagame.
Due to Dracula’s periodical resurrections,Castlevaniaentries often present the mystery of Dracula’s rise. While plot lines revolving rituals are commonplace across games, little twists often add color to these story hooks. For instance,Aria of SorrowandDawn of Sorrowrevolve around Dracula’s return through reincarnation, whereas the 3DLords of Shadowentries feature a retelling of the Dracula-Belmont story.
9The Belmont Legacy
Appears In: Most Games in the Series
Family remains one of themost iconic themes in anyCastlevaniaentry, starring the Belmonts and their family’s mission in killing Dracula across generations. While the family’s history as vampire hunters canonically begins inLament of Innocence, games as far back as the originalCastlevaniaalready starred a Belmont as Dracula’s nemesis.
Despite likely being created as stand-ins to Bram Stoker’s Abraham Van Helsing, the Belmonts have cemented their legacy in gaming as the antithesis of Dracula. Save for a few protagonists such as Alucard (Symphony of the Night), Soma Cruz (AriaandDawn of Sorrow), Shanoa (Order of Ecclesia),and the Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Anuin duo (Portrait of Ruin), a Belmont usually headlines aCastlevaniaentry.
8The Vampire Whip
Popularized By:Castlevania (1986)
Where Samus Aran has herArm Cannon in theMetroidfranchise, the Belmonts have the ever-reliableVampire Whip. Touted as a whip capable of damaging even the fiercest of supernatural foes, the Vampire Whip facilitates mid-ranged combat across different directions in theCastlevaniagames. The Vampire Whip can get an assortment of modifications based on the games in question.
Since the Vampire Whip serves as the player’s main weapon in mostCastlevaniagames, it can transition into modes that provide higher damage, better range, and even elemental buffs, improving the player’s overall combat performance. It’s because of the Vampire Whip’s iconic nature that protagonists who don’t use it (such as Alucard, Soma Cruz, and even Shanoa) remain iconic in their respective games.
Popularized By:Aria Of Sorrow, Portrait Of Ruin
As well as including Alucard’s most popular design,Symphony of the Nightshowcased a unique approach to gameplay-as-narrative through obligatory bad endings that show dire consequences should heroes fail their initial playthrough. Such a situation is seen when Alucard fights Richter Belmont inSymphony, as it’s hinted that he’s being controlled by an ominous spell.
Unlike other platformers that encourage players to finish stages in a certain way,mandatory access to bad endingsimproves upon the dark atmosphere. Another version of this is seen inPortrait of Ruin, where killing the Sisters ends the game unless players use the Sanctuary to save their souls.
6Secret Extra Modes
Appears In:Symphony Of The Night, Aria Of Sorrow, Dawn Of Sorrow, Portrait Of Ruin
TheCastlevaniafranchise amps up replayability courtesy ofsecret extra modes, allowing players to use other characters they met in the game. While other platformers allow players to use allies as alternate characters,Castlevania’s premise of having to fight Dracula alone makes post-game playthroughs with other characters more interesting.
This trend begins withRondo of Blood,as a playthrough gives players access to Maria Renard, a magic-user Ricther rescued in the game. Meanwhile,Aria of Sorrowlets players use Julius Belmont after finishing the game with Soma Cruz, while its sequelDawn of Sorrowwill haveAlucard and Yoko Belnades join the Belmont descendant. In a different take on the concept,Portrait of Ruinunlocks Old Axe Armor mode that lets them play as the weak monster.
5The Arrival Of Sub-Weapons
Popularized By: All Games
ABelmont’s Vampire Hunterwhip serves as the main weapon of most series protagonists. However,Castlevaniagameplay sets itself apart in the arsenal department ofSub-Weapons.
Entries in theCastlevaniaseries often give protagonists access to Sub-Weapons scattered throughout the game world. Including Swords, Axes, Crosses, and other weapon types, these armaments offer special attacks that give players expanded combat options. While usually ammunition-based and limited in quantity, using Sub-Weapons and their associated Item Crashes can wreak havoc against enemies.
4Unlockable Movement
Popularized By:Symphony Of The Night
Platformers usually provide players with unique movement mechanics at the onset, allowing the likes of Mega Man and Zero to pull off dashes, double jumps, and wall climbs in their fights against robot opponents. This isn’t the case inCastlevaniatitles. Most games in the series require players to search for these respective power-ups throughout the castle.
A common movementpower-up of is the double jump, since this gives protagonists a vertical edge against brutal boss fights. However, what makes unlockable movement worth the find is how it lets players explore morep of the castle. This is experienced inSymphony of the Night, where Alucard slowly completes his exploration of the massive castle upon getting Relics that unlock special skills like the Mist Form.
3Familiar Boss Roster
Other platformers often feature common enemy types, but different bosses. TheCastlevaniaseries often boasts different versions of the same bosses across different games. Alongside the castle being the game’s primarily highlight, combining new bosses and mechanics alongside modified classic foes add a sense of dread acrossCastlevaniaentries.
Such a design trend is also consistent with the game’s premise. With Castlevania being essentiallythe same home of Dracula in eachCastlevaniatitle, it’s reasonable that renovations across centuries won’t necessarily change its inhabitants. Moreover, familiarity with boss types in different games gives vets an honorary advantage for being familiar with their basic playstyles.
2The Death Conundrum
Popularized By: All Games ExceptThe Adventure, Belmont’s Revenge
WhileCastlevaniabosses often return inCastlevaniaentrieswith new sprites and ability modifications, there’s one villain who reappears more often than most foes in the series: Death. Appearing in allCastlevaniagames exceptThe AdventureandBelmont’s Revenge, Death takes the role of Dracula’s right-hand man.
Most of the time, Death is the last foe to stand in the way before the final fight with Dracula. Just like Death is the final emissary of a person’s time on Earth, Death is often fought in aCastlevania’s version of the Clock Tower. Death sometimes makes appearances as the first of Dracula’s bosses to greet players in the game, oftent taunting them while also serving as a tutorial boss.
1The Second Castle
Popularized By:Symphony Of The Night, Harmony Of Dissonance
In aMario-esque twist to anyCastlevaniastory, a player’s journey may literally be turned upside down with the discovery that the second half of the story is locked within a second “castle” in the game. A trend started by Alucard’s discovery of an upside down Castlevania inSymphony of the Night,most subsequentCastlevaniaplatformersoften feature a second castle.
Popular iterations of this trope have appeared in the franchise’s other platformers sinceSymphony.Harmony of Dissonancefeatured two separate Castlevanias across different dimensions, and players had to bounce back and forth to unlock the Dracula confrontation.Portrait of Ruinfeatures mini-stages that players can enter through maps. Lastly,Order of Ecclesiawill have players traverse multiple maps instead of solely the titular castle.
