Welcome To The Castlevania Countdown
Ever since the original Castlevania released in 1986, the series has been synonymous with action games. Its difficult, yet ultimately fair, gameplay felt rewarding, and always left players wanting more. Now, 30 years after the series made its debut, it’s time to take a look back at Konami’s signature series.
To celebrate the legacy of the Belmonts (and the many times they’ve defeated Dracula), I’ve come up with a list of the 10 best Castlevania games. Considering the high quality of these titles, a lot of really stellar games (like Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia) didn’t end up making the list. So, keep that in mind as you take a look at my top picks.
Check them out below, and make sure you join in on the conversation by using the comment section below to tell everyone what Castlevania games you love the most!
10. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Despite Castlevania being one of the greatest franchises ever, it has a terrible track record when it comes to 3D games. In fact, up until 2010’s Lords of Shadow there had never been a good 3D Castlevania title. It mixed the series’ signature vampire hunting with God of War-style combat, and created a unique experience. It wasn’t quite the Castlevania that fans knew and loved, but it ended up being a good kind of different. Developer MercurySteam knocked it out of the park here, which they sadly didn’t do with the game’s sequel.
9. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Every Nintendo DS Castlevania game turned out great, but Portrait of Ruin is made special by having players switch between its two protagonists: Jonathan and Charlotte. Each character has their own abilities (with Jonathan wielding a whip), and they can even team up in order to unleash a powerful combo attack. This gives the game a new sense of freedom, and it’s yet another fantastic Castlevania game produced by Koji Igarashi.
8. Castlevania Bloodlines
Castlevania might be best known for its appearances on Nintendo systems, but Sega Genesis owners were offered a treat in the form of Castlevania Bloodlines in 1994. The game bucks the series’ trend of taking place in Dracula’s castle, and instead takes place all over Europe with a plot that ends up causing World War 1. It was well received upon release, but it has become overlooked in the past decade merely because more people have played the NES originals. That’s a shame since it’s easily worth the time of any Castlevania fan.
Check out PAGE 2 for the next batch of games on the countdown.