Castlevania

The Castlevania franchise is one of the best known and most beloved of all video game franchises. IGN even named the series the fourth best game franchise ever (behind Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda and Mario). The series is about a war between the enchanted family bloodline of the Belmonts and Dracula. Nearly every hundred years, Dracula is resurrected and it is up to the Belmonts to defeat him before he invokes his wrath upon the world. As any Castlevania fan can tell you, the story is much more elaborate than that, but that’s the basic premise.

Now, I’ll admit it, Castlevania totally scared the hell out of me when I was a kid (damn that eerie music), but now I love it all - the intricate plot spanning dozens of games, the gameplay, the gorgeous artwork, and of course, the vampires. So I am creating this post, dedicated to the awesomeness that is Castlevania - and what better way to appreciate Castlevania than by taking a peek at all of the glorious games?

Here’s the vast list of Castlevania games (American releases only):

1. Castlevania (1986)
2. Vampire Killer (1986)
3. Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest (1988)
4. Haunted Castle (1988)
5. The Castlevania Adventure (1989)
6. Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse (1990)
7. Super Castlevania 4 (1991)
8. Castlevania 2: Belmont's Revenge (1991)
9. Castlevania: Bloodlines (1994)
10. Castlevania: Dracula X (1995)
11. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997)
12. Castlevania: Legends (1998)
13. Castlevania (1998)
14. Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness (1999)
15. Castlevania Chronicles (2001)
16. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (2001)
17. Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (2002)
18. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (2003)
19. Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (2003)
20. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (2005)
21. Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (2005)
22. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (2006)
23. Castlevania: Order of Shadows (2007)
24. Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (2007)
25. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (2008)
26. Castlevania: Judgment (2008)
27. Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth (2009)
28. Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night (2010)
29. Castlevania: Harmony of Despair (2010)
30. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (2010)

That’s A LOT of games! If I missed any feel free to let me know in a comment below (keep in mind that this is a list of American releases only, there are others that were released in Japan but not in the US).

Now let your voices be heard! Why do you love Castlevania? Which game is your favorite?

- Moonlight