Castlevania

The franchise’s history is cleanly divided into two distinct eras, each beloved for different reasons.

series (2010) offered a cinematic retelling of the series' origin. The Netflix Universe

In 1997, the series underwent a seismic shift with the release of . Moving away from linear stages, it introduced a vast, interconnected castle that required players to backtrack as they gained new abilities—a design philosophy that, combined with the Metroid series, birthed the popular "Metroidvania" genre. Castlevania

Where to start?

From the 8-bit chiptunes of the NES to the orchestral scores of the DS, by way of the bloody anime of Netflix, has never truly died. It sleeps for a few years, like its vampire lord, waiting for the right moment to rise again. With rumors of a new game circulating the industry (and the massive success of indie "Igavanias" like Bloodstained ), the whip hand of the Belmonts remains steady. The franchise’s history is cleanly divided into two

The 2010s were a dark period for the games. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow rebooted the timeline into a God of War clone, and while technically proficient, it lost the quirky, pixel-art soul of the original. For years, fans believed the franchise was dead, with Konami pivoting to pachinko machines (which, ironically, featured gorgeous 4K renders of classic characters that would never be used in a real game).

Directed by Koji Igarashi (Iga), Symphony of the Night fused the action of Castlevania with the exploration and RPG mechanics of Nintendo’s Metroid . This birthed the term "Metroidvania," a sub-genre that dominates indie gaming to this day. Moving away from linear stages, it introduced a

Defined by high-difficulty 2D action platformers like the original Castlevania Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse Super Castlevania IV The Metroidvania Shift: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night