Global InformationCastlevania information
| Castlevania | |
|---|---|
 Logo of the Castlevania series, introduced with 2003's Lament of Innocence | |
| Genre(s) |
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| Developer(s) |
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| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Creator(s) | Hitoshi Akamatsu[1] |
| Platform(s) | List
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| First release | Castlevania September 26, 1986 |
| Latest release | Castlevania Advance Collection September 23, 2021 |
Castlevania (/ˌkæsəlˈveɪniə/), known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula,[a][2] is a gothic horror action-adventure video game series and media franchise about Dracula, created and developed by Konami. It has been released on various platforms, from early systems to modern consoles, as well as handheld devices such as mobile phones.[3][4] The franchise has expanded into several spin-off video games and other media, including comic books[5] and an animated television series.[6][7]
Castlevania is largely set in the eponymous castle of Count Dracula, the main antagonist of the Belmont clan of vampire hunters.[8] It debuted with 1986's Castlevania for the Nintendo Family Computer Disk System.[9] The first entry and the majority of its sequels are side-scrolling action platformers, and were succeeded by the 1997 game, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Originally released for the PlayStation, it returned to the nonlinear gameplay seen in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, which introduced role-playing elements and exploration.[10] Several installments later adopted Symphony of the Night's gameplay, and along with Super Metroid, it has popularized the Metroidvania genre.[11] 2010 saw the release of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, a 3D action-adventure reboot of the series developed by MercurySteam[12] and Kojima Productions.[13]
Spanning over three decades, Castlevania is one of Konami's most successful and prominent franchises;[14] several of its entries are ranked among the best video games ever made.[15] The success of Castlevania can be attributed to its unique blend of action, adventure, and horror elements.[16] It has been praised for its challenging gameplay mechanics, atmospheric settings, and iconic music.[15] Its influence extends beyond gaming, inspiring a critically acclaimed animated series in 2017 that introduced the franchise to a new audience.[7]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
AkamatsuDevCommentarywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Konami (August 4, 2010). Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. Konami.
Japanese: 歴代の「悪魔城ドラキュラ」シリーズから選ばれた登場キャラクターを操作して、仲間たちと悪魔城に乗り込み、宿敵ドラキュラ伯爵に立ち向かおう。 English translation: Take control of past protagonists from the Castlevania series to brave the Demon Castle alongside friends and defeat the ancient enemy Count Dracula.
- ^ "Windows Mobile – PocketGear.com: Mobile Apps, Software & Games for Windows Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry, Android, Palm and Java devices!". Classic.pocketgear.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2008. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
- ^ "Konami Mobile". Konami Mobile. Archived from the original on June 3, 2008. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
- ^ "Castlevania: The Belmont Legacy". The Castlevania Dungeon. Archived from the original on June 11, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
- ^ Mark Bozon (January 18, 2007). "Castlevania: The Retrospective". IGN. p. 5. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
CVASMetawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
DenOfGeekwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Castlevania (1986) NES release dates". MobyGames. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
- ^ Oxford, Nadia (September 7, 2018). "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Wouldn't Have Happened Without Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest". USGamer. Archived from the original on October 1, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
- ^ "'Castlevania' Creator Koji Igarashi: 'I Don't Feel That I'm a Big Deal'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
GameProwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ McWhertor, Michael (June 1, 2009). "Kojima Taking On Castlevania With Lords Of Shadow". Kotaku.
- ^ Marlowe, Chris (August 4, 2006). "Project 51 to Explore Castlevania Storyline". GameDaily. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
- ^ a b "The Top 25 Videogame Franchises". IGN. July 7, 2010. Archived from the original on June 17, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
IGNHistorywas invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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