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99-1035: Castlevania is a video game series created and published by Konami . The series debuted in Japan on September 26, 1986, with Akumajō Dracula ( 悪魔城ドラキュラ , Akumajō Dorakyura , lit. "Demon Castle Dracula") , which was later released as Castlevania in the United States (May 1, 1987) and PAL (December 19, 1988). Titles in the series have been released on numerous video game consoles , handheld game consoles , and personal computer platforms, and several have been re-released on multiple platforms and included as part of compilation packages. The series' characters have appeared in several other Konami games. There have been also numerous separately released music albums, initially by King Records . There are games created by Konami or other developers that have Castlevania elements or characters. Bomberman spin-off featuring characters loosely based on various Konami series. Featured

198-504: A DLC with Castlevania characters and weapons available to play. Castlevania , released for the NES in 1986, is a platform game in which the player takes the role of the character Simon Belmont, navigating through six levels of Dracula's castle. Each level is divided into six blocks of three stages each. He can navigate the castle's terrain by jumping across platforms and walking up staircases, enabling him to progress to new stages. Simon has

297-457: A "reimagining" of the series was in development. In 2024, a remake of Haunted Castle was included in the compilation Castlevania Dominus Collection . Titled Haunted Castle Revisited , it was developed by M2, who previously worked on The Adventure ReBirth . Castlevania has spawned numerous spin-offs, the first being the 1990 platformer, Kid Dracula for the Famicom , a parody which stars

396-443: A 1990s series of books with stories based on Nintendo games, featured a novel about Simon's Quest written by Christopher Howell , and the series was produced by Seth Godin . It departs from the original plot and introduces characters not seen in the game, including junior high school student Timothy Bradley, a video gamer who crosses over into the world of Simon's Quest and assists Simon Belmont. In 2005, IDW Publishing released

495-512: A 2005 sequel, Dawn of Sorrow for the Nintendo DS , which was followed by Portrait of Ruin (2006) and Order of Ecclesia (2008). Under the development of Konami's Kobe branch , the first game in the series to employ 3D graphics was Castlevania for Nintendo 64 in 1999, and it received an expansion called Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness later that year. In 2003, the next 3D Castlevania title, Lament of Innocence debuted for

594-728: A Game Boy sequel, Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge , in 1992 and a remake, Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth , developed by M2 for the WiiWare service in 2009. The franchise's first 16-bit home console game, Super Castlevania IV , was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1991. A Castlevania title for the Sharp X68000 home computer was released in Japan in 1993 and would not be available in English until Castlevania Chronicles (2001) for

693-526: A bat, wolf, or mist also allows him to explore previously inaccessible areas, and he can also use a wider range of equipment. The first 3D installment in the franchise, Castlevania (1999) on the Nintendo 64 adopted gameplay elements distinctly different from its 2D predecessors. Unlike earlier titles, this version implemented a basic targeting and lock-on system for combat for the two playable characters, Reinhardt and Carrie. The new environment itself played

792-710: A character named Sepia Belmont as a playable character. Castlevania Debuting with the 1986 video game on Nintendo 's Famicom Disk System , the first entry and the majority of its sequels are side-scrolling action platformers . The 1997 game, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night , originally released for the PlayStation , returned to the nonlinear gameplay first seen in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest , which also introduced role-playing elements and exploration. Several installments later adopted Symphony of

891-719: A critically-acclaimed animated television series . Spanning almost four decades, Castlevania is one of Konami's most successful and prominent franchises ; several of its entries are ranked among the best video games ever made . Retrospectives attributed to the series' success to its unique blend of action, adventure, and horror elements; and it has been praised for its challenging gameplay mechanics, atmospheric settings, and iconic music. Most Castlevania titles have been released in Japan, North America, Europe and Australia on various video game consoles , personal computers (PC) and mobile phones , with additional remakes and re-releases. The first console title, Castlevania ,

990-449: A crucial role in the gameplay, with challenges based on precision in jumping across 3D platforms and navigating through hazardous areas, some of which included rotating and crumbling platforms. Castlevania for the Nintendo 64 also incorporated elements of survival horror, such as a sequence where the player must run from a pursuing enemy in a hedge maze. Unlike the earlier 3D installment which involved navigating through various levels with

1089-587: A degree of platforming challenge, 2003's Lament of Innocence focused on a central hub system. This hub allowed access to five main areas from the start, with progress tied to defeating bosses to unlock the final area. The combat system also allows the player to execute a series of fluid and dynamic combos using the primary weapon, the Whip of Alchemy. This system enables players to chain attacks into continuous strikes, enhancing combat engagement and effectiveness against enemies. The 2010 reboot, Lords of Shadow introduced

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1188-641: A game for the SNES in 1995. Castlevania: Bloodlines (1994) was the first Castlevania entry produced for a Sega console, the Genesis . It would not be re-released until 2019 as part of the Castlevania Anniversary Collection . In 1997, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Castlevania Legends were launched for the PlayStation and Game Boy, respectively. Symphony of the Night introduced

1287-536: A health meter, which decreases upon contact with enemies or hazards. Loss of all health, falling off-screen, or running out of time results in losing a life, with the game ending when all lives are depleted, though players can continue from the last checkpoint. Collecting points throughout the levels can increase the player's score and earn them additional lives. Each level culminates in a boss battle against one of Dracula's monsters, each with their own life meter that needs to be depleted using Simon's attacks. Simon wields

1386-535: A longer-term strategy to keep consumers demanding Nintendo products. When the Super NES Classic Edition was officially announced in June 2017, Nintendo said it "will produce significantly more units of Super NES Classic Edition than we did of NES Classic Edition" to avoid a similar shortage issue, but reaffirmed that it was not anticipated to be an ongoing product. In December 2018, Fils-Aimé affirmed that both

1485-629: A major change to the gameplay, incorporating role-playing elements and a nonlinear map that the player could freely explore, which was previously seen in Simon's Quest and Nintendo's Metroid series. Elements of Symphony of the Night would influence the gameplay of future titles, beginning with the Game Boy Advance entries Circle of the Moon , Harmony of Dissonance , and Aria of Sorrow , which were released from 2001 to 2003. Aria of Sorrow received

1584-471: A more diverse range of up to forty unlockable combos with the game's whip, the Combat Cross, integrating both direct and area attacks. Additionally, it functions as a tool for exploration, aiding in scaling walls, rappelling, and swinging across gaps, which deepens the platforming elements central to the franchise. Moreover, Lords of Shadow features massive boss battles against titans, where players must use

1683-511: A new formula for the series and influencing subsequent Metroidvania titles. Symphony of the Night also features non-linear exploration, requiring players to gather specific items and abilities to access different areas of Dracula’s castle. This installment expanded the role-playing elements by including a more complex attribute and leveling system where the protagonist, Alucard, increases his in-game statistics by gaining experience points from defeated enemies. Alucard's ability to transform into

1782-443: A reference to film director Terence Fisher . This is possibly because Konami did not allow the use of real names at the time in order to prevent other companies from hiring people who worked for them. An admirer of cinema, Akamatsu approached projects with a "film director's eye", and said the visuals and music for Castlevania were "made by people who consciously wanted to do something cinematic." The protagonist Simon Belmont uses

1881-516: A retractable chain whip called the Combat Cross, Gabriel fights a malevolent force known as the Lords of Shadow in order to obtain the God Mask, which he believes can bring back his deceased wife. In Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate , Gabriel stars as Dracula, the main antagonist of Simon and Trevor Belmont. The sequel, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is set during modern times, where Dracula

1980-424: A static library of 30 built-in games from the licensed NES library, supporting save states for all of them. Nintendo produced and sold about 2.3 million NES Classic Editions from launch through April 2017 — with shipments selling out nearly immediately — when Nintendo announced they were discontinuing the product, leading to consumer confusion, and incidents of greatly increased pricing among private sellers. Due to

2079-692: A whip because Akamatsu liked the mechanics of a weapon able to repel enemies, and also because Akamatsu was a fan of Raiders of the Lost Ark . After the success of Castlevania , it was released in cartridge format for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) as one of its first major platform games. The international title Castlevania was the result of Konami of America senior vice president Emil Heidkamp's discomfort with Akumajō Dracula , which he believed translated as "Dracula Satanic Castle". Because of Nintendo of America's censorship policies at

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2178-504: A world map which the player is free to explore and revisit. Haunted Castle (1988), the franchise's first arcade title, returned to the linear platforming gameplay of the original. This continued with the first handheld Game Boy entry, Castlevania: The Adventure and the NES sequel, Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse , both released in 1989. Dracula's Curse added features to the original gameplay, including alternate stages and multiple playable characters . The Adventure saw

2277-513: Is influenced by anime and the artwork of Ayami Kojima , with animation provided by Frederator Studios and Powerhouse Animation Studios. A sequel to the original show, Castlevania: Nocturne , was released on Netflix on September 28, 2023. It focuses on Richter Belmont, a descendent of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades, and Maria Renard in France during the French Revolution, 300 years after

2376-477: Is a reference to the character of the same name from the 1943 film, Son of Dracula . The games include folklore and mythological monsters such as Medusa , as well as direct references to literary horror . Castlevania: Bloodlines explicitly incorporates the events of Bram Stoker 's Dracula into the series, and the recurring character Carmilla is based on the 1872 novel Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu . Castlevania mainly takes place in

2475-419: Is looking for a way to put an end to his immortality. In 2002, the games Legends , Circle of the Moon , Castlevania (1999), and Legacy of Darkness were retconned from the official chronology by Koji Igarashi , a move which had been met with some criticism by fans. Igarashi noted that Legends conflicted with the plotline of the series, and that the reason for Circle of the Moon ' s removal

2574-474: The Castlevania film was reported as officially canceled. NES Classic Edition [REDACTED] [REDACTED] NES Classic Edition is a dedicated home video game console by Nintendo , that emulates the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Family Computer (Famicom). Originally launched on November 10, 2016, the console aesthetically is a miniature replica of the NES, and it includes

2673-476: The Castlevania series, Michiru Yamane first composed music for the Sega Genesis game, Castlevania: Bloodlines . Yamane was under pressure at the time because the series was already popular and known for its music. She felt there was a link with the game's vampiric themes and the classical music she had grown up with, having studied Johann Sebastian Bach in university, and worked to integrate her style with

2772-778: The King Records label. In addition to original soundtracks, it has also inspired remix albums, which include orchestra, rap and heavy metal arrangements. In 2010, Castlevania – The Concert was performed in Stockholm , Sweden by longtime Castlevania composer, Michiru Yamane , and the Stockholm Youth Symphonic Orchestra. The music for the first installment, Castlevania , was composed by Kinuyo Yamashita and Satoe Terashima. The game's staff roll featured pseudonyms, with Yamashita credited as James Banana. Yamashita said she did not know anything about video games at

2871-481: The MSX home computer, which played significantly differently from the original Castlevania , where players had to search for the exit before they could proceed to the next stage. Following that year, in 1987, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest further departed from the standard platforming genre of the first Castlevania for a game more similar to the nonlinear gameplay of Metroid , with several role-playing elements such as

2970-541: The Nintendo 64 and 32X , have been successfully made to run on the NES Classic Edition. The NES Classic Edition's very limited stock during its original release in 2016 was one of its main criticisms, with some stores receiving fewer than 10 units at a time. This, coupled with the extremely high demand, prompted internet scalpers to buy as many as they could, so they could resell them with extreme price markups. In

3069-422: The Nintendo DS . Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin (2006) introduced a new art style in hopes of broadening the player demographic and preventing younger Nintendo DS owners from being put off by Ayami Kojima's art. This discontinued with Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia in 2008. Due to concern over the poor sales of the recent Castlevania games, a number of prototypes in development competed to become

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3168-608: The PlayStation . During the same year, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood was released for the PC Engine and was not localized in English until it was included with Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (2007) for the PlayStation Portable . The first Castlevania produced for a CD-ROM , Rondo of Blood featured Red Book audio and fully voiced dialogue. The game's content would be reused in Castlevania: Dracula X ,

3267-406: The PlayStation 2 with combat-oriented hack and slash gameplay that drew comparisons to Devil May Cry and retroactively, God of War . It was followed two years later by Castlevania: Curse of Darkness . A reboot of the franchise launched with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow in 2010, a multi-platform 3D action title developed by MercurySteam and co-produced by Hideo Kojima . It

3366-514: The memory management controllers , aka mappers, used in NES cartridges to extend the ability of the console, such as for Super Mario Bros. 3 , though not all known mappers were included with the emulation engine. The emulation engine was regarded as superior in both visual and audio support when compared to the Virtual Console emulations of NES titles. A 320-page book called Playing with Power: Nintendo NES Classics , published by Prima Games ,

3465-410: The 2018 holiday season, nor does Nintendo anticipate producing any similar mini-console version of its other home consoles in the near future. Aside from criticism regarding the controller cord being too short as well as minor emulation glitches, especially with sound, the NES Classic Edition has been well-received. One of many "plug-n-play" consoles on the market, the demand for NES Classic Edition

3564-645: The Belnades clan, such as Carrie Fernandez and Yoko Belnades , would make appearances as playable characters in later titles. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a reboot of the franchise, with its first game set in Southern Europe during the Middle Ages. The main character, Gabriel Belmont, is a member of the Brotherhood of Light, an elite group of holy knights who defend people from supernatural creatures. With

3663-531: The Combat Cross to navigate and disable them. Sources: The Castlevania franchise heavily references the horror films produced by Universal Pictures and Hammer Film Productions . Creator of the series, Hitoshi Akamatsu, wanted players to feel like they were in a classic horror film. Zombies , werewolves , Frankenstein's monster , and Count Dracula make recurring appearances. Alucard , introduced in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse ,

3762-484: The Japanese games adopted Castlevania as the title for a brief period. According to Igarashi, the developers did this since Count Dracula is not always the main antagonist. This continued with Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (2003), a 3D title developed as a new starting point for the series. Konami eventually returned to the title Akumajō Dracula with the Japanese release of 2005's Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow for

3861-433: The Japanese senior management the game and was offered help by video game designer Hideo Kojima . According to Igarashi, development on his project had not been going smoothly, and Konami had canceled it and chose Lords of Shadow as the pitch for the next Castlevania entry. Produced by Dave Cox and Hideo Kojima , Lords of Shadow was a multi-platform 3D action-adventure reboot of the series. Kojima offered his input on

3960-544: The Mario and The Legend of Zelda segments for the block were ultimately produced, airing in 1989 as part of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! . A Castlevania film was planned in the late 2000s. However, in December 2007, Rogue Pictures halted active development of Castlevania due to the writers' strike and, later, the sale of the studio to Relativity Media and possibility of a screen actors' guild strike. On May 27, 2009,

4059-497: The Mini Game Anniversary Edition Entertainment System, which actually is a Famiclone , and therefore only provides composite video out. A very limited gold Nintendo Classic Mini: Family Computer Weekly Shōnen Jump 50th Anniversary Version was developed by M2 and released only in Japan on July 7, 2018. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Shueisha 's Weekly Shōnen Jump manga magazine,

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4158-427: The NES and SNES Classic Editions will not be restocked after the holiday season, nor does Nintendo anticipate producing any similar mini-console version of its other home consoles in the future. Shortly after the NES Classic Edition's release, hackers discovered ways to unofficially add up to 700 titles to the system's library, as well as enable emulation support for other consoles. Games from various consoles, such as

4257-493: The NES and SNES Classic editions by September 30, 2018, exceeded 10 million units. Despite the positive reception, journalists were confused about Nintendo's decision to discontinue the unit as announced in April 2017. Nintendo did not say at launch that the system was meant to be only a limited run, and its messaging for it seemed to suggest it would be a product with a longer production life. The company clarified, when announcing

4356-725: The NES version of the console feature the Wii Nunchuk 's connector, which allows the controller to be connected to the Wii Remote for use with Virtual Console games on the Wii and Wii U . Accessories for the Wii such as the Classic Controller can also be used. The controllers for the Famicom version are hardwired into the console like its original counterpart, so they cannot be used in conjunction with

4455-619: The Night ' s gameplay, which along with Super Metroid , have popularized the Metroidvania genre. 2010 saw the release of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow , a 3D action-adventure game developed by MercurySteam and Kojima Productions that served as a reboot of the series. The Castlevania series has been released on various platforms; from early systems to modern consoles, as well as handheld devices such as mobile phones. The franchise has since expanded into several spin-off video games and other media ; including comic books and

4554-413: The Night (1997) for the PlayStation, with Koji Igarashi joining him as the assistant director and story writer. Joining the staff was artist Ayami Kojima, who was hired to introduce a new look for Castlevania . She would be the character designer for several future Castlevania titles. Igarashi said it began development as "something of a side story series". From the outset, the game was supposed to take

4653-473: The Night , a spiritual successor to Castlevania . Dave Cox followed Igarashi's resignation a few months later. Recent Castlevania titles released under Konami's recent business model include pachinko and slot machines based on the IP. Castlevania' s music features a wide range of compositions, with themes reused throughout the series. It has been critically acclaimed and released on many albums, initially under

4752-405: The Night as it was produced for a CD-ROM , which made it capable of much higher quality music and sound. She continued to compose for the series, including the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS games, which had note limitations like older home consoles, and also collaborated with other composers such as Yuzo Koshiro . Before becoming a freelance composer, the last Castlevania game she scored

4851-596: The Night . Igarashi, who was not involved with the game, was critical of Circle of the Moon . In 2002, he retconned Castlevania Legends (1997) and the games developed by KCEK from the series' chronology due to story conflicts, which was met with some resistance from fans. After KCEK was dissolved during 2002, the Game Boy Advance received a second installment, Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance , now produced by Igarashi and developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (KCET). Starting with Harmony of Dissonance ,

4950-650: The PAL regions use their respective American monikers, such as Ninja Gaiden (originally Shadow Warriors ) and Super C (originally Probotector II: Return of the Evil Forces ). From the 30 included titles, 22 are common between all regions, while the eight remaining ones are exclusive to either Japan or North America/PAL region respectively. The NES Classic Edition was first released on November 10, 2016, in Japan and Australia, and November 11 in North America and Europe. With

5049-468: The SNES, to be launched in late 2017, though Nintendo did not confirm this information. While journalists agreed Nintendo would likely be more prepared to produce a larger number of SNES Classic systems, Nintendo's decision with the NES Classic may have influenced consumers to be wary of trying to buy a system produced in low volumes, or give the impression of artificial scarcity with the product as part of

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5148-516: The US, prices were commonly set between $ 200 and $ 500, compared to its launch price of $ 59.99. The separate controller that could be bought without the console suffered the same fate, often being included with the main unit. The limited supply of NES Classic was compared to the situation around Amiibo shortages, which similarly were offered by Nintendo in limited quantity and led to scalping and high resale prices, frustrating fans. When Nintendo announced it

5247-486: The Vampire Killer whip, which can be improved by collecting upgrades hidden in candles. These upgrades extend the whip's length and power, allowing Simon to attack enemies from a greater distance with increased damage. Alongside the whip, Simon can use secondary weapons like throwing knives, holy water, and the boomerang-like cross, which consume hearts collected throughout the levels. While Castlevania' s gameplay set

5346-567: The Wii. This version's two controllers are also proportioned to the size of the console to fit into its holding slots on the sides, resulting in them being smaller than their NES counterpart. The microphone on the Player 2 controller is cosmetic and does not work. The console uses the Linux operating system, running a new NES emulation engine developed by Nintendo European Research & Development (NERD). The emulation included limited support for some of

5445-434: The availability of non-playable characters. Players can interact with villagers who provide hints and visit merchants to buy items using hearts collected from defeated enemies. This installment also introduces experience points where Simon can increase his level and health capacity by gathering hearts. 1997's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night significantly expanded upon the gameplay introduced in Simon's Quest , setting

5544-454: The castle of Count Dracula , who resurrects every hundred years to take over the world. With the exception of some games, the players assume the role of the Belmonts , a clan of vampire hunters who have defeated Dracula for centuries with the Vampire Killer. The Vampire Killer is a legendary whip that is passed down to their successors and can only be used by them. In Castlevania: Bloodlines ,

5643-444: The demand of the NES Classic, and the success of the Super NES Classic Edition console, Nintendo re-introduced a limited run of the NES Classic in June 2018. Production was discontinued again in December 2018. It was well-received for its emulation quality. The NES Classic Edition is a dedicated console for emulating 30 Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games. The console is distributed in two versions; one for Japan, featuring

5742-475: The discontinuation, that "NES Classic Edition wasn’t intended to be an ongoing, long-term product. However, due to high demand, we did add extra shipments to our original plans." The lack of availability of the unit since launch, with shipments immediately selling out when they reach stores, also suggested Nintendo was not prepared for the demand for the product. Nintendo of America 's CEO Reggie Fils-Aimé later stated that "We just didn't anticipate how incredible

5841-611: The eponymous character. It was released for the first time in English for the Castlevania Anniversary Collection (2019). The game received a sequel for the Game Boy, also titled Kid Dracula . Castlevania ' s first fighting game , Castlevania Judgment debuted for the Wii in 2008 and was developed by Eighting . Castlevania: Harmony of Despair , released in 2010, was an online, multiplayer title in-which players could play as past Castlevania characters and explore stages. A mobile game called Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls

5940-421: The franchise in a new direction. The gameplay took a departure from the original platforming entries, instead adopting nonlinear exploration and role-playing game elements, which were last seen in Simon's Quest . The critical reaction to Simon's Quest and its gameplay allowed them to pitch Symphony of the Night to Konami. Igarashi was eventually asked to finish the game as the assistant director after Hagihara

6039-501: The games have appeared on lists of video games considered to be the best. Symphony of the Night appeared at #16 on IGN "Top 100 games" and was one of the first to be introduced on the GameSpot "The Greatest Games of All Time". Both acclaimed the game to successfully making a game in 2D while the industry was moving to 3D. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse was named the 9th best 8-bit game by GameTrailers . Super Castlevania IV

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6138-401: The graphic novel, Castlevania: The Belmont Legacy , written by Marc Andreyko with art by E. J. Su . It was based on Castlevania: The Adventure . Illustrated by Kou Sasakura, a two-volume manga adaptation titled Castlevania: Curse of Darkness , based on the PlayStation 2 installment, was published in Japan from 2005 to 2006. It was released in English in 2008. 2003's Lament of Innocence

6237-419: The language for their games themselves. Internally, the console uses an Allwinner R16 system on a chip with four ARM Cortex-A7 central processing cores and an ARM Mali 400 MP2 graphics processing unit. It includes 512 MB of flash storage and 256 MB of DDR3 memory . For video output, the system features an HDMI connection, which puts out 720p at 60 Hz video for all games. The controllers in

6336-421: The likeness of the original Family Computer (Famicom), and one for the rest of the world, which looks like the original NES. For the NES version, all of the games are based on their US release, running at 60 Hz and using the names by which they were released in the United States. While the Famicom version's interface is only in Japanese, the NES version supports up to eight other languages, but neither affects

6435-421: The limited availability of the console, as described below. Following the announcement of the Super NES Classic Edition , which served as a counterpart to the NES Classic Edition but for Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) titles, Nintendo announced that it would also resume production of the NES Classic Edition in 2018. Nintendo brought renewed shipments of the system on June 29, 2018, with production of

6534-413: The limited supply, these initial shipments sold out almost immediately. Nintendo produced about 2.3 million NES Classic Editions over the next five months. By April 13, 2017, Nintendo announced it was ceasing production of the unit, with final shipments sent out within the next few days. Nintendo's decision to stop production of the console was met with criticism due to consumer's lack of awareness of

6633-400: The market". Following the April 2017 discontinuation, consumers found that several bootleg versions of the NES Classic Edition appeared on third party auction sites, typically produced by Chinese companies. Some of these bootlegs have been found to be near-identical in hardware and software, which could confuse consumers who were looking to purchase a Classic Edition. One of these is called

6732-544: The must buys for the system, according to the same website. Castlevania , Super Castlevania IV , and Aria of Sorrow appeared on Nintendo Power's "Top 200 Games" list. Trivia about the series has been mentioned in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008 . Simon Belmont was one of the stars in the animated series Captain N: The Game Master . Simon is portrayed as egotistical on

6831-400: The nation of Wallachia from Dracula while later seasons include elements from other games such as Castlevania: Curse of Darkness and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night . The series was created by Warren Ellis ; in developing the series, Ellis relied heavily on a script he had written for an animated Castlevania film from 2007 that never entered production. The art style of the series

6930-451: The next Castlevania installment, which included a game by Igarashi announced at Tokyo Game Show 2008 and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow by Spanish studio MercurySteam . Konami told MercurySteam the game would be an original intellectual property (IP) when it was first greenlit as a Castlevania title. Konami eventually asked them to cease work on Lords of Shadow while it was still in its early stages, until producer David Cox showed

7029-498: The original series. A second season is in production. Original series creator Warren Ellis was not involved in the new series after sexual misconduct allegations surfaced in 2020. A Castlevania television series was considered in the late 1980s as part of the Super Mario Bros. Power Hour , a one-hour animation block of Nintendo-focused video game adaptations. Concept art was produced for the project by DIC Animation City . Only

7128-444: The project and also oversaw the game's localization in Japan. It was the first Castlevania to feature celebrity voice talent, starring Robert Carlyle in the lead role and Patrick Stewart . The art style departed from the previous games in favor of one inspired by Guillermo del Toro 's work. Lords of Shadow was met with positive reception in 2010 and a commercial success, becoming the best selling Castlevania game to date. It

7227-429: The response would be", having considered the sales of other similar retro-consoles, but they had to discontinue the unit as "we've got a lot going on right now and we don’t have unlimited resources." According to an April 2017 report by Eurogamer , the discontinuation of the NES Classic was in part to transition the production line to a SNES Classic system designed similarly to the NES Classic but featuring games from

7326-491: The rock themes of the previous games. Since Castlevania: Symphony of the Night , Yamane became involved with the development of the series with its former producer, Koji Igarashi . Symphony of the Night' s art director, Osamu Kasai, requested Yamane to join the team, and she would draw inspiration from Ayami Kojima 's concept artwork. Unlike the FM synthesis that Bloodlines used, Yamane felt she had more freedom with Symphony of

7425-515: The sequels, Mirror of Fate and Lords of Shadow 2 . The Castlevania franchise had sold over 20 million copies worldwide as of 2006 ; it had previously sold over 3.7 million units by 1993. The franchise has received mostly positive reviews, with the most acclaimed game being Symphony of the Night for the PlayStation and the most panned being Judgment , with aggregate scores of 93 and 49, respectively, on Metacritic and 93.38% and 52.71%, respectively, on GameRankings . Many of

7524-408: The series, Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1989), returned to the standard platforming genre of Castlevania . Since Konami's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games sold many copies, their development was prioritized above other titles, leading the developers for Dracula's Curse to make a game that would outdo them. Simon's Quest and Dracula's Curse were not a commercial success, and Akamatsu

7623-647: The show and his physical appearance differs from his design in the video game series. He was a member of the N-Team, a group of mostly video game characters who defended Videoland against the antagonist Mother Brain from Metroid . Dracula, referred to only as "the Count", appeared as a villain in Captain N . Alucard also appeared in one episode, though he was portrayed as a rebellious skateboarding teenager. Several novels and comic book adaptations have been made. Worlds of Power ,

7722-488: The special edition features 20 Famicom games largely based on Shōnen Jump manga properties, including Dragon Ball , Saint Seiya , and Kinnikuman . This edition of the console includes the following games: Within two days, over 110,000 units of the Shōnen Jump Version had been sold. Reviewing for Nintendo Life , Damien McFerran criticized the unchanged design flaws from the Famicom version, along with

7821-419: The standard for most titles, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest in 1987 briefly introduced role-playing elements, a departure from the strict platforming format of its predecessor. Unlike the linear progression of the first game, Simon's Quest allows players to explore a freely accessible world map, revisit areas, and engage with a dynamic environment that includes day and night cycles affecting enemy strength and

7920-571: The system expected to continue throughout the year. Upon its re-release in June 2018, the NES Classic Mini sold more units than the PS4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch. Combined sales of the NES and SNES Classic editions by September 30, 2018, exceeded 10 million units. On December 13, 2018, Reggie Fils-Aimé affirmed that both the NES and SNES Classic Editions would not be restocked after

8019-403: The time and composed for Castlevania shortly after graduating from college. Under strict hardware constraints, she would first write the scores before entering it as data into a computer. The hardware for the first 16-bit title, Super Castlevania IV , allowed for a more atmospheric environment in the game, and was composed by Masanori Adachi and Taro Kudo . Known primarily for her work on

8118-410: The time, most instances of blood, nudity and religious imagery were removed or edited in early Castlevania games. Akamatsu directed Castlevania II: Simon's Quest in 1987, which adopted gameplay similar to Nintendo's Metroid . When asked if Metroid had any inspiration, Akamatsu instead cited Maze of Galious , another Konami title which featured exploration and puzzle solving. His last game in

8217-511: The titles a "subseries". Being aware of the horror movies from long ago (long before the slasher flicks), I wanted the players to feel like they were in a classic horror movie. —Hitoshi Akamatsu, 1993 Castlevania was directed and programmed by Hitoshi Akamatsu for the Family Computer Disk System in 1986. The game's staff roll features names taken from horror film icons, with Akamatsu being credited as 'Trans Fishers',

8316-629: The video game Dracula's Curse , while a fourth game based on the Lords of Shadow reboot, Pachislot Akumajō Dracula: Lords of Shadow , was made available in 2017. Castlevania characters and elements have appeared in crossovers and other titles such as the Konami Wai Wai World series, Contra: Hard Corps , DreamMix TV World Fighters , Bomberman R , Super Smash Bros. Ultimate , Dead Cells , and Vampire Survivors . As of October 31st, 2024 Vampire Survivors released Ode to Castlevania ,

8415-515: The whip has been inherited by John Morris, the son of Quincey Morris , who is a distant descendant of the Belmonts. Other recurring characters throughout the series include the dhampir Alucard, who sides with Trevor Belmont against his father Dracula in Dracula's Curse . Trevor is joined by Sypha Belnades , a vampire hunter who fights using magic and marries Trevor by the end of the game. Descendants of

8514-545: Was Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia in 2008, which she worked on with Yasuhiro Ichihashi. For the 2010 reboot, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow , the game was scored by Óscar Araujo using a 120-piece orchestra. His work on Lords of Shadow earned him a nomination for breakout composer of the year by the International Film Music Critics Association , and he won "Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media." Araujo went on to compose

8613-697: Was adapted into a cellphone comic book, released exclusively in Japan from 2007-2008 for 40 episodes. The franchise has its own toy line manufactured by NECA which consists of six figures of Simon Belmont, Alucard, Dracula, Succubus and a Pixel Simon mini figure which was exclusively available as a promotional item at Comic-Con 2007. The streaming service Netflix released an American animated series titled Castlevania as part of its original programming between 2017 and 2021, consisting of four seasons and 32 episodes. The first two seasons adapt elements from Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse and follow Trevor Belmont , Alucard and Sypha Belnades as they defend

8712-431: Was an action-adventure and platforming game. It was eventually released as Castlevania in 1999 and received an expanded version titled Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness during the same year. KCEK's last Castlevania game was the acclaimed Circle of the Moon , released as a launch title for the Game Boy Advance in 2001. Circle of the Moon was the first entry to feature Metroidvania gameplay since Symphony of

8811-417: Was demoted to working in one of Konami's game centers before he chose to resign. In 1993, three Castlevania games were in parallel development, which included Akumajō Dracula , Rondo of Blood , and Bloodlines . Directed and produced by Toru Hagihara, Rondo of Blood was the first installment made for a CD-ROM and the first to be fully voiced. Hagihara would go on to direct a sequel, Symphony of

8910-528: Was discontinuing the NES Classic Edition in April 2017, Nintendo enthusiasts and some outlets such as Polygon and The Verge believed that Nintendo planned on a limited release of the NES classic to drive artificial scarcity and increase sales, but which got out of hand with scalpers and secondary sales which have backfired on them. Nintendo denied these claims, stating that it was limited by its own rate of production with other hardware products, and that "It's definitely not intentional in terms of shorting

9009-399: Was followed by two sequels, Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate for Nintendo 3DS in 2013, and Lords of Shadow 2 in 2014. Lords of Shadow 2 was the last mainline game in the franchise to date, due to Konami shifting focus to mobile games and gambling in the 2010s. Rumors began circulating in 2021 that, following internal restructuring at Konami to refocus on PC and console games,

9108-610: Was followed by two sequels, Mirror of Fate (2013) and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (2014). Lords of Shadow 2 was not as well received as its predecessor. Following its release, an anonymous source claiming to be employees from MercurySteam alleged that development on the game had been troubled. After having been moved to Konami's social division in 2011, Igarashi felt he was unable to release any new games when Konami shifted its focus towards mobile game development. He left in March 2014 to independently create Bloodstained: Ritual of

9207-399: Was named the 11th best game of the SNES by ScrewAttack on their " Top 20 SNES Games ". The series as a whole was named the 4th best franchise in games ever by IGN, behind only Final Fantasy , The Legend of Zelda and Mario , and citing Super Castlevania IV and Symphony of the Night as highlights. Aria of Sorrow was named the 2nd best game on the Game Boy Advance and one of

9306-446: Was not due to his non-involvement with the game, but instead the intention of the game's development team for Circle of the Moon to be a stand-alone title. The American 20th Anniversary Pre-order Bundle for Portrait of Ruin in 2006 featured a poster with a timeline that re-included the games other than Legends . In 2007, Konami still excluded them from the canon on the official Japanese website. Igarashi has said that he considered

9405-455: Was notably large, with various retailers collectively selling approximately 196,000 units in its first month, remarkably selling out within hours of availability. Nintendo reported 1.5 million units had been sold by the end of 2016. On April 28, 2017, Nintendo revealed that 2.3 million consoles were sold in total. Following the rerelease of the console, Nintendo had sold about 1.3 million additional units through June 30, 2018. Combined sales of

9504-441: Was promoted to head of the division. On release, Symphony of the Night was well-received and became a sleeper hit, but its commercial performance was mediocre, particularly in the United States where it was meagerly publicized. The first Castlevania game to feature 3D computer graphics began development in 1997 on the Nintendo 64 by Konami Computer Entertainment Kobe (KCEK) as Dracula 3D . Like most of its predecessors, it

9603-413: Was released on September 19, 2019 for iOS through Apple Arcade . Arcade and slot machines based on the series have been produced. Castlevania: The Arcade (2009), a light gun shooter utilizing an LED remote, has been released in Japan and Europe. The Japanese-exclusive Pachislot Akumajō Dracula series is a line of pachislot titles released between 2009 and 2017. The first three are based on

9702-526: Was released on the Famicom Disk System in 1986 and in North America in 1987 on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). A 2D sidescrolling action game where the player progresses through six stages , many principal features of the Castlevania series originated with it. It has been ported to many platforms, such as the NES Classic Edition . Also released in 1986 was Vampire Killer for

9801-470: Was released the same day as the console; the book is a guide to some of the games included on the system. Nintendo of America brought back the Nintendo Power Line as an automated phone hotline from November 11 to 13 as a celebration of the launch of the system. Regardless of the model or region, the microconsole included 30 built-in games in all regions. Games that originally had different titles in

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