Since its inception in 1986, Konami's Castlevania has become one of gaming's most recognisable and popular franchises. Many of its instalments are considered amongst the best games of all time, and its impact has been felt well beyond the realm of interactive entertainment – it has recently been turned into a hit animated Netflix series, for example.
However, if you're approaching Castlevania with a fresh pair of eyes, it can be quite daunting; where do you even begin? Which game should you play first? Which should you avoid entirely?
That's where this list comes in; the ranking is based solely on votes submitted by you, our readers – and it's not static; it will change and evolve as more votes come in.
33. Haunted Castle (Arcade)
Released in arcades when the Castlevania series was still in its infancy, Haunted Castle is notorious for being one of the worst games in the franchise. It starts off well enough; the sprites are nice and large (a fact that makes it hard to avoid danger) and there are some amazing tunes here. However, the brutal difficulty level is clearly designed to suck in coins, and the controls feel stiff and awkward. Haunted Castle was never ported at the time of release, but would eventually get a PS2 release in Japan some years later. It was included on the Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection in 2019, and got a stand-alone release as part of Hamster's Arcade Archives range shortly afterwards. Outside of saying you've played it, there's little reason to seek this one out. It's dreadful.
32. Castlevania: The Adventure (GB)
When Nintendo released the Game Boy in 1989, it took a while for developers to really get to grips with the limitations of the system's monochrome screen. Titles like Super Mario Land kept sprites small and backgrounds plain to avoid issues with blur, while Konami opted to slow things down for one of its first Game Boy outings, Castlevania: The Adventure. Despite Masato Maegawa's involvement (he would go on to co-found Treasure not long afterwards), Castlevania: The Adventure has to rank as one of the worst entries in the series. The gameplay is sluggish, the level design uninspired and the controls painful. Only a decent soundtrack saves this one from the scrapheap. Japanese developer M2 would later remake the game as Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth, but it shares few similarities with the Game Boy original, beyond its title and lead character, Christopher Belmont.
31. Castlevania Judgment (Wii)
This ill-advised Wii spin-off from 2008 brought all your favourite characters and monsters together for a momentously rubbish one-on-one 3D fighter with awful controls and questionable character designs. Konami enlisted the assistance of Bloody Roar studio Eighting, but the end result was a truly disastrous attempt to broaden the appeal of the franchise. Castlevania Judgment's full-3D control method means it feels more like Power Stone than Virtua Fighter, and it's often hard to keep track of what's going on. The motion controls feel tacked on, too, while the fighting action lacks impact and excitement. To cap it all off, the character designs by Takeshi Obata (Death Note) are totally at odds with the traditional look of the series.
Castlevania Judgment was panned by critics and fans alike on release and time has done nothing to heal the wounds this one inflicted. A miserable pile, indeed.
30. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (Xbox 360)
The commercial success of the original Lords of Shadow gave Konami the belief that this sub-series could become a popular franchise in its own right, and the company quickly commissioned MercurySteam to work on a sequel (as well as a side-story in the form of Mirror of Fate for the Nintendo 3DS). The twist here is that the original game's hero, Gabriel Belmont, has become Dracula himself (something that was only revealed in Lord of Shadow's DLC expansion), and the storyline switches between the distant past and present-day. There are some very cool ideas in play here – unlocking Dracula's arsenal of powers is fascinating – but the execution is shoddy, and some of the stealth sections are utterly laughable. Lords of Shadow 2 reviewed poorly upon its release and failed to recapture the commercial success of its predecessor, essentially putting an end to the sub-series and placing the Castlevania franchise in stasis.
29. Castlevania Legends (GB)
Released in the wake of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night's astonishing critical success, Castlevania Legends introduces the first mainline female hero, Sonia Belmont, who was technically, chronologically the first-ever Belmont to fight Dracula. At least she was until Koji Igarashi became the producer of the series and the game's story became non-canon.
Following the amazing Belmont's Revenge was no easy task, but Legends is an inferior outing in almost every regard, bar the fact that it came with battery backup so you could save your progress. The visuals, controls, and music are all worse than they are in Belmont's Revenge, but that hasn't stopped Legends from becoming one of the most desirable and expensive Game Boy games. It's worth a brief look, but don't pay silly money for it, especially when it's available via Nintendo Switch Online.
28. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES)
While Vampire Killer on the MSX2 was a bold stab at turning Castlevania into an RPG-like experience that ultimately failed, Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest is far more successful, even if it doesn't quite stick the landing. The level-by-level structure of the original game is gone, with the player capable of exploring a non-linear 2D landscape at will. There are townspeople to converse with (most of whom spout nonsense), items to collect and even a day-and-night cycle to contend with. The big issues are that the game is ridiculously obtuse, with some form of walkthrough guide being a must, and there are large portions of the game which simply aren't enjoyable. Simon's Quest is saved by its amazing music and totally unique premise; it's amazing that Konami was so keen to experiment with the series at such an early juncture, and while it would revert to a more 'traditional' approach for subsequent entries, Simon's Quest was clearly an influence when it came to creating 1997's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
27. Castlevania: Dracula X (SNES)
Although it's described by many as a 'port' of the PC Engine Dracula X: Rondo of Blood, Castlevania: Dracula X (Castlevania: Vampire's Kiss in Europe) is more of a complete re-imagining. Some elements are similar – the opening stage, for example – but, for the most part, this SNES title radically changes things, and not always for the better. The branching levels are gone, as is the ability to play as Maria (and save the other female hostages). Some of the redesigned levels simply don't work, making them an exercise in frustration. On the bright side, it's visually quite appealing – especially when you consider that Konami didn't have the vast storage space that a CD affords here – and the music is wonderful. The Castlevania name means that second-hand copies of this are expensive in all of its region variants, but it was thankfully included on the Castlevania Advance Collection, so you don't have to spend a fortune to check it out.
26. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate (3DS)
Nestled in-between the events of the original Lords of Shadow and its disappointing sequel, Mirror of Fate returns to the Metroidvania roots of the GBA and DS entries. Assuming the roles of three heroes, you must battle your way through Dracula's fortress in a trio of timelines. The heavy focus on combat is carried over from the mainline Lords of Shadow games, and many reviewers took issue with the way in which this slowed down the gameplay. However, the visuals remain incredible and the production values are stunning. While it's arguably not as polished as the likes of Dawn of Sorrow or Portrait of Ruin, Mirror of Fate is still worth a look – and it's worth noting that developer MercurySteam has since gone on to find great success in this genre with Metroid: Samus Returns (also on the 3DS) and Metroid Dread on the Switch.
25. Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness (N64)
Outside of the addition of Cornell, this really isn't a full sequel to Castlevania 64, but more of an enhanced version. Much of the game remains unchanged, which means that most people should pick this over the original if they're interested in either title, as Legacy of Darkness really does make its predecessor redundant. While having another storyline to play through is welcome, Legacy of Darkness doesn't do a great deal to correct what was wrong with Castlevania 64, and the attempts it does make at providing something superior – such as support for the N64's RAM upgrade for higher resolution – are undone; the game's frame rate tanks when the RAM pak is installed, making it hard to play. Time has not been kind to either of the N64 Castlevania entries, but it's unfair to write them off entirely.
24. Castlevania: Harmony of Despair (PS3)
Upon first inspection, one might assume that this title marks a return to Castlevania's glorious 2D roots, but Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is actually a multiplayer-focused action title that encourages you to seek loot as you explore each of the six available stages. While the ability to play with friends is fun, it never really gets close to capturing that classic Castlevania 'feel', and ends up being more of an experiment with Monster Hunter-style team-based mechanics. If you own an Xbox One of Series X/S, then you can play Castlevania: Harmony of Despair via the wonders of backwards compatibility – but we wouldn't suggest for a second you should go out of your way in order to do so.
Comments 25
Good list. Though personally I liked Lords of Shadow (sacrilege I know) and would have it above Castlevania NES and GB entries. I know which i've enjoyed replaying more recently.
@themightyant Same here. I really liked the three Lords of Shadow games, but the first one I think it is pretty underrated in the series.
TBH, back in the day, I LOVED Lament of Innocence. It was one of the few PS2 games which I bought day one.
I played it recently (via the PS3 port) and it has hold up really well, IMO. It has great music too! It was exciting to see a 3D Castlevania on the PS2.
@HarmanSmith Yeah it was a bit long... 2 slow swamp levels! and could have done with a bit of cutting but it was a stunning game, with a great story and excellent combat. Obviously a huge departure from the 2D Metroidvania style but for me a huge improvement over most of the 3D efforts.
Mirror of Fate was a solid entry on the 3DS, Lords of Shadow 2 was pretty disappointing though. Didn't get close to the first game, and all the stories of mismanagement, devs angry and leaving really showed in the final product. The first felt like a labour of love the last the opposite sadly. Still enjoyed bits of it.
Can't argue with this! I don't think anything will ever top Symphony of the Night, and Konami certainly doesn't seem keen to even try.
Damn Damien!! This must have taken some time to put together! Great top 10, by the way. Good work!!
NINJA APPROVED
Wow, such a great series! Honestly, if you play any of the games in the top 15, I think you're guaranteed to have a good time.
I still think the 1st Lords of Shadow and the 3ds entry are 2 of the most underrated games out there.
I thought Bloodlines was too low on the NL list, it is easily a top 10. Thankfully that is corrected on this one.
I have not played all the games on this list, but in addition to Bloodlines, I find I go back and play the original quite a bit along with the other NES ones too.
@BloodNinja Thanks, it did take a while... and picking the ranking was hard!
@Damo I will always maintain that the N64 games are somewhat underrated these days, for the time they were very good 3D action titles with pretty great performance compared to many others back then.
Still my top 3 will revolve around Super Castlevania IV, Rondo of Blood and Symphony of The Night and it's a shame Rebirth is locked to the Wii as an official release
Interesting overview of a great series, played all of the GBA and DS games as well as the original NES game back in the day, but can't even remember how many times I've played and beat Symphony of the Night, most recently on my PS5
I do love Castlevania, the good ones at least. Though, for me, one of the "good" ones just doesn't do anything for me, and that's Castlevania 4. Some say, it's because I didn't play it in its time. I also didn't play Bloodlines or Rondo in their time, and I love those. In fact, I've started to see those who love CV4 put Bloodlines ahead of it. I ended up playing Rondo, Bloodlines, and CV4 at around the same time. I didn't like the level design in relation to the multi-way whipping. In fact, the most enjoyment I could get from the game involved not using that feature except when absolutely necessary. I also did not like about half of the soundtrack. The attempts to be cinematic just didn't work in my opinion in various stages and some music just felt inappropriate to me for a Castlevania game, though that's with the benefit of hindsight. It's weird how much of an outlier CV4 is for me and I really did want to like it(more classic CV is a good thing).
Aside from that, I like the other popular games in the franchise. Rondo, Bloodlines, and CV3 are fantastic games in the classic style. Aria of Sorrow, and all three DS games are great. Symphony is a masterpiece. And a couple of years back, I finally got around to trying Chronicles, and I liked that one a lot too. I was worried it would be too much like CV4, but it was more classic feeling and I really love the music in it, especially the FM.
I just bought SotN on series s. Whenever there's a lull, I'll get around to it. Or even during Halloween.
Super Castlevania, on Snes will always be my favourite. Absolute classic in every way to me.
What's the bets the article puts Bloodlines above IV.
I just have a feeling with the way the narrative around these two consoles is being more and more distorted in recent times.
I think IV really is the better the game overall, where it just feels more like a great and cinematic experience vs an also great but very obviously gamey experience, if that makes sense. It's all about the way it looks and sounds, with the difference akin to watching a film at the cinema (IV) vs watching a movie on your home TV (Bloodlines) imo, and I guess to some degree how it plays too. Or, maybe it's a bit like playing an old-school arcade game (Bloodlines) vs playing a slightly more modern console game (IV), with IV being more like a taste of the future of gaming rather than the past, despite it coming out around three years before Bloodlines. It's hard to explain, but anyone who gets what I'm talking about will know exactly what I'm talking about.
Note: And I did try playing them both again recently, just to make sure I was seeing them with fresh eyes, and indeed hearing them with fresh ears and playing them with fresh hands.
Now, let's see if I'm right or wrong about which one appears higher on the list. . . .
Edit: Well, I was wrong about that assumption.
The article actually got it correct.
@sdelfin Hmmm, what is it I'm sniffing here. . . .
The NES Castlevanias are underrated as they always are, I see. Just once I’d like to see the original beat Castlevania 4… and Simon’s Quest crack the top 10 (and Castlevania 3 in its rightful place at #3, tied with Rondo, of course).
Love this list though. Oh the hours I’ve spent with the Belmont clan over the years!
@RetroGames While I obviously have a different preference, you nailed it when you said CV4 is more of a cinematic product while Bloodlines is more of a game. That's exactly why I prefer it. Ever since I played these games, I always pointed out that I don't think the level design quite works in CV4, unless I only whip forward, like I mentioned. I also used a hack to replace the tracks I didn't like with Rondo's music. Even then, I thought it was still a ways off from Bloodlines and Rondo. I recognize that CV4 has many fans, and plenty of them highly enthusiastic, so this is just a case where specific game design didn't work for me. I suspect that Konami likely got mixed feedback since they basically built directly upon CV3 for the other games that followed this.
@sdelfin I didn't say Bloodlines was more of "game"; I said it was more of a "gamey" experience.
There's nuince between how you've misinterpreted that and how I actually meant it.
Castlevania IV is absolutely still pure game too, and a brilliant one at that, but it's also that bit more cinematic and future-facing on top of the more traditional and sometimes a bit more dated game experiences that it built upon imo. It's like, once I stepped up to the next generation of technically more matured visuals and audio that was the Castlevania IV game experience, it was hard to step backwards slightly with Bloodlines, even if there was more overt graphical arcadey-style effects and tricks in the later game to try and distract me from the more dated looking, sounding and indeed playing nature of it for the most part, even as good a game as it was in its own right.
To be clear, whatever your own tastes, there's not a negative to be pulled out of the way I specifically was using the descriptors of IV up there.
@RetroGames I knew how you meant that originally. I just didn't like the term. Nothing more. I only decided to reply on this topic when you made the comparison between Bloodlines being more like an older arcade game because I think that's a fair way to put it. In this situation, it's what I prefer, as is clear from my earlier points and the games I prefer. It's one of the earliest examples of a game that was largely well received that I didn't like specifically because of what other people liked(the whipping, the soundtrack). So I wasn't trying to find a negative in your explanation. I just think this divide makes for interesting discussion.
Good reminder that I still need to beat Belmont's Revenge on my GB Pocket
@RetroGames Yeah I agree. I think people have really praised Bloodlines disproportionately in recent years. I love the Genesis but Bloodlines looks downright ugly at times and it's basically "more of the same". I like it but Super Castlevania IV is the superior game with much deeper game play. If I'm remembering the making of video from strafefox correctly, Bloodlines was rushed to market so it was incomplete in a lot of ways and it shows.
Pleasantly surprised by this ranking. Top 5 is ironclad.
Lords of Shadow 2 and Mirror of Fate is two of my favorite Castlevanias. Are they perfect? No especially the former has its issues, but it still have some of the best boss fights ever imo to counter that.
The Igavanias are not my cup of tea, but of the 2D action Castlevania I do like the two Gameboy titles; The Adventure and II Belmont's Revenge plus Bloodlines and Rondo of Blood.
@BloodNinja This list is based on average user scores after all so it can't have been THAT hard to put together, just saying.
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