Summary
- Castlevania has a convoluted timeline with 15 mainline games, excluding reboots and remakes.
- The series started with Leon Belmont’s revenge in Castlevania: Lament Of Innocence.
- Richter Belmont, Alucard, and Soma Cruz are key heroes in combating Dracula throughout the Castlevania universe.
The eternal struggle of good versus evil spans centuries in the Castlevania universe. From the Belmont family of hunters to Alucard, there have been a lot of heroes to contend with the Prince of Darkness himself: Dracula. As a result, there have been a multitude of Castlevania games with sequels and prequels alike, and a rather convoluted, confusing timeline.
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The main Castlevania timeline is already massive, so reboots and remakes like Super Castlevania 4, the Nintendo 64 games, and the Lords Of Shadow series are not canon to the mainline games. Starting with the original Castlevania for the NES, there have been fifteen games set within the timeline.
Updated December 23, 2024, by Melody MacReady: The Castlevania series has seen quite a resurgence in recent years, mainly due to the popularity of Netflix’s two Castlevania anime series. However, even though Konami has yet to develop a new game in the series, they have published collections of the games for modern systems such as the recent Terminus Collection, making them more accessible. For those who enjoy a story in chronological order, Castlevania can be a confusing and downright aggravating series of games to try and experience this, but it is not impossible. This look at the main Castlevania timeline can help newcomers to the franchise understand the long-running story better, even if they have to jump back and forth between many generations of gaming to experience it properly.
15
Castlevania: Lament Of Innocence – 1094
Leon’s Story Follows The Origins Of The Belmonts And Dracula
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
- Released
-
October 21, 2003
The earliest story in the timeline, Castlevania: Lament Of Innocence, focuses on the first member of the Belmont family: Leon. Leon’s beloved has been captured by the vampire, Walter Bernhard. Leon gets help from Renaldo, who bestows him with the Whip Of Alchemy. However, Leon is too late, and his love is cursed to become a vampire herself. With her sacrifice, her soul is imbued into the whip to create the iconic Vampire Killer whip seen throughout the series.
Leon Belmont gets his revenge on Bernhard, only for his dark soul to be used by Leon’s widower and friend, Mathias Cronqvist, who orchestrated the whole game’s plot. Mathias then rejects his humanity and becomes Dracula. Fans praised Lament Of Innocence for taking the Metroidvania-style gameplay and setting it in a 3D environment, mixing in hack-and-slash gameplay akin to God Of War.
14
Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse – 1476
Trevor Belmont’s Adventure Inspired The Netflix Series
Action-Adventure
Platformer
- Released
-
September 1, 1990
After centuries of gaining power, Dracula’s human wife is murdered by a group of fearful humans, thus sparking Dracula’s war on the Earth in Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse. The last remaining family member, Trevor Belmont, picks up the family whip and begins his journey to destroy Dracula. This requires the help of Dracula’s son, who renames himself Alucard, an alchemist named Sypha, and a thief named Grant.
For most fans of the franchise, Dracula’s Curse was the best game of the original trilogy on the NES. The multiple characters, abilities, and smooth gameplay made it become an all-time classic. However, it is also the hardest of the original trilogy, creating an adventure that will push some players to their limits.
13
Castlevania: Curse Of Darkness – 1497
Allowed Fans to Play As An Ex-Servant Of Dracula
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
- Released
-
November 1, 2005
In Castlevania: Curse Of Darkness, one of Dracula’s servants, Hector, is betrayed by his comrade, Isaac, when he finds his wife murdered. Hector seeks revenge, but that plan changes when he denies going down a darker path. This foils Death’s plan of using Hector as a vessel for Dracula’s resurrection. Instead, Dracula returns through Isaac’s body, making things far more complicated.
Since Lament Of Innocence was a hit, Konami followed it up and used the same formula with Curse of Darkness; only this time, there is no whip. Instead, Hector wields his sword, which gives him a unique gameplay style. Curse Of Darkness and Lament Of Innocence would be precursors to the Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow reboot series, which employed similar hack-and-slash gameplay.
12
Castlevania: The Adventure – 1576
The Game Boy Tells The Story Of Christopher Belmont
Platformer
Action-Adventure
- Released
-
October 27, 2009
One century after Alucard’s defeat of his father, the prophecy of Dracula returning when the world’s faith in God is forgotten is proven true in Castlevania: The Adventure, released on the original Nintendo Game Boy. This time, the task of defeating the Prince Of Darkness goes to Christopher Belmont.
As a result of the original Game Boy’s limitations, there was little to no way to distinguish a difference between Christopher Belmont and the Belmonts that came before. Also, like many Game Boy games, Castlevania: The Adventure was a more simplified version of the original NES game, which some fans appreciated, while others felt it was best only for road trips.
11
Castlevania 2: Belmont’s Revenge – 1591
Christopher Belmont Returns Twenty Years Later
Castlevania 2: Belmont’s Revenge
Platformer
Action-Adventure
Not to be confused with Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest, which comes later in the timeline and came out before this game, Castlevania 2: Belmont’s Revenge. Christopher Belmont was succeeded by his son, Soleil Belmont, who was ready to take on the family business. That is, until Dracula turns Soleil into a demon, resulting in a retired Christopher Belmont taking on Dracula once again.
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This time, Christopher makes sure to finish off his enemy properly and save his son’s life. Though Belmont’s Revenge is considered superior as a sequel, it still featured many of the same drawbacks as the first Game Boy title.
10
Castlevania – 1691
Simon Belmont Was The First Protagonist In The Franchise
Another century has passed, and, yet again, Dracula is resurrected during dark times. Simon Belmont wields the iconic whip and takes on the armies of darkness in the first Castlevania game. There’s not much plot, but Dracula came prepared for Simon this time. Before Simon can strike a final blow, Dracula places a curse upon him, thus setting up his return in the very next game.
There is a reason Castlevania became one of the most beloved gaming franchises. The original is still a classic that mixes action and difficult side-scrolling while honoring the classic Universal and Hammer monster films of the past. While there are games in the series that are superior, many can still boot up the original and have a blast.
9
Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest – 1698
Simon’s Second Adventure Divided Fans
Platformer
Action-Adventure
Fighting
Action RPG
Dracula’s monsters still lurk across the land, with pieces of his body being scattered, ready for resurrection in Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest. Simon treks across the cursed land to different manors that hold the different pieces of the vampire villain. Upon destroying them all, Simon battles the phantom of Dracula himself.
Simon’s Quest is often labeled as the black sheep of the franchise, with as many fans as there are critics. Some praised Simon’s Quest for experimenting with new concepts, including a day/night cycle, which was revolutionary at the time. However, some critiqued it for its constant interruptions, less memorable designs, and gameplay that is not nearly as good as the first.
8
Castlevania: Harmony Of Dissonance – 1748
Juste Belmont’s Story Had Very Little Impact On The Timeline
- Released
-
September 16, 2002
Closer to a spin-off rather than a sequel, Castlevania: Harmony Of Dissonance focuses on Juste Belmont and his friend, Maxim, who are competing for the right to wield the Vampire Killer. Maxim gathers Dracula’s remains to resurrect him and prove he is worthy, only to become corrupted. Juste then lives up to his family’s calling and defeats the vampire lord.
While Harmony Of Dissonance is praised for having good gameplay and impressive visuals for the Game Boy Advance, the story is often maligned for being too minimal and treats Dracula as a casual obstacle rather than a bringer of the apocalypse.
7
Castlevania: Rondo Of Blood – 1792
The Rare But Famous First Appearance Of Richter Belmont
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
- Platform(s)
-
PSP
, TurboGrafx-CD - Released
-
October 29, 1993
Set one hundred-one years after the events of the original game, Castlevania: Rondo Of Blood features the evil priest Shaft resurrecting Dracula via a demonic ritual. If that’s not bad enough, Shaft also kidnaps a variety of women for Dracula to choose as his new bride. One of those women happens to be the love of Richter, the era’s Belmont. Richter teams up with a mage named Maria, save all the kidnapped women, defeats Shaft, and fulfills the family legacy by destroying Dracula.
For years, Rondo Of Blood became one of the hardest Castlevania games to find. At first, it was exclusive to Japan but then received a downgraded port to the SNES. A true port of Rondo Of Blood was later released for the PlayStation Portable in 2007, but today, gamers can find it in the Castlevania Requiem pack for modern systems.
6
Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night – 1797
Alucard Changed The Direction Of The Franchise Forever
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
One of the most iconic games in the series, Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night sees the return of Richter, who is used by Shaft to resurrect Dracula once again. With no other Belmont remaining, Alucard is resurrected to battle his father yet again. With help from Maria from the previous game, Alucard destroys Shaft, saves Richter, and kills his father yet again before returning to his grave.
Symphony Of The Night marked the beginning of the Metroidvania-style of gameplay that most games in the franchise’s future would use. The non-linear gameplay combined with an iconic vampire protagonist, RPG elements, and many abilities led Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night to often be labeled as the best game in the franchise, despite overly long load times and poor voice-acting.
5
Castlevania: Order Of Ecclesia – 1800s
Shanoa And The Order Expands Upon The Castlevania Universe
Castlevania: Order Of Ecclesia
- Released
-
October 21, 2008
With Dracula resurrecting more times than soap opera characters, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia establishes a new organization that takes on vampires to not rely on the Belmont family. Shanoa, an agent of the titular Order Of Ecclesia, takes on the forces of Dracula when the Belmonts are no longer around, needing to battle monsters and fellow agents to complete her mission.
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Like Harmony Of Dissonance, Order Of Ecclesia feels more like an attempt to create a spin-off than a typical Castlevania game but is still a strong title for the Nintendo DS. It was praised for keeping the Metroidvania formula tried and true while trying to expand on the Castlevania universe beyond the usual suspects.
4
Castlevania: Bloodlines – 1914
World War Setting Featuring Connections To The Bram Stoker Story
Castlevania Bloodlines
Richter Belmont gave up the Vampire Killer whip to Quincy Morris, from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In 1914, Dracula’s niece, Elizabeth, and a dark sorceress, Drolta Tzuentes, start World War 1 to spread death and chaos for Dracula to gain power in Castlevania: Bloodlines. Morris’ son, John, takes on the duty of saving the world from evil. He defeats Elizabeth, the sorceress, and once again battles Dracula himself. However, since John Morris is not a Belmont, the use of the Vampire Killer drains him of life with each use. This takes its toll a few years later, and Morris passes away.
Castlevania: Bloodlines is one of the more forgotten titles in the series due to it being only available for the Sega Genesis. However, it is often praised for its setting and structure; the World War 1 era and levels set across all of Europe instead of just Walachia made for a refreshing experience with the classic gameplay template that was established with Super Castlevania 4.
3
Castlevania: Portrait Of Ruin – 1944
Jonathan Morris And Charlotte Aulin Redeem The Belmont Legacy
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
- Released
-
December 5, 2006
In Castlevania: Portrait Of Ruin, World War 2 has erupted, creating even more havoc and death for a vampire named Brauner to take advantage of; but, in a refreshing twist, it is not to resurrect Dracula. Instead, he raises Dracula’s castle and takes control of it to become the new Prince Of Darkness. Insert Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin, the new playable characters. They work together to unlock the true power of the Vampire Killer, ridding it of its poisoning effect on the user, using it to fight Brauner, Dracula, and Death.
Rather than a typical copy-and-paste clone of Symphony Of The Night, Portrait Of Ruin experiments with controlling two characters at once. This alone made for unique gameplay and some interesting puzzle elements. It proved to be one of the better entries in the handheld era and a strong return for the series. It honored the legacy of the Belmont and Morris bloodlines, giving fans a proper ending before the Lords Of Shadow series rebooted Castlevania.
2
Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow – 2035
The Future Introduces Soma Cruz To The Franchise
Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow takes place in Japan starring the hero, Soma Cruz, who is drafted into a new war against evil. He teams up with Julius Belmont, who has picked the family legacy back up, along with Yoko Belnades, and Alucard under a new alias: Genya Arikado. The twist here is that Graham Jones, the man who truly believed he was the reincarnation of Dracula, is nothing more than a crazed fanatic. Dracula has been reincarnated as Soma Cruz. However, Soma destroys the evil inside himself, thus stopping the true resurrection of Dracula.
Gameplay-wise, fans enjoyed Aria Of Sorrow for its continuation of the Metroidvania style. “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” is the best way to describe this entry in the series. At the same time, it was easy to see some fans were beginning to feel burnt out by this point. It didn’t help that the story was so different in its concepts and ideas than the rest of the series, which alienated some fans.
1
Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrows – 2036
Soma’s Final Adventure Remains The Final Entry In Castlevania
A cultist named Celia Fortner wishes to use Soma as a means to resurrect Dracula in Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrows. This leads to another adventure for Soma, Yoko, Julius, and Arikado, that pits them against an army of monsters in Japan. It all culminates in a final battle against the cult leaders. One of them absorbs Celia and transforms into a giant monster as a final boss. Soma defeats them, resists the darkness, and defeats his inner Dracula yet again.
Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrows is the end of the original Castlevania chronology, and the franchise has yet to return to this timeline. It would also mark the end of the Metroidvania era of Castlevania since it proved to be another title that left fans feeling like the series had strayed too far away from the gothic setting that made it so beloved.
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