Excerpt
The Castlevania series has been around since 1986 and has seen numerous changes over the years. The original Castlevania games began as an homage to Hollywood monster movies, and were known for their brutal, though rewarding difficulty. The series moved away from those roots with Symphony of the Night, released eleven years after the first game, morphing the genre into a more approachable action-RPG, in a subgenre known as the "Metroidvania". Another decade passed, and it was handed to a European team, creating a cinematic action game to compete with other big budget titles. Throughout that, there have been weird aberrations, like a multiplayer loot hunting spinoff and an ill-conceived fighting game.
As a result, there are all kinds of different Castlevania fans, each enjoying the series for different reasons. Classicvania fans prefer the difficulty of the older games and the skills required to defeat Dracula. Metroidvania fans prefer the exploration and RPG elements; Lords of Shadow fans prefer the presentation and darker themes of the more modern entries.
Still, there are some solid, defining elements of the Castlevania series. The games feature heroes with whips, who fight vampires and other hellish creatures. The visuals are fantastic, typifying some of the best technical work of the given era. The music is top tier, some of the most outstanding video gaming has to offer. Other elements include the arsenal, such as daggers, axes, and time-halting stopwatches; the hearts to power these weapons; the rhythm and flow of the movement and combat; the sound effects; and the Belmont clan and their war against evil throughout multiple generations.
