Castlevania (/ˌkæsəlˈveɪniə/), known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula, is a gothic horror action-adventure video game series and media franchise created by Konami. The series is largely set in the eponymous castle of Count Dracula, the main antagonist of the Belmont clan of vampire hunters.

Debuting with the 1986 video game on Nintendo's Famicom Disk System,[4] 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 the Night's gameplay, and 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 a critically-acclaimed animated television series.

Spanning over three 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.

Games in this series

Release Date 1986-09-26

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