I decided to play all the good Castlevanias

[Anayo]

I am really late getting on board the Castlevania bandwagon, but I set out to remedy this situation late last year. So far I have beaten:

Castlevania
Castlevania Bloodlines
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (from Dracula X for the PSP)

Castlevania 1 is brilliant, but it's freaking cheap. I couldn't have beaten it at all without save states. The difficulty gets a bit less cruel in the future versions.

This series reminds me a lot of Contra and of the days when Konami was really on point. I secretly call Castlevania "Spooky Contra". My favorite Castlevania so far is Rondo of Blood, followed very closely by Bloodlines. Maybe I'm opening a can of worms by saying this, but I like Bloodlines more than Castlevania IV. Why, exactly? I'm not sure. Maybe I just like Sega Genesis a little more than SNES.

Next up for me is Castlevania IV and Symphony of the Night on my PSP. I may play them parallel to each other, since I can play SotN on the go and C4 in my game cave. After that I wanna get my hands on Aira of Sorrow for the GBA and Dawn of Sorrow for the DS.

[Ziggy]

Maybe I'm opening a can of worms by saying this, but I like Bloodlines more than Castlevania IV. Why, exactly? I'm not sure. Maybe I just like Sega Genesis a little more than SNES.

I can understand that. Bloodlines is a great game.

I like the SNES more than the Genesis, and by a good margin. Castlevania IV was the first game in the series that I played, so I don't really know what my "true feelings" would be for the game versus others in the series. Bloodlines is definitely a solid game though, so if you say you like it better than IV, I wont argue.

If you DO like Bloodlines, and liked the first game on the NES, then you're gonna love CV3. It plays more like the first game, but with more levels, branching paths, and multiple playable characters. I highly recommend playing the Famicom version, if you're able to. The music and sound effects are bad ass. Sounds more like a Genesis than an NES. There's a lot of differences between the NES and FC version, but my #1 is the Dracula check point. It's just total bullshit in the NES version!

Next up for me is Castlevania IV and Symphony of the Night on my PSP..

The PSP version is great, but I don't know if you're short changing yourself. I love the new voice acting, and I love how it matches voice acting in Rondo on the Dracula X Chronicles. But there's something to be said about the original voice acting from the PS1 version. It's bad, but it's GOOD bad!

Also, the game is really fantastic visually. I enjoy playing it a lot more on a TV rather than the PSP version. If you're gonna stick with the PSP version, be sure to use headphones so you can enjoy the game's awesome soundtrack. The PSP speakers don't do it justice.

[PartridgeSenpai]

I recently played through all of the Metroid-style ones, and I can safely say that Order of Ecclesia and Dawn of Sorrow are probably my two favorites.

It's been a while since I've played Bloodlines, but that game is really good. I'm not sure it's as fun to play as Castlevania IV, just from a play-control perspective, but they're both definitely two of the best of the stage-driven older style.

Personally I don't really care for the NES games just because of their difficulty. Simon/Trevor just moves and jumps so stiffly, combined with how hella-far you get knocked back and the very limited range of your whip, and the games just aren't enjoyable for me, at least not past the first few levels.

Another odd opinion I suppose I have is thinking that the 2nd N64 game is a good game. Most people just seem to disregard it because it uses so much from the original, but it's more-so a remake of the first N64 game, and much better polished as a result. The story is still nothing incredible, but the toning down of enemy frequency and a tuned up platforming engine really did that game a lot of good.

Excellent quest to partake in though, having recently done it myself! I hope you enjoy Castlevania Judgment as much as I did! I thought it was a really competant 3D-fighter for Wii, personally. A little campy, but that just added to the charm for me.

[Xeogred]

I went through all the traditional CV's last year for one of my own challenges. Had a dang blast. People seem to rag on Chronicles a lot (not here or anything), definitely give that one a shot. It was really neat and has some incredible music. I don't know what the PSP version of Rondo of Blood is like, if it's easier or not, but if you can tackle that one you should have a good time with the rest.

Rebirth on the Wii was okay... worth a run to me if you're really a fan, but it's kind of low tier on my list.

I don't have much nostalgia for the NES titles and this might not be the most popular thing to say, but while I can appreciate them, I didn't really care for them too much. Especially 3, that one really annoyed me because of how cluttered it was with the branching paths or backtracking, the multiple characters that I didn't like using (just give me the damn whip!), and some insanely cheap level design down the road. One level with falling blocks or some crap, I don't know how anyone can argue that level was good.

Anyways, I just like to say I vastly prefer the 16-32bit installments and have nothing but praise for IV, Bloodlines, Rondo of Blood, and Chronicles. Then from there, all the Metroidvania games succeeding Symphony of the Night are pretty much all worth playing. The quality varies, but even the weaker ones like Harmony of Dissonance really aren't that bad compared to other games out there. Just know that Symphony of the Night is SO easy, it's a bit boring in a way. It's pathetic, lol. But Circle of the Moon and Order of Ecclesia could destroy you. Circle of the Moon, Aria of Sorrow, and Order of Ecclesia are my top votes for the Metroidvania ones. I'm not sure where I put Symphony of the Night in there. I utterly love it, but it does feel kind of bloated after awhile and the lack of difficulty makes it a little boring at times. The music and aesthetics are just so good though, so it's still fantastic to play and soothing.

When you're ready for 3D Castlevania, then go play Dark Souls. It's everything Castlevania should have been when transitioning to 3D.

Lament of Innocence has a great OST though.

EDIT: I almost forgot about Dracula X on the SNES, which is a completely different reduxed game from Rondo of Blood... SKIP IT! Or again, check it out if you can't get enough, but wow. I'm never playing this one again. And who thought fighting Dracula on a bunch of pillars with pits for 30 minutes would be fun?

[Exhuminator]

Well Anayo I'm just a casual gamer with no experience in these things, but if you want my ignorant opinion on the best Castlevanias, they would be:

I don't care what anybody says, this game is freaking awesome.


Great sequel to a great game.


The second best Castlevania ever made.


The second most challenging Castlevania ever made.


The best and most challenging Castlevania ever made.

Also I lied about no experience. I've beaten every 2D Castlevania except for Chronicles and Castlevania III. I nearly finished III once but the game bores me. It's overrated as piss. People will say I'm dumb and I'm wrong, and those people also believe Rondo of Blood is perfect. Believe those people if you wish. But they are wrong in their wrong place.

[Xeogred]

I won't argue with you Exhuminator on 3, but you better tell me you like Chronicles!

[Exhuminator]

I won't argue with you Exhuminator on 3, but you better tell me you like Chronicles!

I enjoy many other Castlevanias. The 5 I listed are simply the best of the best.

[Xeogred]

I won't argue with you Exhuminator on 3, but you better tell me you like Chronicles!

I enjoy many other Castlevanias. The 5 I listed are simply the best of the best.

Wroooooooong!

[KalessinDB]

Castlevania is my favorite series ever, though I can't say as I've beaten them all.

Interestingly, I really enjoyed Lament of Innocence on the PS2. Probably my favorite 3d game in the series. I'd recommend it.

[prfsnl_gmr]

I thought I had beaten every game in the series, but then I remembered that I hadn't beaten Haunted Castle, Castlevania 64, the sequel to Castlevania 64, any of the Gameboy Castlevania games, Castlevania Judgment, Castlevania The Adventure Rebirth, Harmony of Despair, any of the Lords of Shadow games, or the Castlevania mobile game...There are just a lot of Castlevania games...