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Castlevania (universe): Difference between revisions
→Franchise description
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Following ''Rondo of Blood'', the franchise would begin to deviate from its side-scrolling platformer roots and expand into a subseries now referred to as the "{{iw|wikipedia|Metroidvania}}" genre, notable for sharing aspects with Nintendo's {{uv|Metroid}} series such as a more expansive, interconnected map, secret areas and upgrades, and greater control over the player character and their abilities. The first of these installments was the sleeper hit ''{{iw|wikipedia|Castlevania: Symphony of the Night}}'', which followed [[Alucard]], the half-human, half-vampire son of Dracula who previously debuted in ''Dracula's Curse'', on an adventure through two versions of Dracula's Castle to defeat his father and avenge his mother's death, all the while attempting to save Richter from his possession by the dark priest Shaft. This entry is especially notable for the incorporation of RPG elements akin to ''Simon's Quest'' into the formula, in which Alucard would gain experience and level up by defeating enemies. Originally conceived as a side story, director {{iw|wikipedia|Koji Igarashi}} thought to change up the formula and break conventions for ''Symphony of the Night'' after seeing a surprising amount of previous titles in bargain bins, which he attributes to the games’ short length and unnerving difficulty. He aimed to create a game that was approachable for the average player and had more staying power, and forgoing the Belmont family name and Vampire Killer whip gave Igarashi and his team greater freedom in designing the ''Castlevania'' game they envisioned. Finally, this title is notable for the change in character designs courtesy of Ayami Kojima, who later redesigned Simon for ''Castlevania Chronicles'' and now exemplifies the current style for the series. ''Symphony of the Night'' has been ported to several systems since its initial release, starting with the Sega Saturn in 1998 (albeit exclusively in Japan) and followed up by a retranslation in ''The Dracula X Chronicles''. | Following ''Rondo of Blood'', the franchise would begin to deviate from its side-scrolling platformer roots and expand into a subseries now referred to as the "{{iw|wikipedia|Metroidvania}}" genre, notable for sharing aspects with Nintendo's {{uv|Metroid}} series such as a more expansive, interconnected map, secret areas and upgrades, and greater control over the player character and their abilities. The first of these installments was the sleeper hit ''{{iw|wikipedia|Castlevania: Symphony of the Night}}'', which followed [[Alucard]], the half-human, half-vampire son of Dracula who previously debuted in ''Dracula's Curse'', on an adventure through two versions of Dracula's Castle to defeat his father and avenge his mother's death, all the while attempting to save Richter from his possession by the dark priest Shaft. This entry is especially notable for the incorporation of RPG elements akin to ''Simon's Quest'' into the formula, in which Alucard would gain experience and level up by defeating enemies. Originally conceived as a side story, director {{iw|wikipedia|Koji Igarashi}} thought to change up the formula and break conventions for ''Symphony of the Night'' after seeing a surprising amount of previous titles in bargain bins, which he attributes to the games’ short length and unnerving difficulty. He aimed to create a game that was approachable for the average player and had more staying power, and forgoing the Belmont family name and Vampire Killer whip gave Igarashi and his team greater freedom in designing the ''Castlevania'' game they envisioned. Finally, this title is notable for the change in character designs courtesy of Ayami Kojima, who later redesigned Simon for ''Castlevania Chronicles'' and now exemplifies the current style for the series. ''Symphony of the Night'' has been ported to several systems since its initial release, starting with the Sega Saturn in 1998 (albeit exclusively in Japan) and followed up by a retranslation in ''The Dracula X Chronicles''. | ||
The series would also see ventures into the third dimension with two installments released for the [[Nintendo 64]] around this time, these installments being ''[[wikipedia:Castlevania (1999 video game)|Castlevania 64]]'' and ''{{iw|wikipedia|Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness}}''. However, both of these titles were panned by critics and fans due to their poor controls and a troublesome camera and are considered two of the worst games in the entire franchise. Due to the greater critical success of ''Symphony of the Night'', the Metroidvania format would be used for the majority of subsequent installments on the [[Game Boy Advance]] and the [[Nintendo DS]], starting with ''Circle of the Moon'' in 2001 and concluding with ''Order of Ecclesia'' in 2008. Igarashi would be directing these portable titles up until the commercial failure of ''Order of Ecclesia'', wherein he would leave Konami in 2014 citing creative differences in his and the company's directions. He would later found his own studio, ArtPlay, and crowdfund a spiritual successor to the Metroidvania entries, ''{{iw|wikipedia|Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night}}'', which released in June 2019 to positive reviews. Following the lukewarm reception to ''Lords of Shadow 2'' in 2014, the ''Castlevania'' series had remained completely dormant | The series would also see ventures into the third dimension with two installments released for the [[Nintendo 64]] around this time, these installments being ''[[wikipedia:Castlevania (1999 video game)|Castlevania 64]]'' and ''{{iw|wikipedia|Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness}}''. However, both of these titles were panned by critics and fans due to their poor controls and a troublesome camera and are considered two of the worst games in the entire franchise. Due to the greater critical success of ''Symphony of the Night'', the Metroidvania format would be used for the majority of subsequent installments on the [[Game Boy Advance]] and the [[Nintendo DS]], starting with ''Circle of the Moon'' in 2001 and concluding with ''Order of Ecclesia'' in 2008. Igarashi would be directing these portable titles up until the commercial failure of ''Order of Ecclesia'', wherein he would leave Konami in 2014 citing creative differences in his and the company's directions. He would later found his own studio, ArtPlay, and crowdfund a spiritual successor to the Metroidvania entries, ''{{iw|wikipedia|Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night}}'', which released in June 2019 to positive reviews. Following the lukewarm reception to ''Lords of Shadow 2'' in 2014, the ''Castlevania'' series had remained completely dormant and has only seen a handful of compilation rereleases: ''Castlevania Requiem'' in October 2018, ''Castlevania Anniversary Collection'' in May 2019, and ''Castlevania Advance Collection'' in September 2021. | ||
Beyond its success as a 2D adventure series, the series would release later 3D installments to somewhat mixed success. Following the releases of two hack-and-slash-esque games released to the {{iw|wikipedia|PlayStation 2}}, a spinoff subseries, ''{{iw|wikipedia|Lords of Shadow}}'', was introduced in 2010 by MercurySteam and Kojima Productions, following a separate chronology from the previous titles. Many other spinoff titles and related properties have also been released, including ''{{iw|wikipedia|Kid Dracula}}'', ''{{iw|wikipedia|Castlevania Judgment}}'', and ''{{iw|wikipedia|Harmony of Despair}}'', as well as [[wikipedia:Castlevania (TV series)|an animated series]] covering the events of ''Castlevania III'', released on Netflix in 2017 and with its second season premiering in October 2018, a third in March 2020, and a final season in May 2021. | Beyond its success as a 2D adventure series, the series would release later 3D installments to somewhat mixed success. Following the releases of two hack-and-slash-esque games released to the {{iw|wikipedia|PlayStation 2}}, a spinoff subseries, ''{{iw|wikipedia|Lords of Shadow}}'', was introduced in 2010 by MercurySteam and Kojima Productions, following a separate chronology from the previous titles. Many other spinoff titles and related properties have also been released, including ''{{iw|wikipedia|Kid Dracula}}'', ''{{iw|wikipedia|Castlevania Judgment}}'', and ''{{iw|wikipedia|Harmony of Despair}}'', as well as [[wikipedia:Castlevania (TV series)|an animated series]] covering the events of ''Castlevania III'', released on Netflix in 2017 and with its second season premiering in October 2018, a third in March 2020, and a final season in May 2021. | ||