Best and Worst of Castlevaniaii
       

Sam's Personal Rankings
(updated as of 12/12/06)

 

There are many different opinions on what is the best (and worst) Castlevania games in the series. I've found that in a series this great, it is very difficult to rank them in terms of best to worst. In the past while trying to make up my own personal list, I've found the list can change depending on the given day, mood, or perspective.

While I can only speak for myself in matters of opinions, I wanted to share some of my personal opinions on how I feel each installment of the series. I've ranked them in order of best to worst (is there a "worst" Castlevania?) Here goes:

 

#1 Symphony of the Night (Playstation/Saturn)
Why do I feel this is the best in the series? It's not a clear call by any means. In fact, I really debated between this and my second ranked game. It's a mood thing. I won't go into details about old school vs. new school. I will say the game plays so naturally that you don't notice the engine behind it. The music is atmospheric, but fun. The graphics are beautiful, and the animation is terrific. Alucards animation details an urgency that alone creates a feeling of action. It's just plain fun, and that's it's greatest strength. NOTE: The poor English voice acting is sort of a sore spot. However, considering it's more a bonus than anything, I choose to ignore it. The Japanese voice acting is terrific, so if the English acting makes you cringe that bad, learn Japanese and get that version instead (he he).

#2 Super Castlevania 4 (Super NES)
This was the game I bought my SNES for (back in the day). It doesn't matter it's a very linear game, or that it's a step back from Castlevania 3 in terms of game play. It's game mechanics were innovative and fun (it's 8 directional whip has never been fully integrated again). It's level designs were cool, and it's graphics were a very appealing, almost rendered look. The music is epic and amazing. I think what really raises this game above most others is it's actually kind of creepy, and captures the feeling of a scary classic film. I still get goosebumps...(ok, not quite.)

#3 Dracula X: Rondo of Blood (PC Engine)
It's rare, it's cool, it's Dracula X! It's easier to describe the feeling this game evokes rather than what evokes it. It is the anime look? Yes. Is it the great music? Of course. Is it the multi-path game play? Yep. But what else is it? It must be the magic fairy dust that emits when you put the game in your machine. Not buying that? Okay, then I guess it has to do the fact that this game isn't out to impress us, it just does it's job and gives us solid action in the highest of fashions. That kind of style goes a long way.

#4 Dracula's Curse (NES)
In some ways, this is actually the real king of Castlevania. It has many branches to it's level design, 3 alternative characters, addictive game play, and a terrific score (especially the Japanese version arrangements). It's also very challenging. However, the game is compelling and makes you try again and again. So why don't I rank this closer to the top? Is it because it's only 8-bit? Maybe a little bit (sorry). I guess my top 3 games impressed me so much on a technical level, it's hard not to favor them just a little more. But just a little. This 8 bit puppy has a real bite!

#5 Lament of Innocence (Playstation 2)
Ok, I can hear the protests now. Lament of Innocence near the top of the list? Instead of defending the game, all I can do is praise it. The game play is unique to the series: It's 3D, It borrows more from TMNT in terms of it's action (beat all the enemies to move on). But the combat system is fun and complex, so I liked that. The levels have some redundancies, it's greatest downfall, but they are greatly detailed and gothic. And the musical score keeps you going (one of the best in the series, not an easy feat). I loved the cinematic cut scenes, especially near the end between Leon and Mathias. Not for everyone, but I had a great time.

#6 Portrait of Ruin (Nintendo DS)
Believe it, they did Castlevania right for it's 20 anniversary. They've paid homage and tribute by putting creativity and innovation first. The duo character formula is well done and fun (though not totally original or new in concept to the series) and there is great appeal in the levels. The painting levels take Castlevania to places that would otherwise feel out of place in the series (such as an ancient Egyptian pyramid). Add classic themes, smart design and a few strategic "cameos" and you've got not just a great anniversary present, you've got one of the best games in the series, this time with little reservation to get past.

#7 Dawn of Sorrow (Nintendo DS)
If this game had come out 3 games before, it would have seemed even better. While there is nothing incredible original about the game itself, it borrows the best elements from the series and does it all right. As a follow up to Aria of Sorrow, it’s a better game (though the original was a great one itself) by simply being on a more powerful system. The graphics are great, as is the terrific score. There is a real sense of adventure through familiar territory, given a fresh coat of paint with a lot of cool touches. While it’s a tad generic, it’s hard to argue that it copies greatness so well that one hardly notices that’s it’s more of the same. And that’s really saying something about the creators.

#8 Aria of Sorrow (GameBoy Advance)
While I may not always feel compelled to pick this game up and play, when I do, I can't seem to put it down! It's a complex game that takes a great concept (it's 2035), rich characters, and some terrific plot twists. It doesn't always feel like Castlevania, but it always plays like Castlevania. The game play is solid, the graphics are cool, and while the music isn't too memorable, it's good while you are playing. Overall, a great game.

#9 Castlevania: Bloodlines (Genesis)
The Genesis was a charming system. It was not as powerful as the SNES, it had sub par sound, but was a success because it had a real appeal. That appeal translated to it's games, and to Bloodlines, the only Castlevania for the system. Everything about this game had been done better in previous installment, but Bloodlines had a real charm to it that was unique. It had creative bosses, a neat look, and fun atmosphere. It had some graphical touches splendid for the system. And while it had only 6 levels, they were long and challenging. It's amazing how far a little charm and creativity can go.

#10 Castlevania (NES)
The original game to take the "Castlevania" name was a terrific game for the time, and is still a lot of fun to this day. It's classic gaming at it's best. It is fitting a game that molded itself after classic movies would become a classic itself. It's simplicity is it's greatest asset, for here you won't find any mind blowing elements (outside of the challenge). A masterpiece that may look pale compared to later installments, but in itself is nothing short of perfect.

#11 Curse of Darkness (PS2 and Xbox)
As with any game series that spans over a long period of time, things are bound to change dramatically from their original foundations. Curse of Darkness takes major creative license by aligning itself chronologically a mere 3 years after one of the series’ earliest installments, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. While following up a 2D 8-bit classic with a 128-bit 3D installment 15 years later may seem jarring at first, the game turns out to be rather enjoyable. At times, redundant, other times totally compelling, I found myself enjoying the game more and more I progressed. It also has one of the strangest stories in the series, dealing with elements such as “devil forging” and time travel. The devil forging is another enjoyable element to the game, which raises the level a bar or two above what it could have been,; at the same time, it could also be the reason why some of the other elements seem a tad compromised (like the redundant level design). It’s not everything it could be, but it’s got enough greatness to counter the game’s shortfalls.

#12 Circle of the Moon (GameBoy Advance)
The first game in the series for the GameBoy Advance was made in the mold of Symphony of the Night. It also captured the feelings of the older games in the series, especially by reusing a lot of classic Castlevania tunes. A long and involving game, very hard at times, but always worth the effort. The controls were a little odd at first (Nathan seemed to jump very high and fast) but otherwise, it was a good example of what Castlevania is supposed to be.

#13 Legacy of Darkness (Nintendo 64)
I didn't feel that Castlevania 64 needed a lot of improvement to be better. This game took what was there, fixed the main ailments, and gave us a cool main character this time: a werewolf! While I still would have liked some better music, it was better there too. Overall, it just felt more like Castlevania. Perhaps the series is better when it's in 2D, but it was clearly the best the programmers could do at the time. Great 3D action.

#14 Harmony of Dissonance (GameBoy Advance)
The second game for the GameBoy Advance, it's almost as good as Circle of the Moon. It's a big game, with a lot of terrific levels, puzzles and inspirations. It is spoiled only by the clunky character sprite (simplistic compared to the games otherwise awesome visuals) and mediocre music arrangements. The tunes are terrific compositions poorly orchestrated. Otherwise, this game is very good, and a worthy installment of the series.

#15 Simon's Quest (NES)
Simon's Quest has a reputation for being a classic. I can kind of agree to that. It's involving, complex, and has some great music. I think the story is terrific. However, I don't feel it's as good a game as a lot of the other games in the series. I can't think of any really good reason why that is, except that I feel this concept was done better in later games. The old school concept seemed more fun on the 8 bit systems than this games RPG-like format.

#16 Belmont's Revenge (GameBoy)
I must admit, I never thought the original GameBoy was too awesome. It was a good substitute for when you couldn't get a hold of anything better. However, that's not to say there couldn't be some great games for it. Belmont's Revenge kept the challenge at a good level, and it didn't overstay it's welcome. It had great levels, good music, and was another just-plain-fun installment.

#17 Castlevania 64 (Nintendo 64)
I've always felt this is a good game. While it didn't live up to it's potential, it still did a lot of things right. This was the first time we'd seen the Castlevania universe in 3D, and seeing it in this perspective alone made it worth playing. The game didn't quite feel right, probably due to it's detective-esque scoring. But the levels were neat, especially the later ones, where the term "apocalyptic" just seems to fit.

#18 Castlevania: Dracula X (Super NES)
Even without playing the PC Engine game, it was apparent this game paled by comparison. There was nothing particularly wrong here, except that it seemed a little simplistic compared to other SNES games. The opening level had a pretty cool fire effect, but what does it say when a neat background is the most memorable part of a game? The control of Richter was a little off and clunky, but wasn't too bad. I liked the game for what it was, but it should have been more.

#19 Castlevania Chronicles (Playstation)
A fun remake of the original game. I liked the game a lot. I loved the look of the game, which seemed liked something out of an evil coloring book. However, I didn't care for Simon's ugly sprite here. Also, the stair jumping was gone. Not required, but it would have made things more fun. The chronicles version had some great remixes, which I appreciated.. Overall, not my favorite in the series but far ahead in my mind from the least.

#20 Castlevania Legends (GameBoy)
For a GameBoy game, I didn't think it was too bad. The controls were good, and the music was nice. The game play was smooth as well. However, a GameBoy game has it's limits, and this game didn't push them too hard. The graphics were not too good either. It's biggest strength is it's game play, but that's flexing a pretty small muscle.

#21 Vampire Killer (MSX)
This is the kind of game that drove me nuts in grade school. The challenge came more from fighting with the controls that the spooks and puzzles. Once I got past all that, I found it a decent play. There is a lot of motivations that went into it, and the graphics are very well done. It feels a lot like the original Castlevania, but not nearly as exciting. Overall, I noble effort, but the formula was wisely changed for good reason.

#22 Haunted Castle (Arcade)
I really wanted to love this game. It had a great arcade feel, nice music and graphics, and was made very well. I liked the control and was having a really good time. Too bad the game never liked me back. This game is way too hard. How can you enjoy a game that doesn't want to be played? I'm sure if I was determined enough, I could have always kept trying...but a game needs to earn that right, and Haunted Castle doesn't. NOTE: The Japanese version was easier and I liked it better. But it was still too hard.

#23 The Castlevania Adventure (GameBoy)
Someone had to be last. The Castlevania Adventure is it. Why? Sluggish controls ruin an otherwise good game. I didn't mind the game so much when playing on the GBA or GameBoy Player, where it's easier to make the pixel-perfect jumps. I liked the music, surprisingly good for the system. But the game moves slow, and doesn't feel good to play. That's why this game is at the bottom of a barrel, this rotten tomato squashed into ketchup by the top games above it.

 

There you have it, my personal rankings. Not everyone will agree. Even I may not always agree. But thinking of my general feelings about these games, this seems to reflect my opinions well. There are times when the spirit moves me, and I can sit and enjoy the games in the bottom of my list very much. But when the feelings are sorted and the choices are made, I'm just happy to see there is so much greatness to choose from.

Sam Mills can be reached by email at sammycut1@aol.com

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