Castlevania: Sub-Trilogies

By Shadow

The Castlevania series is really getting up there in age and numbers! What many people may not realize is how many sub-trilogies are in the series. But there are four of what I would call sub-trilogies in this series; we have the NES, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and the Dracula X trilogy.

Except for the Dracula X games, linked by story, the only thing that completely links these games is that they appeared on three of the same system. But there are a few things in these sub-trilogies you can count on. Here is my list of what links they have...

FIVE THINGS YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON IN
CASTLEVANIA TRILOGIES (so far):

1. Alucard will always appear in the third installment in any sub-trilogy.

He appeared playable in Castlevania III the third NES games
He appeared non playable in Castlevania Legends, the third Game Boy game
He was the star of Symphony of the Night, the third Dracula X game (after Rondo, and it's SNES sequel/remake)
He was incognito and unplayable, but had a role in Aria of Sorrow, the third game for the Game Boy Advance. Did anyone catch that?

2. You will never see more than three installments on any given system.

Though most Castlvania's have been made for a Nintendo system (a whooping 13 of them!) no more than three have ever appeared on any given system. Too bad the N64 didn't get just one more. It may have included Alucard in 3D!

3. The first and second game almost always features the same character.

NES: Simon in the first two, Trevor in the third
GAME BOY: Christopher in the first two, Sonya in the third
DRACULA X: Richter in the first two, Alucard in the third
GBA: Ok, an exception, but at least Nathan and Juste have more in common than Soma, right?

4. The third game takes place in a dramatically different period in time.

NES: Castlevania III took place before the other two.
GAME BOY: Castlevania Legends took place before the other two.
DRACULA X: Okay, only five years later in Symphony, but Rondo and Castlevania: Dracula X took place in the same year (if no the same time, but that's a whole other story!)
GBA: Aria of Sorrow took place in the future, dramatically out of time with the rest of the series!

5. The third one is always the best! (one exception!)
*NOTE: I admit this is a matter of opinion, but I've got the keyboard, and you don't, so you will LISTEN TO EVERY LAST WORD I HAVE TO SAY! Thank you!

NES: Trevor's game blew Simon's games out of the water! Was Castlevania 4 Simon's attempt at revenge?
GAME BOY: The exception. Legends was ok, but the second game, Belmont's Revenge, was better!
DRACULA X: Was Symphony of the Night really the best? Better then Rondo of Blood? Debatable, but in this writers opinion, yes (but just barely)!
GBA: Was it really better going into the future with Aria? Acquiring spirits, a game with an attitude, better music and graphics...yeah, it was the best! But it was in great company.

Okay, so there you have it. As we all know, the best things come in three's, like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, and Scream. Whether Konami did this on purpose or not, Castlevania Trilogies are all around us, friends! But never remember that Castlevania is more than just a series, it's a religion. And as we all know, religion is a dish best served in courses!

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