The 10 Worst Castlevania Games
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VOICE OVER: Ty Richardson
WRITTEN BY: Ty Richardson
For as much as we love “Castlevania”, some have suffered too many horrible nights to have a curse. For this list, we'll be looking at the worst entries within Konami's monster-slaying series. Our list includes "Castlevania II: Simon's Quest" (1987), "Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2" (2014), "Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night" (2010), and more!
Script written by Ty Richardson
For as much as we love “Castlevania”, some have suffered too many horrible nights to have a curse. For this list, we'll be looking at the worst entries within Konami's monster-slaying series. Our list includes "Castlevania II: Simon's Quest" (1987), "Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2" (2014), "Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night" (2010), and more! Have you played any of these ghastly games? Which “Castlevania” does not belong in this world? Let us know which game is a miserable pile of secrets in your eyes in the comments below.
As we transitioned video games from the second to the third dimension, some franchises got lost in the shift and went down in infamy. “Castlevania” went down this dark road when it launched its first 3D game on the Nintendo 64. It wasn’t downright awful like some other notorious N64 games, but for “Castlevania”, it was incredibly weak. Levels were unevenly paced, sometimes dragging out far longer than others. And of course, the camera did not make platforming any easier than it was in 2D. Like we said earlier, “Castlevania 64” could have been a lot worse than games like “Quest 64” or “Earthworm Jim 3D”, but it simply wasn’t a smooth transition to 3D.
Like “Castlevania 64”, “Simon’s Quest” isn’t super dreadful. It holds the same level of difficulty as its predecessor between the hordes of enemies, tough bosses, and bullshit knockback. However, what really kills this game is the level design. For an NES game, it’s surprisingly expansive, but Konami fails to provide any sense of direction. Those unfamiliar with “Simon’s Quest” will need a guide just to figure out where they need to head to next. Otherwise, be prepared to spend a solid hour or two wandering around aimlessly.
When it comes to “Castlevania” and PlayStation, most will think of the marvel that was “Symphony of the Night”. As for “Castlevania Chronicles”, well, we typically don’t talk about that one. Though it was originally released on the X68000 home computer, the PlayStation version didn’t do much to justify its asking price. Unlockable content offered no real incentive to replay the game, the music didn’t hit the same as previous installments, and the visuals were outdated, especially by the time the PlayStation version launched in 2001. Really, if you had “Symphony of the Night”, why did you need “Chronicles”?
A “Castlevania” puzzle spin-off? Sign us up! …Wait, it’s just…it’s just “Puzzle Fighter” but with…the face of “Castlevania”? …This sucks! “Encore of the Night” biggest letdown is in being as much of an obvious copycat as it can possibly be. While witnessing the retelling of “Symphony of the Night”, players will drop down gem blocks and use combos to defeat enemies. We were not kidding when we said it’s just “Puzzle Fighter” with “Castlevania’s” face. Was there really no other way to incorporate puzzle elements into a “Castlevania” spin-off? Would you believe they dropped the five-dollar price tag to ninety-nine cents BECAUSE of how badly the game sold?
Once again, we have a mobile game trying desperately to capitalize on the legacy of “Symphony of the Night”. Because sure, let’s sell the fans on rose-tinted glasses and hope they don’t see the red flags. The linear level design fails the intricacy that “Castlevania” had become known for, especially after “Symphony of the Night”. And just like “Chronicles”, “Order of Shadows” gave us no reason to replay after the first run - no new playable characters, no secrets, nothing. It very much felt like Konami shoveled this out to capitalize on the mobile market boom that was occurring at the time.
If some shots look too familiar to you, well, they should be. “Legacy of Darkness” is, quite simply, an expanded version of “Castlevania 64” with more bosses, levels, and tweaks to the level design. So, shouldn’t fixes and additions have improved this? Considering this came out less than a year after the original, we have to wonder what the point was in releasing the original game. We’re not kidding - “64” and “Legacy of Darkness” were launched within twelve months of each other! And what’s more is that “Legacy of Darkness” doesn’t do much to really justify its cost. You microwaved reheated beans from a can and sold it to us. Twice. Congratulations.
If you haven’t already, you need to try the handheld “Castlevania” games, specifically the GBA and DS games! The Game Boy titles, on the other hand, you can skip, especially “Castlevania: The Adventure”. The level design is super limited, and many of the tricks and traps have been pulled from previous games. Basically, if you’ve played the original game or even “Simon’s Quest”, you’ve played “The Adventure”. On top of that, the levels go on for way longer than a normal Game Boy title should. Don’t subject yourself to this frustration. Your batteries are better spent on other games.
Man, “Lords of Shadow 2” was a massive disappointment. The first “Lords of Shadow” and “Mirror of Fate” showed how “Castlevania” could properly migrate into the 3D space with its fast-paced action and intense boss fights. So, where did the sequel falter? Well, the modern day settings, for starters. Seeing “Castlevania” in a present-day environment really pulls from the gothic and majestic aesthetics the series has been known for. It ends up looking like any other ordinary action game. Combat added nothing interesting to the game, degrading into mindless button-mashing and violence. It was as if “Castlevania” was trying to be more like “God of War”.
Yeah, we all knew this was coming eventually. We’ll give “Judgment” some credit - it managed to maintain the gothic aesthetic, and it isn’t the most abysmal fighting game we’ve played. However, the biggest issue with this game is how it goes full-on anime with its character designs. Every “Castlevania” character has gone through drastic redesigns that resemble nothing of their original appearances. Simon is now mop-haired dude in leather with exposed abs, Alucard looks like a Monty Python LARPer, Maria Renard is some dopey little girl, and Carmilla–okay, well at least her new look makes SOME sense. Wait a minute, the character designs were done by the co-creator of “Death Note”? That explains a lot. A “Castlevania” fighting game could very well work, but with these redesigns, the awful camera, and cumbersome controls, “Judgment” failed in the worst ways possible.
Redesigns, reskins, and repackages are one thing. It’s another to just go full-on greed and morph “Castlevania” into a sleazy set of slots. Pick any one to target - there are multiple iterations, and they’re all manipulative as hell! Through the “Pachislot Akumajo Dracula” series, Konami has recycled assets from previous games just to churn out a quick buck. And of course, instead of focusing on the bits that make “Castlevania” awesome - you know the weapons, the characters, and the boss fights, it focuses on “erotic violence”. Look, there’s nothing wrong with games getting sexy sometimes, but when it’s on this level of shameless spectacle and greed, we gotta put it on blast.
For as much as we love “Castlevania”, some have suffered too many horrible nights to have a curse. For this list, we'll be looking at the worst entries within Konami's monster-slaying series. Our list includes "Castlevania II: Simon's Quest" (1987), "Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2" (2014), "Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night" (2010), and more! Have you played any of these ghastly games? Which “Castlevania” does not belong in this world? Let us know which game is a miserable pile of secrets in your eyes in the comments below.
“Castlevania”, aka “Castlevania 64” (1999)
As we transitioned video games from the second to the third dimension, some franchises got lost in the shift and went down in infamy. “Castlevania” went down this dark road when it launched its first 3D game on the Nintendo 64. It wasn’t downright awful like some other notorious N64 games, but for “Castlevania”, it was incredibly weak. Levels were unevenly paced, sometimes dragging out far longer than others. And of course, the camera did not make platforming any easier than it was in 2D. Like we said earlier, “Castlevania 64” could have been a lot worse than games like “Quest 64” or “Earthworm Jim 3D”, but it simply wasn’t a smooth transition to 3D.
“Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest” (1987)
Like “Castlevania 64”, “Simon’s Quest” isn’t super dreadful. It holds the same level of difficulty as its predecessor between the hordes of enemies, tough bosses, and bullshit knockback. However, what really kills this game is the level design. For an NES game, it’s surprisingly expansive, but Konami fails to provide any sense of direction. Those unfamiliar with “Simon’s Quest” will need a guide just to figure out where they need to head to next. Otherwise, be prepared to spend a solid hour or two wandering around aimlessly.
“Castlevania Chronicles” (1993)
When it comes to “Castlevania” and PlayStation, most will think of the marvel that was “Symphony of the Night”. As for “Castlevania Chronicles”, well, we typically don’t talk about that one. Though it was originally released on the X68000 home computer, the PlayStation version didn’t do much to justify its asking price. Unlockable content offered no real incentive to replay the game, the music didn’t hit the same as previous installments, and the visuals were outdated, especially by the time the PlayStation version launched in 2001. Really, if you had “Symphony of the Night”, why did you need “Chronicles”?
“Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night” (2010)
A “Castlevania” puzzle spin-off? Sign us up! …Wait, it’s just…it’s just “Puzzle Fighter” but with…the face of “Castlevania”? …This sucks! “Encore of the Night” biggest letdown is in being as much of an obvious copycat as it can possibly be. While witnessing the retelling of “Symphony of the Night”, players will drop down gem blocks and use combos to defeat enemies. We were not kidding when we said it’s just “Puzzle Fighter” with “Castlevania’s” face. Was there really no other way to incorporate puzzle elements into a “Castlevania” spin-off? Would you believe they dropped the five-dollar price tag to ninety-nine cents BECAUSE of how badly the game sold?
“Castlevania: Order of Shadows” (2007)
Once again, we have a mobile game trying desperately to capitalize on the legacy of “Symphony of the Night”. Because sure, let’s sell the fans on rose-tinted glasses and hope they don’t see the red flags. The linear level design fails the intricacy that “Castlevania” had become known for, especially after “Symphony of the Night”. And just like “Chronicles”, “Order of Shadows” gave us no reason to replay after the first run - no new playable characters, no secrets, nothing. It very much felt like Konami shoveled this out to capitalize on the mobile market boom that was occurring at the time.
“Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness” (1999)
If some shots look too familiar to you, well, they should be. “Legacy of Darkness” is, quite simply, an expanded version of “Castlevania 64” with more bosses, levels, and tweaks to the level design. So, shouldn’t fixes and additions have improved this? Considering this came out less than a year after the original, we have to wonder what the point was in releasing the original game. We’re not kidding - “64” and “Legacy of Darkness” were launched within twelve months of each other! And what’s more is that “Legacy of Darkness” doesn’t do much to really justify its cost. You microwaved reheated beans from a can and sold it to us. Twice. Congratulations.
“Castlevania: The Adventure” (1989)
If you haven’t already, you need to try the handheld “Castlevania” games, specifically the GBA and DS games! The Game Boy titles, on the other hand, you can skip, especially “Castlevania: The Adventure”. The level design is super limited, and many of the tricks and traps have been pulled from previous games. Basically, if you’ve played the original game or even “Simon’s Quest”, you’ve played “The Adventure”. On top of that, the levels go on for way longer than a normal Game Boy title should. Don’t subject yourself to this frustration. Your batteries are better spent on other games.
“Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2” (2014)
Man, “Lords of Shadow 2” was a massive disappointment. The first “Lords of Shadow” and “Mirror of Fate” showed how “Castlevania” could properly migrate into the 3D space with its fast-paced action and intense boss fights. So, where did the sequel falter? Well, the modern day settings, for starters. Seeing “Castlevania” in a present-day environment really pulls from the gothic and majestic aesthetics the series has been known for. It ends up looking like any other ordinary action game. Combat added nothing interesting to the game, degrading into mindless button-mashing and violence. It was as if “Castlevania” was trying to be more like “God of War”.
“Castlevania Judgment” (2008)
Yeah, we all knew this was coming eventually. We’ll give “Judgment” some credit - it managed to maintain the gothic aesthetic, and it isn’t the most abysmal fighting game we’ve played. However, the biggest issue with this game is how it goes full-on anime with its character designs. Every “Castlevania” character has gone through drastic redesigns that resemble nothing of their original appearances. Simon is now mop-haired dude in leather with exposed abs, Alucard looks like a Monty Python LARPer, Maria Renard is some dopey little girl, and Carmilla–okay, well at least her new look makes SOME sense. Wait a minute, the character designs were done by the co-creator of “Death Note”? That explains a lot. A “Castlevania” fighting game could very well work, but with these redesigns, the awful camera, and cumbersome controls, “Judgment” failed in the worst ways possible.
All of Those Pachinkos!
Redesigns, reskins, and repackages are one thing. It’s another to just go full-on greed and morph “Castlevania” into a sleazy set of slots. Pick any one to target - there are multiple iterations, and they’re all manipulative as hell! Through the “Pachislot Akumajo Dracula” series, Konami has recycled assets from previous games just to churn out a quick buck. And of course, instead of focusing on the bits that make “Castlevania” awesome - you know the weapons, the characters, and the boss fights, it focuses on “erotic violence”. Look, there’s nothing wrong with games getting sexy sometimes, but when it’s on this level of shameless spectacle and greed, we gotta put it on blast.
