User blog:Nagumo baby/Guide to Castlevania Chronology II

In this blog I will adress several Castlevania games and related media, and explain if they either take place in IGA's offical timeline, are alternative continuities, or are set in completely different universes. All these works have been released during the period of 2007-2012.

Castlevania: Order of Shadows and The Arcade


For Order of Shadows and the Arcade, we proceeded from the start with the plan to create them as a separate continuity (gaiden), since we thought including them in the formal series would cause a variety of production difficulties.

— IGA

IGA says these games are gaiden. Going with the distinction that he made between gaiden and "alternate universe", it means that the stories of these games are set in alternative timelines. For example, a character from Order of Shadows, Giovanni, is said to be related to Rinaldo Gandolfi, a character from Lament of Innocence. Therefore, it can be assumed these two games share the same continuity. Currently, it is unknown how Castlevania Arcade relates to the offical timeline.

Akumajo Dracula: Lament of Innocence


I do not now much about this comic adaptation of Lament of Innocence because it has only been released for a Japanese cellphone service (which has recently been taken down). However, being supervised by IGA, and being merely an adaptation that expands on the story, it's safe to assume it's in continuity with IGA's offical timeline.

Akumajō Dracula X: Tsuioku no Yasōkyoku and Akumajo Dracula: Kabuchi no Tsuisoukyoku


This radio drama and novella are completely original stories that act as sequels to Symphony of the Night and Dawn of Sorrow. Being once again supervised by IGA, and being sequels to already existing games in the offical timeline, it seems clear that they have a place in continuity, and can be enjoyed as such.

Akumajo Dracula Pachislot Series
These Castlevania pachinko games have been puzzeling some fans for quite a while in how exactly they fit into the storyline. They star Trevor Belmont and borrow the style from Curse of Darkness (Yami no Juin). The developer's blog sheds some light on the issue and states they are gaiden set during the time Curse of Darkness would have occured. The story of the first two Pachislots are actually one story and are set in this alternative timeline. The third and most recent entry takes place before the other two and adapts the story of Castlevania 3 (Akumajo Densetsu).

Here is an overview:

Yami no Juin / Akumajo Densetsu/Pachislot III---> \                                     Pachislot Akumajo Dracula I/II  To be continued.