Castlevania: Lords of Shadow/Games References

Castlevania series

 * The original concept behind Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was to remake the original Castlevania starring Simon Belmont. While this idea was ultimately not followed through, Lords of Shadows' protagonist, Gabriel Belmont, wears armour which is reminiscent of Simon's artwork and sprite from Simon's Quest. Lords of Shadow developer David Cox mentioned in an interview that Gabriel is wearing armour similar to Simon's. This is presumably a reference to Gabriel being the first main character of a new Castlevania series, as Simon was of the original franchise.


 * Gabriel Belmont's basic standing stance and costume are similar to Simon Belmont and Trevor Belmont in the early Castlevania games and boxart.


 * Carmilla share the same name with Carmilla, a common boss character from the original series.


 * The Music box in chapter 9 plays the theme Vampire Killer from the original Castlevania.


 * The Evil Butcher was originally an enemy in Aria of Sorrow. He appeared in later games too.


 * Crow Witch Malphas is a new take on the classic Castlevania boss/enemy Malphas.


 * The Lord of the Lycans is named Cornell, this is a nod to the character originating from Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, Cornell "Blue Crescent Moon" the werewolf.


 * Veros Woods in chapter 5 is also the name of a location in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest.


 * The name of one of the villages is called Wygol, which is the major village from Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia.


 * A deceased Slogra, a recurring boss from Super Castlevania IV, Symphony of the Night and common enemy in various games since, can be seen in the background during the post-credits scene.

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

 * Laura share the same name with Carmilla's servant in stage 4 and 4'.


 * The name of one of the dead knights' girlfriend is Iris, the name of one of the characters in Rondo of Blood. This may be a coincidence however, since it is a common name.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

 * The name of one of the vampire commanders is Olrox. This is the name of a boss in Symphony of the Night, whose character is based on Count Orlok.


 * A fallen knight mentions a legend that the Bernhard family made a pact with a demon to construct their castle, and because of it's chaotic nature, it's constantly changing. This is similar to what Alucard said about Dracula's Castle to Maria.

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

 * The original Lords of the Vampires castle was the Bernhard family. This is a nod to Walter Bernhard, the Vampire and antagonist from the game.


 * It is rumored that Gabriel Belmont is the son of one of the nobles of the Cronqvist family. This is a nod to a character, Mathias Cronqvist, who went on to become Dracula, hinting at Gabriel's ultimate fate.


 * Rinaldo Gandolfi is the creator of the Combat Cross, nicknamed Vampire Killer. This is a nod to the character of the same name in Lament of Innocence. The nickname is a nod to the whip in the original series that Rinaldo Gandolfi help create for Leon Belmont.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

 * The Abbot Dorin shares the same family name with Vincent Dorin, the monk from Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin.


 * The name of one of the vampire commanders is Brauner. This is the name of the vampire lord and master of the castle in Portrait of Ruin.

Other franchises

 * Metal Gear
 * It is possible to add Solid Snake's bandana and Solid Eye to Gabriel's normal attire. Solid Snake is the main character of the Metal Gear series, another world-known Konami franchise.
 * The first time you play the Refectory stage, just before the battle with the Evil Butcher, Gabriel enters a small passageway and the music changes briefly into the main theme from Metal Gear Solid.


 * At the end of the Enchanted Forest is a note from a knight that describes background for the stump, calling it the Great Dekub Tree. This is a reference to the Great Deku Tree from the Legend of Zelda series.


 * Another knight in another level mentions starving, and hoping to find food. At the end of his note he says "The 'Cake' is not a lie". This is a nod to the game Portal. In which it is learned that "...the cake is a lie".
 * In one of the final stages, a Knight Scroll says that Necromancers use Aperture Magic to create their portal mirrors, a reference to Aperture Science, the foundation that cre from Portal.


 * In the Abbey Tower level there's a note from a fallen knight who laments upon the deaths of his friends Brother Bernard and Sister Laverne. Bernard and Laverne are two of the three protagonists of classic LucasArts game Day of the Tentacle. Also, the note is signed by "H.", a hint to the third main character from said game, called Hoagie.