- Note: Fan references should be added at the Castlevania Fan Wiki.
Since the first title, released in 1986, the Castlevania series has been referenced in many forms of media, including video games, literature, music and TV series.
Contents
Games
Card games
Vampire Hunter card from Yu-Gi-Oh!
Video games
- This game references many video games with its loading screens. The original Castlevania is referenced in this way.
- Before Finn and Jake fight Marceline the Vampire Queen, the Ice King quotes Dracula's infamous line from Symphony of the Night: "But enough talk... Have at you!"
- Soon after that, Jake calls the trash on the ground "a miserable little pile of trash", again referencing Dracula's original speech to Richter: "A miserable little pile of secrets."
- The Mingy Jongo boss character's strategy of attack and weakness bears some resemblance to Dracula's attack pattern in several Castlevania games (and similar characters).
- The entire game seems to be a Castlevania tribute or parody. The protagonist is called Robert Belmart.
- The entire game is modeled after elements from classic Castlevania games such as Dracula's Curse and Rondo of Blood. These similarities include visual style, gameplay and much more.
- This action role-playing game series, also by Konami, implements a few elements that appear to be inspired by the Castlevania franchise, such as an evil vampire Count, a character named Carmilla, who resembles Circle of the Moon's Camilla and whose true form resembles Medusa, and even a huge castle that can travel through space.
- It must also be noted that Pocket Bomberman was released in 1997, the same year when Castlevania: Symphony of the Night came out, which due to its popularity could have influenced the inclusion of this character in that game as a result.
- The final boss in Super Bomberman R, Buggler, has some dialogues that closely resemble certain well-known phrases often delivered by Dracula in the Castlevania games. It's worth mentioning that this was the first Bomberman game that was released by Konami after acquiring the property rights to the franchise from Hudson Soft in 2012.
- Also in Super Bomberman R, three playable characters introduced as downloadable content are direct references to Castlevania: Simon Belmont Bomber, Dracula Bomber and Alucard Bomber.
- Super Bomberman R Online, a battle royale game exclusive for Google Stadia, introduced Richter Bomber to the roster of playable characters.
- Bunny Must Die: Chelsea and the Seven Devils
Baron Vladmu waiting for the player.
- The game features a miniboss called Simondo Belmont, who looks and behaves similar to Simon Belmont.
- The theme "SIMON 1994RD", played in the background, is a remix of Vampire Killer.
- A weapon appears in the game called "Valmont's Whip".
Vampire Hunter artwork from Dragon's Crown.
- An item in this game, called the "Mysterious Wall Chicken", can be found by destroying certain walls in a nod to how similar items are often found in the Castlevania series hidden behind breakable walls.
- An item in this game, the Red Orb, is a direct reference to the Red Crystal in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. The reference goes as far as having the same use: the orb must be taken to the topmost part of a cliff (itself being a reference to Deborah Cliff), and kneel and wait for a whirlwind spirit to carry the player to a secret area.
Vampire class from Etrian Odyssey: Nexus.
- In the DLC story Episode Ardyn, when the main character, Ardyn Izunia, is ambushed by the Royal Guards of Lucis, the memory of his brother Somnus Lucis Caelum taunts him by saying "mankind ill needs a savior such as you", which had been Richter Belmont's retort to Dracula in the initial English localization for the prologue of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Coincidentally, Ardyn had a similar backstory and to a certain extent characterization to Dracula, being a former human who had become an immortal demon and tried to doom the world out of spite for loved ones being brutally murdered (Aera in the case of Ardyn, Elisabetha and Lisa in the case of Dracula regarding lost loves, as well as Somnus in the case of Ardyn and witch trials in the case of Dracula regarding how they were murdered), even going as far as to have a name change afterward (Dracula originally being known as Mathias Cronqvist and Ardyn Izunia originally being known as Ardyn Lucis Caelum). Both were even willing to turn against their duties to their deities to enact their revenge due to blaming the deities in part for their misfortune (the Celestials in the case of Ardyn, especially in the ending of Episode Ardyn, and God in the case of Mathias/Dracula). Both even opposed a family line dedicated to stopping them (Lucis Caelum line in the case of Ardyn, the Belmonts in Dracula's case).
- Ardyn belonging to the same family line as that of Lucis Caelum also resembled Dracula's Lords of Shadow counterpart. In addition, Ardyn's Japanese voice actor, Keiji Fujiwara, also voiced Dracula from Lords of Shadow.
- Count Blah, a vampire who appears in the platform video game Frogger: The Great Quest (also by Konami), is a reference to Count Dracula, and Mr. D (Mr. Death) is a reference to Death.
- Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition, a game that commemorates the franchise's 30th anniversary, allows the player to customize the game board with a variety of different skins, including 8-bit sprites from other famous Konami franchises, such as Castlevania and Contra.
- A mosaic of Simon Belmont fighting a skeleton can be found in one of the levels.
- The boss Grimm resembles Dracula in both attack patterns and appearance. He is able to summon fireballs from his cape as well as spawn flame pillars from the ground.
- The official Nintendo UK page for this game has a section titled "Symphony of the Knight".
- Near the end of the game, when facing the main antagonist, Jeanne says: "Die, monster! You don't belong in this world!", referencing Richter Belmont's encounter with Dracula at the beginning of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
- The character Jonathan Joestar can taunt by exclaiming "Your words are as empty as your soul!"
- Magical Cat Adventure
- This 1993 platformer game by WinTechno released only for arcades apparently pays homage to some classic bosses from the Castlevania series:
- The boss of the first level is a Grim Reaper that resembles Death.
- The boss of the second level is remarkably similar to the Skull Knight from Castlevania III, a reanimated skeleton of a humanoid beast which wields a sword and a shield.
- The third level, "Castle of Ghosts", follows the typical thematic of haunted castle often seen in the Castlevania games, to the point of portraying old Medieval architecture, floating platforms, spike traps and a heavy emphasis on platforming.
- In addition, the boss of the aforementioned level is a vampire cat that looks and attacks practically identical to most depictions of Dracula in the Castlevania series. He opens his cape and sends forth three bats forward, much like Dracula's Hellfire spell; and when hit he transforms into a colony of bats, attempting to coalesce a few seconds later on the player's position, much like Dracula and the Giant Bat do in some Castlevania games.
- The character Zero has a transformation called "Absolute Zero" in the game that has a strong resemblance to some of Dracula's true forms in various games. Coincidentally, Zero's Japanese voice actor, Ryōtarō Okiayu, also voiced Alucard, who had some similarities to each other in terms of overall demeanor, as well as being tied to the main antagonists (Alucard being the son of Dracula, while Zero was the ultimate and final creation of Dr. Wily).
Psycho Mantis reading the memory card.
- This indie game features two characters named O2-JOY and his servant the Grin Reaper, whose design is based on both Dracula and Death. Their stage is also a tribute to various Castlevania games.
- Otomedius Excellent features a Belmont character playable in this game; her name is Kokoro Belmont and she's the actual guardian of the Belmont Clan in 2011.
- A vampire character in the Super NES role-playing game Robotrek (Enix, 1994) is called "Count John Paul Belmont Prinky".
Wallachia stage Castlevania-like intro cutscene in Rock of Ages.
- In Krunch 106.66, when someone calls in to request The Black Dahlia Murder's "What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse", she reveals that her name is "Belmont", referencing Simon's Quest, from where the song's title was inspired.
- Alucard can be summoned to protect Maxwell in the Japanese version of the game.
- The character Double quotes Dracula multiple times; "What is a man?" and "A miserable little pile of secrets" included.
- The main antagonist and boss, Marie, may be a nod to Persephone, being that she's dressed in maid's attire and is in possession of a demonic vacuum.
- A vampire antagonist character called Neclord appears in the two fantasy role-playing games Suikoden and Suikoden II (also by Konami) for the PlayStation. While never officially stated, it's widely believed that he's based on Dracula, the main antagonist of the Castlevania series.
- Additionally, Neclord, much like Dracula, possesses his own castle.
Castlevania-like intro from Super Meat Boy.
- Simon and Richter Belmont appear as playable characters in this versus fighting game.
- Dracula appears as a boss and many of his minions, such as Death, Carmilla, Medusa, The Creature and Flea Man, the Werewolf, the Mummy and even Kid Dracula himself, appear either as environmental hazards or simply as aesthetics for the stages.
- Dracula's Castle appears as a playable stage, with its layout modeled after the original Castlevania.
- Many other Castlevania references appear in the game, such as weapons and music tracks, as well as unlockable Spirits (support entities) of several characters from the entire franchise.
Wing Nut's profile screen.
This sandbox video game with building, metroidvania and role-playing elements features a number of references to classic Castlevania games:
- The Arkhalis sword is a reference to the Crissaegrim from Symphony of the Night; it behaves similarly, has an almost identical icon and its description says: "I didn't get this off of a Schmoo", in reference to how the Crissaegrim can only be obtained by the Schmoos in the Forbidden Library.
- Likewise, the Terragrim is also a reference to the Crissaegrim, behaving similarly, sharing a similar icon, and even being phonetically similar.
- The Bloody Tear is a reference to "Bloody Tears", one of the most well known music themes in the Castlevania series.
- Its tooltip reads: "What a horrible night to have a curse.", the same text that appears in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest whenever night befalls.
- Its appearance in item form could be a reference to the Tear of Blood from the Castlevania series - a red gem in the shape of a teardrop.
- The Death Sickle is a reference to Death's Scythe. It looks very similar to Death's trademark weapon and is swung in a similar fashion.
- When swung, it flings out spinning energy scythes; these are most likely a reference to the Deathscythe ability.
- The Demon is apparently a reference to the Tiny Devil from the Castlevania series.
- This enemy attacks with an energy projectile called the Demon Scythe, which apparently is another reference to the Deathscythe ability.
- The Holy Water is a reference to the classic Holy Water sub-weapon from the Castlevania series.
- This official video game based on the popular internet character of the same name features a level called "Assholevania", which is a parody of most common stages in the Castlevania series.
- The design of the Holy Water item is based on the Holy Water sub-weapon in most Castlevania games.
- When Eve's health is down to half a heart, she transforms into the "Whore of Babylon" and a screen will appear saying: "What a horrible night to have a curse...", a reference to Simon's Quest.
- Death's summoning of whirling scythes is a reference to the Castlevania series' Death and his iconic Deathscythe attack.
- The Nail, which among other effects allows to break rocks, could also be a reference to Simon's Quest, where one of the items needed to progress is Dracula's Nail, which allows the character to break blocks when equipped.
- Globins are a reference to Red/Blood Skeletons.
- Edmund McMillen, the creator of the game, revealed on his Formspring account that the Mask of Infamy is a reference to Carmilla's appearance in Simon's Quest.
- The green variant of the Brain enemy is called Poison Mind, like the boss theme of the same name from the original Castlevania.
- The Homunculus may be a reference to the enemy of the same name from Dawn of Sorrow; both initially appear to be asleep, but when the player comes too close, they detach from the walls they're attached to and rush toward the player.
- The Slipped Rib item may be a reference to Dracula's Rib, as they both protect the playable character from projectiles.
- In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, in the Vilverin ruins, an undelivered letter mentions a certain "Aluc Cardius"; this is most likely a reference to Alucard (although it could also refer to the eponymous character from Hellsing).
- In the extension Dawnguard for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, in the first room on the left in Castle Volkihar there's a display case with a heart, a nail, a ring, an eye and a rib. This is a reference to Dracula's relics.
- One of the tracks for this game is titled "Catastrovania".
- In Tokimeki Memorial, one of the selectable cursors is based on Maria Renard.[citation needed]
- Tokimeki Idol features a medley of themes from Castlevania.[citation needed]
- At the end of the test chambers in the Fu Syndicate, an organization dedicated to hunt vampires, a special tactics squad referred to as the "Belmont Team" is deployed to attack the vampire player character.
A book titled "The Belmonts" in Van Helsing.
- While in the Bedroom, the player is able to play a minigame called Yanvania: Senpai of the Night. It parodies the prologue sequence of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
- In the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis game, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, also published by Konami, the vampire enemy's name is "Vlad Belmont".
- Romanian fashion modeler, Mariana Kretzulesco (Wonder-Pink), wields the "Beautiful Whip", which is revealed to be made of "Belmont Alloy".
Literature
Magazines
- GamePro was a popular gaming magazine published from 1989 to 2011. Early in its lifespan, it included a mini-comic book among its pages called "The Adventures of GamePro", which was about a superhero named GamePro who was brought into a dimension where video games were real and had to save it from the Evil Darklings. On Issue #6 (January 1990), GamePro enters the world of Castlevania and defeats Dracula.
Manga
- The last chapter of Volume 8 is titled Castle Vania 1.
- In the Rosario + Vampire II manga series, the main character, Tsukune Aono, learns to control his vampire powers through the use of a magical whip that dispels demon power, called "Belmont". This is clearly a reference to the Vampire Killer whip and the Belmont Clan.
- The manga series Zatch Bell!, called in Japan Golden Gash!! (金色のガッシュ!! Konjiki no Gasshu!!?), featured a character named Sherry Belmont (シェリー・ベルモンド Sherī Berumondo?). She assists her partner Brago (who has a slight resemblance to a vampire) and her main-weapon is a flail.
Music
- This hip hop group has a track named "Bloody Tears" which samples the classic Castlevania theme.
- Dignity
- This European metal band covered the Dracula's Curse track Beginning in their debut album, Project Destiny. The track is called "Inner Demons" and features lyrics about the inner fight of a man.
- The band's 2014 album, Maximum Overload, features a song titled "Symphony of the Night", which appears to be sung from Alucard's perspective.
- Likewise, a song from their 2017 album, Reaching into Infinity, called "Curse of Darkness", appears to be sung from Hector's perspective.
- This popular Japanese visual kei band has a song named "Gekka no Yasoukyoku", which is the Japanese name for Symphony of the Night.
- Pryapisme
- This band references Castlevania, among many other video games, in their music video for the song "Un Druide est Giboyeux Lorsqu'il se Prend Pour un Neutrino".
Starbomb - Crasher-Vania - 01
- This American death metal band released a demo album in 2001 titled What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse, derived from the NES game Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, where the phrase appears in a text box during the in-game transition from day to night.
- An eponymous song was later recorded for the band's 2007 album Nocturnal.
TV series
- The promotional poster for this Netflix original series (formerly known as "Gods & Heroes") bears a striking resemblance to the cover artwork of the original Castlevania, and could probably be intended to attract the audience of the animated series toward it.
- Simon Belmont appears as one of the title characters and a member of the N Team in this American-Canadian animated series which ran from 1989 to 1991. Instead of the barbarian vampire hunter determined to stop Dracula at all costs, he's portrayed as an arrogant and vain individual who enjoys tending to his appearance more than fighting evil. Likewise, Dracula, known in the series as the Count, plays a major role as a recurrent villain and outright antagonist, commanding a roster of minions conformed primarily on enemies from Simon's Quest and Dracula's Curse.
- Some characters from the Castlevania franchise have been featured in this popular and long running web series, originally hosted by ScrewAttack, in which two pop culture icons that share certain similarities are pit against each other in a fight to the death, where the winner is determined based on extensive research of the characters.
- Alucard was put against Demitri the vampire, from Capcom's Darkstalkers series of fighting games fame, in the October 28, 2017 episode, with Alucard winning the encounter.
- Dracula was put against Ganondorf, the main antagonist from Nintendo's popular The Legend of Zelda series of action role-playing games, in the October 16, 2019 episode, with Dracula winning the encounter.
- One of the fictional languages created for the show by linguist David J. Peterson makes a reference to Castlevania, where the word for chain is "belmon"; "that's clearly a shout-out to Castlevania II: Simon's Quest.", he said.
The Castle of the Two Sisters from Castle Mane-ia.
Robot Chicken - "Is that a Whip?"
- In episode 31, the vampire Camula (a homonym of "Dracula") summons a castle with a card named Infernalvania. While the name could just be a reference to Transylvania, Yu-Gi-Oh! is a Konami property and has referenced Castlevania in the past.
See also
References
- ↑ Josh Haber at Twitter.
External links
- Castlevania at the Crossover Wiki