Changes: Dracula's Castle

Revision as of 20:37, 23 June 2020

For other uses, see Dracula's Castle (disambiguation) and Castlevania (disambiguation).

"This castle is a creature of Chaos. It may take many incarnations."

— Alucard in Symphony of the Night

Dracula's Castle (ドラキュラ城, Dorakyura Jō^?), also known as Demon Castle (悪魔城, Akumajō^?) or Castlevania, is Count Dracula's lair and symbol of his magic.^[1] It houses an army of his supernatural minions, and tends to collapse when Dracula is defeated. Yet, it is able to restore itself and reappears intact in later games, even the ones where Dracula has not yet revived himself.

Overview

The exact location of the castle is impossible to determine. Being an entity of chaos, it has the ability to reemerge in different places whenever it revives. Still, the vast majority of times it has reappeared was in Europe, in Transylvania.

If one takes into account the events from the original 1897 novel that inspired the series, as well as real historical landmarks where Vlad III Drăculea was known to inhabit, that may be indication that the castle from the series was at some point located somewhere in Transylvania or in northern Wallachia, where one of the voivode's real castles, Cetatea Poenari, is located.

Nevertheless, due to its supernatural nature as symbol of Dracula's magic and its ability to revive in different regions, the castle in the series cannot be considered the same as the historical landmarks. It does not exist in the earthly plane but is, in fact, a spiritual world atop another dimension.^[2]^[3]^[4]

The appearance of the castle also varies; in artwork for the original Castlevania it appears to be on top of a mountain, while in Symphony of the Night it is located off the shore of a lake, and in Curse of Darkness it resides by the ocean (maybe the Black Sea).^{[citation needed]} In Symphony of the Night, Maria Renard remarks the castle is different from how she remembers it (she had fought in it five years earlier during the events of Rondo of Blood). Alucard, who had probably once lived there, notes the castle is "a creature of chaos", hinting at the castle's origins and explaining its constantly changing nature.

It is possible the castle originally belonged to Walter Bernhard. His castle had the familiar strange keep structure present in Dracula's Castle. If this was the case, the castle dates back to at least the 11th Century. In 1094, the castle appeared more like a traditional medieval castle than the more elaborate Gothic architecture seen elsewhere. One factor in favor for Walter's castle being Castlevania is that, in Curse of Darkness, the abandoned castle is the place where only a Belmont's blood can gain access to the infinite corridor. Seeing as Leon Belmont was the first Belmont proclaimed at Walter's castle, the abandoned castle could be Walter's original castle.

A factor against the theory of Walter's castle becoming Castlevania is that at the end of Lament of Innocence, Mathias Cronqvist (Dracula) leaves the castle in the form of a bat and it is not known where he went, or if he ever returned. The Japanese instruction booklet for Castlevania: The Adventure outright states Dracula to have built his castle himself at the outskirts of Transylvania.^[5] Koji Igarashi has also expressed that one of the reasons for the change of the franchise's Japanese title from "Akumajō Dracula" to "Castlevania" was due to there being no Dracula, nor his castle, on a given game, indicating that the castle seen in Lament of Innocence might indeed not be the same castle that Dracula uses later down the chronology.^[6]

Following Dracula's defeat in 1999, the castle was sealed into an eclipse, and was visited by Soma Cruz in 2035. In 2036, Celia Fortner and her cult built a castle immensely similar to Dracula's to foster the growth of a new Dark Lord. As her plan was left in ruins, the castle completely collapses. The castle ultimately returned due to Olrox effectively taking over as the Dark Lord, until Death put an end to him.

Rooms and features

See also: Environments

Castlevania's interior constantly shifts between games, below are a few of the rooms that have appeared.

Recreation

Research

Underground

Similar structures

Although the general structure of the castle is never the same from one game to another, some places keep a similar structure in some opus.

Entrance

Entrance's little attic

Cells

Outer walls

Waterfall

Tomb

Fountain

Game appearances

While the castle, or a replacement, has appeared in every game that conforms the Castlevania series to date, this section mainly focuses, but is not limited, to those instances when the castle has appeared as its own named stage or area.

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest

Main article: Dracula's Castle (Simon's Quest)

The final act of the game actually takes place inside of Castlevania, which now lies in ruins after years of abandonment following the outcome of the first game. A few sights are still recognizable, such as the long entrance corridor adorned with tall curtains. The castle can only be accessed through the collection of all five of Dracula's body parts, which Simon must bring to the basement to burn them, resulting in a final confrontation with the Dark Lord himself, who must be defeated once again to lift the curse that befell the land after their first encounter seven years ago.

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

About two thirds of the game take place outside the castle, as renowned vampire hunter, Trevor Belmont, travels the Transylvanian countryside in his quest to defeat the vampire lord, Count Dracula. Throughout his journey and depending of the paths he chooses, he may meet and recruit new companions who will surely help him in this task.

Once inside the castle, the world map is replaced with one of its interior (which is very similar to the one from the first game, although this time scrolling vertically instead of horizontally). From here on, the game only consists of completing level after level (that is, no more options are given to follow different paths) until reaching the castle keep and facing the fiend himself.

Super Castlevania IV

This retelling of the first game retakes the concept of beginning the first act by traveling across the Transylvanian countryside, passing through wilds, caves and rivers, until reaching the Demon Castle, at which point the world map is once again changed into a map of the castle's interior, this time viewed from an isometric perspective. From here on, the last levels of the game are accessed, leading to the final confrontation with the Count.

Castlevania: Bloodlines

Main article: Ruins of the Castle Dracula

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness

Main article: Dracula's Castle (Curse of Darkness)

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

In Portrait of Ruin, the main bulk of the game takes place inside of Dracula's Castle, which serves as a hub of sorts to access the game's many portraits, which are entrances to the different areas that conform the game. Furthermore, the castle itself is divided into six individual areas that are connected to each other:

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia

Once Barlowe has been defeated in Ecclesia, Dracula's Castle suddenly emerges during the night and beckons Shanoa to enter it. The castle serves as the setting for the final act of the game, and it's also divided in many individual and different sections, which all in conjunction conform about the second half of the game :

Other appearances

Captain N: The Game Master

Main article: Castlevania (Captain N)

Castlevania (Captain N) - 01 — Castlevania in *Captain N: The Game Master*.

Dracula's Castle appeared in the Captain N: The Game Master crossover cartoon series that ran from the late '80s to the early '90s, being a frequent setting in many episodes, where villains usually reunited to plan their evil schemes and the heroes subsequently visited in order to thwart their plans. Not to much surprise, the owner of the castle was Dracula, although in the series he was solely referred to as "The Count" (apparently, due to copyright reasons), and likewise, the castle was never called under his name, but simply as "Castlevania".

In fact, the word "Castlevania" indistinctly referred both to the castle, as well as the entire realm where it was located; being one of the many realms that composed Videoland, a virtual world where many video game heroes (and villains) hailed from.

Castlevania (animated series)

History

Castlevania was constructed sometime before 1455. Lisa of Lupu visited the castle in 1455 and became the student and wife of Dracula shortly after their first meeting. After Lisa was killed by the Church within Targoviste in 1475, Dracula returned to Castlevania to summon an army. He dueled with his son Alucard within the castle and then gathered an army of demons. In 1476, Dracula teleported Castlevania directly into the center of Targoviste. He unleashed his army of demons and destroyed the city in short order. Dracula's army was then deployed across the whole of Wallachia with the goal of exterminating all humanity.

Overview

Castlevania is the home of Vlad Dracula Tepes. It is strongly implied that the castle was built by Dracula himself. The castle is both a technological and supernatural marvel. From its exterior, the castle can be seen to incorporate electricity and advanced mechanics in its workings. The Belmont family has noted that it also uses steam power and electric powered lights. Not including technology that is centuries beyond what the outside world possesses, Castlevania is also operated with supernatural elements. Dracula's study is shown to have glass that reacts to his magical abilities. Also, the whole castle is capable of teleportation; a "traveling machine" as Dracula puts it. Dracula can make Castlevania teleport to any location. This teleportation can be done softly or in an explosion of fire, as was the case when he teleported the castle into Targoviste.

During peacetime, Castlevania is Dracula's home and laboratory. In wartime, it is a weapon of such danger and potency as to be legend. When Dracula attacked Targoviste, his castle's teleportation was like dropping a bomb on the city, destroying the city church instantly. Immediately afterward, Dracula released his army –which was housed inside the castle– directly into the city; completely ignoring any defenses Targoviste had.

Rooms

File:Castlevania-entrance-hall.jpg
Entrance Hall: An opulent hallway connected to one of Dracula's laboratories.

File:Lisa-is-awed-by-draculas-lab.jpg
Laboratory: The lab that Dracula showed Lisa contains a library, astronomy equipment, a chemical lab, and electrical experiments.

File:Study.jpg
Study: The room in which Dracula dueled with Alucard contained another library as well as a magical machine composed of moving glass and electricity.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Main article: Dracula's Castle (Super Smash Bros.)

Dracula's Castle is featured in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a playable stage. Renowned enemy characters from the Castlevania franchise, such as Medusa, the Mummy, The Creature and Flea Man (Igor), Carmilla, the Werewolf, Death, and even Dracula himself, appear in the stage from time to time as background elements.

The castle also acted as the main setting for the announcement trailer for Simon Belmont's inclusion to the game as a playable character, where he arrived at the castle to deal with Dracula, while Luigi, who had arrived at the castle before Simon for unknown reasons (but probably continuing his ghost-catching job from the Luigi's Mansion series), was overwhelmed by the castle's unearthly inhabitants. The full castle was then seen after Luigi screamed at the sight of Carmilla's mask.

In Adventure Mode: World of Light, Dracula's Castle appears as an area in the World of Dark, taking a form very similar to the original Castlevania. The player must make use of cannons to dispel evil spirits and battle their way across the castle, ascend to the top, and defeat Dracula as part of the process to make Dharkon appear in the World of Dark's main hub. The characters Ridley, Daisy, Wario, Dark Pit, Robin, Ken and Richter Belmont can be recruited here.

Similar castles

Castlevania: Bloodlines features an English castle called The Castle Proserpina, which serves as the final level of the game, in which Elizabeth Bartley, and later Dracula, reside.
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon is set in an Austrian castle owned by Camilla and used as the site for a resurrection ritual for Dracula.
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance features a false castle spawned from Maxim Kischine by collecting Dracula's relics, which created a new soul inside of him and a castle with two layers, each one representing an individual half of him – the good half represented by a more realistic and structurally complete castle, and the evil half represented by a decaying castle accompanied by a red sky. These were both evidenced to be portions of the actual castle of Dracula, as merging them (in actuality the merging of Maxim's two personalities by eliminating the "good" one) would create the complete castle.
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence is set in a castle belonging to Walter Bernhard. Whether Dracula now owns this castle or if it is another castle altogether is unconfirmed.
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is set in a castle which serves as the base of operations of With Light, a sect commanded by Celia Fortner. This castle was destroyed after Menace was defeated by Soma Cruz.
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness begins in an old Abandoned Castle resembling Dracula's Castle (specifically the one in the original Castlevania), in which Hector chases Isaac. Whether it is an old castle once used by Dracula or another entirely is debatable.
Akumajō Dracula: Kabuchi no Tsuisoukyoku has a facsimile of Dracula's Castle (and by extension, its inhabitants) being formed from Legion by Olrox as well as Graham's Cult.
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair features several incarnations of the castle which have been manifested through the Grimoire.
Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls features an incarnation of the castle included in the titular Grimoire.

Gallery

Dracula's Castle

Trivia

Several real life castles have served as inspiration in Dracula's design over the games:^[7]
- Neuschwanstein Castle: On the cover of Perfect Selection Dracula album and for Symphony of the Night's intro cutscene. It also appears on an early Pack-In poster for the first Castlevania.
- Mont Saint-Michel: On the American Symphony of the Night cover and for the design of Castlevania (N64).
- Alcázar of Segovia: On pages 2-3^[8] of the Akumajō Dracula (X68000) instruction booklet, and on page 8^[9] of the Symphony of the Night instruction booklet.
- Bran Castle: In the background of the Rondo of Blood cover and the American Dracula X cover.
The castle is referred as "Dracula's Tower" in an American commercial for Super Castlevania IV.
Dark Castle from Boktai.

The Dark Castle from the Boktai series (also by Konami) is probably a reference to Dracula's Castle. It is a castle that can travel in space by the combined powers of the Count and Carmilla (themselves also being Castlevania references), along with other enemies.
- The castle itself bears some resemblance to the Reverse Castle from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, mainly from the cutscene where it is introduced.

References

External links

Castlevania at the Captain N Wiki
Dracula's Castle (stage) at Smashpedia Ultimate
Dracula's Castle (area) at Smashpedia Ultimate

[1] Dawn of Sorrow's Library

[2] Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow: Dialogue with Graham Jones

[3] Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow: Dialogue with Genya Arikado

[4] Akumajō Dracula: Kabuchi no Tsuisoukyoku

[5] Castlevania: The Adventure instruction booklet story translation

[6] Gamers.com Koji Igarashi interview backup

[7] Real life castles article at the Castlevania Dungeon

[8] Akumajō Dracula (X68000) instruction booklet

[9] Castlevania: Symphony of the Night instruction booklet

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 |caption          = An incarnation of the castle manifested in the Grimoire of Souls.
 |japanese_name    =
-|alternate_name   = Castlevania, Demon/Devil Castle
+|alternate_name   =
+Castlevania<br />
+Demon/Devil Castle
 |owner            = [[Dracula]]
 |country          = [[Transylvania]], Romania
@@ Line 20: / Line 22: @@
 ==Overview==
-The exact location of the [[Castles|castle]] is impossible to determine. Being an entity of [[chaos]], it has the ability to reemerge in different places whenever it revives. Still, the vast majority of times it has reappeared was in Europe, in [[Transylvania]].
+The exact location of the [[Castles|castle]] is impossible to determine. Being an entity of [[chaos]], it has the ability to reemerge in different places whenever it revives. Still, the vast majority of times it has reappeared was in [[Europe]], in [[Transylvania]].
 If one takes into account the events from the [[Dracula (novel)|original 1897 novel]] that inspired the series, as well as real historical landmarks where [[Vlad the Impaler|Vlad III Drăculea]] was known to inhabit, that may be indication that the castle from the series was at some point located somewhere in Transylvania or in northern [[Wallachia]], where one of the voivode's real castles, [[wikipedia:Poenari Castle|Cetatea Poenari]], is located.
@@ Line 126: / Line 128: @@
 ==Game appearances==
-While the castle, or a replacement, has appeared in every game that conform the ''[[Castlevania (series)|Castlevania]]'' series to date, this section focuses in those instances when the castle has appeared as its own named stage or area.
+While the castle, or a replacement, has appeared in every game that conforms the ''[[Castlevania (series)|Castlevania]]'' series to date, this section mainly focuses, but is not limited, to those instances when the castle has appeared as its own named stage or area.
 ===''[[Castlevania II: Simon's Quest]]''===
@@ Line 171: / Line 173: @@
 {{main|Castlevania (Captain N)}}
 [[File:Castlevania (Captain N) - 01.jpg|thumb|<p style="text-align: center;">[[Castlevania (Captain N)|Castlevania]] in ''[[Captain N: The Game Master]]''.</p>]]
-Dracula's Castle appeared in the ''[[Captain N: The Game Master]]'' crossover cartoon series that ran from the late '80s to the early '90s, being a frequent setting in many episodes, where villains usually reunited to plan their evil schemes and the heroes subsequently visited in order to thwart their plans. Not to much surprise, the owner of the castle was [[Dracula]], although in the series he was solely referred to as [[Count (Captain N)|The Count]] (apparently, due to copyright reasons), and likewise, the castle was never called under his name, but simply as "Castlevania".
+Dracula's Castle appeared in the ''[[Captain N: The Game Master]]'' crossover cartoon series that ran from the late '80s to the early '90s, being a frequent setting in many episodes, where villains usually reunited to plan their evil schemes and the heroes subsequently visited in order to thwart their plans. Not to much surprise, the owner of the castle was [[Dracula]], although in the series he was solely referred to as "[[Count (Captain N)|The Count]]" (apparently, due to copyright reasons), and likewise, the castle was never called under his name, but simply as "Castlevania".
 In fact, the word "Castlevania" indistinctly referred both to the castle, as well as the entire realm where it was located; being one of the many realms that composed [[w:c:captainn:Videoland|Videoland]], a virtual world where many video game heroes (and villains) hailed from.
@@ Line 178: / Line 180: @@
 {{Infobox Location (other)
 |name             = Dracula's Castle
-|image            = Dracula's Castle (animated series) - 01.jpg
+|image            = Jose-vega-45480413-2149637638380574-8107576491547557888-o.jpg
-|caption          = Distance view of the castle under a blood-red full moon.
+|caption          = Distance view of the castle by Jose Vega.
 |japanese_name    =
 |alternate_name   =
@@ Line 195: / Line 197: @@
 }}
 ====History====
-Castlevania was constructed sometime before 1455. [[Lisa (animated series)|Lisa of Lupu]] visited the castle in 1455 and became the student and wife of [[Dracula (animated series)|Dracula]] shortly after their first meeting. After Lisa was killed by the Church within [[Targoviste]] in 1475, Dracula returned to Castlevania to summon an army. He dueled with his son [[Alucard (animated series)|Alucard]] within the castle and then gathered an army of demons. In 1476, Dracula teleported Castlevania directly into the center of Targoviste. He unleashed his army of demons and destroyed the city in short order. Dracula's army was then deployed across the whole of [[Wallachia]] with the goal of exterminating all humanity.
+Castlevania was constructed sometime before 1455. [[Lisa (animated series)|Lisa of Lupu]] visited the castle in 1455 and became the student and wife of [[Dracula (animated series)|Dracula]] shortly after their first meeting. After Lisa was killed by the [[The Church#Castlevania (animated series)|Church]] within [[Targoviste]] in 1475, Dracula returned to Castlevania to summon an army. He dueled with his son [[Alucard (animated series)|Alucard]] within the castle and then gathered an army of demons. In 1476, Dracula teleported Castlevania directly into the center of Targoviste. He unleashed his army of demons and destroyed the city in short order. Dracula's army was then deployed across the whole of [[Wallachia]] with the goal of exterminating all humanity.
 ====Overview====
@@ Line 203: / Line 205: @@
 {{clr}}
 ====Rooms====
-*[[File:Castlevania-entrance-hall.jpg|right|200px]]'''Entrance Hall''': An opulent hallway connected to one of Dracula's laboratories.
+*[[File:Castlevania-entrance-hall.jpg|right|190px]]'''Entrance Hall''': An opulent hallway connected to one of Dracula's laboratories.
 {{clr}}
-*[[File:Lisa-is-awed-by-draculas-lab.jpg|right|200px]]'''Laboratory''': The lab that Dracula showed Lisa contains a library, astronomy equipment, a chemical lab, and electrical experiments.
+*[[File:Lisa-is-awed-by-draculas-lab.jpg|right|190px]]'''Laboratory''': The lab that Dracula showed Lisa contains a library, astronomy equipment, a chemical lab, and electrical experiments.
 {{clr}}
-*[[File:Study.jpg|right|200px]]'''Study''': The room in which Dracula dueled with Alucard contained another library as well as a magical machine composed of moving glass and electricity.
+*[[File:Study.jpg|right|190px]]'''Study''': The room in which Dracula dueled with Alucard contained another library as well as a magical machine composed of moving glass and electricity.
 {{clr}}
 ===''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''===
+{{main|Dracula's Castle (Super Smash Bros.)}}
 [[File:Dracula's Castle - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - 01.png|thumb|<p style="text-align: center;">Dracula's Castle stage in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''.</p>]]
+Dracula's Castle is featured in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' as a playable stage. Renowned enemy characters from the ''[[Castlevania (series)|Castlevania]]'' franchise, such as [[Medusa]], the [[Mummy]], [[The Creature]] and [[Flea Man]] ([[Igor]]), [[Carmilla]], the [[Werewolf]], [[Death]], and even [[Dracula]] himself, appear in the stage from time to time as background elements.
-Dracula's Castle is featured in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' as a playable stage. Renowned enemy characters from the ''[[Castlevania (series)|Castlevania]]'' franchise such as [[Medusa]], the [[Mummy]], [[The Creature]] and [[Flea Man]] ([[Igor]]), [[Carmilla]], the [[Werewolf]], [[Death]] and even [[Dracula]] himself appear in the stage from time to time as background elements. The castle also acted as the main setting for the announcement trailer for [[Simon Belmont]]'s inclusion to the game as a playable character, where he arrived at the castle to deal with Dracula, while [[w:c:mario:Luigi|Luigi]], who had arrived at the castle before Simon for unknown reasons, was overwhelmed by the castle's unearthly inhabitants before being killed by Death. The full castle was seen after Luigi screamed at the sight of [[Carmilla]]'s mask as he attempted to revive himself.
+The castle also acted as the main setting for the announcement trailer for [[Simon Belmont]]'s inclusion to the game as a playable character, where he arrived at the castle to deal with Dracula, while [[w:c:mario:Luigi|Luigi]], who had arrived at the castle before Simon for unknown reasons (but probably continuing his ghost-catching job from the ''Luigi's Mansion'' series), was overwhelmed by the castle's unearthly inhabitants. The full castle was then seen after Luigi screamed at the sight of [[Carmilla]]'s mask.
 {{clr}}
 [[File:Dracula's Castle - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - 02.png|thumb|<p style="text-align: center;">Dracula's Castle sub-area in [[w:c:supersmashbros:Adventure Mode: World of Light|Adventure Mode: World of Light]].</p>]]
-In [[w:c:supersmashbros:Adventure Mode: World of Light|Adventure Mode: World of Light]], Dracula's Castle appears as an area in the World of Dark taking a form very similar to the original ''[[Castlevania (video game)|Castlevania]]''. The player must make use of cannons to dispel evil spirits and battle their way across the castle, ascending to the top, and defeat Dracula as part of the process to make Dharkon appear in the World of Dark's main hub. The characters [[w:c:Metroid:Ridley|Ridley]], [[w:c:Mario:Princess Daisy|Daisy]], Wario, Dark Pit, Robin, Ken and Richter can be recruited here.
+In [[w:c:supersmashbros:Adventure Mode: World of Light|Adventure Mode: World of Light]], Dracula's Castle appears as an area in the World of Dark, taking a form very similar to the original ''[[Castlevania (video game)|Castlevania]]''. The player must make use of cannons to dispel evil spirits and battle their way across the castle, ascend to the top, and defeat Dracula as part of the process to make Dharkon appear in the World of Dark's main hub. The characters [[w:c:Metroid:Ridley|Ridley]], [[w:c:Mario:Princess Daisy|Daisy]], Wario, Dark Pit, Robin, Ken and [[Richter Belmont]] can be recruited here.
 {{clr}}
 ==Similar castles==
@@ Line 289: / Line 294: @@
 ==External links==
-*[[w:c:captainn:Castlevania|Castlevania]] at [[w:c:captainn|Captain N Wiki]]
+*[[w:c:captainn:Castlevania|Castlevania]] at the [[w:c:captainn|Captain N Wiki]]
 *[[w:c:supersmashbros:Dracula's Castle|Dracula's Castle]] (stage) at [[w:c:supersmashbros|Smashpedia Ultimate]]
 *[[w:c:supersmashbros:Dracula's Castle (Dungeon)|Dracula's Castle]] (area) at [[w:c:supersmashbros|Smashpedia Ultimate]]