Vlad the Impaler- The Real Life Dracula...

Vlad III was a prince of Wallachia that lived from 1431 to 1476. He was known for resistance toward the Ottoman Empire. During the course of the war, he earned himself the nickname of Vlad the Impaler. he took pleasure in torturing many people through inhuman means. He impaled, drowned, burned, skinned, removed limbs, and did much more. It was rumored that he drank the blood of his dead victims from a wine glass. Another rumor was that he received a medallion that gave him super human powers as well. All these traits gave him the nickname of "Dracula." When taking a look at the Castlevania franchise, some things do connect with Vlad the Impaler. In Lament of Innoncence, the Crimson Stone was said to power to the person who held it (later to be revealed Dracula possessed this stone).When the player reaches the end of the game is about to face Dracula, he is usually seen drinking from a wine glass of blood. There are numerous traps in the castle that try to burn, impale, poison, slash, and curse the player with as he proceeds. Although Vlad the Impaler did inspire the Bram Stoker's Dracula, his existence mad a much bigger impact the videogame franchise that is Castlevania.

Similarities and Differences Between Myth and Game

The concepts behind Dracula and many of his allies was rooted from the classic stories by Bram Stoker and movies. I did mention in a previous post about the origin of the series but this post will focus more on how much they are alike. Classic Dracula had above average human strength and could turn into a wolf, a bat, or mist to get into places he normally could not. His main weaknesses were stake through the heart, decapitation, holy water, garlic, and the cross. Castlevania Dracula shares some these traits as well. He did have super human powers as well as the ability to transform into a bat or a group of bats but he could turn into things beyond imagination (some games change what he could turn into most of the time.. His main weakness was instead the Vampire Killer whip but he can be damaged through other means of attacks. The developers took what was said about him in the past and designed a monster that went further from a book, but into a videogame.

New Styles of Game Play for the 2D Castlevania

Within the past ten years, many recent Castlevania games have introduced new game play mechanics that have revolutionaized the series. Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow demonstrated the soul system. In both games, the player absorbs enemies' souls and uses their abilities for his own benefit. These souls could also be used to make new weapons and help the player progress through the castle.
 
In Portrait of Ruin, the partner mechanic was designed for the game. The player could control two characters at the same time. This new mechanic allowed for new ways to solve puzzles, switch between two characters, and unleash powerful combined attacks. Portrait of Ruin is only the game so far to use this mechanic in the series. It would be nice see another game use this system and take it to another level.

Order of Ecclesia's unique game play mechanic was the glyph system. In some aspect, similar to soul system but with some differences. Not every enemy the player would face dropped a glyph and glyphs were automatically absorbed. The player would have to hold up on the control pad until the glyph was absorbed. These glyphs also functioned as the player's weapons. MP was consumed everytime a glyph was used. Glyphs could also be combined create an ultimate attack. These mechanics gave the game a new level of difficulty to adjust to but still retained the Castlevania feel.

A New Beginning...

The most recent Castlevania game tthat hit the consoles was Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. The plot behind this game revolves around Gabriel Belmont and his quest to search for a mask that has the power to revive one from the dead. To accomplish this task, he must seek out the Lords of Shadow who possess pieces of this mask. Unlike other games in the franchise, this game is a reboot of the series. It takes place in a different timeline from the other Castlevania games. In this timeline, Gabriel is the first of his bloodline and does not the wield the legendary whip, Vampire Killer. Instead the Combat Cross takes the place as the primary weapon and be used to create combos much like the Vampire Killer can. Another key difference is the developer. Kojima Productions (responsible for the Metal Gear series) was in charge of the design of this game. The concepts of the other Castlevania games were inputed into Lords of Shadow. After release, it was praised for finally making Castlevania work in 3D.This game has definitely made an impact on the series and fans alike because of it being the first in it's timeline. This game has established a name for itself and leaves many gamers and fans curious to see were other games in this timeline will go from here.

The Foundation of a Movie

The Castlevania series has received a large audience within recent years. It is highly popular series among many gamers. In 2005, movie production company Crystal Sky Pictures under the direction Paul Anderson claimed the rights for a Castlevania film. In mid 2006, Dimension Films discussed with Crystal Sky for direction. The original concept was to follow a story based around Dracula's origins with the Belmonts relations with him. The key characters would be Simon Belmont and Dracula (of course). In late 2006, Rogue Films took over production with multiple filim locations. In early 2007, filming was postphoned until the locations of filming has snow on them. Then in june 2007, direction under Anderson shifted to Sylvain White to work on another project. Then the idea just wen on hiatus with only minor details concerning the desing of the script. However, in July 2009, it was revealed that James Wan would take over production of the script and directing of the movie. Still the movie would feature Simon Belmont and Dracula as the two central figures in the movie.

http://castlevania.wikia.com/wiki/Castlevania:_The_Movie

Saturday Morning Makeover...

The gothic art style has given the many games of the Castlevania series much praise. To acquire a younger audience, Iga thought by changing the serious gothic style into anime but still retaining the gothic feel. Iga took the risk because Aria of Sorrow, prequel to Dawn of Sorrow did not meet his sales expectations. The anime art style was used in two games only; Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin. Both games received praise from critics but only got negative comments for looking like a "Saturday morning cartoon." Some fans did care and others did not. Most of these comments came from long time veterans of the series. The critism was shut down when the pure gothic art style returned in Order of Ecclesia. Iga did succeed in this change as more people became more interested in the Castlevania franchise.

Castlevania: Legends

When Castlevania was established as a popular franchise of Konami, a timeline for the series was designed to keep track of the series events. In 2002, when the timeline was first put up, many games were omitted from it. Among these games included were Circle of the Moon, Legacy of Darkness, and Legends. When the timeline wa updated, Legends was still excluded.This decision was debated upon many gamers as it is believed to be fundamental to the timeline. Legends is said to be the prequel to Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, which featured Trevor Belmont as the first Belmont to defeat to Dracula. The debate behind this decision was that Legends's hero, Sonia Belmont (would be the first female lead role in the series but since she does not exist in the timeline, Shanoa is the first) was first of the Belmont's to defeat Dracula and gave birth to the next generation of the Belmont clan; Trevor Belmont. The game describes the power of the Belmont clan and its relationship with Dracula's son, Alucard. Some gamers feel that leaving Legends out of the timeline, many plot points are left missing. Some gamers pleased to see Legacy of Darkness and Circle of the Moon back in the updated timeline but still upset about the exclusion of Legends. These gamers believe that regardless of being in the timeline or not, Sonia Belmont was the first true Belmont to defeat Dracula.

The man that helped make Castlevania a popular franchise- Koji Igarashi

Koji Igarashi (a.k.a. Iga) began his work with Konami back in 1980s. He worked part-time while attending school for more credits. In 1990, he began his full-time position with Konami working with games he made but wiht only one being published. he got his big break when working as the assistant director of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the game that set the standard that future Castlevania games should follow. He was then requsted to join the Castlevania development team. His most current success include his three most recent Nintendo DS games, which all received praise by many critics. As well being praised among his fellow workers, he is now known as an influencial figure in gaming.

Dracula

Dracula is the ultimate enemy the Belmonts must face in almost all Castlevania games. The story of how Dracula came be was explained in the Playstation 2 game, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. He was once human but seeked revenge against God because he believed that the God took his loved one away from. To exact his revenge, he became a vampire to curse for the rest of eternity. Some games give the Belmont other purposes besides just killing. Certain Belmonts seek him to destroy a curse and other times require confrontation to save their loved ones. He has given also given birth to a son, Alucard (funny how it is Dracula spelled backwards). Unlike his father, he wants protect the people, not destroy them. Dracula's power is tied his castle. When the amount hatred and pain clouds the human heart, it gives Dracula the power to srise from his slumber. He is considered the ultimate evil as God is considered to be the ultimate good.

Merchandise of Castlevania

The extent to which Castlevania has influenced the culture of society has even stepped into the daily purchases of what people buy every day. People (fans specifically) have become obsessed to a point where they must have everything related to franchise. On a more cultural aspect, various online stores like Ebay and and everyday store like Hot Topic sell items such as whips and belts related to the series. These fans can be considered truly immersed in the world of Castlevania.

(8-bit Belmont figure)

An emotional experience in Castlevania

Many games can provide a emotional attachement with the player. They sometimes even go a limit that question the morals of gamer (even though these characters are not even real!).  Castlevania has had its share of moments that could make the player weep or two. In Castlevania: Belmont's Revenge for gameboy, the player assumed the role of Christopher Belmont who went on a quest to save his son from being cursed by Dracula's power. In Castlevania: Simon's Quest II, the player assumed the role of Simon Belmont from a curse Dracula has implanted in the land. Both these games had a time affected ending, the faster you finished the game the better ending. The series got more emotional as the current generation of games grew older with time. The creators could create more realistic characters. In the early age of the Playstation 2, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence was released. This game revealed the origins of the Belmonts and their destiny to battle Dracula.  *SPOILER ALERT COMING* In order for Leon Belmont to to acquire the true power of the whip, it would require sacrificing someone tainted blood...

It does cause the player to reflect upon the question; would you be willing to lose the one you love to save

 everyone? Situations like these can create emotional bonds with the characters from a video game (even though they arent real). *END SPOILER* In general, these journies fit in with current society. Are you willing to invest everything you own to save mankind (real life reflection; doctors on their journey to end disease). It also may stop player from continuing further into the game because they do not want to find out what ahppens next. When it all comes down to it, you bought the game, and do you really want to beat it now since you what may happen within the game?

Experiences with Castlevania

Gamers have many different experiences when trying to beat a game. When the first videogames started to come into the social scene, they were much more challenging. Many earlier games did not have an ending or just had an impossible level that no one could beat. The early Castlevania games were among those games that gave peole an unforgettable experience. 

(One gamer's experience with the first Castlevania...)

By the time the player reached the end of the game, he or she most likely had some very sweaty hands. The games get harder with each stage, increasing anxiousness and frustration. The player only feels true satisfaction when the game is finally beaten. It has made a deep impact on today's culture. Gamers wanted a more expansice castle, larger variety of enemies, and stronger lead character the gamer could connect with.The series has now expanded to all current gaming systems around the world.

The Art Style

Many gamers will usually recoginize a Castlevania game by it's art style. The series has retained its' gothic art design through the course of the series. The layouts of the levels themselves also follow this demographic. The games sets up the hero in a dark, eerie castle with bats flying in the dark evening sky. The common full moon loomoing over the castle also gives off the presence of darkness in the area. Some games do not start the hero at the castle but those areas are no less scary. Among these many locales are dark forests, the depths of the ocean, or a deserted island.

(a typical Castlevania evening)

The character designs also show a gothic style to them. It demonstrates a serious personality to the characters that can relate to a more mature audience. Castlevania gamers do not want to play a game that is meant for anyone under the teen ages. It is the one feature that fans of the series will always want to remain the same; the art design.



Death

Although death is a constant presence the player must deal with when progressing through the game, in Castlevania, Death is also an actual physical being the hero must face. In the story, Death is Dracula's right hand man and eternal servant.

(The artwork of Death from Castlevania: Lament of Innocence)





Death has appeared in numerous times throughout the series. His design is reflected upon the cultural belief of what Death would like if it were a real being.

(An example of what Death has been imagined to look like)

Throughout the series, Death's image has grown with the series. he used to look like the standard concept but his design has matured with the gamers. Over the years, his look has gained much more detailed and less like the common skeleton-in-robes-look-with-the-scythe. Some games even give him a transformation. The boss battles against him usually consist of him using his standard move with the scythes raining from the ceiling and various other attacks that were given to him for that one game alone. The hero usually dies from the falling scythes beacause they are the hardest to evade.This means frequent retries and starting over from the last the save point. Death has given, both physically in game and underlying, the real challenges the gamers have faced in the Castlevania  series.





Death in the Castlevania series

All gamers can agree that one experience they always encounter in a game is death. It is the feature that can make gamers stress or determined. In the early Castlevania games, the hero would die by falling to the ground and disappear.The problem when you died in the early games is that when you died, you would have to start back at the very beginning of the game. This feature either encouraged gamers to give up or test their pride and go another round. As the series grew with the current generation of games, the games themselves got easier with the gamer. There were now save points, so when you died, you could start from a save point and not from the beginning of the game. The gamer could take a break so he or she did not have to complete the game in a single run. Does this mean that Castlevania has lost it's power to challenge the player? Of course not. Most bosses in the curret games will make the gamer die several times before discovering a way on how to defeat them finally giving the player the satisfaction of winning. Some games in the series will make you die to uncover certain endings in the game (although, they are not the endings most players desire to get). These factors keep the gamer coming back for more. 

(The two animations the main character makes when she dies in Castlevania:Order of Ecclesia)

The Music of Castlevania

Before today's current generation of games, the music of many video games were just composed of sound effects and was usually very repetitive. The soundtracks of early games were not very deep enough that it could connect the player to the game. When Castlevania appeared onto the world of gaming, one of the many things the series was praised for was its' musical score. the most popular songs of the series are "Vampire Killer", "Bloody Tears", and "Bloodlines." These songs have appeared in many other games of the series including modern titles such as Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. The consistent use of these same soundtracks (revamped to keep up with the times) has shown a deep interest and connection with the music. The music has even influenced the modern culture of today's music as well. Video Games Live performed a song that was a mash up of various soundtracks in the series in their performance tour. the rap artists known as Army of The Pharaohs used musical bits from "Bloody Tears" to their own song, also called "Bloody Tears." Lily Allen, a songwriter/singer added soud effects and music from the first Castlevania game in her "Cherly Tweed" which she released in her debut album. The music of Castlevania has influenced the minds of many artists on global scale. If there is one thing Castlevania will always be known for, it will be for its music.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlevania

The 3D step

When the Nintendo 64 and Sony Playstation came out, a new era of games emereged. These systems had to power to display 3D graphical games, far superior to the previous generation concoles which could only display 2D as the limit. The Kobe branch under Konami believed it was possible for Castlevania, normally a 2D side scroller, could work in 3D. Production of the game began in summer 1997 and eventually saw became playable once the Tokyo Game Show of October 1998. The fans were impressed with what they were able to play. The Castlevania 64 was set to release in the U.S. on January 26, 1999. When released, two characters were dropped from the game (which would later be released on the expanson pack version later that year along with improved graphics and enemies). The game received solid ratings and popular reception, showing Castlevania was possible in 3D. When the time line was released in 2002, the Nintendo 64 Castlevania games were removed from it because they were only considered side projects of the creators. Today, these games have been criticized as being the worst of the series, but I beg to differ. It gave gamers the chance to see some of their favorite monsters come to life on 3D, revealed what could be added to enhance the overall experience, and demonstrated that Castlevania can keep up the current generation of consoles.

because of this..

we now have this...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlevania_(Nintendo_64_video_game)

The origins of Castlevania

The idea to create Castlevania was inspired from early monster movies that came out in the early 20th century. The story of the game is loosely based upon the novel Dracula, written by Bram Stoker. Borrowing many of his weaknesses from the book (cross, bible, holy water specifically), his main weakness was a whip know as the Vampire Killer. The only people who could wield this whip were the Belmonts or those who are related to them by blood. The series first appeared as Akumajō Dracula  on the Family Computer Disk System in Japan in 1986 produced by the Konami game company. It gained attention when the game was released as Castlevania in the U.S. in 1987. These audiences embraced the game with high remarks.This highly remarked reception encourged Konami to establish Castlevania as a well known franchise.
http://castlevania.wikia.com/wiki/Castlevania_(video_game)