Castlevania 30th Anniversary - Castlevania Games Ranked

Few gaming franchises are as legendary and long-lasting as Konami’s Castlevania. Players have been whipping their way through Dracula’s castle for 30 years now, and for the most part it’s been a fantastic time. Few series manage to have three fantastic entries, yet Castlevania has over 10 games that are just a delight to play.

Despite its long success, the series has never really been synonymous with PlayStation gaming. That isn’t to say that there haven’t been many Castlevania games on PlayStation systems, it’s just that with one huge exception they typically weren’t anything special. Instead Castlevania found its audience on Nintendo platforms, first on the NES and later on through handheld gaming. Still, there have been 10 PlayStation entries, so I thought it would be fun to look back upon them considering it’s the Castlevania 30th anniversary today. To celebrate this occasion, I’ve ranked the titles from worst to best, and spent some time explaining what some of the more obscure titles (did you know there was an arcade Castlevania game?) were.

Before we get onto the list, here are a few things to consider. First off, only games that took place on a PlayStation console were considered. That means none of the original NES titles or the fantastic handheld games by IGA. Second, and most importantly, there wasn’t some mathematical formula to come up with this list. It’s all just a matter of opinion.

I hope you enjoyed my look at the Castlevania series. It’s definitely a bummer that there isn’t a new game in the series to celebrate the Castlevania 30th anniversary, but hopefully this list will spur some readers to play one of these games for the first (or fortieth) time. The PlayStation may have not received the cream of the crop when it comes to Castlevania, but there is still plenty worth playing.

In your opinion, which are the best Castlevania games on PlayStation? Which is the worst entry in the franchise? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Essential Reading:

Ranking Castlevania

Castlevania 30th Anniversary — PlayStation Games Ranked
Haunted Castle (2006)

Originally released in arcades, Haunted Castle never made its way to North America.The good news is that fans didn't really miss out on much, as the game is so ridiculously tough that it becomes a chore to play. In 2006, the arcade title (which plays like classic Castlevania games) was ported to PlayStation 2 by Hamster, who are now bringing it to PS4 via their Arcade Archives series.
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (2003)

Lament of Innocence was the series' first entry on PlayStation 2, and instead of building upon Symphony of the Night's success, Konami decided to try yet again at creating a 3D action game. It turned out being a rather okay, yet repetitive, action title that isn't anything special. It's not bad, there is just so little to recommend about Lament of Innocence or any reason to really play it in 2016.
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (2005)

The same can be said for the 2005 follow-up Curse of Darkness. While there is definitely some novelty of seeing the world of Castlevania be represented in a 3D space, these just aren't good action games. They can't compare to titles like God of War or Devil May Cry, and instead were middle of the road games that offered little for anyone who wasn't already a huge Castlevania fan.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (2014)

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 was supposed to be the grand follow-up to 2010's shockingly good Lords of Shadow. Instead, MercurySteam offered up a disappointing sequel that seemed to have lost the magic that the original had. Boring enemy design, terrible stealth sequences, and a disappointing modern day city made for a sequel that wasn't as good as what it was trying to improve upon.
Castlevania Chronicles (2001)

Released for the original PlayStation in 2001, Castlevania Chronicles is a remake of a 1993 PC title that was only released in Japan. It's a solid action game (although very disappointing considering it was released after Symphony of the Night). What's really cool is that it also serves as a historical release, as it not only has the remake with added features, but also includes the unaltered original title.
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair (2011)

Multiplayer Castlevania seems like an awesome idea, but sadly Harmony of Despair showed that it was one that was easily screwed up. Instead of building upon Koji Igarashi's successful formula, the 2D title had a loot grind instead of leveling up mechanics. This really hurt the game's overall potential, but there's still some fun to be had here.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate HD (2013)

Originally released on Nintendo 3DS, Mirror of Fate is a 2D Castlevania game taking place between the two Lords of Shadow titles. It's not nearly as good as its handheld predecessors, but some fantastic combat (it's shocking how well it works) makes this an enjoyable title nonetheless. It also features a solid story that shows off several different Belmonts, and really sets the scene for Lords of Shadow 2.
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (2007)

Released on the PSP in 2007, The Dracula X Chronicles is a remake and port of the 1993 PC Engine title Rondo of Blood. It's a damn good Castlevania game, and well worth playing for anyone who prefers the classic style of Castlevania games. It even includes Symphony of the Night as a bonus (although I'm only counting Rondo of Blood for the purpose of this list), so it really was a portable tour de force.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (2010)

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was the first 3D Castlevania game to actually be good. Developer MercurySteam created a fun, violent action game that featured some of the best storytelling in the entire series, and it all paid off due to the game's phenomenal ending. While it never became the successful spin-off series that fans hope it would be, Lords of Shadow can still be remembered as a mighty good time, and more tragically a tale of what could've been.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997)

Considering what else has been brought to PlayStation consoles, Symphony of the Night was an easy choice for the top spot. Considering how good the 2D PlayStation title is, it's pretty disappointing to see that it was never properly followed up on PlayStation systems (as the GBA got all of the great games). In 1997, Symphony of the Night offered up something new to the Castlevania formula by adding Metroid-style exploration and RPG elements into the mix, and it created something so special that it's still a blast almost 20 years later. Play this game.