Castlevania will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2026. The series, which began with linear side-scrolling action gameplay, underwent continuous structural adjustments across multiple titles, ultimately helping to establish the "Metroidvania" gameplay framework and influencing subsequent action-exploration games.
The original Castlevania was released in 1986, casting players as Simon Belmont entering Dracula's castle. The game featured six groups totaling 18 side-scrolling levels, where Simon could use weapons such as a whip, knives, axes, crosses, and holy water to battle monsters within the castle through action and platforming gameplay.
The 1987 release Castlevania II: Simon's Quest was the first to break away from standard level progression, introducing non-linear gameplay and role-playing elements. Simon could converse with non-player characters, purchase items from merchants, and upgrade his whip, while abilities such as health and strength improved through combat, marking the series' shift toward action role-playing games.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, released in 1997 for PlayStation and Sega Saturn, further solidified this direction. Alucard, who previously appeared in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, became the protagonist, exploring Dracula's castle. Character progression, equipment, and area unlocking formed the core gameplay loop.
The castle in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night features an interconnected maze structure, with certain paths requiring specific items to open. Players must return to earlier areas to discover new routes and rewards. This design, combined with the side-scrolling exploration structure of Metroid, gradually formed the genre framework later known as "Metroidvania."
Subsequent titles such as Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Hollow Knight, and Guacamelee! continued to incorporate interconnected 2D worlds, ability progression, backtracking, and equipment collection. Certain design elements in the God of War series also adopted the exploration approach of returning to previous areas to unlock paths after acquiring new abilities.
As the series enters its 40th year, the new title Castlevania: Curse of Belmont is scheduled for release in October 2026. After forty years of evolution, Castlevania's influence has extended beyond the generational conflict between the Belmont family and Dracula to encompass a game design paradigm adopted by numerous works.