What’s common between Netflix’s Castlevania and the videogames?

By Sameer Mitha | Published on 17 Jul 2017
What’s common between Netflix’s Castlevania and the videogames?

Castlevania, the anime on Netflix, is loosely based on the videogame Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse. We tell you everything that’s similar between the videogame and the anime franchise.

If you were a gamer in the 90’s chances are you played Castlevania on your NES, SNES or the console rip-off that was popular in India called the Little Media. If you were a gamer in 2010, then you probably heard of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow which released for the PS3, Xbox 360 and the PC. Lords of Shadow isn’t a continuation of the franchise, but rather a reimagining of the origin story of Dracula. Whichever Castlevania game you’ve played, there will be aspects of the show that will grab your attention and that’s because the creators of the show have borrowed elements from multiple Castlevania games. Here is a look at five references the show makes to the games. If you think there is a major reference we missed out, you can always let us know in the comments section. 

The teleportation cross (that’s not the real name)

When Dracula discovers his destroyed house, he teleports using a cross. This is a trick that has been taken straight from the classic games. Dracula has used this trick in a number of Castlevania games. 

Who is Trevor Belmont?

Trevor Belmont, the lead character in the Netflix Castlevania anime, is the last Belmont (at least according to the show). The Belmont’s were known for being demon slayers. Trevor made his debut in the video games in Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse. In the videogames, Trevor is the first member of the Belmont clan to defeat Dracula, in the year 1476. 

Another similarity to Castlevania 3 is the fight between Trevor and the Cyclops. In the show, Trevor fights the cyclops when rescuing the Elder's grandchild, Sypha Belnades. In the game, the fight with the Cyclopes is a boss battle.

Who is Alucard?

Adrian Fahrenheits Tepes, AKA Alucard is the son of Dracula and a human mother. His mother was killed by humans as is shown in the show. However, his motives and details of his life haven’t been explored. His motives for supporting humans too hasn’t been explored in the show. Alucard first appeared in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse as a playable secondary character to the protagonist Trevor Belmont. 

However, In the Lords of Shadow reboot of the franchise, Alucard IS Trevor Belmont, son of Gabriel Belmont who becomes Dracula at the end of the events of Lords of Shadow. Alucard was born a human, but because of the events that transpire in the game, he becomes a Vampire.

Platforming sequences made it into the show!

Trevor and Sypha navigate a clock tower which is actually the resting place of Alucard. This is another reference to a clock tower level in Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse, where you navigate a clock tower level. Another reference to a gameplay mechanic is Trevor’s ability to swing across gaps with his whip. He does this in the clock tower sequence in the show.

The family crest

When Trevor removes his overcoat to take on his role as the demon slayer the scene shows his back to audiences. When Trevor drops his coat, you get the first clear look at the Belmont family crest which is a reference to the PS3/Xbox 360 instalment of the game Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.

What happened to the wall chicken?

This thought came from our resident news writer, Shrey Paul Carlos Pacheco (yes, that’s one person) who said that the only thing missing from the show was cooked chicken hidden behind the wall. In the classic NES games, you could break some walls to find cooked chicken hidden which acted as a health regenerator. Maybe it appears in season 2 of the anime. Who knows?

Overall, Catlevania looks like a promising adaptation of a videogame lore. The show proves that with the right talent behind the screen, the curse of bad video game adaptations into movies and TV shows can be broken. The only problem I had with the show was that it was too short. Four episodes of about 23 minutes each doesn’t qualify as a season. It makes more sense as a short film. I also hope that Dracula’s story and motivations are explored further in the coming season. Spoiler alert for those that haven’t played Lords of Shadow. I wish the story is similar to that of Gabriel Belmont. His transformation into Dracula and his motives are ones I sympathised with. You do sympathies with Dracula’s motives at the beginning of the show, but after that, the show doesn’t bring him back at all. It’s as if they needed justification for the villain and are saving his grand appearance for a later date. Overall, Netflix’s Castlevania is a move in the right direction and I’m excited to see where the story is headed in the future. There are enough games in the franchise to make the show go on for a few seasons and that’s what I’m looking forward to!

Sameer Mitha




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