Dracula has returned, and the vampire slayer must once again journey to his castle and put an end to his tyranny and thirst for blood. That’s the basic formula for the Castlevania video games, which have won over countless fans with stunning gothic atmospheres, a huge cast of iconic characters, and genre-defining gameplay.
In this list, we’re taking a look at the best Castlevania games on Switch. These titles are mostly divided between the Castlevania: Anniversary Collection and the Castlevania: Advance Collection, with one outlier accessible through Nintendo Switch Online.
10. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Circle of the Moon has a solid story, but its controls hold back the game. The momentum of Nathan Graves’ movements can be tricky because he has a slow walking speed yet an enormous jump distance. Even with the dash boots item, which you’ll find early on in the game, you still need to double-tap every time you want to run. Once you get a handle on the controls, though, you’ll definitely have a good time. The dark and moody graphics are suitably gothic, and the spells you can cast by collecting cards from monsters are fun to work with, especially in boss fights.
9. Castlevania Legends
Unlike the other Castlevania games for Switch, Legends is not a part of the Anniversary or Advance collection, most likely because the story takes place in an alternate timeline. The main character, Sonia Belmont, was originally the first vampire killer in the Belmont family, but this changed when Lament of Innocence was released nearly six years later.
Legends introduced ‘soul weapons,’ which give special spell powers that replace the franchise’s normal sub-weapons. However, the game features a ‘burning mode’ as well, which gives Sonia invincibility to all traps and damage and allows you to skip through difficult areas that would normally require a sub-weapon anyway. There are also a handful of branching paths that don’t lead to anything meaningful and poorly reward the player for exploring. As a result, the game ranks lower on this list.
8. Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
The main highlights of Harmony of Dissonance are the game’s colorful environments and mysterious story. Juste Belmont, the heir to the Vampire Killer whip, sets out on a quest to save his friend Lydie and uncover the truth behind the absence of his friend Maxim’s memories. As he explores Dracula’s castle, Juste discovers two versions of the castle, just as there are two versions of Maxim himself.
Though the two dimensions of Dracula’s castle are great from a storytelling perspective, they can also make exploration repetitive since the two castles are mostly mirror images of one another. There are also several points where the chaotic nature of the music can become a bit grating. While it fits the dissonance theme found elsewhere in the game’s colors and story, it might also make you want to turn the sound off for a bit.
7. Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge
Belmont’s Revenge is the second Game Boy title in the Anniversary collection. It significantly improved on the earlier Game Boy title Castlevania: The Adventure by returning sub-weapons to the fold and cleaning up player movement.
Right when you boot up the game, you’ll be presented with a choice of paths, allowing you to select which of the game’s four castles you want to travel to first. Each area features a distinct elemental theme in its environmental design, such as plants or crystals, which helps differentiate levels. It’s a shorter and more simplistic game than others on this list, though still worth revisiting.
6. Castlevania: Dracula X
Dracula X is the American remake of Rondo of Blood, in which Richter Belmont takes the reins. The character movement is more in line with the original NES titles rather than the GBA games that make up the rest of the Advance Collection. You’ll only be able to use Vampire Killer two-directionally, but walking and jumping, of course, feel much smoother than they do in Dracula’s Curse.
The graphics in Dracula X look fantastic, with exciting flame effects in the first stage’s background, impressive transparent water effects later in the game, and some truly menacing and imposing boss models. The only thing that prevents Dracula X from climbing higher on this list is the game’s difficulty. Dracula himself can be particularly nightmarish because the fight takes place over a bottomless pit, and a single hit can push you over the edge.
5. Castlevania
Even today, the original Castlevania is absolutely worth playing. The game is linear, with a classic level-by-level formula, but that doesn’t detract from the experience. The first Castlevania gave us much of what makes this franchise great, from Simon’s legendary whip ‘Vampire Killer’ and iconic sub-weapons like the holy water and cross to the outstanding soundtrack and epic showdowns with the likes of Dracula and Death.
4. Castlevania Bloodlines
The historical backdrops and tie-ins with Bram Stoker’s Dracula set Bloodlines apart from the others right off the bat. Unlike other titles on this list, the game was originally released for the Sega Genesis. The action is excellent, with unique level design and stunning visual effects. The stage in which you climb the tilting tower all the way up to the dizzying final boss at its peak is one of my favorite set pieces in the franchise.
3. Super Castlevania IV
Super Castlevania IV retells the original game’s story but with more colorful graphics, smoother controls, incredible atmospheric details, and 8-directional motion for Simon’s whip. It’s perhaps the best Castlevania game to start with if you’re new to the series, first because of its classic story and second because of the ease of gameplay. The longer whip, which you can use to swing between platforms in addition to fighting, makes it significantly easier to reach enemies.
2. Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse
Of the classic Castlevania games on NES, Dracula’s Curse is the king. In addition to playing as Trevor Belmont, the game’s branching paths allow you to find and take control of three playable characters – Grant, Sypha, and Alucard- all of whom have become iconic members of the Castlevania cast over the years. In Dracula’s Curse, each unlocks further combat and traversal mechanics to help you conquer the night. Sypha’s spells are particularly handy for defeating bosses, while Alucard’s ability to transform into a bat can let you skip past entire rooms.
1. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Aria of Sorrow is the most recent of the Advance Collection’s GBA games and probably the most similar to the coveted Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which many consider to be the best Castlevania game.
In Aria of Sorrow, you’ll play as Soma Cruz, a student who enters Dracula’s castle during a solar eclipse. As you explore the castle and uncover the truth about Soma’s arrival at the castle, you’ll build a collection of tactical souls that unlock a huge range of extra attacks and abilities for both combat and traversal. As Soma’s newfound powers grow, so does the mystery of his origins. The final plot twist after the face-off against Graham, in which Soma is revealed to be the reincarnation of Dracula, is one for the ages. Of the Castlevania games on Switch, Aria of Sorrow is undoubtedly the best.
