Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Future Games Show
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Newsletters
    • Total Film
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsarama
Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Future Games Show
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Newsletters
    • Total Film
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsarama
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Trending
  • Dying Light: The Beast
  • Borderlands 4 review
  • Battlefield 6
  • New Games for 2025
Don't miss these
Bloodborne
Action RPGs Bloodborne looks almost unrecognizable in these "never-before-seen design planning maps and alpha layouts," showing FromSoftware's evolution of an iconic hidden shortcut
Raidou and Gouto-Douji stand next to a summoned Tsuchigumo in Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army
Persona Raidou Remastered really is the historical Persona I've always craved, even if I'm 19 years late to using demons to pummel Rasputin
Valor Mortis boss fight with giant red hand
FPS Games The Ghostrunner devs have cooked up a first-person Soulslike that looks like BioShock meets Bloodborne, and oh yeah, it's set in fictional 19th century Europe during the Napoleonic Wars
Key art for Alone in the Dark 1992, with the GamesRadar+ Horror Special badge
Survival Horror Games 33 years later, Alone in the Dark still deserves recognition as the survival horror that bridged the gap between Cthulhu and Resident Evil
The key art for Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly, showing a ghostly girl in front of a shrine, as a thumbnail, with the GamesRadar+ Big Preview Horror Special 2025 badge branding
Retro Fatal Frame's iconic camera exists to force players to "look straight at something scary" says series creator: "We thought it would really bring out the scariness of the ghosts"
A greasy-looking monster stands in a black hallway
Survival Horror Games Bloober devs say Cronos: The New Dawn is a "strange combination" of horror greats like Silent Hill, Dead Space, and Bloodborne, but they wanted a sci-fi story "deeper" than a typical Resident Evil: "Not to offend, of course"
The Knight holds blade in front of his head as darkness swirls in key art for Hollow Knight, used in Edge Magazine's Hollow Knight Time Extend feature
Action Games 8 years on, Hollow Knight is still an extraordinary achievement – but can Silksong live up to the hype?
The Possessor(s) protagonist shoots a beam of light across a dark environment
Action Games Hyper Light Drifter studio's new 2D side-scroller is a chimera of my favorite things: the mythology of Neon White, Metroidvania tension from Animal Well, and perfect Smash Bros. combat
A screenshot of PUCK eating an enemy during the upcoming Xbox Series X game, Shadow Labyrinth.
Games The best retro remakes and reboots out there aren't afraid to get weird with it – as Shadow Labyrinth being a dark and gritty Pac-Man game shows us
Clair Obscure Expedition 33
RPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was inspired by JRPG greats like Final Fantasy, but its director loves gaming because of an old-school 1988 beat 'em up
Cronos: The New Dawn key art featuring a mysterious building in the background and traveller in foreground
Survival Horror Games Cronos: The New Dawn review: "An unabashed mash-up of survival horror greatest hits, from Dead Space to Silent Hill, with plenty of its own gory ideas"
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Action Games Onimusha: Way of the Sword director would much rather "express the clashing of blades" in a franchise revival than turn it into a Soulslike: "It certainly isn't a punishing die-and-retry game"
A close-up of Coen during the trailer for The Blood of Dawnwalker.
RPGs The Blood of Dawnwalker takes major inspiration from Zelda: Breath of the Wild with a main quest you can tackle at almost any point
The Blood of Dawnwalker
RPGs The Witcher 3 veteran's vampire RPG shows off how dramatically different one quest can turn out: "Coen may be a human during the day, but he turns into a vampire at night"
Onimusha: Way of the Sword preview screenshot from gamescom 2025
RPGs Onimusha: Way of the Sword is becoming my most anticipated game of 2026 but Sekiro fans should know it's not a difficult game – and that's OK
  1. Games
  2. Action

Castlevania graphics then & now: Skeletons, Belmonts, and more

Features
By Jason Fanelli published 24 February 2014

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

A trip down a bloody memory lane

A trip down a bloody memory lane

Castlevania has been haunting our game collections for a long time. Back in 1986, the first Castlevania made us journey through a dark world of monsters and mayhem, throwing everything from Frankenstein's Monster to mummies to the Grim Reaper at us before revealing the true architect of the malevolent test: Dracula himself. Its addicting gameplay and hair-pulling difficulity kept us coming back for more.

With Lords of Shadow 2 ready to creep us out again, I thought I would take a look back at the sights of the famed franchise, from the monsters we fought to the heroes we controlled. There's a lot of common threads strewn about the many games in the series, so why not take a look at what we've been doing all this time?

Page 1 of 13
Page 1 of 13
Outside of the Castle (Super Castlevania IV / Lords of Shadow)

Outside of the Castle (Super Castlevania IV / Lords of Shadow)

Page 2 of 13
Page 2 of 13
Bat (Castlevania 1 / Lords of Shadow)

Bat (Castlevania 1 / Lords of Shadow)

Page 3 of 13
Page 3 of 13
Knight (Castlevania 1 / Lords of Shadow)

Knight (Castlevania 1 / Lords of Shadow)

Page 4 of 13
Page 4 of 13
Medusa (Super Castlevania IV / Lords of Shadow 2)

Medusa (Super Castlevania IV / Lords of Shadow 2)

Page 5 of 13
Page 5 of 13
Sea Creature (Castlevania II: Simon's Quest / Mirror of Fate)

Sea Creature (Castlevania II: Simon's Quest / Mirror of Fate)

Page 6 of 13
Page 6 of 13
Werewolf (Castlevania II: Simon's Quest / Lords of Shadow)

Werewolf (Castlevania II: Simon's Quest / Lords of Shadow)

Page 7 of 13
Page 7 of 13
Skeleton (Castlevania II: Simon's Quest / Mirror of Fate)

Skeleton (Castlevania II: Simon's Quest / Mirror of Fate)

Page 8 of 13
Page 8 of 13
Death (Castlevania I / Lords of Shadow)

Death (Castlevania I / Lords of Shadow)

Page 9 of 13
Page 9 of 13
Simon Belmont (Castlevania II: Simon's Quest / Mirror of Fate)

Simon Belmont (Castlevania II: Simon's Quest / Mirror of Fate)

Page 10 of 13
Page 10 of 13
Alucard (Symphony of the Night / Lords of Shadow 2)

Alucard (Symphony of the Night / Lords of Shadow 2)

Page 11 of 13
Page 11 of 13
Dracula (Castlevania I / Lords of Shadow 2)

Dracula (Castlevania I / Lords of Shadow 2)

Page 12 of 13
Page 12 of 13
It's been a graveyard smash

It's been a graveyard smash

Werewolves and skeletons and bats, oh my! We've dealt with a lot throughout the years, and it's time to dive right back in again with Lords of Shadow 2. What? You're confused as to why we didn't use any images from Castlevania Judgment? Let's... let's not talk about that game, alright? Who's ready for more ghoulish glee?

For more Castlevania, check out the handy guide to Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2's plotline and 16 deliciously dark things we did in the first four hours of Lords of Shadow 2.

Page 13 of 13
Page 13 of 13
CATEGORIES
Android iPad iPhone PC Gaming Wii-u Nintendo PlayStation PS4 Xbox Xbox One Platforms Mobile Gaming
PRODUCTS
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Jason Fanelli
WHY HELLO THERE! Name's Jason, hailing from right outside Philadelphia. I've been playing the vidya games for well over 20 years, starting with the NES and making my way all the way up to the Wii U. My mother tells people that I taught myself to read at age 3 using Wheel of Fortune Family Edition on the NES. I'm the type of guy that will try anything once, but I do have a few favorite genres, fighting and RPG being at the top. I've been writing about video games since I finished my Broadcast Journalism degree at Temple University in December 2008, mostly for www.gamernode.com. Since then I've been to three E3s, two New York Comic Cons, the first ever PAX East, and many more to come (I hope). I hope everyone enjoys my stuff as much as I love producing it. Hit me up on Twitter @bigmanfanelli, I love talking games with anyone and everyone.
See more PC Gaming Features
Read more
Bloodborne
Bloodborne looks almost unrecognizable in these "never-before-seen design planning maps and alpha layouts," showing FromSoftware's evolution of an iconic hidden shortcut
 
 
Raidou and Gouto-Douji stand next to a summoned Tsuchigumo in Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army
Raidou Remastered really is the historical Persona I've always craved, even if I'm 19 years late to using demons to pummel Rasputin
 
 
Valor Mortis boss fight with giant red hand
The Ghostrunner devs have cooked up a first-person Soulslike that looks like BioShock meets Bloodborne, and oh yeah, it's set in fictional 19th century Europe during the Napoleonic Wars
 
 
Key art for Alone in the Dark 1992, with the GamesRadar+ Horror Special badge
33 years later, Alone in the Dark still deserves recognition as the survival horror that bridged the gap between Cthulhu and Resident Evil
 
 
The key art for Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly, showing a ghostly girl in front of a shrine, as a thumbnail, with the GamesRadar+ Big Preview Horror Special 2025 badge branding
Fatal Frame's iconic camera exists to force players to "look straight at something scary" says series creator: "We thought it would really bring out the scariness of the ghosts"
 
 
A greasy-looking monster stands in a black hallway
Bloober devs say Cronos: The New Dawn is a "strange combination" of horror greats like Silent Hill, Dead Space, and Bloodborne, but they wanted a sci-fi story "deeper" than a typical Resident Evil: "Not to offend, of course"
 
 
Latest in Action
Bella Ramsey as Ellie and Pedro Pascal as Joel in The Last of Us
Neil Druckmann says his hope for The Last of Us season 3 is "to make sure it's as deeply faithful as season 1"
 
 
Link relaxes in front of a tree in artwork for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
For 33 years, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past fans have chased a mystery man named in the SNES classic – turns out he's some guy with "very little interest or excitement about having his name in a video game"
 
 
Metroid Prime 4
Metroid Prime 4 is starting to look like an open-world game, and that release date trailer is building as much concern as excitement: "Samus bike will either be incredible or the worst decision they've ever made. No in between"
 
 
Hollow Knight Silksong Widow boss Hornet attacking Widow
How to beat the Silksong Widow boss fight
 
 
A screenshot shows Zelda closing her eyes as she holds a Zonaite sword
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment gets November 2025 release date, so you'll soon get to experience its ridiculously cool split-screen co-op
 
 
samus looking at the camera in her armor with her helmet on
Metroid Prime 4 is finally ready: Nintendo confirms December release date on Switch 2
 
 
Latest in Features
Man of Tomorrow concept art showing Superman and Lex Luthor teaming up superimposed over a group of heroes from the cover of Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
Almost 90 years after Superman was first called the Man of Tomorrow, James Gunn is reviving the name for his big sequel
 
 
Pokemon Pokopia screenshot showing Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle all gathered around a Ditto in human form between two green trees
Pokemon Pokopia: everything we know about the Pokemon game that looks a lot like Animal Crossing
 
 
A taurus-shaped robotic figure with flaming innards, against a dark background with rocks visible
Helsmiths of Hashut review: Fear this new Warhammer Age of Sigmar army, because it's gonna kick ass
 
 
A screenshot of the upcoming Switch 2 game, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave with a character using a purple energy blast
Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave – Everything we know about the strategy game's Switch 2 debut
 
 
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
Downton Abbey helped me through the toughest times, but The Grand Finale feels like the perfect time to wrap things up
 
 
Upcoming video game movies: Mario, Princess Peach and Toad in The Super Mario Bros Movie.
Super Mario Galaxy Movie release date, cast, plot, and everything else you need to know about The Super Mario Bros. sequel
 
 
  1. Gwent: The Legendary Card Game box on a wooden surface, with cards visible in the background
    1
    There's now a real version of the Witcher Gwent card game, and it's just as engrossing as the original
  2. 2
    Borderlands 4 review: "Undeniably an excellent looter shooter, but one that requires a bit of tunnel vision to fully enjoy"
  3. 3
    This enormous exploration board game won't be for everyone, but it's a masterclass in narrative and sandbox gameplay
  4. 4
    Hollow Knight Silksong review: "Worth the wait and then some, this isn't just more Hollow Knight but an evolved, spindly beast all its own – even if it's fiddly at times"
  5. 5
    Cronos: The New Dawn review: "An unabashed mash-up of survival horror greatest hits, from Dead Space to Silent Hill, with plenty of its own gory ideas"
  1. Vera Farmiga as 'Lorraine' in The Conjuring: Last Rites
    1
    The Conjuring: Last Rites review: "Not bold or memorable enough for the Warrens' final chapter"
  2. 2
    Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle review: "Roars past Mugen Train as Demon Slayer's best adventure yet"
  3. 3
    The Long Walk review: "One of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made"
  4. 4
    Frankenstein review: "A classy, if somewhat safe, adaptation"
  5. 5
    Weapons review: "A twisted fairytale that bests Barbarian"
  1. Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, Luis Guzman as Gomez Addams, and Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams in Wednesday season 2 part 2
    1
    Wednesday season 2 part 2 review: "Ortega shines, but it's a zombie who steals the entire show"
  2. 2
    Peacemaker season 2 review: "Darker and sadder than the first year, but there's still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids."
  3. 3
    Wednesday season 2 part 1 review: "Complex and exciting but weighed down by too many subplots"
  4. 4
    Alien: Earth review: "Arguably the franchise's strongest outing since James Cameron's Aliens"
  5. 5
    King of the Hill season 14 review: "Hank Hill himself has evolved into a much more open and accepting person"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...