Standard Edition
StandardIn the box
- NES cartridge
- Box with cover art
- Instruction booklet
NES
PC
About the Nintendo Entertainment System
Castlevania
Castlevania, known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula, is a 1986 platform game developed and published by Konami. It was originally released in Japan for the Famicom Disk System in September 1986, before being ported to cartridge format and released in North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1987 and in Europe in 1988.
PlatformHack and slash/Beat 'em up
- Update patch
- No patch
- Time to beat
- about 2.9 hours
- Plays offline
- Yes
Overview
Castlevania, known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula, is a 1986 platform game developed and published by Konami. It was originally released in Japan for the Famicom Disk System in September 1986, before being ported to cartridge format and released in North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1987 and in Europe in 1988. It was also re-issued for the Family Computer in cartridge format in 1993. It is the first installment in the Castlevania series.
Players control Simon Belmont, descendant of a legendary vampire hunter, who enters the castle of Count Dracula to destroy him when he suddenly reappears 100 years after Simon's ancestor vanquished him. Castlevania was developed in tandem with Konami's MSX2 game Vampire Killer, which was released a month later and uses the same premise, characters and settings, but features different gameplay mechanics. It was followed by a sequel, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, and a prequel, Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, both of which were also released for the NES. Super Castlevania IV was released in 1991 for the Super NES and follows the same story. A remake for the X68000 was released in 1993, and was later re-released for the PlayStation as Castlevania Chronicles in 2001.
Castlevania was a commercial success and received critical acclaim, with journalists praising its graphics, gameplay, music, and difficulty. It has since been considered one of the greatest video games ever made.
Official trailer
Launch Trailer. Watch on YouTube
Gameplay
Castlevania (NES) Playthrough, NintendoComplete. Watch on YouTube
Screenshots
Game details
- Genres
- Platform, Hack and slash/Beat 'em up
- Developer
- Konami, Konami
- Publisher
- Nintendo, Konami
- Series
- Castlevania
- Platforms
- Arcade, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, Windows, Wii U, Nintendo Entertainment System
- Age rating
- ESRB E
- Modes
- Single player
- Yes
- Local multiplayer
- No
- Online multiplayer
- No
- Co op
- No
- Age ratings
- CERO
- A
- ESRB
- E
- PEGI
- 7
- CLASS IND
- 10
- ACB
- G
Release dates
| Platform | Region | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Nintendo Entertainment System | North America | 1987-05-01 |
| Nintendo Entertainment System | Europe / PAL | 1988-12-19 |
Editions
Akumajo Dracula (Famicom Disk System)
In the box
- Famicom Disk System disk
Space and patches
Update patchNo patch
DLC
No DLC. NES games had no downloadable content.
Playable today
Playable offline todayYes
Single player only, with no online features. The cartridge runs on any NES, and the game is sold today in Castlevania Anniversary Collection.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Ever released on disc | Yes, on NES cartridge |
| Ever released in the store | Yes, 30 April 2007 On the Wii Virtual Console. Later on the 3DS and Wii U Virtual Console in 2013, and inside Castlevania Anniversary Collection in 2019. |
| In the store to buy today | Yes, US$19.99 Inside Castlevania Anniversary Collection on Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. The Wii, Wii U and 3DS shops have closed. |
| Can be downloaded again if you already bought it | Yes Wii, Wii U and 3DS Virtual Console purchases can still be downloaded again. |
| Disc runs with no patch | Yes |
| Disc runs with the final patch | Does not exist No patch was ever released. |
| Has online features | No |
| Online servers running today | Does not exist |
| Playable offline today: campaign | Yes |
| Playable offline today: local multiplayer | Does not exist Single player only. |
| Playable offline today: online multiplayer | Does not exist No online play. |
| Playable offline today: DLC | Does not exist No DLC. |
Online
Plays offlineYes
Reception
- Critics
Outlet Score Scale Computer and Video Games 80 100
Staff and cast
- Staff
Role Name Developer Konami Publisher Konami Director Hitoshi Akamatsu Producer Akihiko Nagata Designer Akihiko Nagata Programmer Nobuhiro Matsuoka Artist Noriyasu Togakushi Composers Kinuyo Yamashita, Satoe Terashima
Notes for collectors
- First released in Japan on the Famicom Disk System in 1986; the NES cartridge followed in North America in 1987.
- Sold over a million copies.
- One of the 30 games on the NES Classic Edition in 2016.
- Included in Castlevania Anniversary Collection in 2019.
Credits
- Publisher
- Konami
- Developer
- Konami, Konami
- Director
- Hitoshi Akamatsu
- Released
- 1987-05-01
- Age rating
- ESRB E
- Region
- US
- Time to beat
- about 2.9 hours
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