Castlevania is one of the classic video game franchises, and like so many classic franchises it saw it's beginnings in the hey-day of the Nintendo Entertainment System (or NES). In actuality, however, the first entry into one of Konami's flagship franchises was made for the Family Computer Disk System in 1986, which would then see a port to the MSX 2 computer, later localized in Europe and South America as Vampire Killer. It wasn't until it hit North American and European shores as a port to the NES in 1987 that the series gained fame.
Since the initial game, many sequels and prequels alike have been released across a multitude of platforms, and most are installments into the central tale: the Belmont clan, a long bloodline of vampire hunters that wield the Vampire Killer, (a holy whip that is capable of killing the otherwise invincible kings of the night) fight against the mighty Dark Lord, Dracula, otherwise known as the strongest vampire of all with a desire to exact vengeance for all his sorrows and destroy all humanity. Every time Dracula is killed by a heroic Belmont, he either revives himself after a century's time or is brought back by his demonic legions, who reside in the eponymous castle, Castlevania. It is a long, epic conflict that spans nearly a thousand years (most of this time is indeed covered in the games). There's an old saying that goes, "True evil never dies, and all that is necessary for its triumph is for good men to do nothing." This time, the good men always work...
This series has undergone many changes over the years, starting from the linear formula from the first game to a meld of Castlevania's elements with those of the Metroid series, and various RPG elements, starting with Symphony of the Night. These games would be labeled Metroidvanias from then on out, and this formula has dominated Castlevania's gameplay to this very day.
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